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Fort Pickens Jetties
 Pensacola, FL
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Max Depth: 41-50ft/12-15m
Average Viz: 21-25ft/6-8m
Entry Type: Shore
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Rating: 3.76 by 34 divers
Spring: 71-75°F/22-24°C
Summer: 76-80°F/24-27°C
Fall: 71-75°F/22-24°C
Winter: 66-70°F/19-21°C
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Fort Pickens Jetties is a shore accessible salt water dive site, located in Pensacola, FL. This dive site has an average rating of 3.76 out of 5 from 34 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 41-50ft/12-15m. The average visibility is 21-25ft/6-8m.
North of Fort Pickens, Inside the Gulf Island National Seashore National Park. Just west of the fishing pier at the bay side with a very steep drop off to 50’. Several vehicles, machinery parts and a rock jettie attracts flounder, crabs, bait fish, grouper and snapper.
Located at the northwest tip of Santa Rosa Island inside Ft. Pickens state park, the jetties are a fun, easily accessible shore dive.
Directions: as you enter the fort, make your way to the northernmost road that runs east to west along the seawall, turn west. As you travel west, you’ll see the road & the seawall make a sharp bend to the south (left). There are several parking spaces at this location, as well as rinse showers and bathrooms. Cross over the seawall using the stairs at the northwest point.
The dive site is a mostly submerged rock field (jetty) that sprawls out due north of the stairs on the sea wall. Max depth is usually around 50’, tide dependant. Other points of structure include a concrete fishing pyramid, an upturned mostly gone jeep frame, a golf cart, several tires and some other almost unidentifiable structures that bear local names such as the ’pipe organ’ or ’rocket launcher’.
Life varies with the season but is typical for the area. Arrow crabs, damsel fish. Tons of tunicates. Some sponges. Small amount of hard coral scattered about. Some soft coral. A vareity of wrasses, cowfish, porcupine fish, cleaner shrimp, sheepshead, gag grouper, atlantic torpedo ray and souther stingrays are all normal inhabitants.
Dive planning needs to take place around the tides. The site is actually in the enterance of Pensacola Bay, so the current can be strong during max tidal changes. The best times (current and visibility) to dive are about 1 hour before either high tide or low tide. Note that the tide table predictions for Pensacola Bay enterance seem to be about an hour or so later than the actual tide peaks at the dive site.
Visibility varies with conditions, but averages around 15’-20, with a good day being 30’. 40’ viz is not unheard of, but is exceptionally rare at this site. The site is a popular locals destination, and on the weekends expect to find many other divers at the site, especially if conditions are favorable. Ft. Pickens is also a great site for a night dive!