Dive season is just getting better.
It’s the last day of July 2023 and the dive season is starting to wind down for the out-of-towner who come to enjoy our waters for a few days or even weeks.
For those of us who make Florida our permanent home the dive season is just getting better. The water is a balmy 88-91 degrees while in the deeper water (at 50-feet plus it’s down to 85-87 degrees).
On my last dive I told you about the whale shark that we swam with at the Navy Barge. Since then they have reported the sighting of at least four more whale sharks in the different dive sites like the Black Bart, Red Sea, and the Lost Pontoon to name a few. It looks like they may be here for a little while because of the large plankton bloom we are seeing. I recommend you book a dive trip over in Panama City Beach soon and the odds are pretty good you will see one or two of them.
I will say that on my last few dives the water visibility was not the best I’ve seen, it was 25-35 feet. But I’m sure that as the days go on it should get better.
As we start August we need to understand that the water will become more unpredictable because of the weather patterns farther out in the Gulf. The water will get a little warmer and that could mean some severe weather to start forming. There is also a possibility that it might not be that bad.
There have been dives lately that when we get to the dive site the waves are 1-foot or less but by the time we finish the dive they have gone to 2-feet or more so be very vigilant when you go out into the big water.
The second dive after we swam with the whale shark was the Red Sea. The visibility was about 35 feet but the water temperature was 88 degrees from the surface to about 55 feet then it dropped to about 84 degrees to the bottom.
Both the mother and daughter went on that dive while I observed. They swam all over the wreck until their gas got down to about 1200psi and we headed to our safety stop.
The 3rd and final dive was the Lost Pontoon, it was in about 60 feet of water and the visibility was about the same. That is where they collected a lot of nice shells and sand dollars.
They really enjoyed themselves and I really enjoyed being able to introduce them to the life under the ocean.
Until next week blow bubbles and dive safe.
– Russell Miller, NAUI instructor #59999