Myrtle Beach

[al248005]

It went really well. I dove Goldfinch reef. Viz was about 20-25ft. Boat ride out took about a hour and 15 mins. I dove with Scuba Express. Their boat and crew are fantastic. The boat looked very new and it was very spacious. Max depth was I think 65 ft. On the first dive there was hardly any current and on the second dive the current picked up quite a bit. There was a good bit of sea life such as Amberjacks, Spadefish, crab, and baitfish. I would recommend this op. They were were friendly and answered questions that you had. I plan on diving with them more next year when I go back.

 

[packman]

Karla, I have a 13-year old son who got his OW in April in Mexico. We'll be in Myrtle Beach August 21-28, and he is eager to dive. Can he go for a dive with your shop? What dive would you recommend then? Will there be an adult instructor/dive master underwater with him? I'll be very greatful for any info.

I'm not with Scuba Express but I have dove with them before and they run a typical Carolina operation. What that means is that the diving is done on an individual basis (individual teams) and the divemaster does not stay underwater with the divers. You can generally hire an instructor/divemaster for the day but it has to be set up ahead of time.

Here's their website: Express Water Sports . It has a lot of information about their operation and the local diving. You can also give their shop a call at 843-357-3337.

 

[al248005]

What that means is that the diving is done on an individual basis (individual teams) and the divemaster does not stay underwater with the divers. You can generally hire an instructor/divemaster for the day but it has to be set up ahead of time.

When I went out with them, I hired the DM to dive with me. It was an additional $35. Being my first openwater/ocean dive, I thought it was well worth the $35. However, before we left dock the DM did a buddy check to make sure everyone is paired up with a buddy.

 

[packman]

They can be useful to hire as guides, too, if you are new to the area...even if you aren't new to the ocean. They can often give you lots of info about the history of whatever wreck you may be diving on and point out things you may miss or not recognize.

I dove the Gill (shipwreck out of Wilmington, NC) several times before a friend gave me a guided tour of the bow section and it finally looked like a shipwreck to me.

 

[Beowulfe]

I most likely will be in Myrtle Beach starting Labor Day and want to do some diving. Anybody had much of a problem finding a dive buddy with either of the two operations mentioned?

 

[Rand]

I most likely will be in Myrtle Beach starting Labor Day and want to do some diving. Anybody had much of a problem finding a dive buddy with either of the two operations mentioned?

I had no issues finding a buddy with Scuba Express. The DMs will ask and make sure everyone has a buddy once on board. You can wait until the briefing to pair up, but I would suggest getting to the shop/dock early. Strike up a conversation with those waiting to board and find someone in need of a buddy and with similar dive plans as you. That way you can get to know them better on the ride out. It will also prevent you being "assigned" to someone as more of an afterthought.

Even if everyone already has a buddy, there's nothing that says you can't go as a team of three.

 

[munselln8]

I am going to be in North Myrtle Beach this coming week (Sept. 4-Sept. 11) I am wondering if the Hurricane will have screwed up diving for the entire week? I went out last year with Coastal Scuba and had horrible dive. The operation was fine but conditions were aweful. My wife and I are going to take our gear and hope that there will be some decent diving available during the week. By decent I mean 10 ft. vis or better (last year we dove in 3-4 ft vis. with heavy swell in 25 fsw...SUCKED!!!)

 

[Beowulfe]

When and who you planning on going with? I will be there the 8-9th and looking to dive. I would hope considering both Earl and Fiona should be well out of the area by Sun, the conditions will settle.

 

[munselln8]

We are planning on going out with Coastal SCUBA out of North Myrtle. Going to call them Tuesday to hear the dive report. Hopefully the visibility will be decent (15' + ?). Looks like they have a tripscheduled to The Sherman scheduled for Wednesday. We have never dived there so it could be fun. We will see.

 

[anytime]

Things may change, but the vis this weekend was very bad. Of course it could settle out, but it was less than 10' on the bottom. Above about 20' off the bottom it was super clear but below that it was nasty.