RAD Diver
Contributor
I was going to be in Hatteras for a family get together so the wife & I decided to dive on Saturday, with only 2 ops operating there & Dive Hatteras was booked so that left Outer Banks Diving, they had spots open & I had heard all the stuff about Johnny P. on several boards including this one, but I was in a tough spot & we decided to try them out. I also had invited a friend who I normally dive with.
On Friday afternoon after unloading everything at the condo I went to the shop to get the paper trail done so Saturday would go smoother, Johnny was there & seemed to be a nice guy & was very helpful, but didn't like my OBX dive center t-shirt I was wearing. LOL
Saturday came & we were set to go, I had all our tanks filled with Nitrox 30 as we were suppose to go the the Proteus, but ended up at the Dixie Arrow for both dives & only in 100 fsw. The crew was very helpful & came to my truck with a wagon to put all my tanks on the boat for me. They were all over trying to help in any way possible. Not that I need a lot of help, but it was a nice touch.
The dives were very nice, 78 degrees on the bottom with 70-80 ft of vis. we were tied in amid-ships so we did the stern on the 1st dive & found lots of Sandtigers & plenty of other sealife. Lots of relief & plenty to see. 2nd dive we did the bow & my camera fogged the lens so no way was it in focus so no pics on this dive & of course we saw a lot of Rays & a beautiful Jacknife hiding under a piece of wreckage. Some huge Jacks also.
We had such a good time I convinced my wife we needed to dive Sunday also & with 2 ft seas & her not being seasick it was a easy sell. She had a great time & so did I.
On Sunday we hit the Abrams, & again the sea Gods smiled on us with very similar conditions. 76 degrees & at least 60ft of vis.
On the 1st dive we encircled the stern & I managed to see lots of Rays, with most being buried in the sand. I also found an Octopus, but it was in a hole & wasn't coming out so we continued on. I found a piece of wreckage about 20 ft off the main body which looked like a tent so I went over & looked in & there was a 5-6ft nurse shark, I tried to move in closer for a picture, but it turned & made a move towards me. Man all the sharks I've been around & I'm about to be attacked by a Nurse Shark. LOL
2nd dive we went the other way & I found another Octopus & this 1 didn't have a deep hole to hide in. This wreck has lots of tropical fish with Butterfly & juvenile Angles all over it. There were also more Toadfish than I could count. There were also some big Cobia & Cuda's.
It was a very nice day of diving.
The Captain & crew were very professional & I enjoyed my time out with them. Johnny was great & was constantly asking if there was anything he could do for me or my wife & called me by name the entire weekend, something not easy with a boat load of divers.
I will be sure to dive with them in the future & probably for some deeper stuff. Its only a 2 & 1/2 hour ride from my door so a red eyed day trip could be made easier than a trip to Morehead or Wilmington, but I don't plan on skipping any dives there either.
On Friday afternoon after unloading everything at the condo I went to the shop to get the paper trail done so Saturday would go smoother, Johnny was there & seemed to be a nice guy & was very helpful, but didn't like my OBX dive center t-shirt I was wearing. LOL
Saturday came & we were set to go, I had all our tanks filled with Nitrox 30 as we were suppose to go the the Proteus, but ended up at the Dixie Arrow for both dives & only in 100 fsw. The crew was very helpful & came to my truck with a wagon to put all my tanks on the boat for me. They were all over trying to help in any way possible. Not that I need a lot of help, but it was a nice touch.
The dives were very nice, 78 degrees on the bottom with 70-80 ft of vis. we were tied in amid-ships so we did the stern on the 1st dive & found lots of Sandtigers & plenty of other sealife. Lots of relief & plenty to see. 2nd dive we did the bow & my camera fogged the lens so no way was it in focus so no pics on this dive & of course we saw a lot of Rays & a beautiful Jacknife hiding under a piece of wreckage. Some huge Jacks also.
We had such a good time I convinced my wife we needed to dive Sunday also & with 2 ft seas & her not being seasick it was a easy sell. She had a great time & so did I.
On Sunday we hit the Abrams, & again the sea Gods smiled on us with very similar conditions. 76 degrees & at least 60ft of vis.
On the 1st dive we encircled the stern & I managed to see lots of Rays, with most being buried in the sand. I also found an Octopus, but it was in a hole & wasn't coming out so we continued on. I found a piece of wreckage about 20 ft off the main body which looked like a tent so I went over & looked in & there was a 5-6ft nurse shark, I tried to move in closer for a picture, but it turned & made a move towards me. Man all the sharks I've been around & I'm about to be attacked by a Nurse Shark. LOL
2nd dive we went the other way & I found another Octopus & this 1 didn't have a deep hole to hide in. This wreck has lots of tropical fish with Butterfly & juvenile Angles all over it. There were also more Toadfish than I could count. There were also some big Cobia & Cuda's.
It was a very nice day of diving.
The Captain & crew were very professional & I enjoyed my time out with them. Johnny was great & was constantly asking if there was anything he could do for me or my wife & called me by name the entire weekend, something not easy with a boat load of divers.
I will be sure to dive with them in the future & probably for some deeper stuff. Its only a 2 & 1/2 hour ride from my door so a red eyed day trip could be made easier than a trip to Morehead or Wilmington, but I don't plan on skipping any dives there either.
