# Looking for semi regular dive buddy(s)



## Reku (Nov 1, 2015)

Hi - I'm looking for some buddies that want to scuba dive maybe once a week or more depending on schedules. I'm OW, Nitrox certified I'm doing TDI cavern and Intro to cave in about 2 months. I'm doing advanced open water this summer. I've been scuba diving since 2010. Any experience level is welcome and we can do any dives that you feel comfortable and have the skills to do. I have all of my own gear. You can contact me here (I don't check this much) or you can text me at 850-888-0707.


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## jspooney (Oct 2, 2007)

Not a lot of diving going on right now. Repost this in a few months. And welcome to the PFF.


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## flappininthebreeze (Jul 13, 2009)

Your boat, or mine?


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

Reku said:


> Hi - I'm looking for some buddies that want to scuba dive maybe once a week or more depending on schedules. I'm OW, Nitrox certified I'm doing TDI cavern and Intro to cave in about 2 months. I'm doing advanced open water this summer. I've been scuba diving since 2010. Any experience level is welcome and we can do any dives that you feel comfortable and have the skills to do. I have all of my own gear. You can contact me here (I don't check this much) or you can text me at 850-888-0707.


I'm in the same boat as you....moving here from PCB in a few months and one of the hardest things about the move is starting over....w/ trustworthy dive buddies.

As soon as I drag my boat over here it will be time to get serious, and lament why I'm leaving a place where I have 1000+ #'s to spearfish.

Let's hook up this summer for sure.


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

There are a bunch of divers on here. 
Good people

You should find what you are looking for but like spooney says, once it warms up again , ask again


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## Dive1 (May 16, 2015)

I'm in. I have boat.


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

Since it's too cold to dive (at least for me), I find myself tidying up things like my list of #'s and such. I'm new to the P'cola area and have only dove it a few times on charters but it sure seems like there are a TON of public numbers out here. 

Here's a screenshot of just the public numbers I've been able to collate through public sources, mainly a thread on this forum.

Question for the group is: is any of this stuff worth it? There's everything from bridge rubble to pyramids and even some public numbers to reefs like the Timberholes etc.

What kind of range do most folks stick with when diving & spearfishing? Can you reasonably stay within 10 miles or do you need to go 20+ for good diving?

I sure looks bare out towards the east....or at least there aren't many public spots marked.

Thoughts?


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## etrade92 (Jul 30, 2015)

I am in. Its been a while since I have dove so I will need to knock the rust off, but I am wanting to get back into it.


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## Dive1 (May 16, 2015)

My boat is in Destin and I dive Destin. Anybody interested, I would like to dive Pensacola.


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## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

Even a small pyramid can have a good size fish on it. It has been my experience that the closer to the pass (I.e. the more pressure from human activity) the more sharks you will find. That being said, there are several reefs in the 10-13 mile range. 
The further you go, the better your chance at having the spot to yourself. 
Just pick a route, dive your spots and explore. 
Depending on the age of the number, storms may have moved it.


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## aquatic argobull (Mar 2, 2009)

Dive1 said:


> My boat is in Destin and I dive Destin. Anybody interested, I would like to dive Pensacola.


Just curious, are you talking about a chartered trip or a gas split?


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## Boboe (Feb 4, 2013)

Hangover said:


> I sure looks bare out towards the east....or at least there aren't many public spots marked.
> 
> Thoughts?


There are plenty of public numbers off of Destin.


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

Time to revive this thread. 

I've now moved to Gulf Breeze and looking for a new crew. I work in oil & gas on rotation so I'm off for 2 weeks at a time and enjoy diving during the week (or anytime really). I have a 25 ft Parker set up for diving with speargun racks, roll control, newest Garmin bottom machine w/ sidescan blah blah, EPIRB and all the safety stuff, Dan O2 etc. Single 250 4 stroke and the modified V means she's good on fuel, not fast and you have to pick your days or get beat to snot.

So, one question for the group is: how do you dive & spearfish here?

In PCB we typically hit small structure (coops, pyramids, junk) or hardbottom patches. We'll usually mark it and throw a buoy with the divers when they roll in. "Just swim down" is the mantra and chase the lead weight to the bottom then shoot fish. The buoy is for the divers to find the spot, especially if it's small, and we'll often pull it before the divers ascend. We watch bubbles and free ascend up having lift bagged full stringers (if sharky) to a competent attentive boat captain who won't leave you and won't run you over. There shall always be a fully competent dive team & boat crew on the boat at all times, learned my lesson here. Safety first!

What are your thoughts on this operation? Do yall do something similar? 

And, if anyone is interested in hooking up for a dive trip PM me or let's get a beer sometime and talk shop. As of now I should be free to dive in the Jul 18-22 time frame and every other 2 weeks thereafter.

Any suggestions on meeting like minded shooters in this area?


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## CWBerube (Feb 9, 2008)

How deep are you looking to go?

I love diving but I'm not much for dives +80' which limits my wreck dives around here.
+I don't have a Nitrox Cert. so my MBT is limited, another reason I prefer staying -/80' as not to feel rushed.

Here's a good website to check out:
http://www.adiscuba.com/dive-sites/search.php?diveSiteSearch=1&keyword=pensacola

The Massachusetts which is my favorite spot has every type of fish I've ever wanted to spear.

Additionally, there are *many* nearby structures out there full of fish dinners swimming around! :thumbup:


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

Being new to the area, I'm open to any depths but my impression was that you'd need to be in 70-110' and possibly deeper. Most of my experience is on hard bottom or small artificial stuff and total dive times are around 20 min max.

My Advanced nitrox & deco procedures class really helped out alot in planning for the contingency for deco and understanding it even if it's rarely necessary (for my dives).


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## jwh303 (Jul 8, 2016)

Hangover said:


> Time to revive this thread.
> 
> I've now moved to Gulf Breeze and looking for a new crew. I work in oil & gas on rotation so I'm off for 2 weeks at a time and enjoy diving during the week (or anytime really). I have a 25 ft Parker set up for diving with speargun racks, roll control, newest Garmin bottom machine w/ sidescan blah blah, EPIRB and all the safety stuff, Dan O2 etc. Single 250 4 stroke and the modified V means she's good on fuel, not fast and you have to pick your days or get beat to snot.
> 
> ...


this is how we do it out of the island. we are not fond of throwing anchor.


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## rcferdon (Aug 9, 2015)

Hangover said:


> Time to revive this thread.
> 
> I've now moved to Gulf Breeze and looking for a new crew. I work in oil & gas on rotation so I'm off for 2 weeks at a time and enjoy diving during the week (or anytime really). I have a 25 ft Parker set up for diving with speargun racks, roll control, newest Garmin bottom machine w/ sidescan blah blah, EPIRB and all the safety stuff, Dan O2 etc. Single 250 4 stroke and the modified V means she's good on fuel, not fast and you have to pick your days or get beat to snot.
> 
> ...


Sounds like we do in SC. We usually put the buoy out ahead of time, and leave it for the captain to reference, though...except for maybe pulling it out of the ledge when we get down there. I am only open water, but experienced with nitrox and good to about 140'. Let's go this weekend if it's pretty. I have everything but the tanks. [email protected]


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## lperiman (Jun 29, 2009)

Hangover, I'm just up the road from you in Milton would definitely be interested in getting out there. Got all my gear and boat just need a dive buddy. I'm a bit new with very few dives logged so would like to stay less than 80' to get comfortable but I would be available most weekends. Contact if you'd like to trade some rides and let's get some fish.


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

lperiman said:


> Hangover, I'm just up the road from you in Milton would definitely be interested in getting out there. Got all my gear and boat just need a dive buddy. I'm a bit new with very few dives logged so would like to stay less than 80' to get comfortable but I would be available most weekends. Contact if you'd like to trade some rides and let's get some fish.


Sounds good. I'm headed offshore but back in 2 weeks. Need to get serious in early August. From some of the interest in this thread it looks like we can pull together a crew.


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## redlegs (Oct 1, 2007)

--Update: seats have been filled. However, still looking for a couple of divers to add to my "call me" list

Anyone looking to get wet Sunday? got 1-2 seats open (not a charter, small boat). Split gas, ice, etc (standard ROE lol). Probably nearshore (3barges, gilcrest, patti, to name a few possibilities), maybe a little father (50 to 75). Spearing ok, recreational ok. novice to intermediate ok. Looking for those who love to dive and be on the water. Hit me up, will discuss..


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

*Weather*

So much for diving this week:thumbdown:


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## watergator (Apr 5, 2016)

Now that this thread has been revived I would like to throw my name in there to fill open spots. I'm still pretty new to the area so I can't help with adding spots, but I am fairly experienced diving and spearfishing. I am advanced, nitrox, and rescue certified as well as FII level 1 so I'm down for just about anything and can competently run the boat if live boating is the game. I live in gulf shores but making trips over to Florida is definitely doable. 

Thanks guys and safe diving. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

I'm down to get a group together as soon as we have a weather window. I have a boat that's well equipped and will dive 4 comfortably with 2-3 tanks each. It's a 25 Parker so I'd say 2-3 ft or much less would be ideal. I think I have most of the public numbers loaded and have a few inherited "other" numbers in the area.


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## SattDaddy (Mar 2, 2015)

Hey fella, I'm in Navarre and PADI adv open water with 5 specialty certs. I haven't dove in several years, 90% disabled w/ back problems But once I'm in the water I am g2g. I need to get my bc serviced and need to buy a couple tanks but have everything else. I'll watch this thread and keep in touch. I'm really interested in getting into spear fishing.

SattDaddy


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## vulkanman (Mar 16, 2015)

I'm new to scuba, supposed to complete my OW dives this week if the weather holds. How tough is it get started spearfishing? I sort of imagine people are hesitant to buddy up with a novice because of safety, but what would you recommend to someone looking to get experience?


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

vulkanman said:


> I'm new to scuba, supposed to complete my OW dives this week if the weather holds. How tough is it get started spearfishing? I sort of imagine people are hesitant to buddy up with a novice because of safety, but what would you recommend to someone looking to get experience?


Fair comments. I've been in your shoes. My most stern warning it to become completely comfortable multitasking in the water. Also consider AOW, nitrox and even some light tech training like deco procedures & Advanced nitrox. Then dive, dive, dive.

Next, seek out a charter that does normal inshore/offshore dives but will allow you to dive with a speargun. Notice I say dive with a speargun. Open charters with many people is often not conducive to shooting but it's a place to start.

Gear selection will be mission dependent. Seems like folks around here really like line shaft guns but I got tuned into free shafting. Perfect solution is to get a gun that you could do either with. At the end of the day it's about building muscle memory which will aid in mitigating task loading through familarity. Ocean Rhino, Koah and possibly even Riffe may have hybrid guns that allow you to both free shaft & line shaft. 

The first two videos are of an annual trip I go on. It's a great way to get some serious trigger time and jump up the learning curve after one has mastered diving. Plus hogfish are pretty easy to shoot and tasty.

Another option is to do the charter thing and target lionfish. 



Spearfishing in the Dry Tortugas











Or just shooting Lionfish


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## vulkanman (Mar 16, 2015)

Where can you find info for charters? a lot of the stuff that comes up on google is outdated, is there a public bulletin board? I'd like to meet up with a regular group if theres an opening?


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## aknavy (Jul 31, 2012)

I dove with H2O Below this weekend. They have a nice boat and ran a good program. I'd dive with them again, and most of the people on the boat were repeat customers. Boat was well equipped with DAN Diver kit, AED, lot's of oxygen, and extra scuba gear for those that might have problems or forget something.


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## Hangover (Aug 5, 2013)

Trying to pull together a Black Friday dive/spearing trip. Need 1-2 divers. Message me if interested.


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