I dove 2 days with the Outer Banks Dive center (Outer Banks Dive Center, Nags Head, North Carolina), located in Nags Heads, NC and felt compelled to share their excellence on Scubaboard.
The dive shop appeared to be pretty comprehensive for equipment, though perhaps more tech-oriented, specializing mainly in Dive-Rite equipment. Everyone at the shop was friendly and helpful, wanting to ensure that we had a safe and fun dive experience. The shop does require that you transport all of your rental gear (just tanks for me) yourself, picking up the equipment the day before and returning after the dive.
The shop's charter boat is called the R/V Go Between (gobetweencharters.com) and was well equipped and comfortable. Be sure to notice that it is located in Wanchese, NC, which is about 15 minutes from the shop.
The boat requested that we arrive promptly at 7am, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that we left shortly after 7am. Throughout the boat and dive briefings the Captain and crew repeatedly emphasized that we were in absolutely no hurry, so it was easy to relax and feel safe knowing you had plenty of time to setup and to dive.
The dive briefing was the best I've seen, with the mooring diver returning to the surface and accurately describing the various layers, thermoclines and conditions throughout the water column. On the first day I was adequately paired with another Nitrox diver, which was a relief to see that wasn't a wasted investment; on the second day I brought my own dive buddy. (If you're nitrox certified, I definitely recommend it for this dive; we were able to get 35 minutes of BT, instead of 20 for the air divers; if you're not nitrox certified, what are you waiting for?!)
The timing was such that we dove the U-85 on both days, which is about 90 minutes from the harbor, with another 20 minutes of tie-up time. The dives were great, and we even got 50ft of visibility on the wreck the second day of diving (see pictures below). Be aware that unless you specifically request it, you will be expected to dive the site with your buddy without a guide; if you are not comfortable with this then I am sure something can be arranged, just mention it to the dive shop when you're signing up.
The crew required 90 minutes between dives for safety's sake, and to ensure maximum bottom time on the 2nd dive. Between dives the crew prepared grilled hot dogs and ensured there was plenty of cold water for hydration. They were even kind enough to order dolphins on both days!
All in all, diving with this crew was safe and fun and a great way to spend 2 days of my vacation. Be sure to consider them as part of your dive plans to the Outer Banks!!!
The dive shop appeared to be pretty comprehensive for equipment, though perhaps more tech-oriented, specializing mainly in Dive-Rite equipment. Everyone at the shop was friendly and helpful, wanting to ensure that we had a safe and fun dive experience. The shop does require that you transport all of your rental gear (just tanks for me) yourself, picking up the equipment the day before and returning after the dive.
The shop's charter boat is called the R/V Go Between (gobetweencharters.com) and was well equipped and comfortable. Be sure to notice that it is located in Wanchese, NC, which is about 15 minutes from the shop.
The boat requested that we arrive promptly at 7am, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that we left shortly after 7am. Throughout the boat and dive briefings the Captain and crew repeatedly emphasized that we were in absolutely no hurry, so it was easy to relax and feel safe knowing you had plenty of time to setup and to dive.
The dive briefing was the best I've seen, with the mooring diver returning to the surface and accurately describing the various layers, thermoclines and conditions throughout the water column. On the first day I was adequately paired with another Nitrox diver, which was a relief to see that wasn't a wasted investment; on the second day I brought my own dive buddy. (If you're nitrox certified, I definitely recommend it for this dive; we were able to get 35 minutes of BT, instead of 20 for the air divers; if you're not nitrox certified, what are you waiting for?!)
The timing was such that we dove the U-85 on both days, which is about 90 minutes from the harbor, with another 20 minutes of tie-up time. The dives were great, and we even got 50ft of visibility on the wreck the second day of diving (see pictures below). Be aware that unless you specifically request it, you will be expected to dive the site with your buddy without a guide; if you are not comfortable with this then I am sure something can be arranged, just mention it to the dive shop when you're signing up.
The crew required 90 minutes between dives for safety's sake, and to ensure maximum bottom time on the 2nd dive. Between dives the crew prepared grilled hot dogs and ensured there was plenty of cold water for hydration. They were even kind enough to order dolphins on both days!
All in all, diving with this crew was safe and fun and a great way to spend 2 days of my vacation. Be sure to consider them as part of your dive plans to the Outer Banks!!!
