Relocating from Northern VA/DC area to Atlanta soon. Any decent diving nearby? Currently about 20 miles from a small but diveable quarry, 2.5 hours from an awesome quarry, 3.5-5 hours from ocean diving depending on where we end up.
Any decent diving near Atlanta?
- Thread starter AustinV
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NO.
Okay, there's a quarry: Home. There are several quarries in Alabama, the closest being Dive Land Park, about 115 miles from Atlanta. I hate quarries and prefer Lake Jocassee, SC, which is a reservoir about 140 miles from Atlanta in a nice state park. Some of the kinds of things that you see in dive quarries have been planted in Jocassee. Jocassee Dive Shop offers amazingly cheap dive trips on their pontoon boats: $40 including two tanks. But Jocassee is more famous as being the site featured in the movie "Deliverance." The cemetery being flooded in one movie scene is at 135-140 feet, I believe--I have not dived there.
Florida road trips are easily doable from Atlanta, as are road trips to NC for wreck diving. Morehead City, NC is a good destination for the latter. For south FL diving, take a budget flight to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, rent a car, and drive an hour and a half to Key Largo. The springs of north Florida are interesting, too, though unless one is a cave diver there is only so much to do. South Carolina isn't known for diving, except perhaps for fossil hunting in the Cooper River (Charleston). Coastal GA doesn't have any diving, unless you have your own boat. If you're into spearfishing, you don't have to venture far south in FL--there is said to be good spearfishing as far north as Jacksonville.
But the BEST thing about Atlanta for divers is the airport. Nonstops to many Caribbean destinations--we can get anywhere in the Caribbean in just a few hours.
Okay, there's a quarry: Home. There are several quarries in Alabama, the closest being Dive Land Park, about 115 miles from Atlanta. I hate quarries and prefer Lake Jocassee, SC, which is a reservoir about 140 miles from Atlanta in a nice state park. Some of the kinds of things that you see in dive quarries have been planted in Jocassee. Jocassee Dive Shop offers amazingly cheap dive trips on their pontoon boats: $40 including two tanks. But Jocassee is more famous as being the site featured in the movie "Deliverance." The cemetery being flooded in one movie scene is at 135-140 feet, I believe--I have not dived there.
Florida road trips are easily doable from Atlanta, as are road trips to NC for wreck diving. Morehead City, NC is a good destination for the latter. For south FL diving, take a budget flight to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, rent a car, and drive an hour and a half to Key Largo. The springs of north Florida are interesting, too, though unless one is a cave diver there is only so much to do. South Carolina isn't known for diving, except perhaps for fossil hunting in the Cooper River (Charleston). Coastal GA doesn't have any diving, unless you have your own boat. If you're into spearfishing, you don't have to venture far south in FL--there is said to be good spearfishing as far north as Jacksonville.
But the BEST thing about Atlanta for divers is the airport. Nonstops to many Caribbean destinations--we can get anywhere in the Caribbean in just a few hours.
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There is some offshore diving from both Charleston and Myrtle Beach - both around 5 hours drive from Atlanta. Mostly wreck dives and the farther out you go the better the viz (and the depth) seem to get. Near shore it's flat and sandy. Some links:
Charleston Scuba
Myrtle Beach Scuba Diving - Coastal Scuba
Express Watersports | Scuba Diving and Watersports Resort
We've dove with Express out of Murrell's Inlet about 20mins. south of Myrtle Beach - nice big dive boat.
I also think it's seasonal - they don;t seem to list many winter options. The farther wrecks are sitting in the Gulf Stream so are often warm. In summer it was t-shirt diving for me - maybe a skin as some sites have a lot of jellies - I learned to purge my octo while ascending off SC.
I have read that Sand Tigers are sometimes seen on the wrecks,
Charleston Scuba
Myrtle Beach Scuba Diving - Coastal Scuba
Express Watersports | Scuba Diving and Watersports Resort
We've dove with Express out of Murrell's Inlet about 20mins. south of Myrtle Beach - nice big dive boat.
I also think it's seasonal - they don;t seem to list many winter options. The farther wrecks are sitting in the Gulf Stream so are often warm. In summer it was t-shirt diving for me - maybe a skin as some sites have a lot of jellies - I learned to purge my octo while ascending off SC.
I have read that Sand Tigers are sometimes seen on the wrecks,
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OP
10-4, thanks for the responses so far. Sounds like with a little bit of driving there's a decent variety of sites I could potentially have access to...
Not moving from the best dive spot in the world right now as it is, but having options is good.
Not moving from the best dive spot in the world right now as it is, but having options is good.
flyingDiver75
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We get lots of Atlanta divers in the Florida panhandle. Panama City, Destin, and Pensacola are all in easy reach (5-6 hour drive) for a dive weekend and have active charter fleets.
Doh. I can't believe I forgot to mention the Panhandle. I've just had springs on my mind lately.
Vortex and Morrison springs can be combined in one road trip with ocean diving.
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OP
I’ve moved to Atlanta (well, right outside Atlanta really - Marietta/East Cobb). Still learning the area. So far have made trips to Outer Banks NC, Wilmington NC, and Venice, FL to dive. This coming week checking out PCB, FL.
If anyone is local and looking to do some local diving or couple day/weekend trips send me a PM, don’t know many people in GA so far!
If anyone is local and looking to do some local diving or couple day/weekend trips send me a PM, don’t know many people in GA so far!
Ditto here - I've done all my diving from the airport. My usual buddies are all fine for a once a year liveaboard trip, but I wouldn't mind having some more local options.
BTW, if you're in the city proper the Georgia Tech diving well is a great pool for scuba training. They put it in for the Olympics back in the day - I think you can get to 30' in it. Probably have to be hooked up with the Tech scuba guys but they're a good group.
BTW, if you're in the city proper the Georgia Tech diving well is a great pool for scuba training. They put it in for the Olympics back in the day - I think you can get to 30' in it. Probably have to be hooked up with the Tech scuba guys but they're a good group.
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