Morehead City, NC diving advice

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El Tiburon

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I'm headed to Morehead City NC to do some diving May 10-16, then back again August 13-14 to dive the Queen Anne's Revenge archeological site. Never been to NC so any tips or advice would be welcome. Thanks in Advance.
Coqui
 
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I'd save my money on that Queen Anne, dive & put it towards the U-352, Papoose (actually proven to be the Hutton), Spar, Schurz, or any of the other great wrecks out there.
A dive in 20fsw with 5 ft of vis, not that I haven't done dives like that, but they didn't cost the big $$$ they charge for that dive.
Anyway, have a good time, diving there is world class, but be prepared for rough seas & decent length boat rides. They tend to go out in marginal sea conditions. Doesn't bother me, but my wife tends to get seasick, but she still dives there & enjoys it.
 
Agree, spend your money on other great dives in the area and you'll get better viz and temps..but with any dive in the area, long boat rides usually an hour or more and seas are usually 3-5 feet, with 5 feet being the norm..May is usually a 3 - 5 mil suit and in the summer, you can do shorts and t shirt if you like..Have a good time !
 
Most boats have a cooler on board for your lunch and drinks. That is about it for pampering as it is not caribbean pretty fish touristy type boat diving.

I have seen trips where it is as flat as a Millpond and I have gotten beat up in 5-6 ft seas, so it varies. Take Bonine or Triptone even if you never get seasick anywhere else. In my limited experience June-July is very nice with lots of sand tigers, decent viz and decent odds for good weather while August - November is even less predictable.

When NC is great, it is absolutely stunning with world class viz, 72 degree water, beautiful, cerulean blue water, loads of sand tigers, a wide variety of tropical reef fish, large schools of atlantic spadefish, enormous balls of bait fish and the occasional dolphin. When NC is bad, you get beat up in 6 ft seas end up dropped on an inshore wreck like the Indra in 60-65 degree colder brownish water with 10' viz, surge and no fish to speak of. It just depends. Or in other words, a bad day off NC is like a good day off Delaware or New Jersey. :D

Operator wise, Olympus runs nice trips as does Discovery, but my favorite is Bobby Cox and the Diver Down located on the causeway to Atlantic Beach. He will go out in marginal conditions (nice when you travel a long way and spend $300 on gas and motels whether the boat leaves the dock or not) but plans the destination based on wind and waves so that the boat ride is not as bad as it could be. Bobby also does an excellent job of finding good visibility and the Diver Down usually carries about 12 divers plus crew so the wrecks do not get overloaded as can be the case with some other operators with up to 20-25 divers plus crew per boat. I have never had a bad trip with Bobby and highly recommend him. The Diver Down is docked about a block from the Fishermen's Inn and they are good people with a clean if not fancy motel. it makes a very convenient place to stay with facilties to wash and hang your gear after the day's diving and is short walk from the Beach and several good restaurants.

The U-352 is a must do if you have never done it and after that you'll probably never need to do it again - but will get drug there on a regular basis. The Spar is a former buoy tender that is often dove on the same trip as the U-352 and it is a nice artifical reefed wreck. It is fairly clean and safe to penetrate and tends to have lots of fish on it as well as sand tigers and the occasional ray. The Caribbesea and Atlas are also great wrecks for fish and sand tigers in the summer. In the case of the Caribsea it is shallower at about 85' and the Atlas in 110' but has a lot of verical relief like the Spar so they tend to provide the option of more bottom time.

The Captains Lady (with Discovery) and the Atlantis IV are 6 packs and may offer a better chance to get to some of the smaller less traveled wrecks like the Bedordshire - but expect a slightly rougher ride.

Average depth is 100-120 ft for the wrecks farther off shore in the gulfstream while the inshore wrecks run 65-85 ft in what is often cooler in shore water with less viz. The regular charters are recreational in nature and decompression is not encouraged. I have found however that longer dives with short deco are well tolerated if you get off the boat first so that you can get back on with the last of the divers coming aboard. The idea is not to tie up boat and delay the other divers with in water deco. So if you plan and execute the dive so that you do neither, 5-10 minutes of deco will work.

I normally dive one set of doubles for both dives as it is enough gas for what are from a techncial perspective fairly shallow dives. Again, long deco is not really an option and there is no need to hog space on the boat with multiple sets of doubles, deco bottles, etc.

The seas can be rough so set your gear up before you leave the dock and keep it organized and compact so that it stays out of everyone else's way.
 
Nice description DA. Unless you are really really into history or Black Beard I would skip the QAR dive. It is a shallow dive with poor vis at best and they treat the wreck like it was some kind of fragile art work. I am all for protecting history but please, this thing has been under NC waters for 200 years enduring our pounding surf and countless hurricanes. A few divers touching it is not going to do any damage. Spend your dive money on other dives, then visit the museum to see Blackbeard artifacts.
 
I agree with the others...spend the money diving other wrecks and then go to the museum afterwards.
 
Thanks for for the tips guys. DA, thanks, your post paints me a pretty good picture of what to expect. If I had posted this thrad before paying a $250 non-refundable deposit I would have reconsidered, however, deposit was made and I'm going to make the best of it. My plan is drive down Sunday do some wreck diving Mon, Tues and Wed, do the QAR thing Thurs and Fri, drive home Sat. Either way I'm looking forward to it.
 
Thanks for for the tips guys. .... If I had posted this thrad before paying a $250 non-refundable deposit I would have reconsidered, however, deposit was made and I'm going to make the best of it. My plan is drive down Sunday do some wreck diving Mon, Tues and Wed, do the QAR thing Thurs and Fri, drive home Sat. Either way I'm looking forward to it.

Enjoy and please give us a report on your dive. The chance to dive such a historic wreck is definitely worth it. You'll get hooked on the areas diving.
 
In all fairness to the Dive Down project, I have to chime in here. You’re really comparing apples to oranges if you’re looking at a typical NC wreck dive versus the QAR experience. It’s not the same thing at all. I had a chance participate in a Dive Down program last September (which will the subject of an upcoming Dive Training magazine feature), and it FAR exceeded all my expectations. And I’ve participated in other cultural marine heritage programs, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. For example, how often do you get the chance to sieve through sediment and find everything from lead shot to gold flakes that sank on the flagship of the most famous pirate in the Western Hemisphere? Plus, in addition to everything we learned about maritime archeology, we were treated to some excellent presentations by experts in coastal geology and marine ecology. I learned almost as much about the natural history of the NC coast as I did about archeology. When you consider all this—plus the fact that we got to dive another wreck and had a fantastic dinner and presentation by the QAR historian and author—I got to say it was well worth the price. Of course, if you’re not into learning, and just what to go diving, then Dive Down probably isn’t for you. But it would be a mistake to blow it off as something not worthwhile. It definitely is.

Alex Brylske
 
Hi Coqui,

I am writing as a NC diving enthusiast and the Project Coordinator for QAR Dive Down. First of all, you've made an excellent decision to dive North Carolina. In terms of shipwrecks, big marine life, and dive operators, NC is nearly unparalleled in quality. The wrecks of the U352, Schurz, Aeolus, Papoose (Hutton), Spar, Atlas, Caribsea, and even the Indra, Hutton (Ario) & Suloide are world-class dives, and Olympus & Discovery are fantastic dive operations (also check out Tortuga charters). By coupling offshore diving with Queen Anne's Revenge, you will truly experience the very best diving North Carolina has to offer.

Regarding the negative comments about QAR, I am more than happy to provide you with references from past participants, as we've had nothing but positive feedback from those who have actually been through the program. Dive Down is far more than just a dive on the site, though there is much to be said for coming so close to the world's most infamous pirate. You'll receive information from scholars, authors, and professionals that will greatly enhance your knowledge of history, geology, marine life, and archaeology. (It is also noteworthy that the preservation and research efforts of these individuals make exhibits such as those at the Maritime Museum and the NC Aquarium, possible.)

I have been all over the world, yet Queen Anne's Revenge remains one of my favorite dives. While it is true that QAR is not the most scenic, there is far more to appreciate about diving than deep depths and pretty fish (though I do love me some fish!). The people that come away from Dive Down the most fulfilled are the ones who come in the most curious. You will not feel short changed- in fact, upon completion, most people are astounded that we don't charge more for the program. There is no profit in the price- all the money is spent chartering the boats, paying our lecturers, feeding our participants, and sending people away with souvenirs and materials.

I am, admittedly, defensive of the Dive Down Program as we have worked so hard putting it together and feel strongly that it is of such value to divers interested in furthering their knowledge of shipwrecks, history, and the marine environment. That said, in the same way that divers who think submerged caves are little more than wet rocks, shouldn't cave dive, Dive Down isn't for everyone. However, I am always saddened when people dismiss things that are of true educational value, as there is so much to be learned, diving or otherwise, by all of us.

Fear not- you'll have a great time!

If you have any questions about Dive Down, or about NC diving in general, please don't hesitate to email me anytime. (Lauren@GoDiveNC.com)
 
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