NC Weather for divers

[FishDiver]

I read this on the Discovery Divers site:

On average, during the summer, 10% of all days are "blown out", not
diveable. The most common condition is a 2-3 foot sea, which
comprises about 50% of all dive days in NC. The remaining 40% is
evenly split between the marginally miserable, miserable, and
positively perfect.​

Is this a fair summary of NC conditions? It it true summer and winter or are the surface conditions worse in the winter with more blown out days?

Do many divers use their own boats or are the dive sites too far from shore for smaller boats?

 

[DA Aquamaster]

In my experience, June can have a better chance of superb weather and by October/November the odds of a blowout are better.

Pretty much any tropical storm or hurricane in the Altantic seems to cause swells in NC. To a great extent, what makes it do-able versus miserable is the speed/frequency of the swells, not so much the height.

I can recall only one trip with millpond conditions. Maybe it's just me and my bad luck but 5-6 ft seas appear to be common and I have started out on a marginal 6 ft day and had it degrade to a miserable 8 ft day where the second dive gets cancelled with no real complaints. Also, I get blown about about 30% of the time - 10% is, in my opinion, wildly optomistic.

 

[Randy g]

Also, I get blown about about 30% of the time - 10% is, in my opinion, wildly optomistic.

I would have to agree with this. I went 3 blow outs on 3 attempted trips last season.

 

[McCainiac]

I would agree that 10% is low. I attempted 3 trips and only got 2. I hope it's only 10% this year becuase I'm planning many more!!!

 

[diveonthefive]

We had trips scheduled almost every day in July last year and only 3 got cancelled. The winter months have a higher rate of cancellations.

 

[Tortuga James]

I would agree that 10% is low. I attempted 3 trips and only got 2. I hope it's only 10% this year becuase I'm planning many more!!!

That is 10% of all summer days, not just weekends. Monday-Wednesday the wind rarely ever blows.

You know what comes after 2 really windy days on the coast of NC?

Monday

 

[Akyla]

I second Capt. James position on this one. I have had seasons where I ran almost everyday from June thru August, then others where leaving the dock was a cause for celebration.

The millpond conditions tend to come in a string of days but then so do the windy ones. You get more millpond during the hot summer months, but I have had them even in the middle of winter.

The standard summer conditions for us in Hatteras are 10-15 SW with 2 to 4 foot. Aquamaster is right on about the wave pattern being more important than the size. It is the frequency, size and direction that makes all the difference. A 6 foot swell with a 10 second or more interval is is almost not a factor, but a 6 foot short frequency wind sea certainly is.

 

[Tortuga James]

This time of year nice days are few and far between but it straightens out by the end of May. Like Dave, I have seen dead calm days in the dead of winter, but that is freakishly rare. It looks like the one really nice day in a long stretch of windy is going to happen this Saturday!!!

Actually on a weekend! And in March!!

 

[Deac in the Wake]

How about water temps at depth? I know thermos move in and out but what's the prognosis for temps down to 130 in May or June?

 

[Tortuga James]

How about water temps at depth? I know thermos move in and out but what's the prognosis for temps down to 130 in May or June?

At the Naeco last Saturday, we had 65 degrees on the Surface, 63 on the bottom. It is really hit or miss with the thermoclines, but usually it is pretty close top to bottom temperature wise. But in the spirit of total disclosure, there is always the chance that a layer of green cold water could be laying on the bottom. The good news is that it usually is not everywhere, and the fleet is pretty good about knowing where the good water is.