Thanks for the info. Is Roanoke a quality shop? I called them and it sounds like they end up going out every day but I only ask b/c since they are the only game in town they may get lax. Particularly b/c I will be renting gear from them and have definitely dove with sketchy gear - not fun!
bg
I just dove with them this week and had a great experience. Used to dive with OBX Dive Center back when they were open and tried RIO for the first time this trip on the recommendation of others in the area. I will definitely use them again.
I rented gear and found it to be in line with (or better than) many other placed I've rented from. Gear was in good shape and worked well. I stopped in a few days prior to my dive and they allowed me to try everything on to make sure it fit well and everything was in a bag waiting for me on the dock the morning of my dive. Fitting well is important, because you'll be diving in 7 mm wetsuits, with full hoods and gloves. Having everything fit right really helps when you hit that thermocline and the temperature is suddenly 55 degrees. Everyone was very helpful and friendly throughout.
Boat was small, but comfortable, and it was nice that they only take out 6 divers at a time, plus the captain and dive master.
One of the things I actually appreciated the most was the fact that they canceled one of my days. I had originally scheduled two days of diving with them and I got a call the night before my first scheduled day to let me know that the weather looked sketchy and they'd make the call in the morning as to whether we went out. Sure enough, I got a call from the captain at 5:30 to tell me the trip was off. When I rolled out of bed later that morning, I was grateful we weren't out there. The wind and the swell were opposing each other and made for very choppy conditions. I was glad they made the call to cancel the day before leaving the docks, even though they lost out on the fees. Many shops may have taken you out there to "see how conditions were" and then called the dive at the dive site after collecting the charter fee.
The second day of diving was great. Flat, calm conditions with no current on the first site and just a moderate current on the surface on the second. Visibility was about 30 feet on both sites. You really can't ask for much better conditions in that area. I dove the U-85, which was a new one to me, and the Advance, which was my third time on that wreck (it's one of my favorites in the area). Had great dives on both. I've not done any of the shore dives, but I've done most of the wrecks in the area.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
