North Carolina

[Strife]

I am currently located in Okinawa, Japan. I am probably going to be moving to North Carolina sometime in August or September.

I love diving and would like to know of any good spots in that area. I am mostly interested in places near (within 2 hours drive of) Camp Lejuene.

Please help me out with these places.

 

[cornfed]

I am currently located in Okinawa, Japan. I am probably going to be moving to North Carolina sometime in August or September.

I love diving and would like to know of any good spots in that area. I am mostly interested in places near (within 2 hours drive of) Camp Lejuene.

Please help me out with these places.

There is a section dedicated to the Carolinas...

Check out,
http://www.atlanticunderwater.com/divesites/wrecks/wreckinfolinks.shtml
which contains links to several shops and boats in the area as well as some general information about wrecks.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

man from Camp Lejuene from there your right in the middle of heaven , there are many too many to post betwin the outer banks and nags head to even little river in Sc you have many picks

 

[RICHinNC]

Hey strife....Good luck on your move here to NC. Like Medic says...you are going to be dang near within walking distance of some of the best East coast diving there is. We have more wrecks off the coast than Billy Carter had cans of beer.

Unfortunately....I will be deployed in Germany when you get in the area... but once back .....let's dive.
Rich

 

[Diver294]

Hey Strife...

I recently moved to NC from Massachusetts and have found that there are indeed MANY wrecks to dive up and down the coast, BUT...

I have only had my OW cert for a year, and six months of that has been here in NC. I have a small number of shore dives under my (weight)belt from Mass. but nothing from here yet. Shore dive sites are almost impossible to find in this area. (Swansboro, between Jacksonville & Moorehead City)

Having so few dives to fall back on I'm not that comfortable heading out to a wreck or deep dive. I'm sure I'll be going for my AOW soon but would LOVE to get some more shore-time done before that just to refresh my memory and skills.

If anyone knows of any local shore sites please let me know. Drop me a line when you get back to the world Strife and maybe we can hook up and get a local group going.

diver294@hotmail.com

 

[fireflock]

Having so few dives to fall back on I'm not that comfortable heading out to a wreck or deep dive. I'm sure I'll be going for my AOW soon but would LOVE to get some more shore-time done before that just to refresh my memory and skills.

If anyone knows of any local shore sites please let me know. Drop me a line when you get back to the world Strife and maybe we can hook up and get a local group going.

diver294@hotmail.com

You are right to be cautious about heading to the deeper wrecks without some good experience under your belt, but you should know that there are some wrecks in the area that are great for newer divers.

The INDRA, out of Beaufort inlet, and Barracuda Alley, out of Little River, SC are two that come to mind. Both of these sites are used for open water checkouts.

Some of the Morehead/Beaufort dive shops (Olympus and Discovery come to mind) run afternoon 1/2 day trips to the INDRA on most weekends.

I'm not sure if you feel up for a night shore dive, but Discovery Diving is having a night dive tomorrow night (Friday, May 21st) at Radio Island. I don't know the details, I just saw an announcement, but call the shop and I'm sure they can fill you in.

Rich

 

[Diver294]

Thanks FF...

I stopped in at Discovery Diving on Orange Street in Beaufort and asked for local sites. They gave me info on the Radio Island rock jetty, and a paper handout with directions etc.

(252) 728-2265 or email at dive@discoverydiving.com for more info.

The caution they gave me wasn't so much about boat traffic as it was about tides. They said dive at slack tide... high slack tide is best for the most water. I guess the currents through that channel can be very strong in the incoming/outgoing. The paper I have shows depth up to 35 feet.

2 other sites on the handout show a railroad bridge at Hwy 70 & the Newport River, and a VERY interesting looking Bouy (55') and rock jetty (0-50') at Shackleford Banks. I'm not so sure I like the bridge idea, but the Shackleford Banks site might be a great place... if I get out to them I'll let you know.

diver294@hotmail.com

 

[Strife]

Also, what type of suit would be recommended for that area.

Over here I have a full body 3-Mil wetsuit and a 2-Mil shorty. I get the feeling that this will not be enough for the water off NC.

Do I need to get a dry suit or would just a thicker wetsuit do it? What would be a good year-round choice?

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

most of us hear off the coast in summer like right now wear a 3 mm full suit in fall and early spring we wear 5 mm in winter best dry suit or 7mm

 

[Strife]

I see from an above post and have heard from other people that there is virtually no shore diving in NC. Boats tend to be expensive however with the amount that I like to dive. How do you guys usually get in the water?
How much do the boat trips over there cost?
Exactly how hard to find is decent shore diving over there?