Morehead North Carolina Diving

Quote from Facebook

“I could not ask for a better scuba trip. Perfect weather, awesome friends, good accommodations, excellent charter, amazing wrecks, interesting wildlife, broke the 50 dive mark….. and cheap beer!”

Originally planned as being a two-day charter trip (Monday/Tuesday) with an extra day for orientation, shore dive, and rest (Sunday) it turned out to be three straight beautiful diving days.  I only have great things to say about Olympus Dive Center.  They were well-organized in the shop, filling station, and boat.  We left on time each day.  The captain laid out choices of the wreck destinations, and was good at fair diplomacy between the different groups of divers.  Safety was discussed before every dive as well as the sites and marine life.  The accommodations they provide for $25 a night were clean and comfortable. It was only a block away from the shop which was super convenient in the morning.

It was a two-hour boat ride each morning to the dive sites.  The first day I took the time to reorganize what I had on my BCD and were it was placed.  There was the upper deck to lounge.  The mid deck where the equipment was. An air-conditioned lower deck with booths to eat, read, sleep, and watch videos on a flat screen.  On arrival at the dive site, one of the boat mates donned his scuba gear.  He was wearing a full face mask with a built-in radio.  Diving into the water with hook in hand, he dropped down to the wreck and would wind the hook and chain around a solid point on the wreck.  This was our anchor line.  They also dropped weighted lines on either sides of the boat which formed a “V” towards the anchor line.  The weighted lines were hanging at 15′  for us to use during the safety stop on the way back up.  We performed long stride entrances from either side of the boat.  The most dangerous part of the dive was returning to the boat to climb the ladder.  The waves in the ocean could back the hike up the ladder tedious at times.  The captain wanted us to have a two-hour surface interval before the second dive. During this time the group was offered the choices about the location of the second dive.

Day 1 Dive 1 (Sunday)

“SPAR”

http://www.hagertygrain.com/spar/  I found this website through a google search.  Very interesting pictures, stories, and history.  The whole life of the boat is there.

This was the first stop.  Known for its sharks Olympus visits this site frequently.  An 183′ ocean-going US coast guard buoy tender that was sunk as part of the artificial reef program in 2004.  Approximately 30 miles offshore from Morehead City.  You hit the ocean floor at 110′, but can get down to 115′ around the rudder.  The top deck has 4 different levels ranging from 90′ to 75′.  There was some easy penetration that was enjoyable similar to the Wolf Islander.  Like the Wolf islander before sinking the engines were removed which means that there is a large cut out on the deck that allows access down to the base of the ship.  Each time dove this wreck there was roughly half-dozen sharks meandering around.  Our anticipations as a group about diving with the sharks was one of cautious curiosity.  Once we were with the sharks though we all became comfortable near them to the point of trying to approach them.  Above the bridge area at 75′ there was a barracuda.  He was there the three times we dove this wreck.  Always surrounded by bait fish.  Traveling down around to the base of the bow or the stern was interesting for a short while, but all the action was around the boat decks.

Day 1 Dive 2

“U-352″

http://www.nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECKS/U352/U352.HTML

The reason we drove here in the first place.  Quite an exciting piece of history still available to us few that will go to through the extent of training to get there.  I really find it different to have the ability to see, touch, and intimately enjoy the wrecks we dive.  If such a historical piece were on land we’d likely be looking at it from behind a roped off area.  Having learned some of the history about its mission and fate I was really enjoying the dive while thinking somber thoughts.  Looking into the conning tower I was imagining the submariners exiting for the last time under gun fire from the americans….  On a lighter note, it was a beautiful change in wreck scenery from the norm.  I’m sure we would have enjoyed diving this wreck one more time, but it wasn’t in the cards.  At 115′ to the sand and the fact that it’s a submarine there isn’t much relief to swim at a higher depth to conserve air.  Fannie and I had a 37min dive so I don’t have much to complain about.

Day 2 Dive 1  (Monday)

“SPAR”

Day 2 Dive 2

“SPAR”

Day 3 Dive 1 (Tuesday)

“Indra”

http://www.nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECKS/INDRA/INDRA.HTML

Our third and final day started out with the risk of not diving at all.  The wind had picked up.  Captain Mike eased our minds be telling us that we would attempt to dive some of the shallower wrecks.  This was music to our ears.  As long as we were diving we were happy.  The rough ride out to Indra was awesome for the fact that Mike, Fannie, and I donned our dry suits and stood on the top deck entertained by the ship slamming into the big rollers.  After getting the 20 min arrival warning we meet with the rest of the divers and crew for wreck orientation.  USS INDRA, Achelous class landing craft repair ship.  Another artificial reef volunteer.  When I jumped into the water to meet up with Fannie I could immediately see the wreck 45′ below us.  Having gained confidence in North Carolina diving the pervious two days we didn’t bother with the rope down to the boat.  We just let our weight belts bring us there.   The vis was OK 30+ feet.  I found the wreck kind of barren and spooky at first… not sure why it was spooking me.  We swam past the sailboat (also part of the artificial reef program), and the bridge section that had ripped of during a hurricane.  At the stern section Fannie and I where finning around the rear gun mount when a stunning group of amber jacks swam around us for 20 seconds.  It was an incredible moment that had me grinning ear to ear.

Day 3 Dive 2

“Suloide”

http://www.divebuddy.com/divesite.aspx?DiveSiteID=1597

This is a wreck.  Of a wreck.  After colliding with a sunken ship the Hutton, the Suloide was herself sunk.  Deemed a navigational hazard it was dynamited with 20 tons of explosives then raked across the ocean floor.  The site length was in the 400′  range by 30′ across and the depth i got was 67′.  I found it enjoyable to hover 15′  over the wreckage until I saw something interesting.  Lots of scrap metal!  Fannie found some kind of spider looking thing which we played with for a couple of minutes.

Expenses

The cost of the trip was more or less what I though it would be.  Fannie and I drove down and back together.  We opted to leave Friday night and drive 6 hours.  We stopped at a hotel in Scranton.  Then on the way back we drove to Frederick before we stopped at another hotel.  This added $200 to our costs.  Adam & Mike drove to NC starting early Friday morning and arriving in the evening.  Then on the way back they found a rest stop on the side of the highway that they got some shut-eye at.  It was a 16-18 hour drive.  Washington DC was problematic both coming and going.

3 Days of Olympus charters            $375 (125 each day)

I got 5 Nitrox fills                                $75

NC Accom thru Olympus                 $75 (25 a night)

Breakfast & lunches                            $30

Dinners & Drinks                                 $85

Hotel Accom traveling                     $100 (200/2)

Highway Food                                      $30

Gas                                                            $107 (215/2 Ford Focus Wagon)

Tips                                                          $35

Misc                                                         $50

Equals                                                  $1000 (roughly)