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One of the best kept secrets of the Forgotten Coast is the access to diving sites off of the shores of Port St. Joe, Florida. There are shallow water dives on historical sites such as the Lumber Ship and deep water dives on the Empire Mica which was sunk by a German submarine during World War II.
In addition to natural bottom, shrimp boats, barges, and towers, there are numerous artificial reefs built by a group of volunteers called the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association (MBARA). These men and women from Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe have been building reefs since l997 and have over 200 sites off of our shores. All sites are listed on their website at www.mbara.org, and they sell a booklet of site GPS numbers at local dive shops in the area. You can access underwater videos of reefs on the Research Section of that website.
The premier dive has to be the Empire Mica. This huge tanker was sunk by German U Boats in June of l942. It is 463 feet long and is in l08 feet of water. You can still see the torpedo damage to the hull. Captain Eric Tomlinson with Killfish Charters carries divers out all the time to dive this amazing site. Huge barracuda live there on the site and there is an abundance of fish life.
The Lumber Ship, or Vamar, or Eleanor Bolling, or Chelsea lies out in 24 feet of water off of Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe. It has an amazing history. It was built in l929 in England as a patrol gun boat. It was l70 feet long and had a 30 foot beam. It was renamed the Chelsea at one time. In l928 Rear Admiral Richard Byrd acquired the Chelsea and renamed it the Eleanor Bolling after his mother. He did some refurbishing and took it to Antarctica several times. It was sold to a shipping company later and was carrying freight to Port St. Joe when it sank on March 19, l942. There are many stories about why it sank. Many rumors were talked about all over town. Read more about this boat on the www.mbara.org website.
There are some visibility issues sometime. There are days with 60 to 70 feet visibility, and some days it is one foot or less. We have different variables such as water from the Apalachicola River, the intra-coastal canal flow, the dredging in the area for beach re-nourishment, high winds, hurricanes, and big waves. Check with your local dive master or captain for specifics on the visibility.
There are many dives to choose from in this area. Some of the top dive sites are listed below for the divers.
- Empire Mica
- Lumber Ship, Vamar, Eleanor Bolling, Chelsea
- Progress Energy Shrimp Boat
- Organization for Artificial Reefs Big Bend Salt Water Classic Barge
- MBARA Barge
- Marquardt’s Marina Barge
- Charlie Parker Memorial Reef
- Gene Childs Memorial Reef
- Gatewood Barge
- Garfield Wilson Memorial Reef
Descriptions and GPS numbers are on the MBARA website for reefs built by the MBARA, and a plastic booklet of all numbers and other famous sites as well is for sale in local dive shops.
There are dive sites in 20 feet, 50 feet, 60 feet, 80 feet, l00 feet, and 120 feet. There are numerous artificial reefs built out of prefabricated concrete modules that can be seen on the MBARA website as well.
The Port St. Joe Marina is a full service marina with a bar and grill. Charter boats are available at the marina.
Daly’s Dock and Dive in Port St. Joe offers air and a complete line of dive equipment for sale or rent. They have gifts and souvenirs along with boat and engine sales and service. They also offer charter dive trips.
Blue Water Outrigger in Port St. Joe offers diving equipment for sale and has an abundance of fishing, hunting, boating, and clothing items for sale. Anything you need in the outdoors is located here.
Killfish Charters and Captain Eric Tomlinson of Port St. Joe offer dive trips to the Empire Mica for diving, sight seeing, and/or spearfishing. He also runs trips to other special sites as well.
Seahorse Water Safaris located at the Port St. Joe Marina offers dive trips, snorkeling trips, tours of the bay, jet skis, and boat rentals.
Port St. Joe Marina
850 227 9393
www.psjmarina.com
Daly’s Dock and Dive Center
850 229 6330
www.dalysdock.com
Sea Horse Water Safaris
850 227 1099
www.seahorsewatersafaris.com
Captain Eric Tomlinson
Killfish Charters
850 227 7480
www.killfishcharters.com
Blue Water Outriggers
850 229 1100
www.bluewateroutriggers.com
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