July trip to NC

[Steve_C]

Good pointers. I will note though
-Aquatic Safaris boats are not 24 divers. One is 16 and one is 18, They are also reasonably fast. The Gill on ASI is about and hour and 45 minutes. ASI is the larger and a shade faster than the ASII.
-AS may be willing to work with you if you have logged some dives recently in the 80-90 range. There is no DM in the water but you can hire one of the boat DM for a modest amount. Not like in California where you may have to pay for their boat ride also. Check with Paul or Mike (owners and captains)
-AS runs to several ledges. 23, Sue, Stacey. 23 is about 85 to the top edge. 100 ft to the sand. Sue is slightly deeper and Stacey deeper still. Lots of fish and animal life.
-AS also has a much more lenient cancelation than farther north. You can cancel up to about 4 days before the dive.
-If a boat is available you can just call and set up the charter. if they get enough divers they will go. Require more divers further out then in close.

I have over 100 dives with AS. They are my go to op.

It is a long haul, out near the sharkteeth area, but the tower is a great dive. Only about 45 ft deep, often good viz, and lots of fish life.

NC diving can be awesome. But weather changes, viz changes. But generally July is a good month to go diving. Water temps will be nice then.

 

[hroark2112]

Good pointers. I will note though
-Aquatic Safaris boats are not 24 divers. One is 16 and one is 18, They are also reasonably fast. The Gill on ASI is about and hour and 45 minutes. ASI is the larger and a shade faster than the ASII.
-AS may be willing to work with you if you have logged some dives recently in the 80-90 range. There is no DM in the water but you can hire one of the boat DM for a modest amount. Not like in California where you may have to pay for their boat ride also. Check with Paul or Mike (owners and captains)
-AS runs to several ledges. 23, Sue, Stacey. 23 is about 85 to the top edge. 100 ft to the sand. Sue is slightly deeper and Stacey deeper still. Lots of fish and animal life.
-AS also has a much more lenient cancelation than farther north. You can cancel up to about 4 days before the dive.
-If a boat is available you can just call and set up the charter. if they get enough divers they will go. Require more divers further out then in close.

I have over 100 dives with AS. They are my go to op.

It is a long haul, out near the sharkteeth area, but the tower is a great dive. Only about 45 ft deep, often good viz, and lots of fish life.

NC diving can be awesome. But weather changes, viz changes. But generally July is a good month to go diving. Water temps will be nice then.

Aquatic is an excellent outfit. Great crew, great boats, safe operation. One of my favorite ops in NC, and it's only a 2 hour drive for me.

I love diving the tower. You never know what you're going to see out there. Lots of sharks, red drum, schools of jacks, the site is fun and there are a few ledges out near there as well.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

No dive spot, I have ever seen, has had more bad info posted on it than the Cooper River dive. I have a lot of dives there and it really is nothing like what was posted in this thread. Please take time to do your homework and read up on it. And others should not post on any dive site until you have actually dived it! The Meg Ledge is cool but due to depth, you are not going to hang out too long. Heck, we had about 5 hours of diving in one day at the Cooper.

 

[wader]

I called Aquatic Safari. They are cool with me only having OW cert with my experience. They said they take you to the sites and what you do in the water is your business. If I hire a guide however, there is greater limitations. The Meg Ledge dive sounds good too. Going deep just to go deep to me is dumb. I go to the depth to see or do cool stuff, whether its 30' of 110'. Shallow diving is usually better because of longer dive times

Thanks for the Sand Tiger video Winfield, beautiful creatures. They do not seem fazed by you at all! Very cool

 

[wader]

No dive spot, I have ever seen, has had more bad info posted on it than the Cooper River dive. I have a lot of dives there and it really is nothing like what was posted in this thread. Please take time to do your homework and read up on it. And others should not post on any dive site until you have actually dived it! The Meg Ledge is cool but due to depth, you are not going to hang out too long. Heck, we had about 5 hours of diving in one day at the Cooper.

Where is Cooper River? Can you tell me about it? Shore or boat dive (boat traffic), condition, depth, etc. Thanks!

 

[Steve_C]

QUOTE="wader, post: 8284760, member: 144127"]Where is Cooper River? Can you tell me about it? Shore or boat dive (boat traffic), condition, depth, etc. Thanks![/QUOTE]

Tidal river in the Charleston, SC area. Normally a boat dive from the folks I know who have done it. Drop to bottom and search for fossils and other artifacts. Viz limited but they do find some neat stuff.

The sand tigers are our go to shark off NC. We do see some others. Sand bars are fairly common but skittish and usually do not just hang around. Very pretty shark though. Sandbar on the Markham with AS.

[

 

[hroark2112]

Love your photos Steve!! I wish I could take great pictures like you do!

 

[rlskill1]

Most Beaufort Morehead City NC dives offshore are in the 100-115' range then a shallower 2nd dive at 80-105' range. Aeolus, Sub, Schurz, Papoose, Atlas, Box Wreck, Hardee's Wreck common sites. Caribsea is under 90' good small wreck, lots of sharks and marinelife. All trips 2hr boatride average, dive your own profile, set up your own gear. Great diving when conditions are good, but some days are challenging. Dive guides are good idea and available for hire if inexperienced or new to area. Discovery and Olympus run good boats with capable, knowledgeable crews. NC dives give you big fish, big wrecks, big seas so go have fun. Well worth a trip.