N Carolina wreck diving

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MBP - 10 Feb 2007 17:38 GMT

Was an avid diver from '93 till about 2000. Seriously thinking of getting
back into the sport and taking a trip to North Carolina. My interest is in
wreck diving. Anyone have experiences with the wreck diving off Morehead
City NC. Thinking of diving first week of June. Wondering if a 3mm suit is
OK. Olympus dive center has a dive lodge..any experiences?

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George Cathcart - 10 Feb 2007 19:05 GMT

> Was an avid diver from '93 till about 2000. Seriously thinking of getting
> back into the sport and taking a trip to North Carolina. My interest is in
> wreck diving. Anyone have experiences with the wreck diving off Morehead
> City NC. Thinking of diving first week of June. Wondering if a 3mm suit is
> OK. Olympus dive center has a dive lodge..any experiences?

If you haven't been diving in 7 years, I would not advise starting in
NC. The wrecks there are well offshore, mostly deep, and conditions
can be rough. You might want to go to your local shop and look into a
refresher and do a few quarry dives before going offshore NC, or go to
the Keys and do some easy shallow reef dives off Key Largo. I'm sure
your skills will come back quickly, but NC wrecks are not the place to
shake out any rust.

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Douglas W "Popeye" Frederick - 11 Feb 2007 11:27 GMT

>> Was an avid diver from '93 till about 2000. Seriously thinking of
>> getting
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> your skills will come back quickly, but NC wrecks are not the place to
> shake out any rust.

I agree with George, take an easier dive for your first one in seven
years.

At the very least, make damn sure you know where Olympus is going.

Olympus is first rate, and their dive lodge is a hoot.

Bring ear plugs, no joke, in case someone snores.

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Lee Bell - 11 Feb 2007 12:05 GMT

>> If you haven't been diving in 7 years, I would not advise starting in
>> NC. The wrecks there are well offshore, mostly deep, and conditions
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> I agree with George, take an easier dive for your first one in seven
> years.

I agree with both George and Doug, but don't think you need to go all the
way to the Keys. If you're interested in wrecks, there's a ton of them off
Palm Beach and Broward County. They range from around 60 feet to deeper
than you're likely to go. Personally, I think they're a better refresher
location for wreck diving than the Keys, where it's sometimes hard to avoid
trips to the 30 foot reefs. YMMV.

Lee

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MBP - 11 Feb 2007 14:22 GMT

Thanks guys your advice is well taken. Might consider Pensacacola...and do
NC later in the season. Thanks again.

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Al Wells - 11 Feb 2007 14:42 GMT

I'm jumping in a bit late, but the advice you've been given is good. I
would also add that the June water there might be borderline for a 3mm,
but it is nice and toasty later in the season.

Some research was done last year by AUE, and it is now believed that the
Papoose is really the Hutton, the Hutton is really the Ario and the
Mirlo is really the San Delfino. The evidence and research are rock
solid.

Where are you located? If in the NE US or Eastern Canada, you might also
want to look into the St Lawrence in the Thousand Islands area late in
the season. The wreck diving there is excellent.

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