Dive sites with clear-blue waters

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lilkittydiver

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Messages
18
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1
Location
Rutherford County, NC
# of dives
I'm a Fish!
Anywhere down here thats not green? I've dove a lot in green water. I want to see blue, clearer sites. My average vis is 5 feet, greener than envy and cold. Anything down here thats nice, blue and clearer? (Doesn't have to be Bonaire perfect, just better than your average murky-green lake) I'm located in North Carolina. I realize, Florida is a place, yeah. But if its about all I have, where are some GOOD places. If I'm gonna pay half a grand to stay in a hotel, gas, food and diving, it better be a freakin good dive site. I dont have money to spend like that when I want to.

Edit: Sorry for the bluntness. I've been in and out of the hospital for a week. My brother was on life support so my mood hasn't been the brightest. Love you all :)
 
I realize funding the scuba trips can be expensive, but sounds like you're really ready to enjoy some good dives with visibility and warmth. That said, I would suggest saving some money and attending one of the Scubaboard Invasions. The group discount is VERY apparent when joining the Invasion crew, plus you get to meet several other great divers.
 
Have you been to Lake Jocassee? Where can you dive around Rutherford County?
 
OK. There are the two clearer quarries in east Tenn., or a five hour drive to Wilmington NC boats. Some of the NC dive ops have free (?) bunkhouse-type lodging (saves money). Then there's graduate school in FL.
 
Having over a 100 dives in both NC and the Florida Keys I can tell you that out of Key Largo I have never had 5 ft of viz. Worse I ever saw was around 20. Usually much better than that. Out of NC I usually dive out of Wilmington with Aquatic Safaris. The inshore stuff (within 15 miles of shore) is usually 15-30 or so but I have hit a 5 once in a while. Further offshore one can get a 10 and a rare 5 once in a while but the vast majority of the dives are 30 or better with many in the 50 and up range. Further out you go the better the chance of good viz. Conditions have been very good so far this year with most viz reports even inshore over 50 ft.

Besides in the Ocean even if you have 20 ft of viz you will see lots more stuff.

Or you can drive to Fantasy Lake near Raleigh, NC where we currently have 8 ft of viz. That is 60% better. :cool2:
 
Granted you might be 6 hours from the ocean, but you have access to some great wreck diving - you just need to get a little offshore. Take some dives with Discovery or Olympus out of Morehead or Outer Banks Diving in Nags Head.
 
For $500, I'd suggest a different approach. You're the poster who was going to Myrtle Beach with 4 right?

Instead, consider driving down to Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood. Fort Lauderdale is called the Shore Dive capital of South Florida. The water is warm, the diving is good, the vis can be excellent, often good (50-60 seems typical) and most importantly you can shore dive there right off the beach for the cost of a tank rental. Some options here: Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Florida, USA East - there's probably others but Dania Beach, Hollywood Beach, LBTS and the Breakers are all in that area. Slightly farther north is Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach.

Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm nearby is a well known shallow critter site. Scuba Shore Diving Site Page for: Blue Heron Bridge of Florida, USA East The viz isn't the best there because there's a tidal exchange. But it's only 25' deep so how bad can it get. You need to time that dive at slack tide.

How's this for visibility - taken somewhere off Ft. Lauderdale.

Just-another-day-on-the-Reef-Lauderdale-by-the-Sea-Florida.jpg

Lauderdale-by-the-sea: the shore dive capital of South Florida has some info.

If you want to boat dive Pro Dive does 2 tank dives for $75. I haven't priced any others.

There's quite a few suite hotels in the area - depending on when you're planning to go some are under $100/nt. Many bundle breakfast also. Drive down and all you've got is the cost of food, diving and gas. I think $500 is possible - assuming that's per person/couple. I'm sure there's Motel 6's and Budget Inns there also somewhere - most of the places I know you can at least see the water.

It's a 10 hr. drive from Charlotte according to Google Maps.
 
Lake Rawlings has some great vis and is only about 4 hours from clt. They also have onsite camping if you want to do a weekend. Lake Rawlings just another shot
 
There are no guarantees with viz (or weather) and diving but from your location, Florida is your best bet for warmer and clearer water without a flight to the Caribbean. From Asheboro, NC, WPB is 711 miles and takes us 11 hours. If there are 4 of you, gas is no problem. You can share the driving. And I can PM you the VRBO info on the house we rent on Singer Island. Biggest OOP expense will be the boats but as Diversteve said, there are also shore diving options.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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