NC: Charlotte Area diving

[Cheryl137]

HI!

I moved to Charlotte last year.

I am an advanced open water diver. I want to work on improving my skills with some "local" (aka driving/long weekend distance) diving this summer fall.

I"m hoping for suggestions on areas to go (Moorehead city?) and/or dive shops to work with.

Skills I am looking to improve:
- General (refresher course)
- Diving in current
- Bouyancy / weighting
- Deploying smb

I have a trip to Paualu in Feb. Want to be "the best I can be" before my trip.

 

[WinfieldNC]

You’re about an hour and half closer to Wilmington, NC than you are to the Morehead area. There is good diving out of Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach. Aquatic Safaris is a dependable operation. They go to a variety of wrecks and ledges. I dive with them frequently.

Morehead has several good operations as well.

If you’re on Facebook check out the Raleigh Area Divers group. Some of the smaller charter operations frequently post availability there.

There is current on occasion but most dives are not planned as drift dives. You follow the anchor line down to the site and then back up to the boat.

 

[Cheryl137]

Thanks!! I will check out Wilmington and Aquatic Safaris. Also the FB group.

Current is fine: it's one of my goals to get very good at diving in current!

 

[Kupu]

If you might be interested in freshwater locations for underwater time, these options will be about a 3 hour drive or less from Charlotte. Lake Jocasse is my favorite, with Gray Quarry and the Lake Norman PDRA Quarry as my preferred quarries.

• Blue Stone Quarry in Thomasville NC. Open seasonally on weekends.
• The PDRA Quarries. Need membership or go with existing member.
• Lake Jocasse, SC. Several shops run weekend boat charters, or shore dive on your own schedule. If shore diving be aware that the park gets full quickly on summer weekends and holidays, show up once the park is full and rangers will not allow entrance without a reservation. For that reason I only visit weekdays during summer months.
• Gray Quarry near Johnson City TN. Open year round.

 

[Cheryl137]

If you might be interested in freshwater locations for underwater time, these options will be about a 3 hour drive or less from Charlotte. Lake Jocasse is my favorite, with Gray Quarry and the Lake Norman PDRA Quarry as my preferred quarries.

• Blue Stone Quarry in Thomasville NC. Open seasonally on weekends.
• The PDRA Quarries. Need membership or go with existing member.
• Lake Jocasse, SC. Several shops run weekend boat charters, or shore dive on your own schedule. If shore diving be aware that the park gets full quickly on summer weekends and holidays, show up once the park is full and rangers will not allow entrance without a reservation. For that reason I only visit weekdays during summer months.
• Gray Quarry near Johnson City TN. Open year round.

Thank you! I knew about Lake Norman quarry (about 40 mins from home) and have planned to try it out. I did not know about PDRA, I just joined (worth it!).
I'll check out some of these other options as well.
For training: any shops/DMs you recommend that do trainings at Lake Norman? (It won't work for all the skills I want to work on, but it would for some and super convenient!)

 

[Kupu]

Aside from getting tank fills, I have not dealt with the shops near Lake Norman quarry and so don't have info for training recommendations in that area.
Blue Stone has a nice set up and is a popular place for training and skills work. They should be able to arrange skills work etc, perhaps give them a call If you don't find what you need around the Lake Norman area.