Considering a Morehead City August trip

[Lorenzoid]

A weekend with Olympus last July was my first and so far only NC diving experience (and except for Bermuda my first Atlantic Ocean diving). All my other dives had been tropical or sub-tropical or similar (So. California kelp). I knew what to expect, but it was still an eye-opening experience for me. It was a long and choppy ride out on cloudy and rainy days. I wished I had brought something warm to wrap around myself. (The third day the dive was canceled.) I used a 5 mm and a hood and was thankful for it--73 or 75F on the bottom is COLD to me.

Also, this was my first experience diving with a boat full of people who appeared much more prepared than your average tropical vacation diver. If I recall, everyone had at least a pony bottle, and some had doubles/sidemount, and one rebreather. I didn't see a single jacket-style BC. The crew gave a serious dive briefing--no joking around like I've seen in the Caribbean. Overall, a very interesting and motivational experience.

 

[Bratface]

Herman has some good advice and I dove with him and dove these wrecks when I lived in the states. This is serious diving. Having experience in boat, deep, and wreck dives is valuable. Take some courses if you haven't already. I always dove Nitrox because of the depth and for a margin of safety. Be prepared so you can get the most out of your dive because it's an expensive boat ride if you get out there and decide you can't do the dive.

In addition to the safety equipment Herman mentioned, get a Dive Alert which is basically an air horn that attaches to your inflator hose. The noise is piercing and can be heard a long way. I also carried a signal mirror. I never needed any of those things but you will sure be glad you have them if you do.

 

[Rand]

All of the above is accurate. A few things I would add...

These charters tend to run full and there is not a lot of space on deck. Plan to keep whatever you are bringing on board to the space under your tanks and be prepared for some tight quarters when gearing up.

I would also bring a wreck reel with you. Viz is unpredictable in NC and on some wrecks like the Carrib Sea, poor viz and a broken up wreck can make navigation very difficult, especially if this is your first trip there. Being able to tie in and not worry about getting back to the anchor line is a great relief with all the other stuff probably running through your head (sharks, depth, etc.). Make sure you have practiced with the reel prior to the NC trip.

I also highly recommend bringing a decent sized pony bottle with you, either a 30 or 40 cu ft. A lot of people get distracted with all of the sharks, depth, and awesome wrecks and end up back at the line a little later than they would have liked. A pony is easy insurance and can prevent panic and a rapid ascent from depth. It's not something you should plan to use in your dive plan, but priceless if you need it.

Also to keep in mind, with the depths of most of the wrecks there, your bottom time is going to be limited. Even with a safety stop, your in-water time probably won't be over 45 minutes, so you might get by with a thinner suit. It always feels nice coming up through the thermocline on ascent. I usually wear a 5mm in July and a 3mm sometimes with a 2mm vest in August.

 

[jewelofnile69]

Wow, first off, thanks to you all for these awesome responses!! I'm really glad I posted.

Late August last year the Caribsea and Atlas wrecks are crawling with big girls.

View attachment 148693

And they were that thick 360 degrees around us and below us. It was the most amazing dive I have ever experienced in MHC.

That really is an awesome site!

I really miss being able to drive down to MHC for weekend trips like when I lived in Maryland. The wrecks and sharks are fantastic! Once in the water any fear you have will turn to enthrallment. Have Fun!

Thanks!

Unfortunately, I have not made it to the Carribbean yet, but when I do, I expect to wear my 3 mm or less. I am used to colder quarry water so I probably have a pretty high tolerance for cold. All I ever wear is my 3mm and don't bring out the hood until the water temp drops below 70. I went back and checked my logs and in July and August, the water temps were around 80 at the surface and gradually dropped to 75 starting around 85 feet. I don't like being cold, so if were you, I would probably do the 5mm just to be safe.

I have Raynauld's disease so I lose feeling in my fingers, toes, ears and nose quickly even on a sunny day, it's 100x worse in water. I'm guessing I may just have to do the 5mm.

Several off hand thoughts come to mind that might be helpful.

Unless you KNOW you don't get seasick, consider meds. The short rides on calm seas like Fla or Coz don't count and nothing is worse than turning green half way to the wreck. Unless you are doing the close in wrecks, most of the boat rides are at least 1 1/2 hrs, most are more, each way so plan to be on the water all day. Unlike other places, we still go in seas up to 6 ft or so, plan on rough water and pray for slick conditions.

Book now unless you are doing mid week charters. It is common for weekend charters to fill up very early.

Have a large safety sausage (at least 6 ft, the shorter ones are not the best idea) and a loud whistle. If you are unlucky enough to get blown off or miss the anchor line you may have to drift for a fairly long way before the boat can come get you, they MUST stay to get the rest in before coming after you. The bigger your marker is, the easier you are to see. A small finger spool is also a really good idea so you can shoot the SMB from a deco stop depth if you must do a safety stop while drifting.
Both a knife and shears are a good idea. There is a lot of fishing line on our wrecks and the modern braid lines can be difficult to cut with a knife.

Have a plan B...and C is not a bad idea. We often get blow out and the charters do not run for a day or 2, that is just the way it is on the NC coast so have a back up plan for something to do.

As for the sand tigers, we have thousands of divers in the water each year and I do not recall hearing of anyone having a bad encounter that was not spear fishing related. That said, do plan on and expect that they may come very close to you, unlike any other sharks I am aware of, the sand tigers here seem to vary widely in their response to divers. They will at times completely ignore you to the point of running into you and other times apparently like to school with you. I have had them pass by me at less than 5 ft, do a U turn and "school" with me for the length of the ship at maybe 4 to 6 ft beside me. I do not think it is an aggressive move but it is somewhat unnerving to have a 6 to 8 ft shark become your buddy. After you see the first few, they are less intimidating. Above all else, keep your cool.

A weekend with Olympus last July was my first and so far only NC diving experience (and except for Bermuda my first Atlantic Ocean diving). All my other dives had been tropical or sub-tropical or similar (So. California kelp). I knew what to expect, but it was still an eye-opening experience for me. It was a long and choppy ride out on cloudy and rainy days. I wished I had brought something warm to wrap around myself. (The third day the dive was canceled.) I used a 5 mm and a hood and was thankful for it--73 or 75F on the bottom is COLD to me.

Also, this was my first experience diving with a boat full of people who appeared much more prepared than your average tropical vacation diver. If I recall, everyone had at least a pony bottle, and some had doubles/sidemount, and one rebreather. I didn't see a single jacket-style BC. The crew gave a serious dive briefing--no joking around like I've seen in the Caribbean. Overall, a very interesting and motivational experience.

Herman has some good advice and I dove with him and dove these wrecks when I lived in the states. This is serious diving. Having experience in boat, deep, and wreck dives is valuable. Take some courses if you haven't already. I always dove Nitrox because of the depth and for a margin of safety. Be prepared so you can get the most out of your dive because it's an expensive boat ride if you get out there and decide you can't do the dive.

In addition to the safety equipment Herman mentioned, get a Dive Alert which is basically an air horn that attaches to your inflator hose. The noise is piercing and can be heard a long way. I also carried a signal mirror. I never needed any of those things but you will sure be glad you have them if you do.

All of the above is accurate. A few things I would add...

These charters tend to run full and there is not a lot of space on deck. Plan to keep whatever you are bringing on board to the space under your tanks and be prepared for some tight quarters when gearing up.

I would also bring a wreck reel with you. Viz is unpredictable in NC and on some wrecks like the Carrib Sea, poor viz and a broken up wreck can make navigation very difficult, especially if this is your first trip there. Being able to tie in and not worry about getting back to the anchor line is a great relief with all the other stuff probably running through your head (sharks, depth, etc.). Make sure you have practiced with the reel prior to the NC trip.

I also highly recommend bringing a decent sized pony bottle with you, either a 30 or 40 cu ft. A lot of people get distracted with all of the sharks, depth, and awesome wrecks and end up back at the line a little later than they would have liked. A pony is easy insurance and can prevent panic and a rapid ascent from depth. It's not something you should plan to use in your dive plan, but priceless if you need it.

Also to keep in mind, with the depths of most of the wrecks there, your bottom time is going to be limited. Even with a safety stop, your in-water time probably won't be over 45 minutes, so you might get by with a thinner suit. It always feels nice coming up through the thermocline on ascent. I usually wear a 5mm in July and a 3mm sometimes with a 2mm vest in August.

Herman, Lorenzo, Bratface and Rand...thank you so very much for all the advice. I've printed this all out and will be discussing with DH tonight as we head downtown for the college BBall game. We are actually talking about booking next week (do you think that's enough time?). I'm very excited about this. I will definitely be bringing extra dramamine, a wreck reel and we already have good whistles and a larger safety sausage. I've never heard of that air horn but will look into it. We've been talking about pony bottles but haven't made the investment yet (how easy are they to travel with)? We are doing a bit of wreck diving up on Lake Superior this summer so I'll make sure we practice with the line a lot. We'll be with some very experienced divers who can probably show us a thing or two about a thing or two.

Any other advice? Feel free to let me know.

Thanks again!!!!

 

[Rand]

If you are flying into NC, I would look into renting a pony. The TSA rules and airline policies for flying with a cylinder make it too much of a hassle in my opinion.

 

[Bratface]

jewel....diving is a 2 tank in the morning. The afternoon is free so go explore Beaufort and the very old homes built by ship captains. Check out the old burial ground. Be sure not to miss the North Carolina Maritime Museum and the artifacts brought up from Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. You can also take a night time walking tour and see his house.

 

[616fun]

jewel....diving is a 2 tank in the morning. The afternoon is free so go explore Beaufort and the very old homes built by ship captains. Check out the old burial ground. Be sure not to miss the North Carolina Maritime Museum and the artifacts brought up from Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. You can also take a night time walking tour and see his house.

If you are diving with Olympus they usually do an afternoon inshore trip as well.

 

[Bratface]

616fun, true but you don't want to do too many dives in one day if you are going to do repeated deep dives. Plus there's so much to see in Beaufort and the surrounding area.

I tried to edit my post to include the NC Aquarium where they have a very large replica of the U352 complete with sand tigers and other fish, but somehow it didn't post.

 

[616fun]

616fun, true but you don't want to do too many dives in one day if you are going to do repeated deep dives. Plus there's so much to see in Beaufort and the surrounding area.

I tried to edit my post to include the NC Aquarium where they have a very large replica of the U352 complete with sand tigers and other fish, but somehow it didn't post.

That depends on your days diving and surface intervals between dives. You are basically doing two deep dives followed by a single tank to a 60 ft dive. 3 dives a day at those depths aren't going to cause an issue. I've done it for 5 years straight, including doing at least one deco dive per day without issues. Watch your bottom time (NDL if you are not deco certified) and overall exposure to O2 and things should work out fine.

 

[AfterDark]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are looking to plan a mid/late August 5-day trip to Morehead city dive trip with Olympus. We are both very interested in doing the wrecks there....we are both huge military history buffs. Now, I've yet to see a shark while diving and the majority of the wrecks list sand tigers as a likely site. I will admit that I have an irrational fear of diving with sharks. Any advice for me on this? Now, while I say that I have a fear of sharks, I am not so scared that I don't want to do this...I just don't want to have a freak out in the middle of a dive.

Also, I get cold easily. I generally dive a 3mm with a hood in the Carribean (Bonaire) but have since decided to switch to a 5mm and do a 3mm without a hood in Key Largo. Do you think I could get away with a 5mm with a hood off Morehead or should I bring along my 7mm? Again, this will be August so it looks like the water temps could be very low 80s. Any advice from those of you that have dove off Morehead and get cold easily is greatly appreciated.

Olympus is great op so good choice! When I go, 1st week of June I use my 7MM farmer john suit no hood. I was a little over heated on some dives but glad I had it on others, especially on the Papoose the bottom was 61F. This year I'm going to bring a 3MM full suit and a 3MM shorty under it and see how that combo works out. A 5MM in Aug. should be good, if you get cold wear a hood. The sharks are like dogs they swim around and go about their business. If you approach one it will probably swim a little faster to maintain the distance he/she wants to maintain. If one goes by close; they do sometimes. don't touch it, if it bolts and the tail hits you it'll hurt! Big a light some of these wrecks are like swiss cheese full of holes, penertration is a pretty safe activity but a light is needed. Some mentioned a wreck reel also +1 there especially if a strong current is running. Enjoy! Thousands of people dive there every year rarely do you hear of any accidents or close calls but, sh!t,happens as always dive safely. The water is clear most times, life is everywhere, the boats are big and the people are great!

---------- Post added February 27th, 2013 at 04:34 AM ----------

A weekend with Olympus last July was my first and so far only NC diving experience (and except for Bermuda my first Atlantic Ocean diving). All my other dives had been tropical or sub-tropical or similar (So. California kelp). I knew what to expect, but it was still an eye-opening experience for me. It was a long and choppy ride out on cloudy and rainy days. I wished I had brought something warm to wrap around myself. (The third day the dive was canceled.) I used a 5 mm and a hood and was thankful for it--73 or 75F on the bottom is COLD to me.

Also, this was my first experience diving with a boat full of people who appeared much more prepared than your average tropical vacation diver. If I recall, everyone had at least a pony bottle, and some had doubles/sidemount, and one rebreather. I didn't see a single jacket-style BC. The crew gave a serious dive briefing--no joking around like I've seen in the Caribbean. Overall, a very interesting and motivational experience.

I believe Olympus requires a pony or alt air source for most dives. I like the regs they hang over the side, nice to know if things go sideways all you need to do is get to 20fsw and air is waiting.