Wilmington Dive and Weather Conditions

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Clark Fletcher

Contributor
Messages
215
Reaction score
88
Location
Hickory, NC
# of dives
25 - 49
I expect that @Steve_C will be the best person to answer this question as he seems to have a great number of dives out of Wilmington. But, I'll post anyway for all to comment.

So, is there a general rule of thumb (i.e. wind/waves) for diving out of Wilmington where the forecast prevents the dive boats from going out? We're supposed to dive the Rosin on Saturday (26th) and Markham/Hyde on Sunday. However, looking at the offshore forecasts, it isn't looking good.

Currently, the Saturday forecast is 20-25 knot winds and 4-7 ft. seas. The Sunday forecast is 25-30 knot winds increasing to 30-35 knot winds and 7-12 ft. seas with possible gale force winds.

I know it is greatly depending on location and actual wind direction. But, I'm unfamiliar with the geographics off of Wilmington and the wind directions/speeds that produce the worst conditions. However, for past offshore dives that we've had cancelled, the forecast was significantly BETTER than the Wilmington offshore forecasts for this weekend. So, what's the prognosis? Bleak?
 
Ouch! I hope the weather man is wrong.

I'll be there the week after yours, so am interested in following this thread.
 
Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a bust. I'm just hoping they make the call before we drive down there tomorrow and check in to the motel. That way I can make alternate dive plans for the weekend.
 
Our Saturday dive was cancelled this past weekend due to windy conditions and rough seas, but got to do our dives on Sunday. The problem is you may not know if a dive has been cancelled until late the day prior. That's about all I can tell you.
 
Thanks Gregg. Based on the forecast, I think Saturday is iffy. I'd really be stunned if we got to go out on Sunday. But, I've only had one instance where a dive was cancelled more than a day out. So, I'm guessing we'll make the trip down there and wait to see what happens.

I guess the bright side is, this weekend could potentially be the acid test for how well the Scopolamine patches are going to work for me. Worst case scenario, I may see you at the quarry this weekend.
 
This is similar kind situation with diving in Flower Garden Bank in Gulf of Mexico. You don't know if the weekend trip is a go until Friday morning.
 
Saturday had 20 mph gusts and seas were 3-5 ft with 2 second intervals. Sunday was only slightly choppy on the way out and even ran into a rain shower. On the way in, it was like being on a lake it was so calm.

Hope conditions get to the point where it isn't a wasted trip down for you any of you.
 
It's best if the wind is blowing out of the W or NW as this reduces the fetch over which the wind has space to generate waves. BUT, out of Wilmington, the dive sites are far enough offshore that it often doesn't matter. Even with a W wind, you can still get waves coming out of the east from offshore or, if the W wind is strong enough, it can still generate rough seas.

This year has been especially bad in that patch of ocean. Olympus dive center (just up the road in Morehead City) has been blown out something like 9 weekends in a row this summer. It's certainly been as frustrating for Olympus as for their customers.
 
I'm beginning to believe I'm a bad luck charm. Out of 15 planned offshore dives since the last weekend in April, 10 were cancelled due to weather. Looks like my percentage is only going to be worse after this weekend. I'm just thankful for the springs and quarries.
 
Just looked at the fishweather forecast for the Wilmington buoy..unfortunately, its calling for some pretty ugly stuff on Saturday. Not looking good, but fingers crossed the Neptune changes his mind for you this weekend.
 
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