Is diving any good in Wilmington?

[Steve_C]

I hope the weather will be good on Sunday, September 3rd around Wilmington. I'll be diving with Aquatic Safaris for 2 boat dives in Markham / Hyde. I'd also plan to hire a guide / DM, since I have never been there and the cost seems to be very reasonable ($35/day). If anyone would like to join me there, that will be great!

I hope it is a great diving weekend. I am scheduled for the Tower and Mickay the day before. Frying pan Tower is a long ride but a great dive.

 

[Steve_C]

Steve, how is the Cassimer? Olympus will make the trip on extended days, but I think it would be easier to dive it out of Wilmington

I have not dove the Cassimer yet. But is a very popular dive with the AS regulars. AS schedules it whenever someone requests it. They always take the larger boat. They do it both as a double dip and a single dive and hit one of the ledges like Sues on the way back. Sue's is a great ledge. My favorite of the ledges I have dove. Cassimir is 43 miles from the inlet. The AS I is a pretty fast boat. I would guess 2.5 hour run in good seas. Quick glance at their current schedule and I see a couple of the Cassimir trips have an open slot later this summer.

 

[Steve_C]

We'll be diving the Rosin on Saturday and the Markham / Hyde on Sunday. The Markham / Hyde dives are very popular. However, my LDS owner who put the trip together says that the Rosin is one of his favorite wreck dives.

Dove the Rosin once. It is a very nice dive. Intact natural ship wreck. Viz usually real good.

 

[Dan]

Have well over 100 dives with Aquatic Safaris. When they cancel they try to do so by 6pm the night before. In my case that is fine since I am only 2:15 away. Another great thing is their reservation policy. You can make a reservation and have up until 5 or 6 days before the dive to cancel. Much more flexible than the Morehead operations. Especially for some one who likes to book ahead of time but things happen and needs to change a week or two out.

Diving is wrecks and ledges. The good ledges start at about 23 miles out. We have dull sand bottom most places but the ledges can have a vertical of 10-15 feet and stretch a long way. Covered with coral and Marine growth and lots of fish life (and lobsters, big lobsters). Top of ledge maybe at 85 ft and bottom around 100.

Lots of the regulars dive nitrox and larger tanks like HP100s or bigger. No guide in the water unless you pay for it extra. Some sites allow spearfishing some do not. None allowed on the Hyde wreck but can on the ledges or the Gill. Solo permitted if you are experienced. You will see rebreathers on some of the deeper dives where both dives at the same spot. Check first.

Also shark tooth and fossil diving on some of the ledges over by frying pan towers. Those are around 100 ft deep. Frying pan is a long haul but a great dive if conditions are good. Depth around the tower is only 45ft but you are out closer to the gulf and get a great variety of fish. Some shallow ledges near there.

They run two boats ASI and ASII. The larger boat with more sheltered area is the ASI and that is the boat that usually makes the longer runs.

They run a great operation and are very safety conscious. Personally my success rate is in over 60% but it depends greatly on the time of year. It is NC and it is open water.

Those are good tips. Thanks.

Questions:
1. Would the boat be moored on to the Hyde wreck and we just descend along the mooring line?
2. What would the water temperature, current, visibility be around early September?

 

[Steve_C]

Those are good tips. Thanks.

Questions:
1. Would the boat be moored on to the Hyde wreck and we just descend along the mooring line?
2. What would the water temperature, current, visibility be around early September?

There will be a bar hanging at 15 ft under the boat. You step off the back. Follow a rope down to the hang bar, then follow the hang bar for say 25-20 ft. Then there is a rope that runs to the anchor line. Follow anchor down to the wreck. Anchor will be attached somewhere on the upper deck. Note where it is for your return. Just reverse process for return. Do your safety stop at the hang bar. Then go up and grab the trailing line (bright yellow). Signal all OK and wait for your turn to board. Make sure the person in front is completely aboard before you start. People do slip some times.

In Sept the water temp should be high 70s, maybe low 80s. Lots will be diving in 3mm. Some 5s. Some in shorties. In early Fall there is one group that dives in just swim trunks but I like some protection in case jellies show up and I swim slow and do not generate much heat.

Current is rarely an issue on the Hyde. There is sometimes a bit of surge but that is not that common If there is any current you can run your dive on the down current side of the boat. I have probably 30 or more dives on the Hyde and I have never see current bad enough that it made going up or down the anchor line any kind of issue.

Visibility varies. Has there been a recent major storm to stir things up? Has a large piece of blue water come in off the gulf stream? I have seen it all the way from 10 to 100. It is not always the same top to bottom. I have seen heavy murk up on top and then open up nicely as you approach the wreck. I have seen great viz from top down to about 70 and then a murk layer. So you mostly dive the top two decks which are above the murk. But typically that time of year with stable weather you should expect 30 or better. Sometimes you can see the wreck before you descend.

If you are comfortable with that sort of thing there are a couple of nice swim throughs, rooms open to the outside etc. It is a dredge so there is a big hold that you can drop down in.

Lots of fish life. Two weeks ago I identified 31 different fish on the Hyde (personal record for me) and there were some I did not know. Look up and around from time to time. Lots of stuff comes swimming by high up.

Probably will be some sand tigers around and once in a while a sand bar. The sand tigers are docile unless you are carrying a dead fish, but they make great photos to impress your friends.

If you have a good eye, and like that type of thing, you can sometimes find some SMALL fossilized shark teeth in the sand washed out areas. I can usually find a couple if i look.

Have fun.

 

[Dan]

There will be a bar hanging at 15 ft under the boat. You step off the back. Follow a rope down to the hang bar, then follow the hang bar for say 25-20 ft. Then there is a rope that runs to the anchor line. Follow anchor down to the wreck. Anchor will be attached somewhere on the upper deck. Note where it is for your return. Just reverse process for return. Do your safety stop at the hang bar. Then go up and grab the trailing line (bright yellow). Signal all OK and wait for your turn to board. Make sure the person in front is completely aboard before you start. People do slip some times.

In Sept the water temp should be high 70s, maybe low 80s. Lots will be diving in 3mm. Some 5s. Some in shorties. In early Fall there is one group that dives in just swim trunks but I like some protection in case jellies show up and I swim slow and do not generate much heat.

Current is rarely an issue on the Hyde. There is sometimes a bit of surge but that is not that common If there is any current you can run your dive on the down current side of the boat. I have probably 30 or more dives on the Hyde and I have never see current bad enough that it made going up or down the anchor line any kind of issue.

Visibility varies. Has there been a recent major storm to stir things up? Has a large piece of blue water come in off the gulf stream? I have seen it all the way from 10 to 100. It is not always the same top to bottom. I have seen heavy murk up on top and then open up nicely as you approach the wreck. I have seen great viz from top down to about 70 and then a murk layer. So you mostly dive the top two decks which are above the murk. But typically that time of year with stable weather you should expect 30 or better. Sometimes you can see the wreck before you descend.

If you are comfortable with that sort of thing there are a couple of nice swim throughs, rooms open to the outside etc. It is a dredge so there is a big hold that you can drop down in.

Lots of fish life. Two weeks ago I identified 31 different fish on the Hyde (personal record for me) and there were some I did not know. Look up and around from time to time. Lots of stuff comes swimming by high up.

Probably will be some sand tigers around and once in a while a sand bar. The sand tigers are docile unless you are carrying a dead fish, but they make great photos to impress your friends.

If you have a good eye, and like that type of thing, you can sometimes find some SMALL fossilized shark teeth in the sand washed out areas. I can usually find a couple if i look.

Have fun.

Thanks again. That dive line setup is similar to what we do here in the Gulf of Mexico (Flower Garden Banks). Also about half of the time the trip will be cancelled when the weather is bad (wave > 4', storm, etc.). We won't know the trip is a go until the morning of the day before the trip.

I have never seen the sand-tiger shark and am looking forward to see one of them there.

 

[Steve_C]

That dive line setup is similar to what we do here in the Gulf of Mexico (Flower Garden Banks).

I have heard of the Flower Garden Banks. From what I have heard you will find our boat rides pleasantly short unlike Florida divers who find them long sometimes.

 

[Dan]

I have heard of the Flower Garden Banks. From what I have heard you will find our boat rides pleasantly short unlike Florida divers who find them long sometimes.

Yes, it's a long boat ride. It's more like a LOB, a weekend excursion with MV Fling, Fling Charters. Flower Garden Bank (FGB) is about 100 miles off Galveston, Texas. We'll leave from Freeport dock on Friday evening after dinner, and sleep on the boat for the night. On Saturday, we'll do 4 dives, one of them could be under an oil-rig platform. There is an option to do a night dive. On Sunday morning, we would do 2 dives in Stetson Banks, 70 miles off Galveston, on our way back home. We'll arrive back in the Freeport dock by 5pm on Sunday. I've booked a trip to FGB for this coming weekend (July 14-16). Hopefully it's a go.

 

[sunshower]

Looks like the Markham and Hyde are the place to be in Wilmington. I'm taking my kids there at the end of July as a tune up for Costa Rica; looking forward to a couple of nice dives.

 

[Coralreefer68]

Definitely nice dives on the Hyde and Markham...We have actually had good luck so far this summer with Aquatic Safaris, 5 dive trips only 1 cancellation due to weather...Unfortunately that was their only night dive on the Hyde. We were looking forward to a night dive with the Sand Tigers all around. When AS goes out they are a great dive op. Don't forget about Beaufort, NC for diving also, maybe 2 hours north of Wilmington...Finally got to the U-352 from Beaufort this summer and it was an awesome dive!