Well, if you'd like, we can go ahead and plan something for the early spring here.
The water offshore is already a balmy 62 degrees.
I suggest the Eagle's Nest or Betsy Ross reefs. The Eagle's Nest is a 430' Liberty Ship that was purchased by Department of Natural Resources many years ago, and sunk to create an artificial reef. It's in 80' of water, but the top is accessible at about 65'. Clarity out there in March should be around 60'... Not great, but good enough to make the dive seem deeper than it really is. The 'Ross is one of my favorite dives in the whole world for it's splenor, grandeur, and drama.
The Eagle's Nest should be a bit clearer, with vis in the 80' range. Water's more like 60' deep, with lots and lots of sea life. Loggerhead turtles, Blacknose "reef" shark, Grouper, Sheepshead, and all of that. The Eagle's Nest is a place where the military goes and disposes of all of their old tanks, APC's, missle carriers, trucks, boats, planes, and barges. It's very cool and there's lot of opportunity to practice mild penetration, and lots of exploration. If you dig marine life, this is the place to be.
Both sites are great... And both were featured in Skin Diver magazine in the early '90's. In 1992, in fact, the Betsy Ross was listed as the #1 top East Coast dive destination.
But these places are lonely... Almost never visited.
I can charter a great dive boat (
http://www.lowcountryraftingadventures.com ) that can get us in and out quickly and comfortably for $70 per diver (minimum 4 divers). That will get us on top of the reef... These guys are good.
I have a buddy who's opening a dive shop here locally in about two weeks... But I recommend bringing your own gear. Still, he'd be a great place to get tanks filled.
So... $70 for the charter. You bring gear. Fills are $5. Local hotels, if you want to stay overnight and do another trip the next day, are about $60 a night for a good deal.
Let me know if you guys are interested...
