July trip to NC

[wader]

My wife and I are strongly considering a trip to NC this July. We both have over 100 dives, including GBR, Fiji, and Guadeloupe Island, although never got our AOW cert. (Nitrox yes).

We (me mostly) would love to do a day looking for Megalodon teeth, but other than that have no set priorities. We are not tied to only one area and could move around the coast to do the best sites of each region. What are the must do's while diving NC? Wrecks, reefs, ledges- we are open to them all. Maybe find a Sandy or two. Preferred dive companies are nice, no cattle boats. No tech diving.

Thanks for your advice )

 

[Lorenzoid]

For genuine WWII "graveyard of the Atlantic" wrecks--and the sand tigers that hang out on some of them--Olympus Dive Center and Discovery Dive Center, both in Morehead City, are the big players. Also Tortuga Diver Charters--I think the Tortuga guy has posted on SB from time to time. As you probably already know, NC is different from the places you have been--not much in the way of hand-holding. I have not been to the Outer Banks--a bit further to get out to--but there are certainly plenty of wrecks and some dive ops there.

Megalodon teeth--my understanding is that's mostly the Cooper River, which is the Charleston area. I know nothing about it. Mucking around in a river in near-zero visibility doesn't sound like my cup of tea--it's also kinda advanced diving from what I have heard. Inquire with Charleston Scuba? They have ocean dives, too, but the wrecks are mainly planted as artificial reefs. If you're visiting all the way from Wizz-consin, you should try to make it out to some real wrecks.

 

[tomfcrist]

Without AOW, good luck getting an offshore charter. Most ops will likely limit you to the inshore wrecks(which are also nice to an extent) at about 70fsw. Meg teeth in NC are on a ledge about 35 miles offshore of Wilmington...in 90-115fsw...open ocean, strong currents etc....once again, good luck getting a boat to take you out without AOW.

The cooper river dives in SC are relatively shallow, but usually zero vis and unswimmable currents...you “May” find someone that will take you without AOW.

 

[hroark2112]

As was previously stated, without a deep card and/or AOW, you're going to have a hard time finding a charter to take you deep.

Depending on where you're staying will determine where you dive. If you're looking for mostly cool wrecks, Discovery and Olympus out of Morehead City are good. Aquatic Safaris out of Wilmington will do some wrecks, some ledges, Frying Pan Tower, etc. Discovery & Olympus run big full boats, 25 or so divers on a trip. Aquatic Safaris also runs 24 diver boats. There are a few 6 pack boats out there, makes for a rougher ride in & out but fewer divers. Whatever you do, reserve your spots early. Don't expect to walk on in July!

Keep your fingers crossed for good seas. You might get 4 great days of diving or you might get blown out 4 days. In July you're guaranteed to see plenty of sand tigers, some reef sharks and the occasional bull shark.

I love NC coast diving when you can get out. It's well worth the trip, some days you get memorable dives that will stay with you forever. Some days you get beat to hell and end up on the Indra or the Hyde.

 

[DiverDownD3]

That's not necessarily true regarding the AOW. Call Olympus talk to Dottie and see what she says. At the worst you have to hire a guide at $35/day. To me thats not a bad thing, especially if you are unfamiliar with the wrecks. I wouldn' write off NC because of your lack of AOW.
I do agree that you aren't getting your hand held in nc. You will be expected to haul your gear, assemble your gear, and know how your computer works (which you would think any responsible diver would). They aren't going to throw a DM in the water for people to follow around.
Like others have said seas are unpredictable and these wrecks are a long way offshore. Last year was absolutely terrible. My advice would be plan for 5 to dive 3 days.
Megaladon runs are typically done more out of the Wilmington area, but those runs are usually done running by now. Unless you have a big party they'll do whatever you want.
Most people will tell you U-352 is the can't miss dive. I disagree. It is a really cool wreck? Yes, but I love diving with sand tigers so in my opinion there is nothing like the Caribsea when the conditions are right. Atlas Tanker and Aeolus round out my top 3 favorite dives.
I'm from the Morehead City area so if there's anything you want to know, just pm me.

 

[WinfieldNC]

Aquatic Safaris does have a few trips currently scheduled in July for meg teeth. Look for the Fossil Ledge/Sharktooth Ledge sites on their calendar. Aquatic Safaris SCUBA Center, Inc.

The Hyde is probably the most popular wreck out of Wilmington and with good reason. You can almost always see something cool. It is known for sand tigers. I was out there April 14th and it was a little too early for the sand tigers but I did come across a good size turtle.

 

[wader]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. (and the video; what depth were you at? 90-100?) Never got around to do the AOW (never felt like paying for it actually). Some of the dives we have done have been very challenging=deep, current, surge, limited vis, all that. So we are very comfortable with those types of dives, even w/out the card. We are ok w/out hand holding, although a guide is nice to point out things since we are not familiar with the sites. Could go either way. I can understand a dive center not wanting to take someone with it (liability). I will make some calls and see what they will be willing to do.
The "good" wrecks are a long ways offshore? How long of a ride out? SI on the boat I guess for a 2 tank dive?

 

[WinfieldNC]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. (and the video; what depth were you at? 90-100?) Never got around to do the AOW (never felt like paying for it actually). Some of the dives we have done have been very challenging=deep, current, surge, limited vis, all that. So we are very comfortable with those types of dives, even w/out the card. We are ok w/out hand holding, although a guide is nice to point out things since we are not familiar with the sites. Could go either way. I can understand a dive center not wanting to take someone with it (liability). I will make some calls and see what they will be willing to do.
The "good" wrecks are a long ways offshore? How long of a ride out? SI on the boat I guess for a 2 tank dive?

The beginning of the video with the anemone and the one sand tiger is at the John D. Gill. It's 25 miles offshore and I had a max depth of 86 feet. The Hyde is 18 miles out and I had a max depth of 82 feet but the top of the wreck is around 55-60 feet. It was approximately an hour and a half out to the Gill and then we moved back in to the Hyde and had about an hour surface interval. And then about an hour ride back.

Check out the Aquatic Safaris website. They have a nice table that lists all their dive sites with the depths and the distances offshore. To get good visibility you normally need to get 10-15 miles offshore. The farther offshore you get the more blue water you get and less green water. I don't think you will have any trouble diving in NC without an AOW certification with the experience you have.

 

[WinfieldNC]

This was at the Hyde with Aquatic Safaris last summer 8/21/17. Sand tigers were plentiful.

 

[DiverDownD3]

The deep wrecks are a good 2 hour boat ride or longer. Depends on weather. As far as surface interval usually around 90 minutes. Some days you'll double dip the same wreck. Nothing else is really around the Caribsea so theyll typically double dip that. Other days you'll work your way to another wreck. By time they putt over and tie in it's time to get suited up. I usually enjoy the SI, met some really cool people and have developed some friendships out of it