Any Diving around New Orleans

Hi

Does anyone know if there is any decent diving around New Orleans. A good friend in my dive club is heading there, and would like any recomendations. Any decent operations, or personal experience would be appreciated. Thanks

Aaron

Aaron,

Look for dive charters out of Venice LA. That's about 2 hrs south of N.O. near the mouth of the river. I think the rig diving out of there is excellent.

Cheers

James

Jame is right, Venice is probably the place to look near New Orleans. The diving around the rigs can be very good, with chances for big pelagics. Two notes:

1. It's almost always worth a longer boat ride, to get beyond the Mississippi mud. This can be hours (and it's a ways, about 1-1/2 hrs, down the river from N.O., through Plaquemines, to Venice). Venice is a major oil E&P terminal ... almost a port in its own right. There are some hotel accomodations down there ... some pretty okay, some very campy, some rather scary. It is a whole 'nother country down there.

2. MOST of these trips are slanted towards hunting. In fact, I haven't found an operator slanted toward nonhunting dives. As a result, I don't go on these trips often ... I don't disapprove of hunting, I just don't wanna be in the water with some of these guys when they have big whomping rubber-band powered spears...

Sorry I can't offer more info ...

Regards,

Chris/CeeDave (from Baton Rouge, LA)

I like this one:

Ike, looks like a good use/advertisement for your video housings!

Cheers

James