Panama City Dive Charters
SCUBA gear, dive classes and diving vacations too!
5512 Thomas Drive
Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
850-588-8077
Open Daily from 9am to 6pm
SCUBA gear, dive classes and diving vacations too!
5512 Thomas Drive
Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
850-588-8077
Open Daily from 9am to 6pm
Our Dive Charters in Panama City Beach, Florida
Please note that it is both customary and appreciated to tip the deckhand/divemaster (like in a restaurant). If you don't feel they worked for it then I am sure the Captain would like to know about it so that the next trip will be better!
Rates for Steel Slinger and Better Bottom Time (6 packs may be slightly more)
Group Prices may be Negotiated
Group Prices may be Negotiated
| SCUBA Diving Charters | Regular Price |
Private Boat Trip | Min Paying Divers Required |
| Inshore 2 Dives | $80 | $720 | 3 ($240) |
| Offshore 2 Dives |
$90 | $810 | 3 ($270) |
| Night Dives | $90 | $810 | 4 ($360) |
| 3 Dives | $110 | $990 | 3 ($330) |
| Spearfishing Charter | $120 | $960 | 5 ($600) |
Please call the shop 850-588-8077 or email Captain Pat to plan and reserve your dive trip
CaptPat@PanamaCityDiveCharters.com
Dive Trips cancelled by the Captain due to weather will receive a full immediate refund.
*Prices are per person with a minimum for the dive trip to "make".
*All trips are open to the public unless specifically requested to be private, a fee will apply to private trips.
* Inshore and offshore trips are explained on the "SCUBA Info" page.
Rental Gear
Tanks are $5 for air and $7 for 32% EANx
Divers on the Steel Slinger, can have tanks waiting for you on the boat as long as we are provided with 24 hour notice.
Divers on the Steel Slinger, can have tanks waiting for you on the boat as long as we are provided with 24 hour notice.
All other gear is available at our Dive Shop at 5512 Thomas Drive Panama
City Beach, FL 32408.
Our full rental package is $45 and includes everything you need for a boat trip. BCDs and wetsuits must be properly fitted to the individual so we require everyone who needs to rent them to come by the shop to get fitted.
Our full rental package is $45 and includes everything you need for a boat trip. BCDs and wetsuits must be properly fitted to the individual so we require everyone who needs to rent them to come by the shop to get fitted.
Required Dive
Equipment
*All persons making 3 or more dives are required to have a dive computer.
Likewise divers are limited to trips that they have the proper training for.
* If you don't have a computer, a timing device is required on all trips.
How else will you know how to work your tables?
*Dive lights are required on night dives.
(Two would be ideal)
*Dive gloves are strongly advised.
* A dive knife.
Below are the Dive Boats we use for our charters. Reservations will be put on the Steel Slinger by default however we are happy to book any of the boats as requested.
*All persons making 3 or more dives are required to have a dive computer.
Likewise divers are limited to trips that they have the proper training for.
* If you don't have a computer, a timing device is required on all trips.
How else will you know how to work your tables?
*Dive lights are required on night dives.
(Two would be ideal)
*Dive gloves are strongly advised.
* A dive knife.
Below are the Dive Boats we use for our charters. Reservations will be put on the Steel Slinger by default however we are happy to book any of the boats as requested.
Spearfishing
We at Panama City Dive Charters are very pro spearfishing as it is the most environmentally sound and ethical method of harvest when practiced correctly. We take the "ethical harvest" part very seriously. Please refer to our separate webpage for more info on spearfishing and our spearfishing charters.
We at Panama City Dive Charters are very pro spearfishing as it is the most environmentally sound and ethical method of harvest when practiced correctly. We take the "ethical harvest" part very seriously. Please refer to our separate webpage for more info on spearfishing and our spearfishing charters.
The Steel Slinger based out of the Bay Point Marina. This boat is a custom made 36' Newton dive boat. She is USCG inspected for 30 regular passengers or 20 divers.... but they limit dive trips 14 to insure comfort and space for all scuba diving customers. They pride themselves on their "big boat" comfort and personal "small boat" service. Discounted group rates are available as are discounts for instructors. They are also the only boat to run dedicated spearfishing trips regularly in the area and are one of only two dive boats in Panama City to have secured the permits to legally take fish from federal waters.
Better Bottom Time charters runs a 30' Island Hopper inspected for 14 divers out of Sun Harbor Marina. Capt John is also highly flexible with dive sites and runs out of his way frequently to make sure everyone sees what they want to see, or more to the point... don't see the same site over and over again.
Wreck Raider is an excellent 6 pack charter. Capt Rod's 28' Parker is hands down the fastest dive charter in Bay County. He can get you to those offshore sites and back again as quickly as conditions dictate. Despite his quick boat his is one of the more laid back operators in town and although speed is an option you won't feel any pressure to hurry from him or his crew. 850-249-DIVE
Down Time Dive Charters Capt Pat Kennedy runs a 27' Sportscraft the Down Time. His trips are also 6-packs (no more than 6 allowed) Pat has been doing this longer than most of the other Captains and some people have claimed he can get to the Black Bart blindfolded! Capt Kennedy is as personable as he is experienced and his DM Jess Cook is one of the livelier characters in the PC diving community and will probably have you laughing so hard you'll need to rinse your wetsuit after the charter.
Down Time Dive Charters Capt Pat Kennedy runs a 27' Sportscraft the Down Time. His trips are also 6-packs (no more than 6 allowed) Pat has been doing this longer than most of the other Captains and some people have claimed he can get to the Black Bart blindfolded! Capt Kennedy is as personable as he is experienced and his DM Jess Cook is one of the livelier characters in the PC diving community and will probably have you laughing so hard you'll need to rinse your wetsuit after the charter.
Dive Boat Etiquette
If you are new to area boat diving there are a few things you may want to know to prevent making a faux pas.
It is generally frowned upon to bring a massive gear bag full of a complete dive shop onboard. They take up too much space and on boats every pound takes away from the performance of the vessel and every square inch of space one diver uses is not available to everyone else. Most of the boat crews fit all their clothes and dry things in small backpack stored in the cabin area and their gear in a 5 gallon bucket.
Similarly, most boats have a large cooler and provide drinks and snacks for their customers. If you have drinks and snacks or your own they should go in the boat cooler, do not bring your own.
When the Captain and crew are addressing the boat, listen! They know far more about diving off their boat than you do and more divers are hurt trying to climb dive ladders in a manner contrary to instructions than by all the angry bullsharks and barracudas in the world.
Dive planning should take place on the boat, once divers are in the water they are subject to wave action and surface currents making communication hard and anxiety much worse. Do not wait until you splash to make plans with your buddy.
The only correct way to get to the wreck is to follow the line from the boat down to the site, and the only way back to the boat is to slowly ascend on the line from the wreck. Please note the spot on the wreck the line is attached to as you will have to come back to that spot. If you find a line at another spot it is going to the wrong boat!! Divers ascending the wrong line are expected to buy their new friends on the other boat a 6 pack!
Bananas are considered bad luck on boats and mariners are a superstitious lot. Please ingest your potassium with your breakfast while on shore.
Gloves and knives are a must due to fishing line and rusty metal. Likewise 2 lights are required gear on night dives while chemical lights (glow sticks) and safety sausages and whistles are always a good idea for saltwater dives.
It is customary to tip the divemaster/deckhand 10-20% of the trip cost (not rental gear and air) provided they worked for it, just like in a restaurant.
Similarly, most boats have a large cooler and provide drinks and snacks for their customers. If you have drinks and snacks or your own they should go in the boat cooler, do not bring your own.
When the Captain and crew are addressing the boat, listen! They know far more about diving off their boat than you do and more divers are hurt trying to climb dive ladders in a manner contrary to instructions than by all the angry bullsharks and barracudas in the world.
Dive planning should take place on the boat, once divers are in the water they are subject to wave action and surface currents making communication hard and anxiety much worse. Do not wait until you splash to make plans with your buddy.
The only correct way to get to the wreck is to follow the line from the boat down to the site, and the only way back to the boat is to slowly ascend on the line from the wreck. Please note the spot on the wreck the line is attached to as you will have to come back to that spot. If you find a line at another spot it is going to the wrong boat!! Divers ascending the wrong line are expected to buy their new friends on the other boat a 6 pack!
Bananas are considered bad luck on boats and mariners are a superstitious lot. Please ingest your potassium with your breakfast while on shore.
Gloves and knives are a must due to fishing line and rusty metal. Likewise 2 lights are required gear on night dives while chemical lights (glow sticks) and safety sausages and whistles are always a good idea for saltwater dives.
It is customary to tip the divemaster/deckhand 10-20% of the trip cost (not rental gear and air) provided they worked for it, just like in a restaurant.
A Primer for Panama City boat diving.
It is quite common for first time ocean divers to experience anxiety before they jump off a boat into the unknown. If these divers are then stuck bobbing on the surface (unaccustomed to wave action) their anxiety is made quite abit worse, it is therefore import to be ready to get under the surface and out of the wave action as quickly as possible. We do not recommend trying to use your snorkel to reach the front of the boat on the surface and switching to your regulator. It is far more prudent to enter the water, make sure you are ready to descend and do so immediately after signaling the crew. Most local charters provide a Carolina line system (pictured below) from the stern angled down to the anchor line so that divers are slowly descending as soon as they splash in. This keeps everyone away from the bow, off the surface, out of the wave action and below the strongest surface current.
A very important rule of thumb when boat diving locally is to avoid grabbing the lines, rather you should "ok" them loosely with your hand. Boats tend to bob up and down in even small seas and subject the lines to some movement as well, which will subject you to some movement if you have a firm grip! This becomes more pronounced the closer you come to the bow of the boat (the closer to the surface). Please bear this in mind if you find yourself pulling your way down or up the line and while performing a safety stop.
