Morehead City north carolina

I plan on being at Morehead NC for a dive trip at the end of Sept.

Wondering what places would be recommended for staying by others on this site.

I will be lone wolfing it for that trip but like a comfortable place to stay. I have a AAA book on the region and see their comments. Wondering where other WP readers have stayed and happy there.

Dave

I plan on being at Morehead NC for a dive trip at the end of Sept.

Wondering what places would be recommended for staying by others on this site.

 

I will be lone wolfing it for that trip but like a comfortable place to stay. I have a AAA book on the region and see their comments. Wondering where other WP readers have stayed and happy there.

 

Dave

My wife and I stayed at the Fairfield Inn which was close to Olympus Dive Center and quite nice.

If you want a very good but a little pricey restaurant try Floyd's Restaurant and Bar, excellent food.

John

Dave

I am a part-time Morehead City resident and just finished 8 days of diving with Olympus Diving. What a top drawer operation! From the counter staff to the boats, it is by far a world class diving experience. There are other operators in the area who do a decent job but Olympus is my preference.

There are plenty of places to stay in the area from the bunk-house style dive lodge that Olympus operates, to mid-priced and hi-end hotels that are closeby. Morehead City is right by the beach so the options are endless. If you book your diving with Olympus, they will be glad to recommend some accommodations.

I agree with John, Floyd's is a wonderful restaurant and it's not unusual to see some of the dive staff and other dive guests there in the evenings enjoying food and beverages. Again, because of the tourist industry, you won't have any problem finding plenty of excellent regional eats.

What dates will you be diving? I will be back in town Sept 9-23 and then again a week later. Maybe we can dive together!

Karen

What dates will you be diving? I will be back in town Sept 9-23 and then again a week later. Maybe we can dive together!

 

Karen

I would love to dive with you but it appears we will be ships passing in the night, as it were.

I am arriving Sept 23rd and diving Sept 24, 25 with Olympus. I would have come earlier and gone out on the 23rd but there was no one signed up and they did not expect enough to add on later. The 'price' of after labor day diving.

The only reason the 24,25 were available is that a group of 10 signed up together. I got added on as number 11.

I will be sailing on the 26,27.

If you are in town the 23rd, we could do dinner but I will not be diving that day. I expect to get to Morehead around 4-6 pm and will head to Olympus for sign in, etc.

Olympus informs me the water at diving depth is likely in the low 70's for those dates.

I was thinking a 5 mil full suit and a hood. Is that what you would recommend for those dates?

I do not get cold easily but as with most photo-divers, I move slowly, have plenty of time from low air use and generate little body heat while diving. So I end up with more than ave. neoprene compared with most.

Dave

This NC trip will be first outing with my new rig...if it arrives as scheduled.

I plan on a D90 in Nexus with Tokina 10-17 with two Z-240's. Using the little 1017 dome designed for the 10-17.

Does this seem a good lens arrangement?

I am planning on using a 5" and 8" arm on each side (since that is what I own for the G9). See any problems with that setup?

I will be doing pool trials in advance but the first open water will be the Sept 24th.

Thanks for the hotel/motel and dining suggestions! I will definitely check out Floyd's.

Staying near the dive center seems the right choice. Based on reading other trip accounts, they leave early!

Dave

Hey Karen. A friend and I are driving down from NJ on 9/6. Maybe I can finally meet the photo contest winner. And pick your brains about cenotes. Scott and I want to dive there so badly.

Hey Karen. A friend and I are driving down from NJ on 9/6. Maybe I can finally meet the photo contest winner. And pick your brains about cenotes. Scott and I want to dive there so badly.

How long will you be down here? I get in from Mexico on 9/9 and I think I'm on their schedule to dive the 11th and 12th. It would be tons of fun to hook up.

If you are in town the 23rd, we could do dinner but I will not be diving that day. I expect to get to Morehead around 4-6 pm and will head to Olympus for sign in, etc.

 

Olympus informs me the water at diving depth is likely in the low 70's for those dates.

I was thinking a 5 mil full suit and a hood. Is that what you would recommend for those dates?

I do not get cold easily but as with most photo-divers, I move slowly, have plenty of time from low air use and generate little body heat while diving. So I end up with more than ave. neoprene compared with most.

 

Dave

Dave, I fly out on the morning of the 23rd. What bad luck. I'm sorry that I'll miss you. Maybe I'll try to organize a Wetpixel trip next year so we can all hook up for some great North Carolina diving.

Water temps on the bottom have been around 72ish. Quite unusual for this time of year. Offshore sites from the surface down to about 80ft have been about 80F. I think a 5mm would be overkill because you are only at depth for about 25-30mins. Most of these dives are 120-100 ft deep so you'll most likely run out of no deco time before you run out of air. Topside it's really warm so even if you get cold below, you'll warm up quick topside. I dive in a 3mm and I'm fine although I may use a 1mm hooded vest next time. It will be interesting to see if Hurricane Bill moves that wierd cool water out for the rest of the season.

The 10-17mm is a great lens for NC diving. I also shoot macro here as there are some great little subjects if the viz is bad. The boat is huge and stable with a big dry cabin so if you need to switch lenses during a trip you can.

Have fun and I wish I was going to be here to dive with you but going back to Mexico doesn't suck either!