Cape Hatteras + Sharks = Great Vacation

Yes that is right! I actually enjoy seeing sharks!

I spent last week in Cape Hatteras, NC with my Dad scuba diving. I thought I'd share a few highlights with you today. We dove all week with Outer Banks Diving on the Flying Fish. This was our first year out with them and it was so much fun. We especially enjoyed the hot dogs in the afternoon for lunch in between dives. (Thanks Milton!) We made two dives a day on the boat. We were generally 20-30 miles off shore each day in 100+ feet of water. We only had rough seas one day (Tuesday). The swells were between four and six feet so we got tossed around quite a bit. I am happy to report that we were sea sick free that day!

Dad and I have been going to NC for many years now diving all along the coast. Lots of shipwrecks, warm water and sea life. Our largest shark we saw this year was an 11' Sand Tiger on the Tarpon at 130'. It was so cool!

We were joined by Dad's dear friends - Walt, John and Bill. Walt snapped the underwater pictures you'll see below. They really are as close as they look.

The weather was beautiful and the diving was great. Now we just have to wait another year to do it all over again!

Capt. Koch (John) had this banner made and it was hanging out side the hotel when we arrived. It's their own little dive club! I can't tell you what it means though because it's classified. ; )

Here's the boat - We were a little nervous because we had been on a similar boat (with another dive operation) a few years ago and it was miserable in many ways. We were pleasantly surprised to find we were quite comfortable on board this year. The bean bags on the upper deck were especially comfy to nap on between dives!

Time to get the gear ready before leaving the dock. That big silver tank with the green and yellow label was one of my tanks. The sticker is for nitrox air and says "Geezer Gas". So we nicknamed it "Geezer" for the week. Thanks Bill for letting me use it again this year.

Oooooo Sharks!

Here's dad and I swimming along the bottom. That's me on the left! It looks like we're headed back the anchor, that means times up and it's we've got to get back to the hang line to decompress.

Here's the hang line under the boat. It's at about 15 - 20 feet. We spend a lot of time here after a dive burning off that nitrogen. Dad is floating off the line on the left and I'm on the line in front of him. Bill's on the far right looking at the camera. Yes the water really is that blue!

Sand Tiger cruising by.

Here's another.

This was our off that we didn't get to dive because the winds were too strong. So we went and climbed the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. We tried last year but it was too hot and it was closed!

Isn't it pretty!

A view from the top. I was actually trying to get a picture of the Diamond Shoals lighthouse that is 12 miles off shore and we could see. I didn't have my zoom so it didn't work as well as I would have liked.

Dad and Wally at the top.

Time to make the long walk down the stairs. I think it was 257 stairs to be exact. My legs were a little jello-y when I got to the bottom.

These are Sea Oats. They grow all over the dunes. They are so pretty aren't they?