Are tanks and gear included in the price?

No. Tanks and most dive rental equipment are not included—reserve rentals ahead of time or bring your own.

When does the trip depart and return?

Departure is 6 p.m. Friday; diving begins 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, and the vessel typically docks by midnight Sunday with possible Monday offload.

What species will we target?

Targets include mangrove snapper, hogfish, several grouper species, cobia, triggerfish, red snapper, African pompano, cubera snapper, and amberjack.

Is photography available?

Yes. A photographer boards Monday morning to shoot group photos, which are available for purchase.

How many divers per spot?

Buoy-style diving places 2–4 divers per spot to manage safety, shooting opportunities, and fish handling.

Middle Grounds Spearfishing Trip: Overnight Deep-Sea Hunting 120 Miles Offshore | Fishing | Scuba

On the Middle Grounds, a rugged high-relief reef roughly 120 miles south of Panama City Beach, the sea rearranges the rules of fishing. The Middle Grounds Spearfishing Trip launches from Panama City, Florida, and sails overnight to a remote chain of pinnacles where depth, current, and abundant reef life make for intense, purposeful diving. This two-day, three-night excursion runs Friday evening to late Sunday, with diving beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and four dives per day, totaling eight dives across depths from 80 to 120 feet.

What makes this trip distinct is scale and focus: reels of open ocean give way to concentrated hard-bottom reef and high vertical relief that holds large predator species. Divers target mangrove snapper, hogfish, black and red grouper, gag grouper, cobia, triggerfish, red snapper, African pompano, cubera snapper, and amberjack. Experienced spearfishers appreciate the structure — ledges, overhangs, and isolated pinnacles where schooling fish gather, and where a practiced diver can work with a buddy team to execute clean shots.

Logistics are streamlined for committed divers. Group size is limited to 12, the trip departs at 6 p.m. Friday, and the vessel returns to dock by midnight Sunday with possible Monday morning offload; a photographer boards Monday morning to shoot and sell group photos. Price is listed at $1350 per person; note that tanks and other dive gear are not included in that fee. Required credentials are an Advanced Open Water certification and completion of a spearfishing course; bring a speargun, a sleeping bag and pillow, and a readiness to manage deep, buoy-style dives with 2–4 divers per spot.

This operation is a rare bridge between Panama City’s coastal scene and the offshore shelf where big fish congregate. For local anglers and visiting divers, it offers access to reef relief and biomass rarely found within a day trip radius. Expect purposeful teamwork, strong currents at times, and a rhythm set by the boat, the buoys, and the tides.

Conservation-minded divers will note that spearfishing at these depths rewards precision and selective harvest — a practice that, when paired with regional regulations and size limits, can reduce bycatch and pressure on juvenile fish. If you are eligible, competent, and eager for focused deep-water hunting, this trip delivers an efficient, unforgettable weekend on one of the Gulf’s more productive offshore reefs.

Plan for back-to-back diving days, bring redundant safety gear, and coordinate with the captain about personal air consumption; surface intervals aboard are short but managed. The trip’s small group size and overnight format make it ideal for experienced spearfishers looking to focus on large reef species, refine team dive tactics, and come home with photographic proof of deep-water effort that few shore-based trips can match.