South Carolina diving

[scubabrn]

Has anyone dove the waters off of South Carolina? If so, how was it, was it reef, wrecks, currents, water temps yadda yadda yadda, thx alot.

 

[diversteve]

wrecks - Bill Perry & others.

no current

60' viz at 70' - 2 days later 20-30' viz at 45'.

85' at 60-80' in mid-July

Myrtle Beach area.

 

[scubabrn]

I forgot one thing, whats the marine life like?

 

[diversteve]

My experience was that all the marine life was clustered with 10-15' of the wrecks. Which makes sense since everything else in the area is flat sandy bottom so the fish like to hide near the wreck. We saw a couple flounder, some silver baitfish and maybe a couple of angelfish? But there was a spearo on the trip so that may have caused everything to hide.

Recent thread about diving around Myrtle Beach:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=145671

 

[scubabrn]

Is it worth diving, Im in north Ga. and about 5- 7 hours away depending on how one drives.

 

[del_mo]

Coastal scuba http://www.coastalscuba.com/ has a nice dive site, I think they called it barracuda alley...a wreck, and bunch of armored personnel carriers, and they continue to add stuff. As the name of the site suggests, 'cudas and "friendly" sand tiger sharks. Only draw back was both dives were at this site.

 

[Henryville]

Have you done any fossil diving in the Cooper River? It's near Charleston, definitely not your typical dive but you can find some very cool things.

I travel to South Carolina every year and I have tried several times to get diving in, with frustrating results.

What I have found is that getting out between Georgia and Charleston is basically impossible, there are a couple of options in Charleston including the river and ocean, then you have no chances 'til you get up to mid-state or beyond, think Murrell's Inlet or north. I dove a couple of decent wrecks north of Myrtle Beach with Coastal Scuba.

 

[marusso]

My buddies and I often run offshore to some pretty cool dive sights off Hilton Head. Check us out at www.deepsouthdivers.org If you are ever in the area and want to run out with us. Send me an IM.

 

[scubabrn]

thx all

 

[diveprof]

I have about 50 dives off of South Carolina (Southern part, northern GA - ie beaufort - Savannah). The diving can be great, special, challenging and well - wish I had went to the beach instead. It is all about seas, tides, and weather. I have had unbelieveable dives on the Betsy Ross, J reef, Sagebrush, and spots only visited by the occasional fisherman. I've been on the Sagebrush with a school of Atlantic spadefish so thick you couldn't see the wreck and several large cobia on the bottom circling the wreck. I've seen the largest nurse shark I've ever seen on J reef wedged under the ledge (had to be 12') with a 5' turtle under the same ledge only a few feet away. I've enjoyed the navy towers - a dive where you sit still and watch the fish come by you. Sharks on the Betsy Ross. A special spot of live bottom off Beaufort where we found a large number of octopus dens (piles of shells around the dens) and where I had to tug to get back the top half of a two piece pole spear when a octopus wrapped an arm around it. I've seen 60'+ vis and 10' or less. I've also been blown out or had to deal with 6'+ seas. A bit of a boat ride to the good stuff, but when good, it can be very good.... I'm a native Carolinian, now living in Evans, GA.