29 replies to this topic

[triggerfish]

ewwwww

no such thing as a TOFU Fest. partake in the seafood, revel in knowing a small animal was killed for your dinning pleasure.

yucky girl

i have nothing to say in my defense.

i would never tell you or anyone else to forego the joys of a nice, big ....juicy strip steak............

sizzling on the grill.................

covered .......in.....

grilled on.....ions.....



AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BradfordNC]

that said,

it's sushi time

[triggerfish]

i hate you.

and i mean that with all my heart, hon.

[ronbert]

Might be interested..what kind of depth, temp and viz. are we talking about?

[WreckWench]

Might be interested..what kind of depth, temp and viz. are we talking about?

Great! I hope you can join us! However, NC diving is not for everyone....most of the wrecks lie 80-120 ft with sometimes only 20-25ft of relief. Often less as these wrecks are not artificial reefs like you find in Florida but rather actual victims of war and so were cable layered to prevent them from being a hazard to shipping.

Bottom temps in Aug should be in the mid-80's ...this past weekend the temps were only 76 at the bottom so still running a bit cooler then normal for July. Vis was in the 70-80 ft range this past weekend...also slighly lower then usual as normal vis runs 70-150+ Current was slight to none this past weekend although on our 4th of July trip we had a full moon so had about a 1 knot current 2 of our 4 diving days. Seas were very calm running only 1-2 ft.

All in all...this past weekend was an easy weekend that almost any level of diver could have dove....however one of the reasons NC is considered an intermediate dive destination is because of the potential to have a few ft of seas....viz that can exceed 100+ ft until the last 20 ft and then drops like a lead weight....bottom temps that exceed Cozumel or FLorida or run brisk and surprise you being in the 70's vs. the 80's...a little current or even sometimes a brisk current (not as big of an issue if you ALWAYS stay on the anchor line to the wreck and hold onto the wreck vs. trying to swim against it!) or some combination of the above. Our boat rides are longer then usual....averaging about 2 hrs to each wreck but most people sleep or tan or otherwise relax. Over the 4th of July we got to watch and play with 3 different dolphin pods...not individual dolphins but full PODS! And of course all the cudas, rays, large gamefish and sharks.

So what is the rule of thumb? We ask that you be at least Advanced or equivelent and comfortable diving to over 100 ft. We ask that you have about 40 dives under your belt...a few less if all your dives are ocean dives....at least 40 or more if all your dives are fresh water dives. The main idea here is that after about 40 dives you are familiar with your gear...you have some idea of your air consumption...you have had time to do your Advanced class and feel comfortable diving around and beyond 100 ft and you are more comfortable with conditions that may change from the ideal.

If this sounds like its up your alley...or you still aren't sure then either pm me...email me at kamala@singledivers.com or call me at 214-350-7003 and I'll be happy to talk about your particular diving skills. We do have DM's available that you can hire to navigate for you so all you have to do is enjoy the wreck...they can also help you to just feel more at ease for the first day or so. Just let us know...we aim to please!

P.S. On the 4th of July trip we found a new ammo stash yeilding loads of US and German ammo and I even found the rounded wood casings from what would have been an ammo locker hatch.....my boat capt found the actual solid brass hatch this past weekend....1 weekend off...1 dive off....talk about the luck....or lack of!
-ww

[GentDiver]

I'm all signed up!!!

It will be great to meet everyone!

[WreckWench]

I'm all signed up!!!

It will be great to meet everyone!

Awesome!! Are you doing the August trip or October trip? I think you registered for the Oct trip but posted in the Aug thread. Ahh....too many trips...so little time!!!

[DandyDon]

I'm all signed up!!!   

It will be great to meet everyone!

Awesome!! Are you doing the August trip or October trip? I think you registered for the Oct trip but posted in the Aug thread. Ahh....too many trips...so little time!!!

Hey Scott, baby...!

So are you going to be on the Oct trip? Maybe you can help me show the gals a good time at the Seafood Festival?

Can you get Nitrox certified before then? Your Profile doesn't reflect it, and it can give you 50% more bottom time.

[Sophia]

I wish I could go again this year!

[DandyDon]

Looks like Soon-to-be-Hurricane Alex may well skirt Atlantic Beach this week.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Maybe it'll uncover some new artifacts for y'all to bring up...?

[WreckWench]

Hey gang...we may just be full!! Or I may have 1 spot! If you been holding out let me know as we are close to filling this trip out!

And I certainly plan to find some cool stuff uncovered by the storm!! Kamala

[texasdiverdude]

Load me up with Nitrox and a stage!!!

[WreckWench]

Ok darling...we'll load you up alright....nitrogen here we come!!! LOL!!!

[WreckWench]

Hey gang...we are a GO despite the POSSIBILITY that we might get some fallout from Charlie...Bonnie should miss the coastal part of NC altogether! (Might make DRIVING there fun for folks from Charlotte, and our own beloved Walter coming in from Florida!)

The policy in the area is that unless the weather is certain they are on the path for a hurricane like they did with Alex then they will cancel trips early. Otherwise they will not cancel until the day of the dive....IF they need to cancel at all.

If we cancel our boat and I give a full refund for your diving...other operators in the area only give you a credit towards a future dive.

We will run with 3-5 foot seas IF everyone on the boat can handle it. 99% of the time I have people on the boat that can handle these more intermediate and advanced conditions...that is why this is NOT a newbie dive destination...that and the depths and the POSSIBILITY of current etc.

However, I LEARNED to dive current in this venue...(ALWAYS hold onto the line to the wreck and then hold onto the wreck to pull yourself along and DON'T let go and I NEVER have any problems with current. I DO NOT attempt to swim against a strong current...no good reason too!) I LEARNED to dive choppy seas in this venue...I LEARNED to dive deep in this venue....so on any given day the diving is perfect and its as easy as ANYWHERE...but on any other given day it can require more skill so we plan for the latter and not the former when we screen people to dive in NC.

Note: We do ask that you have AOW or equivelent and at least 40 dives under your belt so that diving is almost second nature to you so you can just focus on having a good time and enjoying this AWESOME diving venue!!!

[WreckGoddess]

This is my first attempt at uploading a picture!! Sorry for the bad scanning job.
*Right after getting the dive blown.. but the company was great*