North Carolina

North Carolina is well-known for its wreck diving more than 650 ships sank off the Outer Banks, the states barrier islands, between 1526 and 1945. This has given the area the nickname The Graveyard of the Atlantic. On land, western North Carolina consists of rolling hills that ascend to the Blue Ridge and Great Smokey Mountains. North Carolina was one of the 13 original colonies, and it was the last state to join the Confederacy in the Civil War.

LOCATION :

Bordered by South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Virginia to the north, and Tennessee to the west. North Carolinas eastern side is the Atlantic coast.

LANGUAGE :

English and various other languages, mostly Spanish

CURRENCY :

U.S. dollar

TIPPING :

15¿20% is customary in restaurants, although you never tip in fast food or self-service establishments. Taxi drivers and hairdressers depend on similar-sized gratuities

ELECTRICITY :

110V, 60Hz

WEBSITE :

visitnc.com

CAPITAL :

Raleigh

AREA SIZE :

North Carolina covers 53,821 square miles.

TAXES :

North Carolina state sales tax is 4.5%. Some county taxes can increase the total to 7.5%. Departure taxes are included in the price of an airplane ticket, though local departure tax may not be included if a ticket was purchased outside the U.S.

AREA CODE :

U.S. callers must dial 011 for international calls. 252, 336, 704, 828, 910, 919, 980

TIME :

Eastern

DOCUMENTS :

Most visitors to the U.S. require a visa. However, Canadians need only proof of citizenship. A reciprocal visa-waiver program allows citizens of the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland to stay up to 90 days without a visa, if they have an onward ticket.

POPULATION :

8,683,242

AVERAGE WATER TEMPERATURE :

60 to 80 F

AVERAGE VISIBILITY :

10 100 feet

TYPES OF DIVING :

Wreck, boat and shore

BEST TIME TO DIVE :

Year-round, although the summer months offer the best conditions.

WHAT TO WEAR :

A heavy wetsuit or a dry suit is recommended during the winter months. A 3-/5 mm wetsuit suffices in the summer.

DIVES NOT TO MISS :

The German submarine U-352, sunk off the Outer Banks of North Carolina on May 9, 1942.

The Papoose, a petroleum tanker torpedoed by the U-124 on March 18, 1942. The wreck lies at 120 feet deep, and attracts sand tiger sharks.

The W.E. Hutton and the Suloide, sunk in 1942 and 1943 respectively. Both wrecks are in 60 to 70 feet of water.

The 426-foot Navy cable-layer Aeolus, an artificial reef project that was broken into four pieces by Hurricane Fran.