Wreck Diving in North Carolina

Our Presentation will begin in just a moment• North Carolina offers a diving experience like none other. Nowhere else will you find such excitement underwater. Its true that we have longer boat rides, more finicky conditions, and greater depths than many other destinations. We dont have guides to monitor your air or carry your gear, but these aspects only enhance the sense of adventure that is North Carolina diving.• Each dive in North Carolina is an experience lifted from the pages of National Geographic. Our awe-inspiring shipwrecks come with fascinating— and often tragic—tales of submarine warfare, treacherous storms, and catastrophic collisions. Even our artificial reefs evoke compelling stories of navigational feats and wartime patrols. These shipwrecks—the Graveyard of the Atlantic—constitute an unparalleled symbolic collection of our maritime history.• And the fish! Unlike the sedate suburban sprawl of coral reefs, each shipwreck is its own ecological metropolis, a bustling urban center emerging from a vast sandy plain where animals come to eat, breed, and seek protection from predators. On any given dive youll see members from each link of the marine food chain—and youll see them in astounding numbers, from sponges and coral up to our beloved sand tiger sharks. Patrolling pelagics feed on giant schools of bait fish as huge turtles and rays glide along the bottom and colorful reef fish contrast against the scattered debris. 1

Discovery Diving is located in Beaufort, North Carolina. We have World ClassWarm Water Wreck Diving and we’d like to give you some information about us andthe wreck diving we do. We opened our retail store in 1976 and our charteroperation several years before that, so we have been teaching and running chartersfor over 35 years. North Carolina diving can be as good as it gets anywhere in theworld. 2

We are located right on the coast of North Carolina, about ½ way between theVirginia and South Carolina boarders. 3

North Carolina is unique in that it has a system of outer banks that have formed 3shoal areas that extend miles out to sea, Cape Lookout is the middle one, which iswhere we are.We’re also about three hours South/East of Raleigh the capital and closestInternational airport. 4

U-352Some of the best warm water wreck diving in the world is off our coast. We havegreat visibility, warm water, a wide variety of marine life and a huge number ofshipwrecks. 5

AeolusWe have shipwrecks dated from as early as the Civil War. Some of the ships sunkas a result of bad weather, some were purposely sunk to be artificial reefs. The vastmajority of the wrecks off of our coast are the result combat actions during WWII. 6

There are approximately 30 Shipwrecks that we explore on a regular basis. 7

U-352Easily the most famous wreck is the U-352. The U-352 was sunk in 1942 in 112 feetof water, about 30 miles from the coast. 8

Our offshore wrecks are in the 85 – 140 foot range, while our inshore wrecks are inthe 65 – 70 foot range. 9

IndraThe inshore visibility averages 30 feet but can be as good as 60 feet. 10

Chris O’Riley & Karen Doody’s U-352The offshore visibility averages 60 – 70 feet, but can be as good as 100 +. 11

Because the Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream meet off of our coast, we have acombination of marine life that you won’t find anywhere else. 12

This is a Satellite shot showing the convergence of the two streams the red is thewarm water of the gulf stream coming north, the blue is the cold water of theLabrador current coming south. 13

This is a satellite shot from June 26 of 2010. It again shows the convergence of thetwo currents and that during the summer the water temperature is in the 80’s top tobottom. 14

Fingers or offshoots of the Gulf Stream bring in the warm, clear water from theCaribbean that carries with it tropical fish, such as butterflyfish, lionfish, Queen,French, and Blue angelfish. 15

And even spiny lobsters can be found hiding in 120 feet or more of water. 16

Pelagic fish like these African Pompanos don’t remain in a set area, but arecontinually migrating to new parts of the ocean. The Labrador current brings coldwater fish down from the north and the Gulfstream brings warm water fish up fromthe south giving us a variety of fish you won’t find anywhere else. 17

For this reason, you don’t know what new and exciting creatures you may see onyour dive. You will see anything from anemones to dolphin and even manta rays,sunfish, and whale sharks have been seen on our wrecks. 18

One of the main draws to North Carolina is the resident Sand Tiger Sharkpopulation. They can be seen in their natural environment. We don’t need to baitthem and you don’t need to be in a shark cage. 19

You can easily interact with these docile creatures. To them, you are just a strangelooking fish. The Spar is a Coast Guard buoy tender that was sunk as an artificialreef in June of 2004 and is a popular wreck to see Sand Tigers. 20

There are many other fish living on the Spar as well, you’ll also see baitfish,amberjacks, and tropical fish. 21

Another wreck that is popular for Sand Tigers is the Caribsea. It was sunk onMarch 10, 1942 by the U-158 in 85 feet of water about ten miles east of CapeLookout Shoals. The visibility during the summer is generally about 40 feet but canrange from 80 to 100 feet. 22

Like all of our other wrecks, there are many other fish living on the Caribseaincluding grouper, sea bass, and damselfish. 23

Even though wrecks are our main draw, North Carolina also has rock ledges off ofthe coast. This live bottom only rises a few feet above the ocean floor, but offersdivers a different experience. You can see various tropical fish, anemones, andplant life that aren’t found on the wrecks. 24

Outrageous VDiscovery Diving has 3 charter boats that run year round. This is the Outrageous V,one of our 2 crew boats. We generally hold the crew boats to a max of 16 divers. 25

Outrageous VThis is the Outrageous V’s pilot house and passenger areas 26

Sea Quest IIThis is the Sea Quest II our other crew boat. Once again the boats usually carry 16max but only need 8 to run. 27

Sea Quest IIThis is the passenger area and pilot house on the Sea Quest II. 28

Captain’s LadyOur six passenger boat, the Captains Lady is great for those smaller groups andonly needs 4 to run. The Captains Lady runs to all the same wrecks the CrewBoats do. 29

All of our boats have oxygen onboard and have experienced, caring crews. Ourboats have cabins to get out of the elements, are heated for the winter dives, andhave heads onboard. 30

All of the charter boats are docked conveniently right out the door of the shop. 31

Our Regular Day Charters are $115.00 per diver but with 6 or more divers we dooffer group rates. 32

SparA Regular Day is 2 dives, one of the dives in the 85 – 130 foot range and thesecond dive is on a shallower site on the way back to the dock. 33

Caribsea windlassOur Half Day Charters are 1 dive inshore in the 60 – 70 foot range and the cost is$65.00 per diver. 34

PapooseWe also offer charters that are more than 40 miles offshore, night dives andextended day charters. We will be glad to quote prices for these upon request. 35

AeolusFor groups of six or more, we offer a weekday special, which includes 4 days ofdiving and 5 nights of lodging. 36

As so many people bring their own equipment please note that our charter ratesdon’t include tanks, weights, or any other rentals. We do rent everything you mightneed to make your dives more enjoyable except for cameras and dive lights. 37

Tank Fills • Air • 30% Nitrox • Up to 3500 psi, Doubles welcomeOur compressor system allows us to do Air fills and 30% Nitrox fills and we haveboth 80 and 100 cubic foot tanks available for rent. 38

West LodgeDiscovery Diving Co. has 2 Lodges, within easy walking distance and are availablefor groups. The West Lodge is 3 stories and has beds for 30 people. 39

East LodgeThe East Lodge is 1 story and has beds for 15 people. For groups of 6 or more, therate is $20.00 per person, per night. 40

The Beaufort Harbour Suites will be opening in the fall of 2010 and will have 16efficiency rooms. It is located next to one of our lodges and again is easy walkingdistance from the shop. 41

The dive shop is located a short walking distance from restaurants, bars, quaintshops, and the Maritime Museum all located along Beaufort’s Historic waterfront. 42

We have a variety of local restaurants offering great menus from local seafood to 5star gourmet cuisine. 43

This is a great shot, showing how close we are to the inlet and the open ocean. 44

Shackelford HorsesWe are also within kayaking distance of the Rachel Carson Estuaries Sanctuaryand the most southern outer bank of the Cape Lookout National Seashore,Shackelford banks. 45

Aquarium pictureAquarium sub tankFor the non-divers in the group, the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shoresgives visitors insight into the diverse amount of marine life living in North Carolinaand along our shores. 46

Blackbeard pictureThe Maritime Museum & Watercraft Center has exhibits that showcase the richmaritime history of North Carolina. It has an exhibit on Blackbeard, North Carolinasmost infamous pirate. The Blackbeard exhibit has artifacts that were recoveredfrom the Queen Anne’s Revenge site located in Beaufort Inlet. 47

Fort MaconFort Macon on Atlantic Beach is a restored Civil War Fort that was used up untilWorld War II, this state park also offers beach access. 48

Picture of light houseThere are ferries available to take you to Cape Lookout to see the Light House andto Shackelford Banks to see the wild horses. There’s also the History Placemuseum in Morehead City that is dedicated to the history & culture of the people ofCarteret County, 49

Are you ready to come diving in North Carolina?Diving off the Crystal Coast will offer you a new and exciting experience, we offer adiversity of wreck diving not found anywhere else. You are sure to leave with amemorable diving adventure. 50

Thank you for your time. We look forward to seeing you and your divers in thefuture. 51

On that perfect day, when the sun is shining, the seas are calm, and the warm, clearwater of the Gulf Stream provides almost unlimited visibility, North Carolina diving is as good as it gets anywhere in the world. 52

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Wreck Diving in North Carolina

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