NC shore dives

[Jaymeany]

Anyone live on or near the outerbanks of NC? I want to do some shore dives there next summer but need a buddy or at the very least some insider tips on shore dives that are interesting. Just planning early!

[b1gcountry]

North Carolina doesn't have much shore diving. The visibility usually stinks, and the continental shelf is so wide out there that there isn't any deep water anywhere near shore. We went out to Wilmington recently and did some boat diving. Checked into shore dives, but just no one seems to do it around there.

One of our dives was 23 miles offshore on a ledge, and the water was only 90-100 feet deep. Visibility was about 10'. I could only guess how much worse it would be closer to shore...

Tom

[debay]

well b1gcountry is partially right. There isn't much in the way of shore diving. In Beaufort North Carolina, there is a short dive you can do on a submerged rock jetty. lots of fish life and ever changing coral life. There are sporadic locations up and down the coast but nothing that draws more than local attention. I know out near Hatteras NC, there are one or two shore dives to a few boats. But those are not for the new divers and should be done with locals who know the area. The vis usually does suck. The rock Jetty i referred to is normally 4-6 feet, with a normal max at about 15 feet. I wasnt certified then, but a strange series of weather systems pushed some blue water into the shallows and they had 30 feet for a whole summer a few years ago. The max depth gets to about 44 feet and averages at 30-35. It can be a drift dive or a look and see dive. it all depends on how you hit it and how the tide is moving.

[iowdivnut]

There are several wrecks that are accessible from the beach in the Outer Banks f NC. ( Naggs Head & Kill Devil Hills). I believe most are within 200 yards of the shore. Visibility will depend on numerous factors. Weather systems, currents and etc. I've been down there snorkeling from the beach and have had 30-50 foot vis, but I would say that was probably a rare occurence. I have also been there when there was a fairly strong current running. I've also been here when it was hard to see 50 feet.
If you want to check them out google Outer Banks Dive Center. They have descriptions and locations on their website.
I'm from southeastern virginia and willing to try anything once! The outer banks is about an hour and a half drive for me.

[DennisW]

There are several wrecks that are reachable from the beach in NC. You can find them and their location at this web site.

http://www.obxdive.com/NagsHead.htm

[DZorn00]

There's a lot of wrecks off of the virginia coast if you are coming down this way. This is from the Chesapeake bay mouth( where the tunnel is at)

http://uwex.us/virginiashipwrecks.htm