Diving around Jacksonville, NC

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ajtoady

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Going to be in the Jacksonville, NC area for the next two weeks and was wondering about the local diving. Interested in wrecks to about 100' and wether there is any shore diving going on. The operator in Surf City said he has nothing going out at this time and would like some input as to other op's in the area.

Thanks, Tony
 
I got stuck there with the wife for vacation this year. As rebreather divers, we found the local dive shops to be most un-friendly. They only ran scheduled trips once a week or so and that was in July! So we went to cave country and dove the caves/springs. (Only an hour or so to the west.) Diver's Supply has a real nice lay out there. Most of the others are hole in the wall shops.

Dale
 
Your best bet may be to head to Morehead City or Wilmington, both a little over an hour away. I know Olympus in Morehead is still running charters. Can't help with the shore diving, sorry.

Cheers,
Lilla

Edit: Here's a link...

https://olympusdiving.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
 
Well it seems that the local shops only dive on weekends. Any body know of any diving though the week?
 
Radio Island is a walk.in shore dive in morehead city. Dive slack high tide Beats nothing!
 
Well after trying all the local shops and those in Morehead and Beufort it appears that no one and I mean no one dives during the week. Apparently they must close the ocean on weekdays. Can't wait to get back to the St. Lawrence where any day goes. It appears that to the locals 60-65* F is too chilly. I can't be the only person that wants to dive during the week. Wasn't even asked if I was willing to pay more. They were however very friendly. Oh well!:idk:
 
This time of year it's about conditions at the dive sites, not just chilly weather on shore. The (Good)offshore dive sites are usually a pretty good distance out and sea conditions are unfavorable. There is not much in the way of shore diving in NC as there are no reef structures to speak of. Ledges/Wrecks/Artificial reefs are the normal sites, all in distances from shore measured in miles not fin kicks.

even during the summer conditions here can change drastically and frequently. It is not uncommon to have charters blown out for weather/sea conditions.

Aquatic safaris in Wilmington would have been a good choice, they are a great operation and have a charter calendar that updates in real time based on conditions. Aquatic Safaris - NC Wreck Diving at its best. Specifically check out the charter tab for charter info and scheduling

Discovery Diving in Beaufort is also a good choice Discovery Diving Co.- NC's Diving Headquarters - Discovery Diving Co. they have a calendar on their site also and had trips going out during the week through November.

That being said though you can find groups going out this time of year, not easily and they are usually on standby for conditions. You might find better luck with some of the smaller independent operators rather than the LDSs during this time of year if you want to go during the week.

bletso: I think you may be mistaken in that you are thinking Jacksonville, FL where the OP was wanting info on Jacksonville, NC.
 
We've got good visibility down in Wilmington right now, but we haven't had good seas/wind combination on a weekend in a while. There are two main shops down here that run charters: Aquatic Safaris and Scuba-Now. You can check both of their websites for the charter schedule.

Water is still 65 on the top down here, mid-low 50s on the bottom, so you'll need to suit up! But, this time of year is also AWESOME for seeing lots of large fish on the ledges and wrecks. Grouper season hasn't started yet, so the 10-20lb Gags and Black Grouper are still hanging out on the wrecks. We usually see some groups of Cobia on the wrecks around sunup this time of year also. Sand Tigers don't move in until June time frame with the warmer water temps, but you'll still have a shot at seeing a shark or two if you get out to the Hyde and Markham.

You can also do a shoredive to our jetty, but the swim is a beast if you are not in shape. Vis is best from about 3 hours before high tide til around 30 minutes after. Viz at the jetty on Tuesday was 15ft at high tide, but the wind is blowing hard tonight, so it will surely blur up for a few days. It's really hit or miss at the Jetty. A 20ft viz day can happen a few times during the summer, but it's REALLY hit or miss.
 
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