Winter Diving in NC??

[SeaHound]

Hello folks,

I want to do some winter diving in NC (Oct - Mar). How cold is it and what kind of exposure protection should I bring?

 

[vyperman]

Temps start dropping from present 80 deg F to about 60 and less by December-January. Doesn't warm up again until May-June. So, for me that's a dry suit, but a 5 (October-November or 7 mil (December-March) two piece step-in will work for most. Most dive operations stop by end of October and shore diving is poor except for Nags Head. Have fun and good luck!

 

[BabyDuck]

i went out last nov off morehead - great dives! just looked at my log, and temps were 68 at 110 feet. i seem to remember 75 at the surface though i don't have that logged. i have a 5mil and a 3mil hood. didn't wear gloves those dives because i had moonie the scubaboard gnome with me, and i wanted to make sure i could manipulate his bolt snap.

try contacting discovery, olympus, aquatic safaris, etc to ask about winter charters.

guys, help me out & put links...i'm not good with that.

 

[flounderer]

I know at Aquatic Safaris the winter doesn't stop the diving. There is even a charter booked for the day after Christmas. Jan 2 has been popular also.

The far offshore sites, 35+ miles are the best choices. Water in the offshore sites can range from 62 to 72 depending what the currents are doing.

Pat

 

[SeaHound]

Thanks a lot for the info guys. I will definately do a search for the dive operators u mentioned.

Cheers

 

[packman]

For a link to the various NC charters, go to NCDivers.com. On the left of the home page is a list of the charters with links to their web pages.