Destin Jetties

Florida, USA East
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Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Destin Jetties

Recently( this February) I did a shore dive at the Destin Jetties in Destin, Florida. I went there because the boat dives were all canceled due to bad weather. Of course that meant there was bad weather at the jetties too but I was so determined to dive in the ocean that weekend. I spent about 12 mins fighting the currents in 6 foot water and went about 9 yards. It was freezing cold and I had about 5 ft of visibility. It was a terrible dive but the locals I talked to said that on good days it can be incredible. I plan to try it again this summer. You are at the mercy of the tides for peek diving conditions. Obviously when I dove that mercy was not available. There are jetties on both the east and west side of the pass - the east side is where people do most of their diving. To reach them, you'll want to get to Gulf Shore Drive and follow it past where it makes an "S" turn. At this point, be on watch for a gravel lane for public parking on the right side of the road. There will also be a single showerhead and a few signs that can be easy to miss marking the trail that leads out to the beach and the East Pass Jetties.
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Steven Garger
Steven Garger
Jul 12, 2003, 12:00 AM
scuba
My experience on the jetties was quite good. The water was very clear and entry wasn't difficult. I saw quite an abundance of animal life; however, there was not much plant life. Some of the animals I encountered were blue crabs, which were quite large and the most abundant of any life I saw. Other animals I saw were juvenile and adult sheepshead, lots and lots of hardtail, needlenose fish of all sizes. Some fish that I wasn't familiar had black and white bands, and looked kinda like an angel fish,. Another species I saw looked like a mudskipper, but it couldn't have been due to the salt water. Thankfully I didn't have any run-ins with sharks, which occasionally end up on the jetties. But then again these sharks frequent the beach, as well. You've just got to let them do their thing I guess -- after all, we are visiting their home. Overall, I would say it was a very fun experience diving off the jetties, and I'm going to go back next weekend!
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