BLUE WATER DIVING

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.

IT’S BEEN SAID THAT A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, but this one may be well-worth 10,000. It’s Dr. Tom Mullikin, chairman of the S.C. Floodwater Commission and founding director of SOUTH CAROLINA 7 (SC7), diving into the clear blue Pacific waters between mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos earlier this month.

Mullikin is an accomplished SCUBA diver and diving instructor by the way.

In July, Mullikin will be back home in South Carolina, leading the month-long fourth-annual SC7 Expedition from the mountains of the South Carolina Upstate to the Lowcountry coastline.

The SC7 Expedition involves a growing number of volunteers and outdoor enthusiasts, young and not-so-young – hiking, climbing, kayaking, rafting, and SCUBA diving – across South Carolina as they explore the Palmetto State’s seven named wonders and various on-trail and off-trail excursions in between.

The seven designated wonders of the Palmetto State include Sassafras Mountain; the Jocassee Gorges; the Chattooga River; the Congaree National Forest; the Edisto River; the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Basin (universally referred to as the ACE Basin); and Bull Island-Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge: “Each one a unique geographical treasure,” says Mullikin.

– For more information about SC7 2023, please visit southcarolina7.com.