Prime diving opportunities are abundant along the coasts of Florida and Panama City Beach offers some of the best. Visitors from all over the country come to PCB to dive among the underwater coral reefs and ship wrecks. This beach area has been dubbed as the “Wreck Capital of the South” due to the great selection of wreck sites available for diving. The area is filled with a number of coral reefs and ship wrecks, natural and man made, that make for interesting and fun-filled diving.

While there are quite a few dive charters in Panama City Beach to be found in the PCB area, Panama City Dive Charters just seems to stand out above the rest. Captain Pat and his crew provide an excellent experience in all parts of their operation. You’ll find friendly and professional service along with a highly educated and qualified crew. Customers never get the feeling of being rushed through their experience, but rather feel that extra efforts are made to ensure that they have a great time. Their prices are very competitive, making this an even better choice. Check on their terrific group rates if you’re traveling with a large number of people. Panama City Dive Charters are located at Bay Point Marina next to the Boat Ramp in Panama City.

If you’ve always wanted to dive, but have never taken the time to get certified, why not fit some dive instruction classes in with your vacation to PCB? Panama City Dive Charters is there to begin your scuba diving education with beginner certification classes or to further your underwater experiences with advanced classes. Dependent on your length of stay in the area, the rate at which you become comfortable with various aspects of diving, and weather/water conditions, you’ll need to be sure you’re able to complete the class during your stay. The Core Water Diver class provides a basic certification for divers for up to 60-feet. This certification will take about 40 hours to complete and includes two days of confined water or pool work with two days of actual open water diving. You’ll need to provide your own snorkel, mask and fins. The price is a reasonable $250. The Advanced Open Water Diver certification is offered for the same price of $250. For this class, expect some book work and five specialty dives, including navigation and deep dives. This certification will take you up to 100′ deep.

Other instructional classes include the Rescue Diver and the Master Scuba Diver. The Rescue class includes CPR/First Aid Certification and you must have 20 previously logged dive hours. The Master Scuba instruction is for those who have completed five or more diving specialties and have taken the Rescue class. Their Divemaster class with Internship is a more extensive and time consuming class.

PC Dive Charters are very proud of their new dive boat, a 36-foot Newton Dive Special named the Steel Slinger. They have added some really nice customizations such as a heavy-duty and oversized dive ladder, hot water showers, enlarged storage spaces and a fully enclosed cabin. It even has a misting system to help keep divers cool in the summer. The boat will hold up to 30 passengers but they limit it to 15 just to make sure everyone has enough space. PC Dive Charters is now an authorized PADI dive boat, making them the only independent scuba diving charter in the area with that status. The boat is always stocked with plenty snacks and beverages to enjoy.

Certified divers are able to choose from a selection of inshore dives, offshore dives and even night dives. Prices for these options range from $80-110 with even better prices of $69-99 for groups. Private group boat trips are $720-990 for the various services.

Another spectacular service that Panama City Dive Charters offers is their Spearfishing Trips that are highly acclaimed by those who have experienced them. This is only for seasoned divers as there will be time spent diving without an instructor. Nitrox and a liberal dive computer are mandatory due to the 100-foot depths. Typically, you need a group to charter the whole boat for these trips costing $600 for up to the first five shooters and $120 for each additional participant. A group of four is ideal as they will only put down four divers at the time. If you need additional people to fill a party, just let them know and they’ll put you together with other small groups. Captain Pat and the crew will set you up in the best spots for spearing some terrific fish and educate you in the best ways to approach the different species. Spearfishing is definitely a thrilling experience that advanced divers will absolutely love.

Above all else, the safety of PC Dive Charter’s customers always comes first. They limit trips to those for which the individual diver has been trained. Anyone who makes three or more dives is required to have a dive computer, and a timing device is required for all dive trips. Dive lights (preferably two) are needed for night dives and they highly recommend diving gloves and a dive knife. Be sure to bring your dive certification with you, as it will be required.

The crew at PC Dive Charters are rated as absolutely fantastic and you would be hard pressed to find another outfit anywhere near their level of service and professionalism. If you look up customer reviews for this dive operation on the Internet, the compliments are boundless. Extremely well educated, personable, fun, light-hearted, genuine, punctual, prepared and extremely safe are the typical comments. Through their vast experience, they have acquired many handy tips and tricks of the trade that they gladly share with their divers. With the patience of a saint, they welcome everyone from the novice needing instruction to the expert seeking thrills. Teenagers are also welcome. They even try to customize your dive experience to include what you’re looking for in a great dive. They obviously love what they do and those that dive with this crew often won’t even consider going with anyone else.

Gratuity for your Divemaster and deckhands are both customary and greatly appreciated. Showers are available upon your return at Bay Point Marina to wash off the salt water from hours of diving, that is if you did not use the shower on their terrific boat. You can view all diving options and prices on their website, along with the minimum number of divers required for each. Feel free to call Panama City Dive Charters for further information.

If you have experienced Panama City Dive Charters in Panama City Beach, FL then please share your review with others in the comments section below. If you’re looking for other fun attractions then take a look at our list of the best things to do in Panama City Beach, FL. If you want to find great resorts and condos in Panama City Beach, then be sure to check out our list of the best Panama City Beach condos. Finally, save money on your vacation with our source of the best Panama City Beach coupons!