The top 136 dive and snorkel sites in North Carolina, ranked by diver reviews, with maps and photos. Read the North Carolina guide
Private quary with fee access ($15 per day). The park is located 10 miles outside of Raleigh , North Carolina - From Raleigh take 401 North ( Louisburg Road ) to Rolesville. Turn right on E. Young Street (turns into Rolesville Road ) Take E. Young Street past Century Farm Road to Quarry Road (Approx 1 mile.) Turn left on Quarry Road . Fantasy Lake Scuba Park is located 1.2 miles on your left.
I have a friend who has a beach house in NC in the Nags Head area. We did shore diving there. Since none of the 'shore sites' are marked, it's a situation of where you have to know where on the beach to start, where to park, find the condo or beach house you use to reference the dive, then go X amount distance offshore and dive down and look. For example: The Tri-Wrecks. There are 3 wrecks (trawlers) in one place in 30-45 feet of water that are 100 yards offshore of a beach house. Two of the boats collided years ago and both sunk. Another hit the wreck years later and sunk. So all three together. Lots of fish and even sharks can be found on the wreck. It's a great dive, close to shore and a boat is not needed. The surf can be kinda rough and so can surface conditions, but it's as free as the cost of an air fill. If you go up there, most of the dive shops can probably draw you a map of how to find it. Not a recommended dive for a first time diver due to rough surface conditions swimming out to the wreck or for somebody who doesn't swim well. The surface swim is rough, but conserves air. In heavy surf, you'll have to dive and swim under the waves or get beat to heck and then re-surface past them and surface swim. There are also several other dives from the shore. One south of nags head that even sticks up out of the water, so it's easy to find, near Orgeon inlet. A little web research found the OBX dive shop we use. They have a list of wrecks on their website obxdive they also give shore dives. They talk about the tri-wreck calling it the 'triangle wreck'. You'll need to get a little more info that what they have to find the tri-wrecks underwater as they aren't right on the 2nd street access, but just probably about 40-80 yards south of it on the beach. The last date we went we were lucky as a group of spear fishing skin divers took a raft out and had it tied to the wreck, so was really easy to find. :)
A quarry in Central NC, 15 feet of visibility in early spring and late fall. During the summer, visibilty decreases to about 10 feet or so.
Located on an island between Morehead City and Beaufort, parking is available at a county water access park. A hike up the beach you enter next to a fence that terminates in the water. Catch this site just before slack tide in order to ride along the rock lined channel. Lots of fish life, soft and hard corals, crabs and urchins. Maximum depth approximately 40 fsw. Top of the rocks averages around 15 fsw.
Maximum depth 92' where a Cabin Cruiser sits. Also, a school bus several vehicles, sail boat, bass boat, sea doo, air plane cockpit and various other objects. Visibility is around 15-30 feet and the water temperature at depth is around 46 all year. Restricted Access. Private Club membership with Piedmont diving rescue association.
Wilmington is a 4.0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in North Carolina, USA East which is accessible from shore based on 2 ratings.
JMR Quarry is a quarry at the former Blanche Prison site and offers excellent winter diving, Visibility over 35 feet and that is at depth. Water temp in the winter is 45. Piedmont Diving and Rescue Association offers 3 inshore dive sites to its members. To join costs approximately $55.00 and plus the dues to an associated club of the organization, that can range from $5.00 and up. You get 365 day a year access to 3 rock quarries that can offer a very good diving experience.
The USS Huron Historic Shipwreck Preserve is administered cooperatively by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Town of Nags Head and the United States Navy. Nags Head between mileposts 11 and 12. The Huron is 250 yards off Bladen Street beach, and the tugboat Expolorer is to the left of the Nags Head Fishing pier. See http://www.arch.dcr.state.nc.us/HURONBRO.HTM
Located along Hwy. 70 on Radio Island this dive is done at high slack tide. Aquatic life and visibility isn't as great as the jetty, but is a worth while dive. Most don't swim far enough to exceed about 15 fsw of depth.
Near the old Iron Steamer fishing pier, the wreck lays several yards off the beach. I have personally had the pleasure of this dive yet but I understand depth is around 15'.
Fenwick Island Wreck is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in USA, North Carolina, Cape Lookout which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.
Catherine M. Monohan Wreck is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in USA, North Carolina, Cape Hatteras which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.
Proteus Wreck is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in USA, North Carolina, Cape Lookout which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.
Alot of life on this wreck in the Summer. Barracudas, amberjacks, grouper, spadefish, as well as some pelagics overhead. There are alot of access pionts for penetration but be careful of hazards. There is a new sailboat that was sunk just beside this wreck in 2009. Good dive! Bow 34° 33.700' / 076° 51.100' to Stern 34° 33.738' / 076° 51.091' USS Indra (ARL-37) was one of 39 Achelous-class landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Indra (the god of weather and war, and lord of Svargaloka in Hinduism), she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name, and only one of two ships (along with the USS Krishna) to be named after a Hindu deity. After shakedown Indra sailed to Green Cove Springs, Florida where she remained from 30 November 1945 until 8 May 1946. She then steamed through the Panama Canal to San Diego, arriving 4 June. The ship remained in California until departing 7 January 1947 for the Far East. Indra arrived Tsingtao 19 February to support American marines there attempting to stabilize the volatile Chinese situation and protect American lives and property. She performed repair and general services there and at Shanghai until 30 August, when she sailed for San Diego. Upon her arrival 25 September 1947 Indra decommissioned 6 October and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group. Indra was recommissioned in December, 1967. During the Vietnam War Indra participated in the following campaigns: Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV (2 April to 16 April 1968) Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V (21 September to 1 November 1968) Decommissioned in May, 1970 she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1984. Transferred to the State of North Carolina in January 1992, she was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of North Carolina 4 August 1992. Indra earned two battle stars for service during the Vietnam War. Name: USS Indra Launched: 21 May 1945 Commissioned: 2 October 1945 Decommissioned: 6 October 1947 Recommissioned: December 1967 Decommissioned: May 1970 Struck: 1984 Class and type: Achelous class repair ship Displacement: 2,125 long tons (2,159 t) light 4,110 long tons (4,176 t) full Length: 328 ft (100 m) Beam: 50 ft (15 m) Draft: 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) Propulsion: 2 × General Motors 12-567 diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders Speed: 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h) Armament: • 2 × quad 40 mm guns (Mark 51 director) • 2 × twin 40 mm guns (Mark 51 director) • 6 × twin 20 mm guns 11.8 nm from Beaufort Inlet at the Fort Macon jetty AR-330 - 320' Repair Ship INDRA is also known as Howard Chapin Reef AR-330 - 320' Landing Craft Repair Ship "INDRA".
6.2 nm from the Masonboro Inlet sea buoy AR-364 - 65' tug "CAPTAIN JERRY" is also known as Billy Murrell Reef AR-364 - 65' tug "CAPTAIN JERRY".
Based on Zentacle reviews, the top-rated sites in North Carolina are Fantasy Lake Scuba Park (5.0 from 6 reviews), Nags Head (5.0 from 2 reviews) and Fantasy Lake (4.3 from 3 reviews).
The top-rated beginner sites are Fantasy Lake Scuba Park (5.0 from 6 reviews) and Lake Norman Quarry (4.0 from 3 reviews).
Fantasy Lake Scuba Park, Nags Head, Radio Island Jetty, Morehead and Lake Norman Quarry are the top-rated sites you can enter from shore.
Zentacle lists 10 dive shops in North Carolina. The top-rated are The Dive Shop Scuba Center (5.0 from 43 reviews) and Scuba Charlotte (4.9 from 53 reviews).
