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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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(15)
John Jones
Aug 25, 2022, 6:39 PM
freediving
Randy L
Sep 9, 2018, 12:00 AM
scuba
We spoke with a local dive master about the best time to dive. He suggested 30 minutes after high tide. The visibility was about 25-35' lots of fish and life around the jetties. The bad side to this dive was the 'death march' to get to it. From the place we parked, it was over 1/4 mile into the dive site. There's a lot of snorkelers in the area. After the dive there's a nice shower near the parking area to rinse off in, very refreshing after the march out.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Geno
Mar 10, 2014, 12:00 AM
scuba
We dove the jetties on 3/9/14 (my 3rd & 4th open water dive). The water was cold, but the visibility was very good. There wasn't a ton of fish, this may be because of the massive amount of Jellyfish! Overall, it was a good experience other than the 'death march' from the public parking to the jetties.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Jim Miller
Jul 29, 2011, 12:00 AM
scuba
Great conditions, current a little ruff, plenty of snorkelers. To my amazement located living coral on rocks. Sea anemones with no color, however I managed to count three in one general location. My friends stay wet!!!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Miles
Jun 18, 2011, 12:00 AM
scuba
The Jelly fish came in pretty heavy and totally ate us apart. Haha. But it seemed as if it would have been awesome if it weren't for them.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Ben from Destin
Sep 7, 2009, 12:00 AM
scuba
Entry is very easy. High tide is the best time to go because the ocean water is going into the bay, so the water is clear. At low tide, the water from the bay goes into the ocean, which is blurry and murky. Last time I went snorkeling and fishing at the jetties (going again today), we saw many 'tropical fish' like cocoa damselfish, beaugregory damselfish, slippery dick wrasse, yellow tangs, some weird grey tangs, lots of crabs, a gulf toadfish, and even a clownfish. We caught many slippery dick wrasse and beaugregory damselfish on hook and line. We also caught and saw horse-head jacks, ladyfish, common pinfish, spot-tail pinfish, grey snapper, and pigfish. The worst thing that happened, other than low tide, was when my friend got his hook stuck to a rock 10 feet deep in the water. We both got into the water but (of course) I was the one that actually swam down and got the hook untangled while he just watched me from the surface. Right after I got the hook untied, I saw him screaming at my. I looked up and just a couple feet away was a 7 foot bull shark.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Originally posted on shorediving.com
James in GA
Aug 15, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
I dove the jetties July 14,2006. Visibility was amazing. Beaches had seaweed, but the Destin Pass was clear. We rented a pontoon boat for the day, and beached the boat right up from the jetties. Saw lots of fish, sand dollars, hermit and blue crab. Must dive on slack tide. Tide got bad quickly after that. It would also be a great snorkel spot, although weekends can get crowded with commercial snorkel trips. Had just as much fun diving the deeper bridge pylons from the public parking/beach at the west end of the Destin Pass Bridge. The highlight of the trip was the charter we took with http://www.scubatechnwfl.com/ . Reef at 100' w/ 10' vis in the morning almost made me give up on Destin, but the Miss Louise in 56' w/ 100' vis in the afternoon made up for it. I will be back as soon as possible.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Maria Lascola
Jun 10, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
Just returned from a lovely Destin trip. Stayed at Jetty East mainly because of the location and proximity of the Jetties. The walk to the jetty was easy, entry was very easy, and snorkeling was very nice. Minimal June grass appeared nearly daily but it was still a great time with awesome water clarity. Ok variety of sea life.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
John Triano
Aug 15, 2005, 12:00 AM
scuba
Visibility 100 ft+ in the summer, down to 35 ft and cloudy in the late fall. Public access between the last two condo towers in front of the beach off of Gulf Shore Drive. Water from 1-35ft in depth. Various snorkel tours visit the jetty but you can go it alone. Great white sand beach! Plenty of fish, so bring some frozen peas and feed them. Great for beginners, but just remember: don't go pass the tip of the jetty or the current may grab you. Best to snorkel at high tide.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Michael Sutton
Jun 20, 2005, 12:00 AM
scuba
This is a great shore dive if you are in the Destin Area. The only real negative I can say about it, is a long walk from the parking area is not easy wearing scuba gear, tanks, weights. (about 50-75 yards in soft sand and another 75 to 100 yards in hard packed sand around the waters edge to where the jetty starts) Find the tide information online and dive this at "High Tide" for the best vis and lowest currents. When the tide starts to go out, then the vis will decrease, especially on the surface. Max depths of around 45 to 55 feet. Vis of 20 to 40 feet. Not many fish, but lots of crabs in the rocks. Beware of LOTS of boat traffic and fishermen. A floatable/towable Dive Flag is a must. Local dive shops offer boat trips to this site if the walk is too long/hard. To find it, look for the public beach access sign and shower on the left of the road. Parking gets full on busy weekends.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Jeremiah
May 5, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
The Destin Jetties are an excellent family snorkel/scuba dives. We have been probably 10 - 15 times and enjoy it thoroughly. The sea life varies each time and never is the same. As mentioned by others check the tides because an outgoing tide is tiring to fight and visibility is also diminished at this time. Our family is a very busy one and doesn't have the time to charter a boat and all that entails, so we drive from our home in Mississippi occasionally for a 1 to 2 day dive for very little expense. So in other words we highly recommend it!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Corey Calvert
Feb 6, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
I must begin by saying that I am very partial to the Destin Jetties, as I was an instructor in Destin for 5 years. However, in that period of time I witnessed the best and the worst of the Jetties. I logged somewhere in the neighborhood of 350-450 dives at the Jetties, if not more. I have seen everything from a sea horse to a school of spotted eagle rays there. The best time to dive the jetties is at high slack tide (least current at that time), and only on an incoming tide (best vis). The Jetties can also be an exciting night dive, especially with a full moon. Having logged over 1100 dives in the Destin waters, I can honestly say the Jetties are one of the area's best dives, and one of its worst if you don't get a good day. To make the walk easier, Scuba Tech and Emerald Coast Scuba offer trips there, by boat. I first dove the Jetties in June 1998, and last dove there, August 2003.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Diver Jeff
Dec 18, 2003, 12:00 AM
scuba
My wife and I dove the Destin jetties for the first time in 2002. One thing you MUST do is to know the tides. Along the jetties you can see Sgt. Majors, Zebra Angels, yellow tangs. I have a picture of my wife next to a 6ft. Stingray buried in the sand. In addition there are lots of huge sand dollars and lots of shells. Lots of stone crabs, skates, flounder. There is a large anchor that came off a barge. Depth is from 20-50 ft. Be prepared for quite a walk to get to the jetty. It is a good 100 yard walk from Gulf Shores Drive to the jetty. Because of the strong outgoing tide, I wouldn't recommend the dive for the inexperienced unless you dive within the limited slack tide. Safety & blue skies…
Originally posted on shorediving.com
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!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
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