LBR
Registered
We spent Memorial Day weekend diving with Discovery Divers out of Beaufort, NC. On Saturday the captain noted the conditions would be "sporty" and the 3 hour boat ride out to sea was pretty rough. I saw quite a few seasick passengers. Our first dive was the wreck of the USCGC Spar. The vis was not so great here, maybe 20 feet. We saw lots of Amber Jacks and a brief sighting of a Sand Tiger Shark as we ascended. One diver brought up a shell only to find on the boat that an octopus was residing inside. Thankfully the octopus was allowed to escape back into the ocean. The next spot was the famous German U Boat U-352, where the vis was about 70 feet thanks to a strong current.
The next day (Sunday), the conditions were much calmer at sea and the boat ride was fairly pleasant out to the sites. We dove the U-352 again and spotted about 5 eels hiding among the wreckage. Great vis here again due to the strong current (a negative entry was necessary to avoid being washed away from the site and dive boat). Our second dive was at the wreck of the USS Aeolus and this was the highlight of our trip. Great vis and lots of Sand Tiger Sharks prowling around the ruins of the ship. The sharks seemed pretty indifferent to divers and passed fairly close to us several times. Also large schools of Amber Jacks everywhere.
Discovery Divers seems like a good outfit, the captain was friendly and knew the territory well. The spots you will dive will be based on luck, as conditions seems quite variable here. Note that you will be diving alone with no dive master in the water, and going quite deep. So really only recommended for experienced divers. The navigation is pretty obvious once you get on the wrecks.
This was our 2nd trip to Morehead City, but only our first time diving as last time the boats could not go out due to weather. So if you go, keep your fingers crossed that no storms come in!
See youtube footage here via my GoPro:
The next day (Sunday), the conditions were much calmer at sea and the boat ride was fairly pleasant out to the sites. We dove the U-352 again and spotted about 5 eels hiding among the wreckage. Great vis here again due to the strong current (a negative entry was necessary to avoid being washed away from the site and dive boat). Our second dive was at the wreck of the USS Aeolus and this was the highlight of our trip. Great vis and lots of Sand Tiger Sharks prowling around the ruins of the ship. The sharks seemed pretty indifferent to divers and passed fairly close to us several times. Also large schools of Amber Jacks everywhere.
Discovery Divers seems like a good outfit, the captain was friendly and knew the territory well. The spots you will dive will be based on luck, as conditions seems quite variable here. Note that you will be diving alone with no dive master in the water, and going quite deep. So really only recommended for experienced divers. The navigation is pretty obvious once you get on the wrecks.
This was our 2nd trip to Morehead City, but only our first time diving as last time the boats could not go out due to weather. So if you go, keep your fingers crossed that no storms come in!
See youtube footage here via my GoPro:
