Beaufort, SC dive this Saturday

[SeaJay]

Hey, y'all... RavenC and I are planning a local darkwater "shore" dive this Saturday, 11/8/03.

Everyone is welcome to join. In fact, the more the merrier!

We'll be hoping to scan the bottom of the local rivers for fossils, including megladon teeth. We occassionally find whale bones, vertebrae and other fossils, too.

Expected vis is something like three feet, so it leaves a lot to be desired in that department... But darkwater fossil diving is definitely a taste... And it can be very cool if you enjoy mystery, suspense, and treasure hunting... Without taking on an exhorbitant amount of risk.

Expected max depths will probably range in the 20' range, with a runtime of up to an hour. We may do more than one dive. Temps are in the 70* to 72* range right now.

There is no cost for this dive... Other than a tank fill or gear rental for whatever gear you need.

This will be a great chance just to "get wet" or to come out so that we can all hang together and learn each others' styles.

Diving will take place in the Beaufort/Hilton Head/Bluffton area. That's five hours east of Atlanta, one hour north of Savannah, and an hour and a half south of Charleston, right along the coast. Let me know if you'd like to come...

 

[scSCUBA]

Is there someplace to rent regs and bc locally? Or, if I rent from here be able to get back in time to return it here?

 

[New2ScubaSC]

hey the wife and i rented from Fantasia Scuba in Savannah for $49 apiece that was every thing (wetsuit weight bc regs air cylinder) and bought these real nice dive lights for $25 apiece, Eddie has some real nice prises, should look them up. not very from here either , thats an all weekend rent too

 

[SeaJay]

Our windows of slack tide are going to be around 9am and about 3:30pm that day. We can dive times other than slack, but we've found the whole experience to be a whole lot more fun at slack tide.

So... If we want to dive during slack tide, we need to plan on diving around those times.

...Which means that if we dive in the morning, we'll be diving before the shops open... So you'll have to get your stuff Friday night.

Historically, the dive shops are closed on Sundays... And some are even closed on Mondays. So... If you rent Friday night, it's possible that you won't be charged but for Saturday only... Even if you don't return the gear until Monday or Tuesday.

Fantasia in Savannah is by far our favorite place to rent... But there is a shop here in Beaufort, too. Historically, we pick up gear on Friday night just before they close and return it Tuesday... And are only charged for one day.

Let me know what gear you need and if I need to pick up anything for you. I'll be happy to do that for you if it'll help get you in the water.

 

[scSCUBA]

I'll let you know.

Something at the back of my mind tells me there's something going on this weekend, but.....

I'll also check w/Sergio here in Summerville see what he can do.

 

[lisa4516]

Have a great time! Don and I are jealous! He is working hard to recover from his surgery and hopefully the next time we are down at HHI we can dive with everyone!Meanwhile we will continue to enjoy hearing about your dives. Are you diving the May River?

 

[SeaJay]

It was the May River this time... There's tons and tons of rivers around here, the most notoriously lucrative have been the May and the Morgan. We have access - good access - to both.

I have good news, too... It looks like the local dive shop here in Beaufort has purchased a boat. Wahoo! It's a 24-foot cuddy cabin cruiser that started life as a full inboard years ago. It's now been retrofitted with current GPS and sonar capabilities, and the engine and inboard drive have been removed. The transom has been sealed off, and a "tongue" placed on the back so as to make a home for twin 225 outboards. This means:

1. Twin motors are "safer" to go offshore with than a single, in case there's engine problems.

2. The "tongue" effectively moves the motors off of the boat, increasing space inside the boat.

3. The "tongue" puts the weight of the boat further back, and "lengthens" the boat effectively. Now, 24' of boat feels more like 28' of boat in terms of stability, a great asset to have offshore.

4. No more diesel exhaust fumes to make everyone sick.

In short, we will have this boat available to us for local charters. We've had great difficulty finding a reliable charter - the owner of this boat is also the owner of Palmetto Dive Center... And the boat's main purpose is to provide a way for divers to get offshore here, which is possibly some of the best diving on the East Coast.

I talked to the owner yesterday... He expects the boat to be ready for charter by the 1st of January; possibly earlier than that.

To boot, there is another benefit to chartering this boat... Actually, two:

1. Chartering from the dive shop means that it'll be easier to get whatever extra and rental gear is necessary for someone to dive. A typical boat charter goes like this: You pay for the boat only, and you must show up with all of the gear you need to dive. With this charter, you'll be able to show up with whatever gear you have, and board the boat immediately with your gear and any other gear you need to rent. This will definitely streamline the process of renting/returning gear or getting fills (they have a nice compressor).

2. The cost for the dive should be a little lower, since there is no "middle man" in getting the boat. Now, instead of having to pay for the charter, then the coordinator (typically the dive shop) and then gear (with everyone needing to make a profit) we'll be able to simply pay one person for the dive, which includes gear, charter, and coordination. In short, this should take the average expense from offshore dives from about $120 per person (using and average of rental gear needed) to somewhere between $70 and $100, depending on gear, number of divers, etc. In addition, this should increase profit margins for the dive shop owner/charter captain, making him more likely to work with us and remain interested in taking us out - which historically, has been a problem.

So... The bottom line is that we're looking at more dives, better quality diving, more fun, and cheaper dives to boot. This looks like it's going to be excellent for the club.

 

[divedude]

SeaJay once bubbled...

I talked to the owner yesterday... He expects the boat to be ready for charter by the 1st of January; possibly earlier than that.

First of January!!!!!
Damm I'd love to live down there!!!
Here the water will be kinda hard and we need to use chain saws to go diving.
Bet you guys don't include chain saws in your dive equipment.

Today sunny -2 water temp a balmy 48' time to put away the shorty and get out the 3mm full suit

 

[SeaJay]

divedude once bubbled...


First of January!!!!!
Damm I'd love to live down there!!!
Here the water will be kinda hard and we need to use chain saws to go diving.
Bet you guys don't include chain saws in your dive equipment.

Today sunny -2 water temp a balmy 48' time to put away the shorty and get out the 3mm full suit.

Ack!

Yesterday's water temperature was 73* topside, and 70* at the bottom... About 20* to Canadians.

That's pretty chilly for us thin-bloods!

I hear the local waters calling your name, divedude...

 

[Deyv]

SeaJay once bubbled...


Ack!

Yesterday's water temperature was 73* topside, and 70* at the bottom... About 20* to Canadians.

That's pretty chilly for us thin-bloods!

I hear the local waters calling your name, divedude...

Hey! I finally got some time to get back on here!

Yeah, I'd say thin-bloods.... you guys were getting cold, and remember I said something about it being so warm.....

I checked my logbook, that WAS the warmest water I've ever been in...by 8-10 degrees!

deyv