Diving Off Nags Head North Carolina

There we were, about nine nautical miles out of Oregon Inlet aboard the dive boat. It was a beautiful day with calm seas, a giant sea turtle off our starboard side, and dolphins that had escorted us out still jumping like circus acrobats in and out of the water about 100 yards off the port side. I had almost finished suiting up and checking my gear when the divemaster returned to the surface with his report of “just wait till you see it!” I jumped in, started swimming down the anchor line and realized what he meant:

At only ten feet down the line, you could see the entire wreck of the World War II casualty the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Jackson WSC-142, lying in the sand 60 to 70 feet below. The forward section is separated from the aft by a 30 feet wide gap with large schools of shimmering colorful fish swimming between and through them.

The view alone was breathtaking. On the bottom with the wreck lying close around me, I looked up towards the surface and saw the schools of fish, large and small, circling above like moving clouds. The silhouetted outline of the dive boat against the blue sky was an awesome sight, so much so that I just stayed there looking and watching the other divers. Back onboard the boat, I realized how blessed I really am as I watched the dolphins escort us back to the inlet. A good time was had by all. This is a dive report from years past, but one I could report every year with only the changes in marine life diversity.

Known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” coastal North Carolina offers a wonderful and unique diving experience. It’s wreck diving at its finest on some of the hundreds of shipwrecks scattered throughout these waters. People who dive these wrecks are offered a rare glimpse into our rich maritime heritage, as well as a view of the diverse variety of marine flora and fauna that collect and live on the wrecks.

For hundreds of years, ships have found their final restingplace here. Bad weather, shoals, war, and vessels, which were intentionally sunk, are the source of the wrecks that inhabit the waters off our barrier islands. The shipwrecks range in type and age from ancient sailing ships, Civil War- era vessels, WWII German U-Boats and their victims, to modern day trawlers, freighters and tankers.

Some of the known wreck sites that divers visit include:

• The Federal transport, Oriental, which sank on May 16, 1862.
• The Liberty ships Zane Gray and Dionysus, which were intentionally sunk to form artificial reefs in 1974 and 1978.
• The German submarine U-85 sunk by the American destroyer USS Roper on April 14, 1942.
• The U-701 sunk July 7, 1942.
• The freighter York torpedoed by the German U-66 on January 22, 1942.
• The tanker Benson which was torpedoed on April 5, 1942 by a German sub U-522.
• The tanker Kyzickes and the freighter Carl Gerhard sunk in 1927 and 1929, respectively, and since broken apart on top of each other and known as the “Triangle Wrecks.”
• A decommissioned WWII class PCE-845, which was later used as the research vessel Advance and sunk in July 1994 to begin an artificial reef.
• The Federal gunship Huron which ran aground on November 24, 1877.
• The passengerfreighter City Of Atlanta, torpedoed by the German sub U-123 on January 19, 1942.
• The freighter Ciltvaira also torpedoed by the U-123 on January 21, 1942.
• The US Coast Guard cutters Jackson and Bedloe which sunk on September 14, 1944 by The Great Hurricane of September 1944.

These are only a few of the over 600 recorded shipwrecks off the Northern North Carolina Coast. Each one has its own history and unique story. On September 12, 1944, the Liberty ship George Ade was heading northward in the Gulf Stream south of Cape Hatteras when the German sub U-518 torpedoed it, striking the aft section and causing serious damage. The Liberty ship did not sink but was dead in the water, as its ability to steer was exhausted. That afternoon, the rescue tug ATR-6 escorted by the US Coast Guard Service vessels Jackson and Bedloe, towed the Liberty ship, with wounded merchantmen, towards Cape Henry. It was slow going under tow and the escorts were needed because of U-Boat presence in the area. On the morning of September 14, the convoy was north of Cape Hatteras off Wimble Shoals when the Great Atlantic Hurricane struck, sinking both the Jackson and Bedloe.

Each year currents and storms cover and uncover shipwrecks lost at sea. Wreck divers are thrilled by the seductiveness of diving newly uncovered wrecks. While wreck diving is an exciting and wonderful sport, it is a specialized diving skill, requiring quality training and experience to be safely performed. Underwater photographers, spearfishing divers, artifact hunters, and those who just wish to appreciate the sites and abundant sea life surrounding the wrecks enjoy wreck diving.

The Outer Banks Dive Center is a local dive shop that specializes in wreck diving and training. It is located directly across from Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head. Services offered are centered on the needs of the beginning to advanced and technical diver. Check out www.OBXDive.com.

Bill McDermott is a NAUI Course Director, IANTD Instructor Trainer, and NSS-CDS and DAN Instructor Trainer.