Anybody diving for Megs this winter??

[pond skipper]

Lee, Diving for fossils sounds good to me and mid month will work for either June or July...maybe both! I am self employed so I can get away most times when necessary. I have never dove the Edisto and it has been about 10 years since I dove the Cooper. Anything in this area sounds like a good prospect and it seems that you know what you are doing. I have not dove any wrecks but I have several bottles, silver coins, trigger guards and a really neat fragment from an exploded cannon (weighs 78#). Found these while looking for fossil sites. Pretty neat stuff, I do know of some spots to dive near here where there are a number of relics left due to the bad vis. and no one wanting to dive them. Tempting?

 

[Lee Taylor]

I am employed doing design and fabrication 40hrs per week. I want to dive the Edisto some more. I have not done it but a few times a long time ago. I have crabbed around the bottom of the Cooper 10's of dozens of times.

I am really not interested in no viz diving. It happens to me occasionally and I just dont care for it. As far as comfort level goes, I am very at home doing an 80 foot drop in blue water and a lengthy nitrox dive. Three to four feet of viz in a river using a flashlight I am fine with. Something I do not like is log jams with LOTS of vines. I am not fond of alligators. I give them plenty of room and stay out of their territory. I fear fast boats with intoxicated drivers, LARGE barges (the size of football fields), and sailboats. I dont like lying in a bed of eels that are fascinated with your dive light and I dont like hard pan bottom sloping downward towards middle of river with fast current running across it.

Check out this unlisted video I made back in February

 

[pond skipper]

Lee, Sweet artifacts. The zero viz here took me a little getting used to since I was used to diving Floride creeks and rivers with a lot better (+ - 4ft.) vis. I'll be the first to tell you that structures and near zero vis do not mix. Last year I swam up into a 250 ft barge that was broken in half...I noticed that the current had lessened but I just kept on digging up teeth, then the bottom turned into some 3 feet of pluff mud on the bottom and I decided to ascend to the surface. BAM! My hand crashed into the now upside down floor of the barge. At this point I still do not realize that I am inside a big metal container that is upside down. Lots happened in the next 2 minutes with only 700# of air remaining but somehow I traveled back along the bottom until I felt the current pick up a bit and then followed it a ways before trying to surface, the second attempt went a lot better that the first. I was truly horrified. After this I now have a friend with a side scan sonar check the bottom of a prospective area for dangers like this. Anyway, I do not like gators either and dito on the sailboats. Wow, the Edisto is sounding good.

 

[Lee Taylor]

Rivers can be creepy Skipper, don't cha think?

I have a very similar story. Happened one Saturday afternoon in the Cooper river. The difference is that my overhead was some kind of massive mud/rotting wood kinda structure. The moment I noticed it I barely touched with my hand. I retracted my hand and froze, fearing it may colaspe. I had crabbed backwards into some kind of LARGE undercut. I was extremely careful and extremely quick about getting the hell outta there. The very next weekend a diver was hit by a boat at that exact location and killed. If one dives long enough one will have a few mishaps. It is inevitable.

Got to go prepare for my fossil hunting vacation in Venice Florida. Will return with photos, video clips, and a suntan.

 

[pond skipper]

Lee, Sounds like a great time. Enjoy!

 

[Lee Taylor]

The water offshore Venice was absolutely beautiful yesterday. Had that emerald green color. Boat performed perfectly. LOTS of boaters out.

Shark took pickings are slim. 6 divers. 18hrs on the bottom. very few frags found

Was told to target the first of April next time.

Hope today is as good or better! Lovin the SUN.

=========================================================

Today turned out much better. FULL report (photos! videos!) after I return home.

 

[Lee Taylor]

Made my trip to Venice for shark tooth hunting. I will post a report and photos as soon a things get cleaned up.

Met with old friend Debra an enjoyed looking at her ENORMOUS collection.

 

[Lee Taylor]

Hello Pond Skipper, AeroMike, and Sharky,

Headed to the Civil War Shipwreck offshore Murrells Inlet on Saturday JULY 2nd. They have 6 more seats available on the 42 foot duel prop dive boat. Let me know quickly if interested.

Also, I am talking with a scuba friend of mine (Mike you can guess who) that I have been underwater fossil hunting with for many years. He has been doing river charters for at least 20 years. We are talking about doing some exploratory diving in the Edisto river and/or the Wando river. (Charleston SC) We will be diving virgin sites and there is a potential for large fossil hauls of all kinds of variety. Viz 3 feet to 8 feet depending on conditions. Depth 15 to 30 feet. These dives will not be for total stranger typical charter business. These dives are by invitation only to known, experienced, underwater fossil hunters. Targeting June and July. Let me know.

 

[AeroMike]

Lee, I was talking with our friend last night as a matter of fact and I am a go to dive. I wanted to get out this past weekend but my left lung is not totally cleared so I did not go.

I want to dive that civil war ship but I will be up in Canada and Michigan during that time to pick my son up and to also receive my dad's remains. I will be back after the 4th of July though.

 

[Lee Taylor]

Mike, I completely understand. Express Water Sports has the civil war shipwreck on the schedule about 4 or 5 times this season. (see below) I will check it out and report back. I know it is a good dive because I dove it a few times 10 years back. Most people do not dig, so most items do not get found. I will dig around the bottom where it looks promising, report back, and let you know if I am going to do it twice this season.

Dates for diving the Civil War Shipwreck

Sunday June 12th

Sunday June 26th

Sunday July 31st

Sunday August 7th

We have not set a date yet as to the lower Edisto virgin site exploration dives. BUT, it is a green light. We just need to agree on a date.

I had a wonderful vacation in Venice Florida. Long story. The fossil hunting was successful BUT pathetic. I learned some things about what is going on there in regards to fossil hunting. Will share later. I did pick up some fossilized scallops that I like. Most divers just ignore them. Photos later.

Check out the Megs I found on Jamie Bostwicks dashboard


Debra Powell (fossil hunter extraordinaire) finds Megalodon Sharks Tooth offshore Venice Florida on Memorial Day weekend 2011.