Diving North Carolina

[Lead_carrier]

Mndiv, when you talk about the outer banks, that covers a lot of area. What city are you leaning toward staying in? That would help in giving you some more valid information.

 

[Mndiv]

Thanks for all the useful feedback thats coming in, before this we really had no idea! We are planning to stay in the Hatteras area but would have a rental during our whole stay so we would be somewhat flexible. We'll make sure to get a 6ft SMB and strongly consider taking the deep/wreck/nitrox specialty together with AOW before going on the trip. Is there any good dive charters for our level in the area? Any good shore dives that you could do on another day that are also good dives?

About the Pony bottle I'm not sure, so far all I've dove is the al80 and some steel rental tanks from my LDS, so would it be to big of a jump to simply rent two al80's and clip one to your BCD so it can be used as your pony, or is it necessary to have training before using a pony tank? I guess in other words what I'm asking is is a pony bottle even doable/realistic at our experience level?

Thanks so much for all the good advice, keep it comin!

 

[gsk3]

The largest I would consider for a pony is a 40. An 80 gets to be a pain, and it's way more gas than you need. Unless you're already diving a Hogarthian setup, you'll likely need to move some gear around to make room as well. Find a local instructor who's good and have them teach you how to use it.

 

[herbdb]

My LDS rents 30s for pony bottles. Because they are emergency gas, they don't enter into gas planning. So from that perspective they are pretty much clip on and go. The only thing you have to do topside is verify the pressure and turn the tank on to pressurize the second stage.

You can find heated discussions about turning it back off or leaving it on, so your choice on that. It might feel a little different, but I thought it was no big deal. Just make sure you are holding it so it can't hit you in the face on your giant stride entry.

Save one of the specialties for the dive operation you pick in NC and you will have an instructor to show you the ropes. Thats what I did. We used Discovery Dive Co in Beaufort they run a nice operation. Discovery Diving Co.- NC's Diving Headquarters - Discovery Diving Co.

There are also other good operators if you do a search on this site.

 

[Colliam7]

We are planning to stay in the Hatteras area but would have a rental during our whole stay so we would be somewhat flexible. . . . Is there any good dive charters for our level in the area?

If you are in Hatteras, there are several options to consider. Outer Banks Diving is one (Outer Banks Diving) that is local. Look at the 'Shipwrecks' tab on their website and you will see that there are quite a few wrecks in the moderate depth range (<= 100ft), and a number of these are VERY nice dives . In particular, the Dixie Arrow can be spectacular, the Abrams is enjoyable, and I have always seemed to hit the Kassandra Louloudis on the right days, and had good dives. Another local (Hatteras) option MAY be JT Barker (Capt JT's Wreck Diving Site - Diving Hatteras NC and Virginia Beach VA), who bases his boat in Hatteras during the summer months. JT does a lot of private charters (i.e. a particular shop or person charters the boat, and then arranges for divers to fill the spots) and technical charters, during the summer on weekends. But, if he has mid-week openings, I would encourage you to talk to him and see if you can get a spot on a charter (simply experiencing JT's boat would be worth the charter fee). Without question, JT is my preferred operator for NC coastal charters. At the north end, in Nags Head, there is Outer Banks Dive Center (Outer Banks Dive Center, Nags Head, North Carolina).

Any good shore dives that you could do on another day that are also good dives?

There really isn't a lot of shore diving that would be considered both safe and enjoyable. Take a look at the Outer Banks Dive Center website, read the description of the wrecks near shore, and you will see why.

About the Pony bottle I'm not sure, so far all I've dove is the al80 and some steel rental tanks from my LDS, so would it be to big of a jump to simply rent two al80's and clip one to your BCD so it can be used as your pony, or is it necessary to have training before using a pony tank?

You would be using a much smaller bottle as a pony, somehwer between 19 and 40 ct. The 30, which was mentioned above, is a very nice bottle in terms of size. You hardly notice having the smaller bottle clipped to your BCD. I wouldn't say it is necessary to have 'training', as much as some experience.

I guess in other words what I'm asking is is a pony bottle even doable/realistic at our experience level?

Yes, absolutely.

Save one of the specialties for the dive operation you pick in NC and you will have an instructor to show you the ropes. Thats what I did. We used Discovery Dive Co in Beaufort they run a nice operation. Discovery Diving Co.- NC's Diving Headquarters - Discovery Diving Co.

I would agree on both counts. I would suggest you complete an AOW course before coming to NC. Since the enriched air / nitrox specialty is a 'diving optional' specialty, do that before coming as well. But, consider doing perhaps a Deep specialty, or a Wreck specialty, while you are here (of the two, I suggest the Deep is more useful). And, I would echo the recommendation about Discovery as an additional possibility. Nice operation. Plus, the drive from Hatteras to Beaufort is probably worth doing once, if you are in the area anyway. It is about 80 miles each way, and involves a ferry ride, so it is longer (3+ hours) than you would expect for only 80 miles.

 

[lsorenson]

Food for thought... You need to practice deploying your SMB before you head out and dive in the Atlantic... Boats can and will break free from the anchor line. I carry a 8' smb that is with me on every dive regardless ocean, river, pond, cause its packed away in a nice little spot under my backplate.

I am serious about practicing the deployment of the smb... I think it should be mandatory training in ow but for sure aow... Sounds simple but in reality there is more to it than that. You don't want to find yourself getting pulled up to the surface while trying to deploy the smb because you cant release the line or have not practiced deployment besides its a skill that should be practiced often.

If the weather is good, we will sometimes drift dive the meg ledges... love drifting the ledges...! We have also broken free while tied up... Watch the scramble begin...!

Best to you, lee

 

[ccx2]

Why all the suggestions for pony bottles? Poor gas managment a common problem when diving those depthes or that area, i dont understand.

 

[herbdb]

Taking a pony bottle is a common precaution on dives in excess of 100'.

 

[Bratface]

I used to live in NC and enjoyed diving "the Graveyard of the Atlantic". The sea is subject to change at any time. I carried a six foot surface marker, air horn (connected to my inflator hose), whistle, flash light, signal mirror and dove Nitrox. Some people even carry an extra mask.

There is a lot to be said about dive training, and the more training you have, the better. I would recommend, Deep and Wreck courses, Boat course (you want to use proper etiquette), and Nitrox. Ocean diving can be demanding and it is best to be prepared for the changing conditions.

If you want to rethink things, you might want to come down my way. The water is warm and the diving is easy.

 

[Mndiv]

I used to live in NC and enjoyed diving "the Graveyard of the Atlantic". The sea is subject to change at any time. I carried a six foot surface marker, air horn (connected to my inflator hose), whistle, flash light, signal mirror and dove Nitrox. Some people even carry an extra mask.

There is a lot to be said about dive training, and the more training you have, the better. I would recommend, Deep and Wreck courses, Boat course (you want to use proper etiquette), and Nitrox. Ocean diving can be demanding and it is best to be prepared for the changing conditions.

If you want to rethink things, you might want to come down my way. The water is warm and the diving is easy.

"Easy" is not necessarily what determines my dive destination! I plan to take this sport a long way in my life as I'm 16 currently. About the courses, we dont have unlimited resources, and I can say straight up that it is unrealistic to suggest taking the boat, nitrox, deep, wreck, and AOW courses due to obvious reasons (time (the trip would be end of June) money, etc.), we might consider doing AOW, and then the deep specialty in NC and MAYBE nitrox, but suggesting to practically go from newbie to master diver in a few months is out of the question

Once again thanks for the all the suggestions. The pony bottle is certainly something I will get onto and maybe ask an instructor/experienced buddy to show us the ropes beforehand, and from what I got a 30-40cf seems to be the way to go. One question on the pony though, does that mean you need an extra first and second stage as well then??

As you can observe, I am learning a ton through these helpful suggestions, thanks to all who commented!!