Myrtle Beach Diving & snorkeling recommendations?

[Torontonian]

Hi.

This July/06 my family is planning to go vacationing in Myrtle Beach. We'll stay a week at Seawatch Inn on 215 Atlantic Avenue., Garden City Beach, SC.

I'm the only diver and would like to go for a few dives. Would also like to take wife and 3 children (13, 10, 8) to snorkeling. We have snorkeling gears.

Can you recommend dive shops and dive sites? Any must do's?

My kids are ok swimmers, but we'll all wear snorkeling vests. Can you recommend good snorkeling places to go for my family?

Thanks a lot.

 

[outlaws]

If you look ar a coastal map you will see that Myrtle Beach lies in what is called Long Bay. All the in shore diving is low vis at best. So snorkleing would probably be not so good. Here are 2 dive operators out of Little River (north Myrtle Beach) www.coastalscuba.com , www.dolphindivecharters.com . There is a shop in Murrells Inlet but I can't recall the name. To get decent diving though you have to go "off shore" 20 miles or so to get to the blue water. Hope this helps.
Dive Safe, Dive Often,
Butch:14:

 

[diversteve]

It's the "Low Country" so most of the shore that's not sandy beach is weedy/marshy. What makes Myrtle Beach a good beach makes it lousy for snorkeling. It's sand offshore for miles in most areas. So snorkeling will be disappointing.

The diveop in Murrells Inlet is Express Watersports. They go out 11-15 miles to some wrecks that are surrounded by miles of shallow sandy bottom. The viz was pretty disappointing - and we were there on a "good" day. They're a good outfit, no limits to bottom time, pretty casual. The DM doesn't even get in the water except to tie off the mooring unless requested. Since you're staying south of Myrtle Beach, it's a much quicker drive than to Coastal or DolphinDive in north Myrtle Beach.

Murrell's Inlet is a great place to eat also, they have restaurants there in all price ranges. But not much else there.

All the tourist attractions, musical theaters etc. in north Myrtle Beach make traffic pretty bad there at times. Take the family to the the Broadway at the Beach entertainment complex. Ripley's Aquarium is there(not as tacky as it sounds) and there's restaurants, shopping and other activities also. For the kids - Myrtle Beach is the mini-golf capital of the U.S.

We drove through Garden City, it's slightly less developed than Myrtle Beach which imho is kind of trashy in some areas. Downside of being in that area in July is that it's really, really humid...

hth,

 

[Torontonian]

Thanks for your info.

Hmmm, so Myrtle Beach is not so good for diving or snorkeling. That's disappointing. I was hoping to get my kids started in snorkeling and in a few years to start diving. But I guess we try to make the best of it. At least we can be on the beach often.

 

[outlaws]

And if you play golf there are about 150 golf courses. :14:

Butch

 

[surfsidedav]

Ok, local perspective here. Some good dive sites inshore but mid summer viz is only going to be +/- 20-25 ft. Offshore gets better from what I've been told, but I'm relatively new at this and haven't dove all the sites yet. About the only place I can think of to snorkel would be the pool at your hotel if you want to see anything. As far as inland activities, there's plenty to do. As already mentioned, golf, Broadway at the Beach (mostly adult after 10:00 pm), the aquarium, lots of restaurants. There's also para sailing and jet ski rentals. You could also rent a pontoon or jet ski and ride the intercoastal waterway. Whatever you do, bring lots of sunscreen and shorts and tees, 'cause it's usually hotter than heck here in mid summer. Give me a PM if you need more info.

 

[dolphinfan]

There are great sites off shore. The Raritan and 18 Fathoms are fantastic dives. I wouldn't waste my time on any in shore dives though. Call Cameron at Coastal Scubaand book an off shore dive and you won't be disappointed. I've never been with the shop in Murrels Inlet but I'm sure they are reputable also. If they have charters going to the off shore stuff, you might want to book with them. It's a good ride from where you're staying to Coastal in N. Myrtle and to the dock in Little River (Especially because of the traffic that time of year). Have fun and make sure to check out the Sand Tigers under the stern of the Raritan.

 

[Skipp]

Scuba Express in Murrell's Inlet 843-357-3337 toll free 866-566-9338 or
expresswatersports.com

As was mentioned earlier, you will be close to Murrell's Inlet. Give them a call to get some info on the dives available. Even though vis is usually low, the dives are still very interesting.

I don't know if I will be in town that week, but e-mail me at skipchapp.com, as I am often looking for a dive buddy.

 

[diversteve]

The kids might also enjoy the dolphin watching out of Murrell's Inlet. Here's one operator: http://www.bluewaveadventures.com/

 

[Torontonian]

Thanks for the offshore diving suggestions. I was beginning to get disappointed. I haven't confirmed the booking yet but probably need to early next week. It's a 1,600km drive from Toronto, so hope it will be worth it for the family.

Sounds like the first snorkeling experience for my kids might not be interesting. But at least they'll be in the sea water, with new toys, and be able to look down into the sea.