Dive Sites: Panama City

                    Site Difficulty Levels: Beginner - Intermediate - Advanced

As we get pictures of each site you'll be able to mouse over the thumbnails to see larger versions of the image. We intend to have pictures of what the site looked like before the sinking and another showing what it looks like now underwater. If you have pictures for the sites below and you'd like them to be added please use the "Contact Us" link to send us an email.

Black Bart	Beginner - Intermediate	The Black Bart Underwater The Black Bart as it was sinking	(80' deep wreck; 185' long oil field supply vessel; The Black Bart got its name from Captain Charles Bartholomew who dedicated most of his life to supervising the creation of artificial reefs around Panama City for the purpose of scuba divers. This site as with other off shore sites can have some strong currents at the surface and at depth.)	Lat: 30.03.622 Lon:W 85.49.444
BJ Putnam	Advanced	The Bow of the Putnam @ 110 feet	(113' deep wreck 180 ft long fish processing vessel, which became a part of the artificial reef program in 1993. She was named in memory of Captain BJ Putnam, a very active local fishing charter and member of the Gulf Fishery Management Council as well as the Tourism Development Council. Capt. Putnam was also the founder of Half Hitch Tackle. Today, the wreck is home to a ton of shovel nose lobster)	Lat: 29.55.812 Lon:W 85.50.093
USS Chippewa (ATF-69)	Advanced	USS Chippewa (ATF-69) before sinking The bow @ 105 feet	(105' deep wreck; 205' long Navy Tug launched in 1942. Assigned to towing and salvage duty in the Caribbean; based out of Trinidad then Newfoundland. The Chippewa was decommissioned in 1947 and finally sunk as a reef in 1990. Some interior penetration is possible, however there is a significant entanglement risk.	Lat: 29.57.676 Lon:W 85.48.464
Commander	Intermediate		(A 96' deep wreck about eight miles out from the St. Andrews Jetties lies the wreck of the tug Commander. Two local captains discovered the wreck on the bottom in 1979. The 65-foot, steel-hulled tug sits upright and intact on a white sandy bottom at 96 feet. A mooring buoy marks the spot. The Commander has large schools of fish and divers can usually spot amberjack and groupers.)	Lat: N 30° 03.270'  Lon: W 085° 56.770'
USS Strength	Intermediate	USS Strength Underway	( In 1987 the Strength was sunk for the last time in an explosive test conducted by the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center at Panama City. The ship is 184 feet in length with a 33-foot beam. At her sinking, she came to rest on her side in about 76 feet of water. The ship was pushed upright by Hurricane Opal in 1995. The profile rises to within 40 feet of the surface. A plaque on her side tells the history of the ship.)	Lat: N 30° 01.936'  Lon: W 085° 42.413'
Hathaway Bridge Span 12	Beginner - Intermediate	The Old Hathaway Bridge	( A span from the old Hathaway Bridge that used to connect Panama City to the beaches until the new bridge was put in service in the early 1960s'. The bridge sat rusting until 1988 when the bridge was funded as an artificial reef. Each of the larger span sections are 165 feet long, 22 feet wide and 38 feet high. The smaller sections are 49 feet long, 22 feet wide and 6 foot high. Sections are located as close as 2 miles off shore from the St. Andrews jetties and are located in water from 45-125 feet deep. This section is one of the larger sections.)	Lat: N 30° 02.13'  Lon: W 085° 42.89'

                                                                                                                             

    Note: Some of the dive site images have been gathered from various places, a few have come from Navy Archives and others from local dive companies. As new pictures become available they'll be updated to show the most current information possible.