Diving by Hilton Head

[hoosierpat]

I'm going to Hilton Head the second week of June. Has anyone ever dove around there? Is there anything to see?

I'm thinking I would just do some shore diving but I'll look into a dive boat if it would make the experience better. Any recommendations in that regard?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SeaJayInSC]

I live in Beaufort - across the river from Hilton Head.

No, nothing to see here - move along.

 

[hoosierpat]

That's disappointing, how about fishing, any recommendations?

 

[SeaJayInSC]

Captain Wally Phinney of Sea Wolf Charters out of Port Royal. A true old salt who can put you on the best of fish.

Make sure and make it a Saturday or Sunday and request his female first mate, Kym. You'll have a complete blast.

 

[snorvich]

I seem to recollect that there is some Tiger Shark diving somewhere near the Carolinas, SeaJayInSC. Is that right??? Of course memory is the third thing to go.

 

[SeaJayInSC]

...Not that I know of. Maybe North Carolina?

I don't know that I'd volantarily be in the water with Tigers, unless I was in a cage. Blacktips, whitetips, reef sharks... I wouldn't mind that (would actually be pretty cool), but a Tiger, a Bull or a Great White... Not really a good plan if it can be helped, especially if they're in any numbers.

All of the Carolinas are known mostly for it's wrecks - and South Carolina is specifically known for it's inshore blackwater diving that yields 20 million year old megalodon teeth and fossils - but those areas tend to be highly prized by locals, who rarely share.

There are dive shops willing to charter in Savannah, GA (45 minutes from Hilton Head) and Charleston (an hour and a half north), but there are no dive shops in Hilton Head or nearby Beaufort.

Clearwater diving can be had offshore Hilton Head, but they're a four-hour roundtrip boat ride, and consequently expensive and a pain in the neck to get to - and easily canceled by weather. That is, if you can even find someone who will consider promising you a dive at all.

I've watched local dive shops come and go over the past few decades - several of them. If you want to dive, travel an hour either way up or down I-95 and you've got a much better chance of finding a charter.

 

[billsreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15024266#post15024266 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
I seem to recollect that there is some Tiger Shark diving somewhere near the Carolinas, SeaJayInSC. Is that right??? Of course memory is the third thing to go.

I'm betting it's Sand Tiger Sharks your thinking of

 

[snorvich]

Yup, you /\ are corrrect. As I said, memory is the third thing to go. I have been in the water with a Bull Shark (and got chased out of the water) and a Great White (southern Australia getting the photo in my avatar) and would not repeat either of those experiences. Sand Tigers, though, might be fun.

 

[SeaJayInSC]

Ah yes... Sand Tigers... We used to have two of them in the SC Aquarium in Charleston. Very ominous-looking, for sure, even though they're not known as man-eaters.

They were on display there because that tank was a "local" tank - meaning that yes, we do have Sand Tigers in our local waters.

However, I have never seen one in the wild - in fact, I've only seen a handful of sharks in the wild, and none of them locally.

...Excepting nurses, which lazily sit at the bottom of the wreck and sometimes snuggle with you.

I have known at least two instances in the past five years where a Tiger (not a Sand Tiger) was caught in the middle of our two local sounds - not 1/2 mile away from a popular beach. Both of these were in the 11-foot range, around 600 lbs. One was a pregnant female.

Also, last year there was a news article from two fishermen who reportedly were fishing a mile or two offshore Charleston (about 40 miles north of here) and encountered a shark larger than their 20' boat. Supposedly, one of the fishermen knew his fishes, and identified it as a Great White - which would be very interesting if true - this isn't the area for Great White sharks.

I also have heard from several fishermen that there's a lone, large hammerhead who makes one of our local wrecks his home.

...But I have never seen anything that exciting on any of my local dives.

For shark diving, I had to hit the Bahamas.

 

[snorvich]

Yes, the Bahamas have shark diving (I did it on two dives) but I am not so sure I like the idea of associating humans and feeding in the mind of a shark. But you can get very, very close. The picture below was taken with a 13 mm lens.

But the saddest shark story is from Northern Papua New Guinea at a reef called "Silvertip Reef" where there were seven beautiful silvertips that were fed periodically as part of a diving program to photograph them. They came to associate food with the noise of boat motors and sadly fisherman found out and butchered them.

 

[Grunt]

I avoid bulls religously...I lived in FL they would collect under some bridges, not sure why, maybe becuase of the currents....they dont like you in their territory though...we've even had them bite the boat. Nasty guys.

I was once diving in west palm/jupiter area when a tiger shark appeared, ended our dive.

Also had an experience where the divemasters wouldn't let us off the boat due to a great hammerhead patrolling the area.

Nice picture btw snorvich ...

 

[snorvich]

Thanks!

 

[billsreef]

Biggest Hammerheads I've ever seen were about 20 miles off the Coast of Georgia in the Gulf Stream. A pair of them made a couple of circles under the Appledore, I could still plenty of shark left going under the port side while my shipmates on the starboard side saw the head coming out from under the boat. Beam on the Appledore is 19', so those two sharks were in excess of 20' :eek1: Incredibly awesome sight, but I'm glad to have seen it from the deck of a schooner rather than from the water

 

[SeaJayInSC]

Wow... That's too cool.

Right near me, hunh? I would love to see something like that...