Suggestions for those new to SC?

[myrtlebeachbums]

Hey folks.

I got my open water certification this fall, and I'm very much a newbie. My first ocean dive will be in West Palm Beach on December 27th. My certification dives were done in a former coquina quary near by. I had a blast looking at hundreds of little fish up to 30 feet down.

My neighbor behind me is from the NYC area and will be my dive buddy when he's in the area. (They split time between NY and here.) He's a fairly experienced diver with something like 150-175 dives under his belt.

Can anyone familiar with South Carolina make some recommendations for the two of us to enjoy? I'm sure there's got to be lots of good diving opportunities off of Myrtle Beach. We're in Conway, SC so not sure if there are any decent river dives to be had. I joined Club Aquarius at the LDS and some reps from the SC Marine Archeology spoke to us at our November meeting. Was quite interesting to hear about the trails they have, and about the hobby diver license. Sounds like a good deal to me. Is it worth it?

Any and all info is very much welcome. I'm hoping to pick up my equipment in March or April to start diving the waters around here.

Thanks!
- Dave

 

[CrackedConch]

Welcome to the Palmetto State! I live in the Upstate (Greenville), but I've been out with Coastal Scuba in MB several times. Home Their shop is on 17 in North MB and they sail out of Little River Inlet.

These folks are very competent, professional and run a good operation. Their website has about all you will ever need to know about MB and major SC dive sites.

And...don't forget to make those weekend trips up to Morehead City, NC for some incredible wreck diving. Olympus Diving gets good reviews up there. I've not been out with them, but friends have and have commented favorably. I've also been out with Outer Banks Diving (Johnny Pieno) in Cape Hatteras and had a great time!!

 

[ScubaExpress]

Welcome to the area!!! We are the dive shop on the South end of Myrtle beach. We are located waterfront Murrells inlet. Stop by and see the place if you havent had a chance. Our website is Express Water Sports - Scuba Dive, Parasail, Kayak & Ocean Sightseeing Dolphin Watch And jet skis in Myrtle Beach South Carolina - Home Our dive calender loacted on the website is useful if you are looking to see where we are diving.

 

[herman]

Aquatic Surfaris and Cape Fear Divers in the Wilmington are also good choices for dive ops.

What is a "hobby divers license"....not sure I like the sound of than...a new tax desguised as a license maybe?

 

[myrtlebeachbums]

What is a "hobby divers license"....not sure I like the sound of than...a new tax desguised as a license maybe?

You can find more info on it at Maritime Research Division

The long story short is that it allows a diver holding that license to claim up to 10 artifacts a day on any wreck they come across. Without the license you can't keep any artifacts you find under the South Carolina Underwater Antiquities Act of 1991.

You're responsible for reporting any artifacts you find, and these artifacts are technically the property of South Carolina for 30 days which gives the Marine Archeology folks time to come by, look at it, take pictures, etc. After 30 days they're yours. They also made a point of telling us that the artifacts are yours for non-commercial use only. (ie: You can't eBay them.)

They're not exactly getting rich off these things. A 2 year license for in-state residents is $18. Considering the work they do cataloging wrecks and artifacts it seems like money well spent.

As for it being a new tax, I lived in NY state for most of my life and I laugh at SC state taxes. Of course taking away the whole snow removal thing probably does help decrease taxes somewhat.

 

[anytime]

We have seen some of the best diving all year in the past few weeks off of Myrtle Beach. I would recomend scuba express for any of their dives. You can hop on some of the close sites and be back just after lunch.

 

[myrtlebeachbums]

Thanks everybody! Looks like I've got a lot of options when I get my equipment in the spring.