Shore / beach dives
Sites you can reach without a boat. Depths generally 8′ to 50′. Park fees and beach tolls can apply. We'll tell you before you go.
8–50′
Typical depth
Beach
Walk-in access
Before you get in
These rules apply to every beach reef, not just Fort Pickens.
- Fly a Divers-Down flag and stay within 100′ of it
- No lifeguards on the reef. Boat traffic is real
- Waves and current can move you. Never dive alone
- Snorkelers should wear a PFD
- Read the beach flags: green, yellow, red, and purple for jellyfish / sea lice
- Tide station for the pass: Fort McRee Breakwater
10–50′
Fort Pickens Jetties
Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach
One of the main SCUBA training sites on the Panhandle. Access from the north seawall steps west of the fishing pier. Grouper, snapper, flounder, spadefish, guitarfish, sheepshead, red drum, stargazer, porcupine puffer, stingray. The rocks are a nursery for gobies, blennies, damselfish, jawfish. Currents get strong on the tide change. Conditions are usually best from one hour before to one hour after peak high tide. Check Fort McRee Breakwater. A dive flag / float is required by law. Carry a knife or line cutter. Gloves help. Always with a buddy. Seasonal jellyfish. No spearfishing on Gulf Islands National Seashore.
9–15′
Park East Reef
5 miles east of Casino Beach · Parking Lot H
Built 2011. 19 pairs (38 modules) of Ecosystem by Reefmaker units from Gulf Shores: limestone-covered concrete discs on fiberglass pilings. Rows 20–25′ apart, about 500′ into the Gulf to the second sandbar. Module tops sit about 6–10′ below the surface. About 5.2 miles east of Casino / 1.5 miles east of Portofino. Range markers are a yellow triangle and a blue square on the dune. Modules start about 300′ from shore in about 14′. Visibility usually 10–20′, up to 30′ on a calm day.
9–15′
Perdido Key Reef
Public Beach Access #1, Sandy Key Dr. off Johnson’s Beach Rd.
Built 2014. 24 Reefmaker modules, rows 20–25′ apart, about 280′ of reef. Tops about 6–8′ down. Same yellow-triangle / blue-square marker system. Modules start about 300′ from shore in about 10′. Visibility usually 10–20′, up to 30′ when it's calm. Tropical fish; sea turtles often rest in the sand around the modules.
8–14′
Park West Reef
Pensacola Bay, just before Fort Pickens entrance
Reef balls, memorial reefs, and other concrete. Corners marked by pylons 100′ apart in a square. Tops about 6–8′ down. Visibility usually 5–10′, occasionally 15–20′. Generally not a current site.
10–15′
Charles Fennel Gonzalez, IV, Casino Beach Reef
Markers behind Crabs restaurant, Casino Beach parking lot
Newest Escambia shore site, completed 2020. About 1,500′ east of the Pensacola Fishing Pier. 17 limestone, concrete, and fiberglass modules up to six feet off the sand, 650–700′ from shore. Blue square shoreward, yellow triangle seaward, behind Crabs. Line up the beach-ball water tower and the Verandas tower. Damselfish, schooling grunts, butterflyfish, sea turtles, octopuses. Pistol shrimp if you listen.
9–15′
Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary
Navarre Beach · 2,000′ east of the fishing pier
Gulf site south of the Sea Oat pavilion (dive flag on the pavilion). Two posts on the dune mark it on shore. 340′ south of mean tide, 78 structures about 20′ apart, just beyond the second sandbar. Visibility 5–40′. Surface markers sit on the reef. Turtles and stingrays. No spearfishing.
13–15′
Captain Bob Quarles Reef
~100 yards north of Park West Reef
30 19.738′N / 87 10.871′W
270 tons of Gulf Breeze Fishing Pier decking on concrete anchors. About 200–250 yards from shore. Navigate due north from the center of Park West about 150 yards. Fly a dive flag. Boat traffic is common. Visibility usually 5–10′. If Park West is muddy, don't swim this one. Visibility rarely improves further out.
10–45′ outside cavern (100′+ in cave)
Vortex Springs
1517 Vortex Spring Lane, Ponce De Leon, FL 32455
About 1.5 hours toward Tallahassee off I-10 exit 96. Basin is excellent for beginners. Cave system for trained cavern/cave divers only. 28 million gallons of 68° spring water a day. Bluegill, freshwater eels, bass, carp. Two underwater training platforms and a floating dock. Clarity drops fast if buoyancy is sloppy on a silty day.
10–35′ outside cavern (up to 300′ in deepest cavity)
Morrison Springs
874 Morrison Springs Rd., Ponce De Leon, FL 32455
About 1.5 hours east, 6 miles south of I-10 exit 96. 250′ basin on a 161-acre Walton County park with boardwalks, pavilion, restrooms, and gear rinse. 48 million gallons a day, 66–68°. Large training platform. Cavern/cave for certified divers only. Check recent reports. Visibility tracks water level.