North Carolina Outer Banks

[DarinMartell]

I am heading to the Outer banks June 20th - 27th. The house we have is in Avon. I have talked the boss into letting me do 2 days of diving. I'm looking for opinions on where to go and who to dive with. I would also love to hear from a local that might be interested in going on a charter or two. I would much rather have a ST'er as a buddy than an instant buddy.

[USF_Diver]

If I was over there this summer in July I would do a dive.

I didn't dive when I was there this past summer, but I saw a few dive shops in the Kitty Hawk area on the main road. Maybe a local and chime in on which is best.

Have fun

[BouzoukiJoe A.K.A. wrecker130 AKA Chuck Norris AKA joeforbroke (banned)]

For inexperienced divers wanting to try North Carolina wreck diving the OBX is not the best base of operations.

Some geographic info: The cold Labrador Current pushes in from the north and the warm Gulf stream pushes in from the South. These currents divide North Carolina waters into 2 zones- Your diving experience will vary greatly depending on whether you dive North or South of the Diamond Shoals.

Generally it's North: cold green murky (think New Jersey) and South: warm blue clear (think Florida).

So if you want to dive from the OBX area, you probably want to head South from there to the Diamond Shoals or even further since the currents at the shoals are wicked. The boat ride from up there would be too long to make it south of Cape Lookout to the somewhat more protected waters of Onslow Bay.

You would typically be diving at least 20 miles from land in 2-4 ft seas and with some (perhaps stiff) current. The viz could be 20 ft or 100 ft. You will most likely not be able to see the dive boat from the wreck. It's not easy diving and in the open Atlantic conditions can go to Hell very fast.

Do you have experience in currents and seas? Do you have good navigation skills? Do you like long boat rides? Do you own your own gear, including tanks? Are you nitrox certified? Are you comfortable diving with sharks and other large creatures? Do you know how to plan repetitive dives to 100-120 ft? Do you know how much gas you would need? Do you know how to make a negative entry? Are you in decent shape? Do you have dive accident insurance? Would you remain calm while drifting for an hour in the open Atlantic far from the boat?

Unless you can say yes to all of the above I'd be willing to bet that you'd be spending so much effort on worrying about a lot of new stuff that you wouldn't be able to enjoy the dives. And diving is supposed to be fun.

These links are worth a read:

Diving Safety and Your Dive Skills

Dive Primer on how to dive Hatteras

There's great diving up there, but the inexperienced diver would be much better off operating out of Wilmington or the Morehead City area and starting with some of the in shore wrecks.

[DarinMartell]

Thank you very much for the in-depth response. This is not a dive trip, so I can't change where we are going. We will be in Avon (I think 15 miles north of Diamond Shoals).
You mentioned "Inshore" diving might be better. One shop I found on the net has their trips in two categories. "In-Shore" includes U-85, Navy tug, cutter Jackson, cable layer advance, and the Oriental. For "extended trip" they have Bledloe, Benson, York, Ciltvaria, & The city of Atlanta. Would you agree with them?
I will try to answer your questions one by one. I would love your or anyone else's input on what I need to do between now and then to be ready. And would like advice on shops to contact. Upon getting more info I am also planning on getting a DM to be my buddy / guide since I will be in unfamliar waters.

Do you have experience in currents and seas? Currents no, Seas the last time I was in Lake MI we where 5 miles out in a 6-pack and had 4-5 foot swells.
Do you have good navigation skills? I am cofortable with a compass but I would not say I am highly skilled.
Do you like long boat rides? I don't dislike them
Do you own your own gear, including tanks? Yes I own all my gear including 2 al80's and a 30cf pony.
Are you nitrox certified? No, as of right now I am open water certified and have 19 dives between the quarry, Lake MI, the Gulf of Mexico, and Dive Quest.
Are you comfortable diving with sharks and other large creatures? One of the main reasons I want to do this. Only sharks that I have knowingly dove with where at Dive Quest so I don't know if "Disney" sharks count.
Do you know how to plan repetitive dives to 100-120 ft? I practice my tables the night before every dive.
Do you know how much gas you would need? That is an ever changing number, the more dives I make the better my breathing gets. I am aware of the vital need to plan and carry my 30cf pony on every dive (even in the 30' quarry) so I am used to it and can use it if needed.
Do you know how to make a negative entry? I have never done a negative entry, I assume you mention this because the need to get below the wave action as soon as possible. It is something I can pracrice.
Are you in decent shape? Decent, not great, but I'm working on it.
Do you have dive accident insurance? I have been a member of DAN since before I got my C-card and carry INS through them.
Would you remain calm while drifting for an hour in the open Atlantic far from the boat? You never know until it happens. I do believe in being prepared and carry a SMB, whistle, dye marker, strobe, chemical light stick & mirror. I have also thought about packing a cheep pair of tinted goggles to help prevent "snow blindness".

Again, thanks for the response and I look forward to any other advice you can give me.

[CPTOZZY]

Originally Posted by BouzoukiJoe

For inexperienced divers wanting to try North Carolina wreck diving the OBX is not the best base of operations.

Some geographic info: The cold Labrador Current pushes in from the north and the warm Gulf stream pushes in from the South. These currents divide North Carolina waters into 2 zones- Your diving experience will vary greatly depending on whether you dive North or South of the Diamond Shoals.

Generally it's North: cold green murky (think New Jersey) and South: warm blue clear (think Florida).

So if you want to dive from the OBX area, you probably want to head South from there to the Diamond Shoals or even further since the currents at the shoals are wicked. The boat ride from up there would be too long to make it south of Cape Lookout to the somewhat more protected waters of Onslow Bay.

You would typically be diving at least 20 miles from land in 2-4 ft seas and with some (perhaps stiff) current. The viz could be 20 ft or 100 ft. You will most likely not be able to see the dive boat from the wreck. It's not easy diving and in the open Atlantic conditions can go to Hell very fast.

Do you have experience in currents and seas? Do you have good navigation skills? Do you like long boat rides? Do you own your own gear, including tanks? Are you nitrox certified? Are you comfortable diving with sharks and other large creatures? Do you know how to plan repetitive dives to 100-120 ft? Do you know how much gas you would need? Do you know how to make a negative entry? Are you in decent shape? Do you have dive accident insurance? Would you remain calm while drifting for an hour in the open Atlantic far from the boat?

Unless you can say yes to all of the above I'd be willing to bet that you'd be spending so much effort on worrying about a lot of new stuff that you wouldn't be able to enjoy the dives. And diving is supposed to be fun.

These links are worth a read:

Diving Safety and Your Dive Skills

Dive Primer on how to dive Hatteras

There's great diving up there, but the inexperienced diver would be much better off operating out of Wilmington or the Morehead City area and starting with some of the in shore wrecks.

Outstanding response / summation Joe !! This is why I love this Board

[Lulubelle]

Good comments from Joe that I second pretty much in their entirety. I learned some new things myself.

I dive south of Diamond Shoals, off of Morehead.

With that being said, my FIRST DIVE out of OW was off of Morehead City on the Papoose (120 ft). There was a bit of current, seas about 4 feet or so. I did just fine, BUT, I grew up in these waters, have pulled a number of people out of riptides (once when I was 10), etc. My dive buddy for this first deep dive has 600 dives, loads of diverse experience, and stuck to me like glue. She was rather surprised how easily I took to it.

You may too, but being a relatively new diver, I would urge caution and only think about it if you hire a DM.

Would recommend doing your Nitrox before you come, most ops in Morehead seem to mix 30% due to the depths. And hopefully you will use a computer. If you are using 21% and tables, you will have some REALLY short dives which will leave you wondering why you just spent a lot of money and time to get to the site.

Keep in mind that nearly all of the dive ops in NC will require AOW. Some will take a fat logbook (50 ish dives) instead but would expect it to include some deeper dives. They only took me because they knew what a solid diver my buddy was. And because I am a local girl who can talk smack.

You have time, sort these things out, be careful, and come see our sharks.

[Lulubelle]

Darrin,

I'm sure you already found this, but it is a good site for references in the area you are going.

NC Divers, NC Wreck Diving, NC Quarry Diving, NC Group Dives, NC Coast Diving, North Carolina Diving North Carolina Wreck Diving

[BouzoukiJoe A.K.A. wrecker130 AKA Chuck Norris AKA joeforbroke (banned)]

Originally Posted by DarinMartell

Thank you very much for the in-depth response. This is not a dive trip, so I can't change where we are going. We will be in Avon (I think 15 miles north of Diamond Shoals).
You mentioned "Inshore" diving might be better. One shop I found on the net has their trips in two categories. "In-Shore" includes U-85, Navy tug, cutter Jackson, cable layer advance, and the Oriental. For "extended trip" they have Bledloe, Benson, York, Ciltvaria, & The city of Atlanta. Would you agree with them?


I will try to answer your questions one by one. I would love your or anyone else's input on what I need to do between now and then to be ready. And would like advice on shops to contact. Upon getting more info I am also planning on getting a DM to be my buddy / guide since I will be in unfamliar waters.

From your responses below I can see you have the right attitude. If you want to dive while you are up there, I suggest you talk to Bill at OBX Dive in Nags Head. Tell him your experience level and ask him for suggestions.


I know he does trips to the U85 and some others. Those are quite divable but they are in the colder and murkier water North of the shoals. You will see different marine life up that way than you would South of the shoals. IMO you will need a thick wetsuit because the water will be cold at depth. While, it might not be the best diving in NC, the U85 is at least a real wreck with some history to it. It's on my list of wrecks to dive.

Do you have experience in currents and seas? Currents no, Seas the last time I was in Lake MI we where 5 miles out in a 6-pack and had 4-5 foot swells.

I'd say current is the number one hazard to competent divers. The ocean is pretty freaking big and you are very small and hard to find. At least read up about it. Reading is not a substitute for experience, but it's better than going into something blind.

Seas are a little different than swells, but they're in the same family. They both can make getting back on the boat a lot of fun.

Do you have good navigation skills? I am cofortable with a compass but I would not say I am highly skilled.

There's a reason this question came right after the "current" question...
If there is a strong current, you *need* to find your way back to the anchor line. If you don't, count youself lost at sea, at least until all the other divers are back on the boat.

It's good to know how to use a compass, but natural navigation is more important. If you are diving with an experienced diver who knows the wreck, or if the wreck is easy to navigate (like the U85) your chances of getting lost are small.

Do you like long boat rides? I don't dislike them

Good answer, because you will spend more time riding than diving.

Do you own your own gear, including tanks? Yes I own all my gear including 2 al80's and a 30cf pony.

Great. Being familiar with your gear is important to safety and enjoyment. You'll be able to rent tanks and weights if you tell them ahead of time.

Are you nitrox certified? No, as of right now I am open water certified and have 19 dives between the quarry, Lake MI, the Gulf of Mexico, and Dive Quest.

When you start doing repetitve dives in the 80-120 range, nitrox will enhance your enjoyment. Furthermore, if you're diving air, no one on the boat will want to be your buddy. They probably just made a long drive and a long boat ride and want to get every minute possible from their dives.

Are you comfortable diving with sharks and other large creatures? One of the main reasons I want to do this. Only sharks that I have knowingly dove with where at Dive Quest so I don't know if "Disney" sharks count.

More chance of a shark encounter south of the shoals but I wouldn't rule it out.

Do you know how to plan repetitive dives to 100-120 ft? I practice my tables the night before every dive.

Serious dedication. I like it. I also plan my bottom times ahead of time- the night before if I know where I'm headed.

Do you know how much gas you would need? That is an ever changing number, the more dives I make the better my breathing gets. I am aware of the vital need to plan and carry my 30cf pony on every dive (even in the 30' quarry) so I am used to it and can use it if needed.

If I were DIR I would rake you over the coals on this one, but I'm nice, so I won't. I will point out that a pony is there in case of equipment failure- for emergency purposes only. It shouldn't be considered when you are planning your dive.

When you start doing deeper dives (I define as 80+) knowing your consumption rate becomes increasingly important. Of course it will change over time, and will fluctuate from dive to dive, but it will fall into a range, and you can use the upper end of that range to plan your dive. None of this stuff is exact, you just need a ballpark estimate. Mainly you need to know when to turn around and head back to the anchor line so that you will be able to find it and make a slow ascent up the line.

Do you know how to make a negative entry? I have never done a negative entry, I assume you mention this because the need to get below the wave action as soon as possible. It is something I can pracrice.

The reason is so you can get hold of the lines leading to the wreck without having to swim against the current. If you stay on the surface the current will be carrying you further and further from the place you need to be. It's not big deal, but make damn sure your air is on and your inflator hose is connected before you jump.

Are you in decent shape? Decent, not great, but I'm working on it.

Aren't we all. If your can walk a couple of miles without huffing and puffing you're fine.

Do you have dive accident insurance? I have been a member of DAN since before I got my C-card and carry INS through them.

Some boats require it. Even if they don't, it's a good idea.

Would you remain calm while drifting for an hour in the open Atlantic far from the boat? You never know until it happens. I do believe in being prepared and carry a SMB, whistle, dye marker, strobe, chemical light stick & mirror. I have also thought about packing a cheep pair of tinted goggles to help prevent "snow blindness".

The equipment list is good- If you don't already I would suggest you carry a light though. The best piece of safety gear though is your brain. If you use it and make sure to make it back to the anchor line you won't need any of that crap. If you had more experience I might suggest a reel. It can be used for navigation or for making an upline from the wreck if you can't find the anchor line, but at this point a reel might do more harm than good.

Again, thanks for the response and I look forward to any other advice you can give me.

We seem to get this question frequently, so I thought it was time to try to give a complete answer.

[DarinMartell]

Thanks for the responses, I look forward to reading more. I will look into Nitrox. I talked to one shop and they said AOW is not neccessasy, they would rather do two days the first being on one of the easier wrecks. I am definitly going to get a DM. I decided on this for a few reasons.
1. It is a new place and type of diving for me.
2. They would be able to guide me to the best areas.
3. If I am buddied up with someone else who is paying $$ and I got nervous and had to cut the dive short I would not be ruining someone else's dive.
4. If I did run into trouble I would be more prone to acknowledge I need to call the dive instead of being worried about my buddies dive being ruined.

[BouzoukiJoe A.K.A. wrecker130 AKA Chuck Norris AKA joeforbroke (banned)]

Originally Posted by DarinMartell

Thanks for the responses, I look forward to reading more. I will look into Nitrox. I talked to one shop and they said AOW is not neccessasy, they would rather do two days the first being on one of the easier wrecks. I am definitly going to get a DM. I decided on this for a few reasons.
1. It is a new place and type of diving for me.
2. They would be able to guide me to the best areas.
3. If I am buddied up with someone else who is paying $$ and I got nervous and had to cut the dive short I would not be ruining someone else's dive.
4. If I did run into trouble I would be more prone to acknowledge I need to call the dive instead of being worried about my buddies dive being ruined.

I think thats a good choice. After 2 days on the wrecks with a personal dive guide you will likely be more advanced than most AOW divers. See above post where I edited my response.