This is a vent box about a half mile off the coast. It lies in about 30 feet of water, and acts as an artificial reef, home to thousands of yellowtail snapper and a number of black groupers. While hovering above the box to see the groupers lurking inside, I found myself in the middle of a huge school of the yellowtails, who seemed to take great pleasure in tickling my ribs as they swam past. We spotted a lone Manatee well off in the distance. Visability was fair at about 30 feet. At depths above 22 feet, the Jellyfish seemed to be having a convention... ALL seats were taken, and we think that there were prizes to the Jelly who stung the most divers. Species present included Sea Nettles, Comb Jellies, and Moon Jellies.

About 3/4 mile off the coast lies the wreck of Ms. Louise, a barge that was intentionally sunk a few years back. The top of the wheelhouse can be found at around 35 feet, with her hull resting on bottom at 57 feet. She plays home to a large school of Spade Fish and a myriad of little fishes. We had the fortune of seeing one Queen Angel about 18 inches, and it was absolutely beautiful. A single Barracuda was lurking around as well... happy for the easy meal when the little fish came out. Bottom life consisted of various weeds and grasses (sparce), sand dollars, and crabs. Jellyfish were somewhat plentiful at shallower depths.

The jetties in Destin hold a vast array of species. I honestly lost count of all the different fish we saw. The water along the jetties is anywhere from 12 to 25 feet deep, and is somewhat turbid. Visability was around 15-20 feet. Species we were able to identify included; Atlantic Spadefish, Spanish Mullett, a variety of Grunts, Blue Crabs, Stone Crabs, a lone Eagle Ray, Sea Nettles (BUNCHES of these), Comb Jellies, and Moon Jellies. I'm not positive on the ID, but I believe we also saw a few Doctorfish, and something resembling Jacknife or Spotted Drum. A school of about 15 Bottlenose Dolphin were playing about 100 yards off, but were too shy, and maintained a distance when we tried to snorkel out to them after the dive.

This 440 foot Liberty Ship rests on the bottom at a depth of around 85 feet. Others have told me that the wreck holds a serious amount of sea life of a very wide variety. They've also reported finding tons of beautiful shells and sand dollars. The wreck is supposed to have some of the better spearfishing opportunities in Destin. Perhaps I'll try my hand at that...

Supposedly, the wreckage of three or four different airplanes rest off the shores of Destin. I have very little information about them... I don't know if they were put down intentionally, or even what type of aircraft they are. Supposedly, they lie in 60 to 90 feet of water.

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