The ultimate guide to scuba diving Morehead city, NC
If you’re looking to dive on some wrecks that were sunk by German U-Boats in WWII, plus a German U-Boat, then Morehead City has you covered. The waters off of Morehead City are part of the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” and are definitely worth exploring. Below are some of the best dive sites you may want to check out, as well as other reasons to go pay this city a visit.
Getting There
There is really not a super easy way to get to Morehead City. If flying, your best bet is Costal regional Airport (EWN) in New Bern, NC, but you’ll most likely need to catch at least one layover to get there. EWN is about an hour drive to Morehead City. You could also try flying into Raleigh-Durham International airport. From Raleigh to Morehead City, the drive is about 3 hours.
Coming from Buffalo, NY, our group normally just drives, which takes about 14 hours with a few rest stops. But hey! Getting there is half the fun right? RIGHT?!?!
dive centers
Olympus Dive Center is the main shop in town to get you to the excellent dive sites off of Morehead City. In addition to taking you out for dives, they offer a whole variety of training, even a special class on diving the German U-Boat – the U-352 (see here).
I have now dove with Olympus on four different occasions. The shop and boat crew are courteous, professional and above all else safe.
Scuba Diving in Morehead City
Morehead City is a part of the Crystal Coast, AKA the Southern Outer Banks, which is about an 85 mile stretch of beaches in NC. Within that stretch is “Graveyard of the Atlantic” where an estimated over 5,000 shipwrecks lie.
The wrecks include WWII freighters, Spanish Gallons and Civil War era Ironclads. while the shifting sandbars have lead to a good many of these wrecks, German U-Boats contributed to the grave yard by torpedoing freighters right off of the U.S. coast.
I think you get the point by now that Morehead City is for wreck diving. Let’s take a look at some of the popular ones below.
U-352
I don’t know about you , but diving on a German U-Boat that was sunk off of the coast of America during World War II sounds pretty cool. Well, that’s exactly what you get with a dive on the U-352. This U-Boat was sunk on May 9, 1942 by the Coastguard Cutter Icarus.
The sub is 220ft long and lies leaning to her port side in about 110ft of water. The U-352 has the historic distinction of being the first U-boat sunk in American waters by the United States Coast Guard during World War II. For an additional experience, you can take the specialty class and learn the history on not just the U-352, but Germany’s U-Boat campaign against the allies
On the wreck you can see such things as the conning tower, torpedo tubes, anchor windlass, galley hatch and 88mm deck gun mount. Aquatic life generally seen on the sub includes spadefish, hogfish, lionfish, speckled hind and the popular sand tiger sharks.
Keep in mind the U-352 is approximately 26 miles from shore and on a good day it takes about two hours to get to the site. The weather and current have to be just right, or you won’t be able to get or dive there. This means that it is luck of the draw on diving this wreck and it may take a few visits before you can get on her.
For me personally, I have made four trips to Morehead City and have yet to be able to get on the sub. The very last attempt was August 30, 2025. We made it all the way to the site, hooked up to the wreck, only to have the DM tell us the current was too strong to dive. While frustrating, always better to be safe and dive another day. Someday I’ll see that wreck firsthand!!
But don’t despair if you don’t make it on the U-352. As you will see below, there are plenty of other good dive sites to visit.
Caribsea
From U-Boats, to ships sunk by U-Boats, Morehead City has it all. The Caribsea was a 251ft long freighter that was sunk by the U-158 in March 1942. Of her 28 crew, only 7 survived.
The Caribsea lies upright in 90ft of water. There is much debris to look at, including her anchors, windlass and large boilers.
Among the wreck you will see plenty of fish including barracuda, greater amberjacks, loggerhead sea turtles and sand tiger sharks…many, many sand tiger sharks! This is a great wreck to enjoy, and if you are a shark lover, a dive of a lifetime!!
Aeolus
The Aeolus was a Navy attack cargo ship that was repurposed as a cable repair ship. In 1988 she was purposefully sunk to create an artificial reef. She is 409ft long and lies at a depth of 110ft.
In 1996 a hurricane split the ship into parts, but she is frequented by sand tiger sharks and plenty of schooling amberjacks.
Ashkhabad
Another victim of a U-Boat attack is the Ashkhabad. This 401ft long tanker was sunk in April 1942 by the U-402. Unlike the unfortunate Caribsea (see above), all of the Ashkhabad crew survived her sinking. After being torpedoed, a good majority of the ship remined on the surface as it was in only 50ft of water. Before salvage attempts could be made, allied vessels, under standing orders to sink derelict ships, shelled and fully sank her.
Today the wreck lies broken-up from the shelling. Much of the hull and deck plating can be seen along with the cargo loading windlass, boiler and spare propeller.
Aquatic life that can be seen here include great barracuda, greater amberjacks, sand tiger sharks, loggerhead sea turtles and northern sea robin.
Cassimir
The Cassimir – a 390ft long transport – has an interesting back story. On a February evening in 1942 she was transporting molasses from Baltimore to Cuba when she struck another ship, The Lara, while in a dense fog.
The Cassimir now lies in about 120ft of water. Marine life that you can see on the wreck include spadefish, amberjacks, seabass and angelfish.
W.E. Hutton (AKA Ario)
The W.E. Hutton (Ario) is another World War II casualty. She was a tanker heading for Corpus Christi when on March 15, 1942 she was hit by a torpedo from the U-158, which also sank the Caribsea (see above).
The wreck lies in about 70ft of water and is broken up. points of interest include parts of the engine, boiler and two bow anchors. Some large grouper can be found here at times too. (editor’s note – from what folks at Olympus say, the Ario was misidentified as the W.E Hutton).
Indra
The Indra is a popular wreck that just about any level of diver can enjoy. She was a 328ft landing craft repair ship that was purposefully sunk in 1992 to create an artificial reef.
While she sits in a maximum depth of 60ft, her deck can be hit at about 40ft. Great wreck for beginners and for training.
Hardee’s
Do not confuse this Hardee’s with the popular food chain Hardee’s. While you will find no milkshakes on the wreck you will also find no sharks, making it a great spot to spearfish.
The Hardee’s was a 185ft long yard oiler that was purposefully sunk in 1989 for yet another artificial reef. She lies in about 100ft of water.
Atlas
The Atlas was a 125ft long tanker that was sunk by the U-552 on April 9, 1942 while trying to deliver 84,000 barrels of gasoline from Texas to New Jersey.
The wreck lies in 125ft of water and is fairly intact. A point of interest is her quadruple expansion steam engine. marine life here usually includes amberjacks, spadefish, grouper and slipper lobster.
HMT Bedfordshire
American ships were not the only ones subject to U-Boat attack. On May 12, 1942 – While on loan to the U.S. for convoy escort- the U-558 torpedoed the Bedfordshire. The ship sank in seconds taking all 37 of her crew with her.
The wreck is 162ft long and lies fairly broken up in 105ft of water. Points of interest include the main boiler, main trawl winch and a depth charge. Marine life that can be seen on the Bedfordshire includes, angelfish, triggerfish, flounder, and sea bass.
Spar
The Spar was a 180ft long coast Guard Cutter sank on purpose in June 2004. She lies intact and upright with a 45 degree angle in about 100ft of water. There are plenty places on the wreck to penetrate and explore.
This is a favorite spot to see sand tiger sharks. Keep an eye out as you may be able to find some shark’s teeth on the wreck.
Papoos (AKA W.E. Hutton)
The Papoos was a 412ft long tanker that was sunk by the U-124 in March 1942 – starting to understand now why this area of the ocean is called the graveyard of the Atlantic?
The wreck lies mostly intact upside down in 120ft of water. Penetration of the wreck up to the boiler room is possible for those properly trained. This is another favorite spot to see sand tiger sharks. (editor’s note 2nd – from what folks at Olympus say, the W.E. Hutton was misidentified as the Papoos).
The above just scratches the surface (pun intended) on great wrecks to dive off of Morehead City. There are many others including the James J. Francesconi, Parker, Titan, Schurz and Naeco. Check out the Olympus home page here for more detail.
Other Activities
Not all the fun in Morehead City is below the waves. There is plenty to do during your surface intervals above the water as well.
Fishing Charters
Being right on the Atlantic Ocean, you will find numerous fishing charters to take you out on the water to score a big catch. For a list of the best charters to choose from look here.
The annual Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament takes place around early/middle of June drawing huge crowds. This can be an exciting atmosphere, but makes parking and getting into local restaurants a little challenging. If big crowds are not your thing, you might want to avoid a trip to Morehead City around this time.
Fort Macon State Park
If you are looking for a little history, then head over to Fort Macon Sate Park. This park opened in 1936 and is the second most visited state park in North Carolina. The battle of Fort Macon was fought during the Civil War in March and April 1862.
After visiting the fort, unwind by visiting the nearby Hoop Pole Creek Nature Trail. On this shaded one mile roundtrip walk you’ll see a mixture of estuaries, salt marshes, maritime Forrest and dune ridges. While the trial is slightly hidden, there is a nearby plaza, where you can cool down with some ice cream after your nature foray.
Beaches
If the beach life is your thing, then you’ll have several beaches to chose from. The most popular beaches closest to Morehead City can be found on nearby Bogue Banks. The favorite beach here, and potentially in all of the Crystal Coast, is Atlantic Beach.
The other nearby beaches include Pine Knoll Shores, Emerald Isle and Indian Beach. Many people visiting Morehead City stay at one of the many accommodations to be found on Bogue Banks. They scuba dive in the morning and then relax on the beach in the afternoon. Not a bad way to spend a vacay!
Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium
Pine Knoll shores is not just for beach lovers. There is a nice aquarium to visit there too. The Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium is a nice way to spend an afternoon break from the sun or on a rainy day. It has a 4.6 out of 5 star rating on tripadvisor with over a thousand reviews. The aquarium includes river otters, a tank to touch stingrays and a 306,000 gal. tank with a scaled down replica of the U-352, as discussed above, where swims sharks and other marine life. A great family outing!
North Carolina Maritime Museum In Beaufort
Many of us divers enjoy maritime history, and you’ll get plenty of that at the North Carolina Maritime Museum In Beaufort. While at the time of the writing of this article the museum is temporarily closed for construction, you can learn a great deal about the waters you’ll be diving into and how the waterways shaped this area.
Calico Creek Boardwalk
Looking to kill a little time, or some place to jog, check out the Calico Creek Boardwalk. This noted spot on the NC Birding Trails, is a secluded 1.2 miles long trail that goes along the waterfront creek and marsh. The trail is dog, kid, stroller and wheelchair friendly and offers some beautiful photo opportunities.
Migrating shorebirds, water birds and wintering water fowls can all be found here, even the elusive and rare clapper rail.
Wrapping Things Up
Morehead City is a great place to go for some great wreck diving. The city also offers enough things to do if you are not a diver, or for in between dives, to keep you occupied. The Atlantic can be a very temperamental thing and dives do get blown off. If you can’t dive a particular day, there are also enough good eateries in the area to help drown your diving sorrows…trust me, I know this first hand.
But no matter how many times I don’t get out to dive, I keep going back to Morehead City to try to hit the U-352 and enjoy the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Once you do hit a couple wrecks here, you’ll know why so many people return. Plus, as a Buffalo Bills fan, I am used to saying “maybe next year.”
Looking for more scuba trip destinations? Check out the articles below:
- The Ultimate Guide To Scuba Diving In The Red Sea
- The Ultimate Guide To Scuba Diving In Cozumel, Mexico
- The Ultimate Guide To Scuba Diving In Key Largo, Florida
- The Ultimate Guide To Scuba Diving In Bimini, Bahamas
“How boring would the world be if everywhere and everyone were the same. Safe travels and good adventures.” Scuba Jay
