OP
Octopusprime
Contributor
Thanks everyone for all the feed back... My wife does not want to leave the USA ��since we are leaving the kids with the grandparents ��...
we we looked at the keys... Great diving but not the experiance the wife wants. Not to mention to far to drive and if we flew then I would need a rental car and I would be limited to the middle three days to dive.
My my wife has been looking and she is leaning to hilton head 3 nights and charleston 2 nights... I have found charleston scuba looks like they have lots of dives to pick from. I am into seeing cool sea creatures and wrecks. Any one dove in this area?
---------- Post added January 25th, 2015 at 03:56 PM ----------
At most I will get in two 2 tank dives in... Any suggestions for charter company and sites to see?
---------- Post added January 25th, 2015 at 03:58 PM ----------
i would love to do the keys... The vandenburg is on my bucket list... To bad there is a missing diver down there right now... Missing since January 2nd.
---------- Post added January 25th, 2015 at 04:02 PM ----------
thanks charleston looks nice and my wife seams excited... Any recommendations for nice hotel in either hilton head or charleston? Also the plantation tour looks cool, and not to mention southern food and bbq.
we we looked at the keys... Great diving but not the experiance the wife wants. Not to mention to far to drive and if we flew then I would need a rental car and I would be limited to the middle three days to dive.
My my wife has been looking and she is leaning to hilton head 3 nights and charleston 2 nights... I have found charleston scuba looks like they have lots of dives to pick from. I am into seeing cool sea creatures and wrecks. Any one dove in this area?
---------- Post added January 25th, 2015 at 03:56 PM ----------
At most I will get in two 2 tank dives in... Any suggestions for charter company and sites to see?
---------- Post added January 25th, 2015 at 03:58 PM ----------
How about Key West? The diving is perhaps better if you go further north along the Keys but Key west is loaded with shops, food places, etc. Couple of choices. Can fly to Miami and rent a car. About 2.5 hour drive or fly direct to Key West. There are dive ops in Key West. Great couple town with a bit of quirk.
Lots of nice places to stay along the Keys but less non-diving stuff to do. My wife does not dive. She really enjoyed a dolphin encounter. There are a couple of places. One at Duck Key and one in Key Largo, she did both.
Key Largo at the other end puts you one hour from Miami and all that means. for activities.
i would love to do the keys... The vandenburg is on my bucket list... To bad there is a missing diver down there right now... Missing since January 2nd.
---------- Post added January 25th, 2015 at 04:02 PM ----------
Charleston SC could be an option. One very long day or two easy days of driving with a stop overnight in Lexington or Knoxville. Plenty of deep south culture, old historical buildings/tours, Fort Sumter boat tour, Patriots Point Naval museum - the Yorktown is there. South Carolina Aquarium is interesting and locally focused for the most part - better than I expected for a town of that size. Nice beaches, Kiawah, Folly Beach, Seabrook Island, Isle of Palms and one more but they're not in town - up to 10-15 miles away in either direction. Charleston, SC | Official Site for Charleston Vacations & Charleston Tourism | Charleston Area CVB
There's also the slave plantation tours, harbor boat rides, local house tours, carriage rides etc. Foodies like FIG, Magnolias and SNOB (Slightly North of Broadway) I liked the more casual single owner places downtown - many with patios on the street. Some of them are around the old mall/shops downtown - I can't remember the name of it. Very pleasant area to walk around in. Plan on it being really humid in the warmer months also.
Diving is with Charleston Scuba to the south of town or Low Country Watersports in Mt. Pleasant. Diving is mostly wrecks off-shore or there's the Cooper River black water fossil teeth dives. We did get blown out one day with Charleston - mid-week in late June. I believe diving there is only spring-fall also so it wouldn't work if you're planning to go soon.
With only 5 days IDK if you want to burn two of them driving though. Another option would be to price Jet Blue, Spirit or Southwest (Midway) to West Paln, Ft. Lauderdale or Miami and see what you can put together there. Singer Island is nice but probably out of range. Lots of foodie options there though, just drive across the bridge from somewhere on the mainland. Maybe Jacksonville also - St. Augustine? Diving isn't so good in that area though - it's less seasonal though - I think they're diving now - they definitely are farther south. Jupiter Beach is supposed to be very nice also.
thanks charleston looks nice and my wife seams excited... Any recommendations for nice hotel in either hilton head or charleston? Also the plantation tour looks cool, and not to mention southern food and bbq.