Come Dive North Carolina's Warm, Clear Waters with Us!
NC Wreck and shark diving at its finest!
Boat Diving: June 24 - 26
Travel Dates: June 23rd and June 27th (for those that are flying in/out!)
Divers are starting to notice . . . .
Some of you have been diving North Carolina for years, and know it's been among diving's best kept secrets.
But if North Carolina is new to you, here's some more info. The readers of a major dive magazine rated North Carolina NUMBER ONE (#1) in North America and number 3 in the world for wreck diving. The same divers rated North Carolina NUMBER ONE (#1) in North America for big animal encounters and Number Two (#2) for overall diving experience.
What makes me love North Carolina diving is:
the abundance of fish and other marine life--the abundance of swimming creatures is better than anywhere else I've been.
warm water. Water temperatures vary, but in the summer we expect 75 to 85 degree water.
water clarity. In the summer, we expect 50 to 100 feet of visibility on most dive sites.
shipwrecks. There's nothing like the mystery and adventure of descending onto the remains of ships sunk long ago.
FULL DETAILS BELOW
North Carolina's impressive diving conditions are made possible by the state's unique coastal geography and extensive maritime history. The Gulf Stream, carrying the warm, blue water from the Caribbean, produces eddies - areas containing Gulf Stream water but devoid of its strong current. These eddies engulf North Carolina's offshore waters and routinely provide divers with tropical fish, large marine animals, 80-degree water temperatures, and 75+ feet of visibility.
In addition, North Carolina waters have long existed as a segment of the heavily trafficked shipping lanes of the eastern U.S. seaboard. During WWII, Hitler's U-boats terrorized merchant vessels, sending many to their permanent resting ground 100 feet beneath the sea. These tragedies, combined with the long history of vessels claimed by the unforgiving shoals along the Outer Banks, gave North Carolina a virtually unsurpassed collection of shipwrecks and earned its waters the title The Graveyard of the Atlantic.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic gets its name from the estimated 2000 shipwrecks scattered along the North Carolina coastline. Voted #1 Wreck Diving in North America by Scuba Diving magazine's 2005 Readers' Poll, many of these historic vessels are accessible to divers.
Some of the most impressive wrecks are the World War II casualties - vessels fallen prey to Hitler's U-boat fleet as they traversed the offshore waters. Tankers, cargo ships, British fishing trawlers, and even German submarines, form impressive underwater monuments to this tumultuous segment of our maritime heritage. Among others, a World War I gunboat, a late 18th century schooner, and an early 20th century luxury liner exist in North Carolina's unparalleled collection of dive-able history.
Additionally, thanks to the continued efforts of the NC Division of Marine Fisheries Artificial Reef Program, local fishing organizations, and the Carteret County Artificial Reef Association, North Carolina is home to a plethora of vessels sunk purposefully as artificial reefs. Like their historic counterparts, these sites host a vast array of marine life making for thoroughly enjoyable diving experiences.
Voted #1 in North America for Big Marine Life, North Carolina is home to the sand tiger shark. An impressive looking but docile shark, sand tiger encounters are common occurrences in our offshore waters. Often present in large numbers, the sharks range in size from four to over eight feet long! Sand tigers typically swim with their mouths open, smiling for photos, and proudly displaying three rows of ferocious teeth.
Unlike shark dives in other destinations, chumming or feeding of the sharks is not necessary. Rather, it is a unique opportunity for divers to observe these beautiful and fascinating animals in their natural environment. The sharks are here year around and while they occasionally frequent all of our sites, they are more commonly present on the wrecks.
TRIP PLAN FOR 2006 - NORTH CAROLINA
It's an aggressive schedule. That first day especially will be a long day. But these are truly the highlights of NC diving, all in 3 days. Lots of NC wreck divers don't dive all these sites in a whole season, and some in a lifetime.
3 DAY TRIP - (8 total dives: 3/3/2)
Day 1
Wrecks - City of Houston, City of Houston, Frying Pan Tower
These are two of the premier dive sites on the East Coast. The City of Houston is an iron-clad that went down in 1878. There is incredible fish life with depths about 90 feet. Most divers come back with an artifact, one of the few wrecks of which this can be said, which is why it's scheduled for two dives. Frying Pan Tower is a great dive. It's a Coast Guard light tower sitting on a rocky ledge. We dive around the legs at about 50 feet. This is our longest trip-well over 50 miles each way.
Day 2
Wrecks - Normannia, 23 Mile Ledge, Markham
Farb, in his book "The Graveyard of the Atlantic", named the Normannia one of the 5 best wrecks on the North Carolina Coast. It's about 43 miles out, in 100 feet of water. Most people don't think of ledge diving when they come to NC, but the local divers love it. Think Caribbean coral reefs, only less colorful. Finally, the Markham is sometimes called the "Shark-em" for the sand tiger sharks that hang out there, an artificial reef with lots of entryways.
Day 3
Wrecks - Gill, Hyde
This is a customer favorite of the shorter trips. The John D. Gill is a tanker sunk in WWII by a German U-Boat. It's 23 miles out, is pretty broken up, with a couple of good penetration options, great fish life and a nice sense of mystery. The Hyde is an artificial reef. The only Coast Guard dredge to circumnavigate the earth, she sits on her keel, is remarkably intact, and is covered with fish life. Generally, we find sand tiger sharks on the Hyde.
If you're interested, please let me know. EMAIL ME
