What certifications are required?

Advanced Open Water Certification and a completed spearfishing course are required to join this trip.

Are tanks and gear included?

Tanks and personal dive gear are not included in the listed price; rentals are available for an additional cost—reserve early.

Where does the trip depart and what is the meeting point?

The trip stages from Panama City. The listing does not provide a specific meeting point—confirm details on your booking confirmation.

How many dives are included?

Eight dives total: four dives per person on Saturday and four on Sunday, performed buoy-style with 2–4 divers per spot.

Are photos available?

A photographer boards on Monday morning for group photos; images are available for purchase separately.

Is spearfishing legal on these sites?

Spearfishing is permitted but regulated—follow NOAA/state bag limits, seasonal closures and protected-species rules while harvesting.

Overnight Shipwreck Trip: 8-Dive Spearfishing Liveaboard on Florida’s Forgotten Coast | Scuba | Guided Tour

On Florida’s Forgotten Coast, an overnight liveaboard transforms a weekend into a concentrated dive campaign. The Overnight Shipwreck Trip departs from Panama City and runs two days and two nights, delivering eight buoy-style dives between depths of 40 and 120 feet. Sites range across limestone bottom, artificial reefs, towers and wrecks — including the famed USS United States — where ledges, swims and fish life come alive beneath cool Gulf currents.

This expedition is built for advanced divers and spearfishers. Required certifications include Advanced Open Water and a completed spearfishing course; divers bring spearguns and personal gear (tanks and rental equipment are extra). Groups stage dives with two to four divers per spot, optimizing visibility windows and fish pressure to target Mangrove Snapper, Hogfish, several grouper species, Cobia, Triggerfish, Red Snapper, African Pompano, Cubera Snapper and Amberjack.

Onboard life balances efficiency and comfort. The boat departs 6 p.m. Friday; diving starts each morning at 8 a.m. Meals are provided, along with coffee, tea, water and soda, so days between drops are spent refueling, tinkering with gear and reviewing site plans. The trip arrives back by midnight Sunday, with photographer pickup Monday morning for optional group photos available to purchase. Photographs, shared locally, capture the close encounters and freedive formations over reef and wreck.

What makes this trip stand out is its combination of targeted spearfishing, concentrated dive volume and lesser-traveled Gulf terrain. The Forgotten Coast sees lower traffic than Florida’s major southern reefs, and many sites sit on limestone shelves where sudden relief, swim-throughs and isolated wrecks concentrate predators and pelagic visitors. For anglers and underwater shooters, that geography produces high-value encounters absent on busier flats.

Practical details: price is $1,350 per person; bring a sleeping bag and pillow for bunks. Expect a schedule that prioritizes four dives per day with buoy tendering and tight surface intervals; plan for currents and typical Gulf thermoclines. Safety protocols and diver limits are enforced to protect stocks and manage on-site interactions.

This Overnight Shipwreck Trip is for divers who want depth, action and an efficient weekend of spearfishing in a focused, community-oriented setting. Panama City serves as the staging hub, and the Forgotten Coast delivers wrecks, limestone reefs and targeted species that make a short liveaboard feel like an expedition.