Dive the East
Adventurers travel far and wide to experience life underwater. By that, we mean snorkeling. Some fly hours to Belize, or Thailand or Bonaire. Some make the best of what is right in their backyard and yes, that means in North Carolina too. Snorkeling in North Carolina is a popular pastime and more accessible than you’d think. Before grabbing your passport, we recommend visiting one of these snorkeling spots on the coast of our great state!
Diving in North Carolina:
In the past, North Carolina has been rated the top wreck diving destination for explorers seeking possibly haunted ship wrecks and a meeting with tiger sharks living in the surrounding waters. The coast of North Carolina is home to multiple reefs, all home to breathtaking sea life, including groupers, lobsters and giant stingrays. In its 2.5 million acres of water, you may run into a school of barracuda or greater amberjacks.
Divers in North Carolina experience peak season from May to October, with visibility spanning 50 feet or more. During the summer, water temperatures can reach up to 85 degrees, so you’ll still get the Caribbean feel.
Roanoke Island Dive Shop:
Located in Manteo, Roanoke Island Dive Shop is a full-service dive shop offering sales, service, rentals and training for scuba diving and spearfishing. Specializing in wreck diving, their team will teach you all you need to know to take your diving knowledge to the next level. Start as a beginner or take a refresher course before you hit the open waters.
Their Snorkel a Shipwreck offering does not require any prior experience, as long as you’re a good swimmer! Enter the water from the beach and swim to the shipwreck 100 yards off the beach, where you’ll look for crabs, fish and other marine life. The snorkel tour is $49 per person and includes a snorkel vest, mask, a snorkel, fins and a wetsuit.
New to scuba diving? Their Try SCUBA course is $100 per person and is a two to three-hour introduction course to the art of scuba diving in warm, calm pool waters. You’ll get fitted for your equipment then hit the pool to learn the basics! Check out their many classes and activities for both beginner and experienced divers!
Ghost Fleet Dive Charters:
Haunted houses, what about the haunted seas? Captain Crockett and his crew offer shipwreck diving charters to several famous wrecks off the coast of the Outer Banks. Their most popular tour takes divers to the German U-boat U-85, located just 15 miles off the coast. The ship sank in 1942, one of the first naval victories against the German war effort. The USS Roper sank the U-Boat after a surface battle, leaving behind a fully intact German U-boat. Meet the eels that call her deck gun home and explore the torpedo located near the stern of the vessel. The most popular shipwreck dive in North Carolina, give them a call at (252)-423-0451 to reserve your spot!
Ghost Fleet Dive Charters offers charters to many other shipwrecks in the Outer Banks. Find them at 212 Thicket Lump Road in Wanchese to learn about the living history of these ships.
Discovery Diving:
Discovery Diving is training divers out of Beaufort, with close access to the many famous shipwrecks located in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. For folks who are new to diving, folks who have been diving for years and folks who need new dive equipment, their staff is at your service. Visit one of their many dive sites, including offshore ledges and shore diving locations.
Some of their most popular charters include trips to the U-352 U-boat, the Caribsea, the Spar, the Aeolus, the Papoose and the Naeco. As part of an initiative with the North Carolina Aquarium, they offer a shark identification program and coral reef restoration program as well.