OBX...Is it worth it???
 

I am not yet a certified diver but I am taking a vacation to Hatteras, Outer Banks in August. Right now my scudule is pretty packed and I have no time to get certified but a friend of mine and I are planning either spring or early summer. If OBX diving is worth it then I will jam the classes into my spring schudule so I can be ready for summer. I know there are lots and lots of shipwrecks (or so I've heard) but what else is there? Basically would it be worth it to pack in the course do dive OBX?

ive never dove there but i was going to.....the diving is supposed to be good, just long trips. maybe someone who has dove there can tell you better.

Dive obx , oh yes its worth it. Unless you dont like stepping back in time to see what mother nature has turned many and I mean many of ships into the "Graveyard of the Atlantic". If you are up in Hatteras you are only 7 miles from the gulf stream , not too much of a boat ride to dive in warm,rich,teaming with life water that has upwards of 100' vis on a good day. I would say yes , get those classes behind you so you wont be left onshore while everyone else gets too see the true OBX;) If you can get on a charter that is visiting some out of the way wrecks, there is a good possibillity of finding artifacts:D Reef life is very abundant, dont miss out:cool:

cool thread!

Redox- you mention artifacts? Are you allowed to remove things from shipwrecks still? I would have figured those would have been claimed in some way already?

well if your diving an artificial reef, or a state maintained wreck,Id say nix on the artifacts. But there are plenty of dive sites out there that are open game:D Something like the QueenAnnes Revenge(Blackbeards ship) is reburied under sand when the recovery season is over,and is watched very closley by the coast guard. But for every wreck found there are hundreds more yet to discover:D

The rules as I understand them are (I may be wrong and this is a very short version) you have to turn over any finds to the state then they are entitled to 1/2 of your find or that amount in cash. I don't know the legal terms but I was told this is how it works. My feelings, if this is accurate, is if you find one or 2 pieces, they can take them and give you 1/2 their value, but I would rather have the piece for my collection, and you don't get to decide which piece they keep or if you get just the cash. Again, this is only what I've been told by collectors so if it is wrong I would like to find out as well so if someone knows I'd love to find the facts.

well if thats true, someone needs to talk to all the local dive shops around here . They have guns off German u-boats,plates ,guages and just plain old piles of stuff taken off ships. Heck they even have glass cabinets full of trinkets

I think the state only cares if it is worth money such as gold, or artifacts that could be sold for big dollars, but again, I have no real idea of the laws, just what some collectors have told me.

I did pic up some stuff off of a British Trawler that was sunk by a German u-boat in WW-2 . We found a grenade and several crates of 4" shells . Some of the crates were encrusted and the shells couldnt be removed . The shells we removed even had the brass arming tip that could be dialed in to a specific time and distance. I ended up giving this stuff over to the EOD at Marine base Cherry point . My wife thought is was gonna blow the house up. The EOD ended up coming to my house and actually beat the stuff with a hammer. I knew it wasnt still exsplosive because the casing was breached before I brought them to the surface. It made my wife happy:D