The Megalodon Shark

 Let's be honest, as divers we have all become collectors of one thing or another. Keith (one of our staff) is usually on the hunt for a good fishing lure to add to his display. We encourage those who join us on our boat to collect trash as they are looking around and someone is bound to find an old bottle or can which they add to a collection of oddities all with great stories. Part of the fun of being a diver is getting to tell those around you about the cool things you've seen and done underwater. One of the most shocking things people hear are usually interactions with sharks. Making those stories come to life with pictures, videos, or small mementos are even better but wouldn't you like to have something to really grab their attention?

The game plan

This June we will be traveling to North Carolina's Wrightsville Beach to dive for fossils that you get to take home! On top of that we will spend a day spearfishing with the crew at some of the best ledges for lobster and other delicious things. Anything you find while we look for fossils you get to keep for yourself! 

The Schedule

We are planning for one solid week of travel and fun leaving out June 25th and returning home July 1st. Below you can see an itenerary for the week as well as book your spot on the trip.

• June 25th - Sunday we plan to leave Jonesboro at 6:00 AM to drive straight to NC. We will check into our rental house around 8:00 PM (ish) and relax from the long trek. 

• June 26th - Monday we will hop on the charter boat for the megalodon tooth dives. We have selected the 2-tank dive charter. It is reccommended that you bring a snack and some kind of lunch to the boat. For this excursion we will be out on the water for roughly 7.5 hours. There will be water on the boat but you should consider bringing Gatorade or something similar for boosted electrolytes. 

• June 27th - Tuesday's dives will be with the charter crew again for a day of wreck diving. There are three possible wrecks we may see depending on visibility. The Hyde, Markham, and the school house. Artificial reefs home to tiger sharks and many other large marine species. If you don't have an underwater camera you should be asking for one soon! 

• June 28st - Wednesday we will be rejoining the charter crew for a day of spearfishing and lobster hunting. This will be a 3-tank dive charter and we are expected to be out for around 10 hours. There will be three divers in the water at a time and we will be diving "captain's choice" sites based on visibility and where the fish are more prevalent. 

• June 29th - Thursday will be the relax day. We may do a game night or just look around the town for something fun to do before we hit the road in the morning. 

• June 30th - Friday we are going to jump on the road and start heading back to Jonesboro. Our group is planning to leave around 8 -10 AM to make it to Hopkinsville for our hotel night. 

• July 1st - Saturday we are going to stop for one last dive site. We plan to stop in Hopkinsville Kentucky to dive at the Blue Springs Park. Your entry and air fills are included in the trip, all you have to worry about is assembling your equipment and making a bubble.

Trip Requirements

For a dive trip like this there are a few things you need to have prepared before we leave. There are three class requirements as well as a few gear requirements and recommendations. All classes and equipment can be found at our store before the trip dates.

Certification Requirements

1. All divers must have their Advanced Open Water Certification. There will be dives that we are going to be at depth for. The advanced class usually takes a weekend to complete depending on what you select. 
2. Divers must also take the Deep Diver class. When we go on Tuesday for wreck diving there will be a site or two that are just shy of 130 feet. Taking the deep diver class will have you prepared for that depth. 
3. The last course requirement for the trip is the Enriched Air Nitrox class. You will be able to use Nitrox on all of the dives with a steel cylinder.

If you need any of those courses please follow the link to find more information as well as the next upcoming class.

Equipment Requirements

Each diver will be required to have the following equipment for this excursion. All equipment should be properly serviced before we depart to insure proper function. Any other equipment needed can be purchased from our store before we leave and should be added to your gear bag.

1. All divers will need to have a safety sausage on their BCD when we are diving with the charter. You will need to know how to inflate this so that the crew on the boat can locate you for pick up.

2. You will need to pick up a wreck reel to carry with you for a follow line through the wrecks on Wednesday.

3. For the tooth collection you will need to have a mesh bag to carry any fossils to the boat. Shoving the teeth in your BCD pocket could risk puncturing the bladder which would be a bummer for the rest of the week.

4. It is recommended that you carry a dive light for the wreck charter as well as the spear fishing charter. If you've ever joined us on our boat during spearfishing season you will notice that even during the day we bring a light with us. The fish/lobster will sometimes be in crevices that are hard to see. Instead of just shoving your hand in there, use a light to keep yourself and the reef safe. 

5. Lobster must be caught by hand as per the rules and regulations. There will also be large fish that we are also allowed to hunt for. You will be required to bring a pole spear (lion fish only) or a rubber band gun on the trip. Check with our store about purchasing or renting a gun before the trip.

Book your spot now

At this point you should be pretty excited and hopefully you are roaring to jump on the boat now. Of course you need to know what your reservation costs are going to be. We have figured up all three charters, your stay at the rental house plus one night in a hotel, entry fees, as well as the gas fee for the three charters. With a $250 deposit the trip in total is $1,350.00. The trip must be paid off by June 15th as well as all safety waivers must be filled out and brought to the store. If you've officially started thinking about all of the cool things you will get to do on this trip you can put your deposit down and register by clicking the "Book your spot now" link above. Once you've registered you will be able to print off the forms required for the trip as well as a copy of the itinerary. More details about the rental house and the hotel will be provided closer to our trip departure date. Join the group quickly as we expect spots to fill up fast. There are only 5 spots available and we hope to see you there!