anybody ever scuba dive on the eastcoast?

NJ has more shipwrecks just offshore than any other state. The diving can be excellent at times.
The visibility can range from very poor to clear tropical water at times. There is very often a thermocline in the water too, where the top 1/2 or 3/4 of water column is murky but the bottom is crystal clear.

 

The rule of thumb is... no waves or rain for at least 3 or 4 days (a week is best) and no wind. But even that can be wrong. It's very hard to nail down viz conditions based on weather and wave action alone around here. I've been trying to figure it out for years and still can't get it right 100% of the time.