NC Diving trip

[Rescue Diver68]

I have wanted to dive NC for many years but kept booking trips to the Caribbean instead. I think summer 2010 is when I am finally going to get down there. Can anyone recommend dive shops and accomodations (pet friendly)?

Thank you.

 

[Big John]

North Carolina has a huge coastline, do you have a particular destination in mind? The Outerbanks, Morhead City, and Wilmington areas are each diving destinations in their own right and far enough apart that you need to focus on just one area. Each has its pros and cons as to diving attractions and things to do while ashore.

 

[Rescue Diver68]

Morehead City are would proabably be my preference. Does one area have shorter rides to the sites than others? Any good Megladon Graveyards?

 

[pickens_46929]

Stayed at and dove with Discovery Diving Center out of Beaufort, NC this past June. They have a bunk house just around the block from their dive shop / dock. It was an excellent couple of days worth of diving. Now I am wishing I had done it sooner!

 

[SelkieDVM]

Morehead City are would proabably be my preference. Does one area have shorter rides to the sites than others? Any good Megladon Graveyards?

The diving out of Morehead is terrific. I've used and would recommend Olympus right on the waterfront or Diver Down just across the bridge at Atlantic Beach, but there are others I've seen recommended as well. Most of the boat rides are long, typically one hour to the inshore wrecks and two hours to the offshore ones like the U-352. I had some luck finding megs further south out of Wilmington but I've heard of trips run out of the Morehead/ Beaufort area as well. Can't help with accomodations that accept pets unfortunately.

 

[Lee Taylor]

The Megalodon teeth are offshore Willmington NC.

I suggest using Aquatic Safaris, North Carolina Wreck Diving for the Megalodons.

Call and get the details of the dive before you commit. It might not be your cup of tea. Basically a 100 foot dive with a wreck reel tie off on the anchor. Nitrox and ample gas would be a good idea. Safety sausage required.

I wrote the following to help those planning to dive the waters offshore North and South Carolina. I dove the NC waters for many years. The underwater conditions, offshore NC, vary greatly with the weather and the surface is significantly affected by the weather. Generally the worse case a dive boat will find itself in is 6 ft rollers, choppy seas, and rain. The dive trip is usually called off if seas this high are expected. I will not sugar coat it here. You will get an occasional bouncy ride offshore NC. On the other hand, some days the surface will be flat, the water aqua blue, and you will be able to see the shipwreck from the surface.

But in general, to give you a reference, the waters in southern Florida and the Carribean are MUCH flatter.

You will find that naturally, the further offshore the boat goes, the better the viz. Soil suspended in the water of the local rivers flowing into the sea causes the water close to the shore to be turbid and brownish with very little viz.

A little further out the water turns green. Green water is about a 1 hour boat ride off the Carolinas.

Even further out the water turns to blue. Blue water is about a 2 hour - 3 hour boat ride off the Carolina coast.

When they speak of an inshore dive in the Carolinas, they are usually speaking of green water (50-70 feet deep). When they speak of an offshore dive, they are usually speaking of blue water (80-130 feet deep).

The depth, and details, of each dive site, is listed on the dive store websites. The water depth will give you a clue as to how far offshore the site is. It is helpful to ask the shop: How long is the boat ride?

Some of the sea life you will see diving offshore North Carolina.

Lobster, tropicals, angels, eels, dolphins and dolphin fish, flounder, lionfish, spotfin butterfly, flying fish, octopus, large pelagics, large grouper, rays, loggerhead turtles, invertebrate life, huge amberjacks, baracudas, trumpet fish, blowfish, spadefish, nurse sharks, sand tiger shark, bull shark, tiger shark, giant southern sting rays.

The offshore wrecks are fished a LOT. It is a good idea to carry a poly line slitter and metal line shears. A safety sausage and whistle are good ideas also because of the sometimes rolling surface with chop. If you do not come up the anchor line, the sausage will make you easier to spot.

Shipwrecks offshore North Carolina:

Aeolus (AR-305)
Alexander Ramsey (AR-370)
Ario
Ashkhabad
Atlas
Australia
Bedfordshire
Box Wreck
British Splendour
Caribsea
Cassimer (WR-2)
Catherine M. Monohan
City of Houston
Dionysus (AR-160)
Dixie Arrow
E.M. Clark
Empire Gem
Esso Nashville
F.W. Abrams
Fenwick Island
George Weems
Hardee's
Hesperides
Idaho (aka "Paddlewheeler")
Indra (AR-330)
John D. Gill
Kassandra Louloudis
Keshena
Lancing
Liberator
Malchace
Manuela
Mirlo
Naeco
Nevada
Normannia
Queen Ann's Revenge
Papoose
Porta Allegra aka "Lobster Wreck"
Proteus
San Delfino
Schurz
Senateur Duhamel
Spar
Tamaulipas
Tarpon
Theodore Parker (AR-315)
Trawler - Hatteras
U-352
U-701
U-85
Veturia
W.E. Hutton
William Rockefeller
Yancey (AR-302)
Zane Gray (AR-160)

 

[Rescue Diver68]

Great Info Lee thanks so much. I am headed to Charleston SC in a few before heading on to FLorida for the week. I dive NJ so I would guess the NC conditions are somewhere between NJ anf FL (literally, geographically . I think I will look on VRBO for accomodations that allow pets and dive with Olympus.

 

[Lee Taylor]

Hello Diver 68,

Olympus has a GREAT dive shop. It is on the water and the dive boats are right there behind it. The man that started it has passed, but his family still runs it as far as I know. Their boats are fast. They really tote the mail, even when fully loaded. I have seen them literally out run other dive boats. Morehead City is a wonderful little town with fabulous restaurants, shops, and historically interesting bed and breakfast arrangements. The local rumor is Blackbeard the pirate hung around Morehead and may have stashed his great treasure there abouts. Lots of good diving in Myrtle Beach and Charleston also. They are still pulling artifacts off of the Civil War shipwrecks offshore North Myrtle. I sure would like to add a CSA belt buckle to my collection. Good luck and see you on Scubaboard.

 

[Big John]

Morhead is a great location and there are many choices there too, the Meg hunting though is out of Wilkmington. Several of the ops have bunkhouses which are very reasonable. For hotels etc check here Crystal Coast NC | Emerald Isle NC | Accommodations many are pet friendly. Olympus and Discovery are the big boys and both do an excellent job. If you are looking for something a little smaller Capt. James runs the Tortuga a great 6Pac for those who like the smaller charters. He is Tortuga James on SB.
Enjoy your trip to NC.

 

[rlskill1]

Bobby Edwards runs Atlantis IV from Atlantic Beach too.
Discovery Diving and Olympus Diving are excellent top-notch operations. Both park their boats next to the shop, have lodges within 50 yds of the shop and are located withing a short walk of the waterfront to Beaufort or Morehead City shops, restaurants, activities, etc.
Charleston's Cooper River is a great dive spot for Megalodon teeth.
In between Morehead City and Beaufort is Radio Island. A nice walk-in shore dive in 5-40' of water. Vis will depend on wind and rainfall, but usually 5' and in the summer can reach 10-15'.
Dive RI at slack high tide only.
Popular NC shipwrecks are the Indra, Spar, U-352, Schurz, Papoose, Caribsea, Aeolus.
Enjoy your visit to NC Coast. If you have family coming, other places to visit are: Fort Macon, NC Aquarium at PKS, and the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort.