July meg ledge with Aquatic Safaris

[TDiddy]

I'm booked with Aquatic Safaris for a ledge trip July 21. This will be my first ledge trip and I was hoping people could confirm or deny things I've picked up in various threads.

• Are you expected to dive in buddy pairs, or do people separate and fan out at the bottom?
• If people separate, do most carry pony bottles?
• Are pony bottles available to rent? I've used one but don't own one, and likely wouldn't fly with it anyway.
• Do people leave their reels on the bottom and then follow the same line on the 2nd dive, or reel into the anchor before ascending on their first dive?
• What are water temps typically like towards the end of July? Wondering if I will want my 3mm suit.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[darkH20diver]

I'm booked with Aquatic Safaris for a ledge trip July 21. This will be my first ledge trip and I was hoping people could confirm or deny things I've picked up in various threads.

• Are you expected to dive in buddy pairs, or do people separate and fan out at the bottom?
• If people separate, do most carry pony bottles?
• Are pony bottles available to rent? I've used one but don't own one, and likely wouldn't fly with it anyway.
• Do people leave their reels on the bottom and then follow the same line on the 2nd dive, or reel into the anchor before ascending on their first dive?
• What are water temps typically like towards the end of July? Wondering if I will want my 3mm suit.

Thanks,
Tom

Just came across your post. Did you make your trip to the ledges? We have a group that may go this summer. I have the same questions you had.

 

[packman]

For anyone looking to dive the meg ledge, keep in mind, these are fairly deep dives. It sits at ~100 ft deep and is very flat. This is about a square of a profile as you will find on an actual dive. It's very easy to lose track of time and gas supply while down there looking for teeth, so be careful and extra mindful of both.

Most charters will make sure you are buddied up with someone but they don't keep track of you underwater. No scuba police in NC making sure buddy pairs stay together. People do tend to spread out as they are looking for teeth so a secondary gas supply wouldn't be a bad idea. I don't know, however, if any of the charter companies have pony bottles for rent.

A reel is a good thing to take on the dive since the bottom is pretty featureless and it would be easy to get lost on your way back to the anchor, especially after the bottom is silted up from everyone looking for teeth. Tie the reel to the anchor and go out as far as you want but you will need to reel it back in, unclip it from the anchor line, and bring it back up with you. There is no guarantee you will be in the exact same spot for the second dive.

Water temps tend to run mid 70s to low 80s in July. This is out in the guld stream so you tend to have bluer and warmer water out there. The dive charter can giv you a better idea of how water conditions are at the time but most people dive a 3 mil wetsuit in the summer.