Snorkeling Pensacola, Florida's Fort Pickens Jetties

Just off Pensacola's Public Beach and west of the Pensacola Beach fishing pier (on the Gulf side) there are concrete pilings in the water about 10 feet deep. Sometimes storms cover the pilings with sand. Sometimes referred to as "Jacobi Reef." How to find the pilings and rubble, from the Scuba Board: "To find the rubble get in the water and turn back towards the beach. line yourself up with the right (as you look at it) side of the new bathrooms. Start back swimming out, keeping yourself lined up with the ride edge of the bathroom. Start counting pier pilings (starting at the ones the are in the water). once you are at #15 start looking down. The rubble is between #15 and #17."

In July 2010 I received the following email from Joe Jacobi, son of the Navy salvage diver for whom Jacobi Reef was named:

"My name is Joe Jacobi. My dad, Tom Jacobi, was a Navy salvage diver and arguably one of the most experienced divers to explore the waters of Pensacola and it’s various reefs and wrecks. His good friend and diving partner, Dr. Andrew Gigi, dedicated the Jacobi reef to his unfortunate diving accidents (2) in which he got the bends and recovered. Those pilings were covered up during a hurricane (the details are foggy but you get the idea), and the Jacobi reef was listed at the visitors center on a map of diving destinations for the Pensacola waters. He was and still is the most generous source of information about diving and got more satisfaction teaching and sharing his love for diving and marine conservation. I felt compelled to share this information with you because it warms my heart to hear that the Jacobi reef still exists and my dad’s legacy of selfless concern for the waters of the Gulf of Mexico might endure to inspire others in the future to learn more and respect always the beauty and bounty of our environment.

I just wanted to shed light on this subject and enlighten your audience of the origins of the Jacobi reef because, in my view, those concrete pilings will always symbolize the ideals that my dad stood for and people need to realize that without the contributions that divers that went down before us, we might not have the pleasure of understanding the benefit and gift of experiencing the undersea world.

East of the Pensacola Beach Fishing pier (Gulf side) there is a shipwreck off the beach in about 15 feet of water that is partially covered with sand.