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Graveyard of the Atlantic: Wrecks of North Carolina's Outer Banks

One of the problems with the proverbial bucket list is that whenever you tick a dive trip off the list, it seems that you add at least three more destinations to it. This is exactly what happened to me. I had never considered North Carolina as a dive destination, much less one of the top wreck diving locations in the world. But, after running across other wreck diving enthusiasts who frequented the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” yet another destination was added to my list.

Words:
Brandi Mueller
Images:
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Wrecks & Archaeology

Wreck diving is one of my favorite types of diving because I love the history of how the wrecks came to be underwater, and North Carolina has plenty of that. The history of more than 2,000 wrecks lie in the waters off this eastern state and the stories range from pirates, the Civil War, World Wars, hurricanes, storms and other maritime mistakes that took down good ships. The Graveyard extends along the entire North Carolina coast.

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North Carolina: Wrecks & Sharks

The waters off the coast of the US state of North Carolina are treacherous. Bad weather, rough seas, heavy current and inlets that are difficult to navigate are common. So why do underwater explorers consider this area to be a world-class dive destination? Because when you do get offshore, it is extraordinary.

Words:
Larry Cohen & Olga Torrey
Images:
Larry Cohen & Olga Torrey
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Travel & Trips

Visibility varies but can be more than 30m (100ft). The best diving conditions are between June and October, with late June to early August being the best.

Because of the sea conditions and the German “artificial reef program” of World War I and II, this area is nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” More than 1,000 vessels have been confirmed in the shipwreck inventory conducted at the Outer Banks History Center on Roanoke Island. There are many more wrecks that have not been discovered or identified yet. Many of these wrecks are in diveable waters.

Thanks go to Atlantis Charters and Olympus Dive Center.

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