NC diving advice for CA diver

[paulwlee]

Hi all,

I am a diver located in Northern CA. A couple of my friends in NJ were toying with the idea of going on a trip to NC, and asked me if I would be interested. You can guess the answer.

I would like some advice on logistics and diving in general.

Dive experience:
Me: approaching 300 dives, mostly cold water and several warm water dives. PADI Assistant Instructor, GUE DIR-F, planning on taking GUE Tech 1 in the near future.
My friends: AOW Divers with solid skills, probably around 100 dives, most likely haven't dived for a while, so first day needs to be easy, but fine after that.

This is still completely up in the air, but we'll probably be flying in separately and hooking up in NC. What is the best city to fly to, if I want to get to the coast with great diving? Seems like Raleigh/Durham has the most flights.

What town should we stay in? We'll be on a strictly recreational profile, so I'm looking at sites with max depth around 120ft. Any places that we shouldn't miss?

Can I get DIN tanks on the boats? How easy would it be, and how much would it cost to rent doubles for the duration of my stay? Or since my buddies will be diving single tanks, will it be just too much hassle?

What kind of exposure protection do I need? I'm not sure exactly when we're going, but probably some time between August and November.
Would a 6.5mm semi-dry suit be too warm(both UW and above water)? How about a drysuit with DUI 300S undergarment? Or should I just buy or rent a 3mm full suit?

Thanks in advance!

 

[herman]

Hi from NC,

Your choices for an airport are pretty much limited to Raleigh (RDU) and Wilmington (ILM if I remember correctly). You could fly into Greensboro or Charlotte but that's going to add 1 to 2 hrs to your drive. Most likely the cheapest/easiest flights will be to RDU.
The 2 best overall cities for you to stay are Morehead City (3 hr drive)or Wilmington (2 1/2 hr). Both offer great diving as well as night life and other attractions. You should not have any trouble with the diving but experience with boat diving in less than flat seas is a big plus. 4 to 5 ft seas are common and most of our wrecks are a good ways off shore so boat rides of 2+ hrs are common. Seasickness is very common as well, I watched.....(well heard.. if I had watched I would have joined in ) 3 people get sick last weekend so anti seasick meds are a good idea. It's fairly common for us to get blown out. Also keep in mind Aug to Oct is prime hurricane season.

The water temps here run around 75 to 80 that time of year so 6.5 would be a little much for me. A 3mm and a hood/cap should be OK until late Nov. Air temps can range from 60 to 90 (with 80ish in Oct) so it's not likely you will need more that a Tshirt above water. A light jacket at night in Oct/Nov is a good idea.

DIN tanks are not common in rental. I would suggest that you call ahead if you need them. As for doubles, I am not aware of any place that rents them BUT I have never tried so they may be available.Also, you are going to have to climb onto a (most likely) pitching boat, can you handle them? (no insult intended, just something to keep in mind, I know I could not) I did see where a Wilmington shop now is renting 100's which may be helpful. You should also consider NITROX. Lots of NC divers have switched to it for more bottom time and less SI.

Here is a web site you may find useful http://www.nc-wreckdiving.com/

 

[RICHinNC]

dont forget fayetteville herman....we have an airport too....i flew to germany out of the dinky thing.

that would put her 2 hours away from wilmington....
gotta go...later...rich....

 

[herman]

True enough Rich, when you coming over to help with that bottle of wine?

 

[RICHinNC]

hey guy....i am in germany right now and will be here for another month and a half. So it sure wont be any time soon. open that bad boy up and enjoy.,...i will drink a good german beer in yalls name.....alfvederzane !!!

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

Herman as always hit the main topics, but couple of things to remember if you need a charter book now. Also there are few other charters I know that usually let me in pretty easy.
Surface temps will be hot as temps and humid being the main culprits, dress lightly be ok as Herman stated 3 mm is all you need I use a cap for me is all I use. Tanks if you call ahead of time I am sure most of the bigger operations can handle din as that what I dive.

 

[herman]

Joe, you did not miss much of a dive the other Friday. Vis was maybe 15 ft (Lib Ship and Socony). Worst part was my choice of buddies, I had a choice of a dive class doing checkout dives or a couple who had not been in the water in a long time........&^%*$@#!! I hate being a defacto instructor. That's the last time I go without a buddy on a boat.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

sorry to hear that guy but I know what you mean LOL !!!!