Outer Banks summer vacation options?

[terfmop]

This summer I will be taking the family out to North Carolina for the first time. While I'll be staying there most of the week for the family beach vacation, I will want to get in a couple dives. For those of you familiar with NC, can you reccomend a ragion that would provide a great family beach vacation, while still close enough to a good dive charter?

 

[RAD Diver]

Well 1st off the Outer Banks runs for quite a distance.

My favorite is Cape Hatteras, quiet & laid back with beautiful beaches that you can actually drive on. Plus a quick ferry ride over to Ocracoke Island gives you another chance at some fun site seeing.

The dive ops are Capt JT's Wreck Diving Site - Diving Hatteras NC and Virginia Beach VA which is my favorite. JT is the most dive experienced Capt. you will ever meet.

Some videos are here Wreck Diver Video on Vimeo

Dave at DiveHatteras.com - NC shipwreck diving at it's best! will also take very good care of you. Both are 6-packs so it keeps the site from being too crowded.

There is a bigger boat down there, Outer Banks diving, but for some reason their site is down. I have dove with them & never had a problem but they have raised the hackles on some divers for various reasons. They also have their strong supporters too.

If you are thinking Corolla or Nags Head/ Kill Devils Hill that is at least an hour from Hatteras & would probably recommend Bill at Outer Banks Dive Center, Nags Head, North Carolina

Diving there though will be in cooler & greener water, but still very good, with some shore diving.
It is also more developed so the shopping & site seeing is more wide spread, with the Wright Brothers museum & Jockeys Ridge.

 

[aaronjweese]

It looks like RAD Diver has covered most of the bases on this one. I have yet to dive with JT's operation but every indication says he runs a top shelf operation. I do have quite a bit of experience diving on Bill's boat in the Nags Head area and can say that he runs a safe and efficient operation with dive sites for most experience levels. I can't say too much about Hatteras wrecks but as far as someone new to Nags Head area diving some beginner level wrecks include the Advance, Zane Gray, and the Jackson. The U-85 is a good dive once you have "cut your teeth" on a few of the beginner wrecks. Give Johnny or Bill a call at 242-449-8349 and they can give you a good run down.

 

[RAD Diver]

I guess I should have told you which videos.
The F.W.Abrahms sits in 80fsw, Dixie Arrow in 90fsw, what he has listed as Austin Shark is the tug at 60fsw. The Proteus at 125fsw, Tarpon 140fsw, Manuela & Far East tanker at 160fsw. Also have the Keshena at 70fsw, but don't think there is any video.

The Mexicano video is actually off of Nags Head in 140fsw.
We love the dive & hit it as often as we can, did a night dive on it last year, maybe the best dive in my time of diving until we did the EM Clark last year.

Plus the Sharks are much more prevalent in Hatteras as obvious in the video.

 

[aaronjweese]

No Porn Bobby?

 

[paddler3d]

Go for Hatterass. The beaches are nice and the water is nice, but keep in mind they hold surfing contests down there.

I love the Flying Fish with Outer Bank Diving. Great crew. I just tried to go their web page, and it has been suspended...don't know what that means.

Hatteras, definitely.

 

[RAD Diver]

No Porn Bobby?

He does have a Triggerfish love video.

 

[parzdiver]

I have been vacationing in the Outer Banks for a few years now. Went diving the last two. We stay up in Duck and the first year I went out of Nags Head with Outer Banks Dive Center. Great operation, but the water was cold and green. Last year I went diving with Flying Fish with Outer Bank Diving. WORLD OF DIFFERENCE! The water was clear, blue and warm! There were tons of sharks on a couple of the dives. It was well worth the early wake-up and extra hour drive to Hatteras.

 

[paddler3d]

I have been vacationing in the Outer Banks for a few years now. Went diving the last two. We stay up in Duck and the first year I went out of Nags Head with Outer Banks Dive Center. Great operation, but the water was cold and green. Last year I went diving with Flying Fish with Outer Bank Diving. WORLD OF DIFFERENCE! The water was clear, blue and warm! There were tons of sharks on a couple of the dives. It was well worth the early wake-up and extra hour drive to Hatteras.

So the Labrador Current runs South along Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Avon, so on so forth. The Gulf Stream comes from the North right up along the coast until is hits Hatteras and turns more Northeast.

So if you go out of Nags Head, you are diving the exact same water as all the Jersey boys are.

Hatteras, you are in the Gulf Stream!

 

[Drewski]

Why dive Hatteras?

[vimeo]12935171[/vimeo] [vimeo]9197154[/vimeo]

[vimeo]6156158[/vimeo] [vimeo]3183421[/vimeo]

Enjoy!