plainsong:
Hello,
I'm thinking, sometime this summer, I will drive from Alexandria(VA) to Moorehead for a weekend of diving. I did a wreck dive before (the Eagle @ Key Largo) and loved it. Now, I figure the Graveyard of the Atlantic would be perfect. Before actually heading down there I'd like to make sure of some things so I have a couple questions:
How long it takes to get there - driving?
Am I getting in over my head given my limited number of dives?
Thanks in advance.
It takes about 6.5 hours to 7.5 hours to drive from Arlington, VA to Morehead City/Beaumont NC, assuming you are NOT leaving town on Friday afternoon. (Take Friday off and leave around 7 AM...or it will take much longer. This way you'll roll into town around late afternoon.)
Time for the commute is completely traffic-dependent. On a holiday weekend, such as Memorial Day, you may even want to take an extra day on the front end and leave Thursday morning. Boats return to the dock generally by 3 PM Sunday. After rinsing your gear and settling your account(s) you can be on the road by 4 or 4:30. Unless there are accidents or its a holiday weekend you'll be back in Arlington around 2 AM. [On holiday weekends the traffic coming up from Virginia Beach merges just north of Richmond, and you'll crawl the entire way back into DC from there onwards...avoid holiday weekends.]
So long as you dive within your limits, have a plan, stick with a buddy, listen to the briefing, and dive your plan, you'll be fine. It isn't a matter of the number of dives you have, its whether you use your head and execute wisely. There are many, many wrecks down there in relatively shallow water...and sometimes you can have a lot of fun on shallow wrecks just poking around and looking at them. All things considered, however, you would prefer to get out into the Gulf Stream where the vis is better and the water is warmer. This may put many wrecks between say 70' and 115' or so.
Like Walter said, this is different diving. The rides can be 2.5 hours out or more (then another 2.5+ back), you can be 60-70 miles offshore, weather can play a large role, many divers become seasick if they haven't taken Triptone or Bonine (and don't have their sea legs yet), bring a hat and water, etc. etc. There can be significant currents. A boat I was on once picked up three divers drifting in the ocean over a mile away from their charter boat. They'd been reported missing. They got off the anchor line, missed the wreck, didn't know how to navigate with a compass, and instead of surfacing they kept on swimming with the current until they ran out of air and had to surface. 60 miles offshore is not a location to get stupid.
While you can certainly call a charter boat captain and reserve a slot, make hotel reservations, etc., perhaps a better way to do it for a first time experience might be to work with a shop. There is a good one right by you, and I suggest you consider giving Dori a call:
http://www.splashdivecenter.com/trips.php
Splash has a trip going to Morehead in June, it should be a fun trip and this gives you a guided entry into the entire scene down there. You can collect cards from hotels and restaurants, as well as charter ops for that matter, get an idea about fill availability, etc., all in a company of other divers who've been there a few times. Its a 'reduced-risk' option for learning all about diving off Morehead City/Beaumont.
Hope you have fun, either way.
Doc
