Diving in Panama City Beach
Scuba diving off Panama City Beach is truly world-class! The Gulf waters near St. Andrew’s Pass feature rare natural limestone reefs alongside some of the most iconic artificial reefs in the northern Gulf, offering unforgettable underwater experiences for divers of all skill levels.
Panama City Beach’s reputation as a premier dive destination is anchored by signature wrecks like the 185-foot Black Bart, which delivers a classic wreck-diving experience with expansive swim-throughs and thriving marine life. Nearby, the 100-ft Black Pearl offers a dramatic, large-scale wreck dive that has quickly become a diver favorite, featuring interactive elements such as a spinning ship’s wheel, cannons, and a plank along with rapid colonization by reef fish!
Because of these and so many other artificial reefs in the area, Skin Diver Magazine dubbed Panama City Beach the "Wreck Diving Capital of the South."
Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail in PCB
The Shipwreck trail has 20 unique diving sites from Port St. Joe to Pensacola, with the following wrecks being found in Panama City Beach:
USS Strength: A World War II minesweeper, saw action off Iwo Jima and Okinawa where she survived both a midget submarine attack and a kamikaze raid. Later in life, Strength served as a training hulk for Navy salvage divers in Washington, D.C., and then Panama City. Sunk for the last time in 1987, she lay on her side for years before being righted by a hurricane in 1995. At less than 80 feet, divers can easily swim between the two sections of Strength’s hull where her bow separated from the rest of the ship.
USS Chippewa: Launched in 1942, the U.S. Navy tugboat USS Chippewa performed standard towing and salvage duty from the Caribbean to Newfoundland. She also laid mooring buoys in Casablanca in 1944, broke tugboat speed records, and once carried a torpedo bomber on her fantail. Sunk as a Navy training platform for the Panama City Experimental Dive Unit in 1990, Chippewa now sits upright on the bottom in 100 feet of water offering a great dive for spotting marine life.
Black Bart: Christened Vulcano del Golfo in 1977, this offshore oilfield supply vessel was sunk as an artificial reef in 1993 in memory of Navy Supervisor of Salvage Captain Charles “Black Bart” Bartholomew. Divers can swim through the intact wheelhouse at 40 feet, investigate the deck at 66 feet, and explore the open cargo holds at 80 feet. Visitors to Black Bart can also visit the ship’s head (complete with toilet) and the galley (that’s the kitchen for you landlubbers) which still has several appliances.
El Dorado: This 157-foot-long modern luxury cruise liner originally washed ashore in Panama City during Hurricane Ivan (2004). Marine salvor Lee Ingram, a Panama City native, purchased it and intended to restore the vessel and place it in service, but another hurricane, Michael in October 2018, carried it from its dock and deposited it on its side near the Florida State University Panama City property.
USS Accokeek: Before she was sunk as an artificial reef in 2000, USS Accokeek traveled the globe as a fleet tug. Built in 1944, Accokeek began her career in Orange, Texas, and then was deployed to work around the world for 26 years.
FAMI Tugs: Sunk as artificial reefs, the tugs once rested bow to bow joined by a 30-foot tether. As is often the case, Mother Nature had different plans. In an unforeseen turn of events, a storm picked one boat up and placed it directly on top of the other, allowing divers to enjoy two shipwrecks at once.
Public Diving Artificial Reefs
Use your curser to navigate the map; click on reef icons for more information.