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Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 4:14 pm
by ajcampen
Going to Panama City Beach in March. Want to rent a boat to go to crab island in Destin or shell island near Panama City to snorkel with wife and kids (9&10).
Which is better. We have never been. Thanks in advance for any local knowledge
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 6:17 pm
by Big Block Power
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 6:20 pm
by ajcampen
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 6:59 pm
by Big Block Power
ajcampen wrote: Thu Feb 18, 2021 6:20 pm
Classic bbp
Just here to help. Hope you stick around!
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 2:44 pm
by Table Rockin
ajcampen wrote: Thu Feb 18, 2021 4:14 pm
Going to Panama City Beach in March. Want to rent a boat to go to crab island in Destin or shell island near Panama City to snorkel with wife and kids (9&10).
Which is better. We have never been. Thanks in advance for any local knowledge
The drive from Panama City to Destin to rent a boat to head to crab island is a long drive. The drive back is longer
Maybe an hour depending on traffic. We did alot of snorkeling last year at Panama City Beach and I think its probably slightly better than Destin. Crab Island is pretty neat though. There just seems to be more shells and sandollars over by PCB.
Ultimately though the beaches themselves are not too dissimilar. Its really all the same stretch of beach all the way over to Alabama Shores.
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:47 pm
by DeadOn04
Might be too late, but Crab Island is def not great for snorkeling. It is a fun place to anchor and enjoy the sights/sounds, but the volume of boats and people there don't lend well to snorkeling. There is no limit to the buffoonery that can be witnessed there by the masses who are handed pontoon boats by rental companies with no training other than a swipe of the credit card. That's also partly what makes it fun to go see. There are also several places very close to crab island you can beach or anchor up right on the shoreline. Just to the west of the coast guard station near crab island is a small beach line that's full of small fish and hermit crabs. My kids love walking calf deep and exploring in this area. Also just inside destin harbor you can anchor up along the south side of the inlet along the barrier island beach, which has a steep drop off in to the channel, so you can step off on to the sand while the kids can feel free to jump off the stern into fairly deep water.
Hope you had a great trip, let us know how it went!
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:53 pm
by ajcampen
DeadOn04 wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:47 pm
Might be too late, but Crab Island is def not great for snorkeling. It is a fun place to anchor and enjoy the sights/sounds, but the volume of boats and people there don't lend well to snorkeling. There is no limit to the buffoonery that can be witnessed there by the masses who are handed pontoon boats by rental companies with no training other than a swipe of the credit card. That's also partly what makes it fun to go see. There are also several places very close to crab island you can beach or anchor up right on the shoreline. Just to the west of the coast guard station near crab island is a small beach line that's full of small fish and hermit crabs. My kids love walking calf deep and exploring in this area. Also just inside destin harbor you can anchor up along the south side of the inlet along the barrier island beach, which has a steep drop off in to the channel, so you can step off on to the sand while the kids can feel free to jump off the stern into fairly deep water.
Hope you had a great trip, let us know how it went!
Thanks for the heads up. We go the week of the 27th. Any chance you could circle those areas on a map? Sounds like very cool places we should check out
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2021 6:46 pm
by DeadOn04
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The bridge is your best point of reference. Crab island is just north of the bridge. For the hermit crab area head west past the CG station and there is a nice stretch of shoreline you can walk. Norriego Point is the other spot, head in towards the harbor and it will be on the starboard side. Its a fun spot because you can also watch the steady stream of boats in and out.
Im out of town unfortunatelyor we'd come tie up with you!
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Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:17 am
by TruckerTim
Great reference points, DO4. I have been going to CI & the Harbor for years and didn't realize some of these were good spots for the kids.
We LOVE to anchor on the south side of the bridge and watch the boats, (and yachts) come in and out of the harbor and CI. There is no shortage of rentals and folks who have no clue what they are doing. Last year were ALMOST sideswiped by a double decker pontoon with 20+ people on it. They were trying to beach south of the bridge but didn't compensate for the current. The Captain was looking in the direction he was trying to go and didn't realize he was drifting at a high clip sideways directly towards us at anchor. Missed my bow by inches.... You definitely have to stay on your toes and keep you head on a swivel in that area, but still lots of fun!
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:13 pm
by DeadOn04
TruckerTim wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:17 am
Great reference points, DO4. I have been going to CI & the Harbor for years and didn't realize some of these were good spots for the kids.
We LOVE to anchor on the south side of the bridge and watch the boats, (and yachts) come in and out of the harbor and CI. There is no shortage of rentals and folks who have no clue what they are doing. Last year were ALMOST sideswiped by a double decker pontoon with 20+ people on it. They were trying to beach south of the bridge but didn't compensate for the current. The Captain was looking in the direction he was trying to go and didn't realize he was drifting at a high clip sideways directly towards us at anchor. Missed my bow by inches.... You definitely have to stay on your toes and keep you head on a swivel in that area, but still lots of fun!
Oh yes, its a spectacle especially on the weekends. We witnessed a pontoon drive off crab island with the anchor still in the water. The drivers solution was simply to go full throttle on the engine and drag the anchor. Probably the most frequent is the the ol' leave the motor trimmed all the way up out of the water and bang on the throttle with the prop spinning out of the water like a helicopter rotor all while looking around confused as to why you are not moving. It really is a fun place to go though, just stick to the outside of the pack.
Do you trailer your boat down and sip the forbidden saltwater fruit or source a rental while you are here?
Re: Destin or Panama Fl snorkeling better?
Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:49 pm
by TruckerTim
We take the boat down in late July and keep it at Legendary till mid Oct. They do a great job flushing and washing her out when we come back in. They have completely spoiled me!
