MCKNGBRD
Registered
First things first: we're rookie divers, and didn't really know what we were getting into. Having said that, we dove the Charleston Tug with Coastal Scuba out of North Myrtle Beach on Sunday 11 August. We went out on the Safari IV, about 12-14 divers total. I took my sons (14 & 17yo) out, and we did our first boat dives in the ocean.
Trip was a 2-tank dive, and the wreck sits at 62' if you lay down on the bottom. We just had a storm blow through last week, so I wasn't expecting vis to be great (I was correct, unfortunately), but the water temp was fine for a skin or rash guard. Water was kinda rough, with 3-4' swells; not bad while underway, but pretty rough once we got to the wreck site.
Crew did an EXCELLENT job helping with gear (we rented for the boys, I had my own kit), making sure everyone knew what to expect, etc. Safety brief on the way out was clear and concise, and Bianca went around to all the divers after the brief and specifically asked if there were any questions. Boat was clean, well kept, and plenty large enough for everyone onboard.
Unfortunately, both of the boys got sick. First mistake: not factoring in seasickness and not medicating for it. On the first dive, I wore my wetsuit (5mm) and didn't have enough weight, and fought buoyancy issues the whole dive (second mistake). Saw a few baitfish, lots of pinfish, and a barracuda or two. A noticeable current kept us busy down below, and horizontal vis was 20-25'. From what the crew told us, it was over 75' before the storm. Most of our dive experience has been in a quarry, so anything more than arm's length is awesome!
After a 40-ish minute surface interval, the youngest and I did our second dive. Oldest was too sick to get back in the water, so he hugged the gunwale while we dove. I stripped off my wetsuit, so the buoyancy issues were gone. Both of us had some inner ear problems (hard to equalize, third lesson) on the way down, but we slowed the descent and made it work. This time, we saw Red Snapper, a couple of decent sized Groupers, more 'cudas, a couple of good-sized Flounder, a 2'+ wingspan Stingray, and we even found a Mantis Shrimp in its burrow!
We surfaced, got back on the boat, and drank some water and Gatorade. On the way back in, the crew brought up a garbage can and started rinsing all the gear. Since I had my own gear, they asked before swapping cylinders between dives and doing anything else with it, which I really appreciated. Still, they rinsed it and treated it like it was their stuff, which really impressed me. They seemed to cater to novice divers, and no question was too stupid to answer.
Overall, I'd give the 1/2-day trip about an 8 out of 10; the 2 lost points were due to conditions, none of which were in their control. We're planning on going back in the not-too-distant future and hoping for better visibility.
Lessons learned:
1: Load up on seasickness meds. Pretty straightforward, and I tend to forget it since I'm not too prone to it.
2: Have more weight; I've only dove with my current kit a couple of times, so I'm still learning. I thought I grabbed 2x 4lb weights, but they were 3lb each. When we did our Advanced Adventure dives in a quarry, 8lbs + my SS plate with a 5mm suit was spot-on. 2lbs less, in salt water, threw me off, and I fought it the entire dive.
3: Don't dive with a cold. I was elbow-deep in a cold, and the youngest was starting to get one. We both had problems with clearing on both dives, and came up with bloody noses.
4: 5mm is WAAAAYYY too much wetsuit for this time of year, and the 3mm that the boys wore was more than they needed, too. Skin or rash guards are more than enough.
Overall, I was impressed with the crew, the boat, and how both of my boys did in the water. We're looking forward to another dive with Coastal in the future!
Byrdman
Trip was a 2-tank dive, and the wreck sits at 62' if you lay down on the bottom. We just had a storm blow through last week, so I wasn't expecting vis to be great (I was correct, unfortunately), but the water temp was fine for a skin or rash guard. Water was kinda rough, with 3-4' swells; not bad while underway, but pretty rough once we got to the wreck site.
Crew did an EXCELLENT job helping with gear (we rented for the boys, I had my own kit), making sure everyone knew what to expect, etc. Safety brief on the way out was clear and concise, and Bianca went around to all the divers after the brief and specifically asked if there were any questions. Boat was clean, well kept, and plenty large enough for everyone onboard.
Unfortunately, both of the boys got sick. First mistake: not factoring in seasickness and not medicating for it. On the first dive, I wore my wetsuit (5mm) and didn't have enough weight, and fought buoyancy issues the whole dive (second mistake). Saw a few baitfish, lots of pinfish, and a barracuda or two. A noticeable current kept us busy down below, and horizontal vis was 20-25'. From what the crew told us, it was over 75' before the storm. Most of our dive experience has been in a quarry, so anything more than arm's length is awesome!
After a 40-ish minute surface interval, the youngest and I did our second dive. Oldest was too sick to get back in the water, so he hugged the gunwale while we dove. I stripped off my wetsuit, so the buoyancy issues were gone. Both of us had some inner ear problems (hard to equalize, third lesson) on the way down, but we slowed the descent and made it work. This time, we saw Red Snapper, a couple of decent sized Groupers, more 'cudas, a couple of good-sized Flounder, a 2'+ wingspan Stingray, and we even found a Mantis Shrimp in its burrow!
We surfaced, got back on the boat, and drank some water and Gatorade. On the way back in, the crew brought up a garbage can and started rinsing all the gear. Since I had my own gear, they asked before swapping cylinders between dives and doing anything else with it, which I really appreciated. Still, they rinsed it and treated it like it was their stuff, which really impressed me. They seemed to cater to novice divers, and no question was too stupid to answer.
Overall, I'd give the 1/2-day trip about an 8 out of 10; the 2 lost points were due to conditions, none of which were in their control. We're planning on going back in the not-too-distant future and hoping for better visibility.
Lessons learned:
1: Load up on seasickness meds. Pretty straightforward, and I tend to forget it since I'm not too prone to it.
2: Have more weight; I've only dove with my current kit a couple of times, so I'm still learning. I thought I grabbed 2x 4lb weights, but they were 3lb each. When we did our Advanced Adventure dives in a quarry, 8lbs + my SS plate with a 5mm suit was spot-on. 2lbs less, in salt water, threw me off, and I fought it the entire dive.
3: Don't dive with a cold. I was elbow-deep in a cold, and the youngest was starting to get one. We both had problems with clearing on both dives, and came up with bloody noses.
4: 5mm is WAAAAYYY too much wetsuit for this time of year, and the 3mm that the boys wore was more than they needed, too. Skin or rash guards are more than enough.
Overall, I was impressed with the crew, the boat, and how both of my boys did in the water. We're looking forward to another dive with Coastal in the future!
Byrdman
