Getting rusty (in more ways than one)

[WinfieldNC]

What’s your secret?
We have had some major bad luck trying to dive NC. Of 6 planned trips we have made one. From major hurricanes and unnamed storms to boat problems it has left us with a sour taste for Carolina diving. And since it is a 4 hour drive and my work schedule is fixed 3 months in advance, taking advantage of last minute favorable conditions hasn’t been an option.

I do have a few tips/advantages:
1. I sign up a lot. Almost every weekend for both Saturday and Sunday hoping that one charter will make it out. I live in Cary and it's 2.5 hour drive for me to get to Wilmington. I can leave that morning and catch a boat that leaves at 8:30am without a problem.
2. I keep an eye on FishWeather. I watch the Onlsow Bay Outer Buoy for the Morehead City conditions and the Frying Pan Shoals buoy for the Wilmington area. If I see a stretch of good conditions then I try to find an open spot even if it's during the week. My work is flexible enough that I can usually take a day off without much notice.
3. Some operators are more likely to go in rougher conditions than others and sometimes the conditions can be better in Morehead than Wilmington or vice versa. I have had situations where one canceled on me and I was able to hop on another and had a great day.
4. I also have a home at Topsail Beach. If I'm staying there for the weekend I can drive 40 minutes south to Wilmington or an hour north to Swansboro and catch the charter there.

 

[Marie13]

I am accustomed to a dive trip every 3 months or less. This year has seen 2 trips and a few quarry dives but I have only had 2 dives since August and they were both quarry, which are just not the same for me as ocean dives with the added challenges of depth, current, surge, waves and boat. I admit I am feeling very rusty with my skills not to mention my gear (figuratively speaking).

Just venting.

I’ve found during Midwestern winters that a pool session once a month for at least an hour is good to keep the rust off and the gills from drying out. I know pool access is a challenge right now due to the plague. If you don’t want to do the quarry over the winter months, perhaps check what dive shops around you offer for pool time. If shops don’t have their own pool, sometimes they might offer an open pool time for already certified divers. Even if it’s shallow, it’s better than nothing

 

[David Novo]

Curfew here from 1pm on weekends since the beginning of November and after Summer the closest diving is at least one and a half hours away (to get on a diving boat). On top of that, it would require a PCR test to cross the border.

I feel your pain!

 

[DogDiver]

Drive on down to north Florida. The fresh water springs never closed this year. Been diving every week since January.

 

[TMHeimer]

Drive on down to north Florida. The fresh water springs never closed this year. Been diving every week since January.

Yeah but cold as it may be, he has that in NC. He wants to get bumped around in the ocean, not drive to Vortex Springs.