I went diving over the weekend off Carolina Beach. I went with Cape Fear Divers....I don`t think I will book again with them when I return next summer.

They had a large boat....and most of the people on the boat were students who were getting open water certified. We went to The Stone, a tug boat that sank during a storm some 20 years ago. I was buddied up with a nice guy named Doug.

So, the viz was much much better than I anticipated with 35 feet. The wreck was kind of cool. And the fish were awesome. There were hundreds of amberjack swimming around us and star fish everywhere. A bunch of sea urchins with shells on their backs and a few barricuda. I believe I even saw my first shark, but not postive because it was just gone before I got a second look.

Anyway, Doug was a big guy and he sucked down his air, so we weren`t down very long. We`re going up the anchor line and the students were going down still. It was a 55-60 foot dive, so Doug and I stopped to do our 3 minute safety stop and about 45 seconds into it, we were yanked out of the water from 20 feet by these novice divers who hadn`t let the air out of their BCs and as a result yanked the line out of the water playing their games. As it was happening, Doug and I were doing our best to get back down but I was still worried.

So, I sat out the second dive. Probably just as well since it was on the same wreck. Which, I totally did not get. In Florida, we do multiple sites...not just re-dive the same site.

The trip cost me twice as much as it would have in Florida, too!!!!

And then, they didn`t even have crackers or ginger snaps or any of the little things that Florida captains keep on board when I go diving.

I don`t do well with change so that might have something to do with my disappointment.

I will dive in North Carolina again, just not with this dive company.

Comments

scubamedicJoe - 2/04/2008 1:44 PM I am sorry you had a bad time next time contact some of us local divers we will help you out , strang they stayed on same wreck sounds like you got on a trainiing cert dive.

VaDiver95 - 6/28/2007 12:00 AM I’m sorry to hear you had a bad experience, but welcome to NC diving. I like 6-packs the best where my friends and I control the boat. In NC it’s important to make sure who is on the boat before you commit. When the boat is controlled by O/W or AOW students you usually end up going to a shallow dive which is not really too very difficult. If you make it to Moorehead City, NC you should try either Olympus or the Atlantis IV. I used to use another boat but there were issues about bottom times and deco that were decided at the last moment…just before my buddies and I splashed!

seawolfdiving - 6/26/2007 12:00 AM So sorry to hear that your dive didn`t go as well as you wanted it to. Sounds like you got a bad case of "Cattle Boat Syndrom" Usually what happens is when there are a large number of students on a large boat, the captain caters to the needs of the groups of students. This kind of sux for the experienced divers who are not in with the group. My experience has taught me that the ones in the Florida resort areas are more "service oriented" and cater to the tourist needs a little better. Also the smaller boats usually provide more customized service. Not to say that all Northern Dive operators are lacking in the "service" department. The farther North you go, the less competition there is in the market. Also the dive conditions are not as nice as they are down South (generally speaking) though there are exceptions. Take heart though, as there are some operators up here who do a really fine job. Ya just gotta try a few out till ya find one that works for you.