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FALL 2011
South of Cape Hatteras toward
Okracoke Inlet, more than 20
intriguing wrecks are frequented by
dive boats from Hatteras and the
coastal dive shops in Morehead City
and Beaufort. Deeper favorites include
the
Proteus
, a passenger liner sunk in
a 1918 collision with another ship; the
Dixie Arrow
, a tanker torpedoed in
1942; the tanker
British Splendour
,
another victim of German U-boats;
and the huge tanker
Australia
, which
broke apart and sank in two sections
after being torpedoed near Diamond
Shoals. All of these lie at depths
between 90 and 125 feet. The freighter
Kassandra-Louloudis
, another WWII
casualty, lies a bit shallower at 70 feet.
Resting on shoals near the Australia,
in good sea conditions the Kassandra-
Louloudis is a treasure trove of artifacts,
including medicine vials, tires, rebar,
truck engines and railroad rails.
The majority of the warm-water
wreck dives are visited by dive charter
boats out of Beaufort and Morehead
City and as far south as Wilmington.
Inshore of the Cape Lookout Shoals are
a slew of shallower dive sites such as
the
W.E. Hutton
, sunk by torpedo in
1942, and the
Suloide
, which ran over
the Hutton’s superstructure, opening
its hull and eventually sinking a mile
away. Both are at depths of 65 to 70
feet, serving as excellent training sites
for newer divers.
More well-known are the offshore
wrecks both north and south of the
Lookout Shoals. The
Papoose
is a
400-foot tanker resting upside down
in 120 feet of water 30 miles from
the Beaufort Inlet, and the
USS
Schurz
joins the aforementioned
U-352 submarine as one of the two
most popular wrecks in the area. The
Schurz is a former German cruiser
impounded in Hawaii during WWI,
converted into an American gunboat
and then sunk in a collision in 1918.
The ammunition locker at the bow
has given up many a souvenir to
visiting divers over the years.
South and west of the Cape Lookout
Shoals lie the shipwrecks of the Cape
Fear region. Boats from the Morehead
City and Beaufort areas will visit them
LOCAL DIVING
“The graveyard of
the Atlantic”
Opposite: Sand tiger
shark with remoras
on the Catherine M.
Monohan
4 reasons to book
your next trip with
Reef & Rainforest
www.ReefRainforest.com
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and Critters@Lembeh
www.lembehresort.com
Let Our Experience Be Your Guide
Complimentary
bottle of wine
upon arrival.
Exclusive offers from exotic
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info@reefrainforest.com
800.794.9767 or 503.208.7500
Receive a
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Raja Ampat
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