Since I asked for this section to be created, I will get it started. It is not a common known fact among international diving circles that some of the most prolific wreck diving in the world is just a boat ride off shore of the sandy beaches of North Carolina.
The seabed off of the Outer Banks is the final resting place for thousands of vessels that have become victims of the forces of war, pirates and the wrath of the ocean. Frequently called “The Graveyard of the Atlantic”, North Carolina has one of the highest densities of shipwrecks in the world, and is one of America’s most important maritime historical areas. The history of these shipwrecks range from America’s colonial days to the present. Rumors abound of Spanish Galleons laden with gold and silver that are yet to be discovered. The wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the boat that Blackbeard used during his reign of terror lies, on the sandy bottom just outside of Beaufort inlet.
North Carolina can be classified into 3 specific regions that correspond with the 3 dangerous shoals that jut into the Atlantic from Capes. They are Cape Hatteras with Diamond shoals, Cape Lookout and her shoals and Cape Fear and Frying Pan shoals. Dive operations run out of Oregon Inlet and Hatteras on both sides of Diamond Shoals, Beaufort Inlet (Morehead City and Beaufort) just west of Lookout Shoals and out of Wilmington on both sides of Frying Pan Shoals.
Hurricanes, wicked winter storms, dangerous shoals, maritime accidents and casualties of both world wars have contributed to this wreck diver’s paradise. Every year thousands of divers come to North Carolina to scuba dive the wrecks. Diving off the coast of North Carolina is incredibly rewarding, but it can have it’s challenges. A minimum level of training and experience, coupled with a degree of physical fitness is required to be safe.
If you have any questions about diving North Carolina, please feel free to contact me directly.
Captain James Rosemond
This post was edited by James Rosemond at April 26, 2011 3:23:35 PM EDT"