hi all. first post here and i've got to say that it seems like a great community. i was wondering if there was any decent diving to be done off the Alabama or Mississippi Gulf Coast? i'm starting to get a little more into diving (OW/AOW/Nitrox) but multiple trips/year to the caribean (sp?) or florida becomes prohibitively expensive quickly. i can drive to the gulf coast fairly quickly and i know rooms in the casinos can be had for next to nothing! i've heard of some people doing oil rig dives and really enjoying them. is it even worth it to try diving on the gulf coast? are there any decent wrecks off the gulf coast?
any good diving off the AL/MS coast?
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FredT
Guest
MS is a long boat ride to good stuff, AL is closer in.
The farther east of The River you get the worse the good days get and the better the bad days get.
Out of MS or LA good days are 200 foot vis, bad days are 2 inches, if that. Normal is good killing vis of 20-30' layered with clearer and murkier water
AL may have 150' or 3' vis, and anywhere in between
By the time you get to PC its 60' to 30' vis, with really bad days getting down to 5' on the bottom.
FT
The farther east of The River you get the worse the good days get and the better the bad days get.
Out of MS or LA good days are 200 foot vis, bad days are 2 inches, if that. Normal is good killing vis of 20-30' layered with clearer and murkier water
AL may have 150' or 3' vis, and anywhere in between
By the time you get to PC its 60' to 30' vis, with really bad days getting down to 5' on the bottom.
FT
jdb
Guest
I can't speak for Ms or La but We dive off of Dauphin Island, Alabama almost every weekend. There are a couple of liberty ships, Numerous shrimp boats, barges, army tanks and a plane or two and of course the oil rigs which IMHO are excellent dives. Last weekend we had about 60ft vis. This summer we have averaged between 1ft and 100+ft vis with somewhere around 50ft being the average. You have to go out atleast 10 miles before you start getting into blue water. All of our diving takes place inbetween 10 and 20 miles out in water 60fsw to 130fsw deep. It is not the Bahamas but it is some excellent diving and on a good day it is close.
If your a confident diver and don't mind helping with an anchor we are always looking for a fourth diver.
If your a confident diver and don't mind helping with an anchor we are always looking for a fourth diver.
TJisthe1
Guest
of MS and I agree with the other replys. There are numerous dives here in MS, but the closest decent dives are about 15 miles off shore. You can book a charter for about $85 to $100 for 2 tanks or $100 to $135 for 3 tanks, it depends on who it is and where you want to go. There is a liberty ship, pogey boats, tugs and barges, armored personell carriers shrimp boats, school buses, concrete tumblers and numerous fishing vessels scattered all over not to mention the rigs. one of my FAVORITE dives, though a verylenghty ride (i believe 60 miles) is the hourse shoe rigs. In my opinion it is the BEST dive I ever dove!!!! Good luck and hope to see you in the water!!
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