Things to do / Travel Guide
With literally thousands of miles of coastline, the eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland region offers as many snorkeling spots as places to build sandcastles. Because the snorkeling scene is low-key and do-it-yourself, you can enjoy a serendipitous time peering down at the local maritime relics that lurk just below the water's surface, or take a snorkel-swim in some of the region's warmest waters for the entire spectrum of varicolored tropical scales and fins. Either bring your snorkel gear with you (this gives you the most freedom) or rent/buy snorkeling gear at dive shops clustered around the areas of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, in Virginia, as well as Wilmington, Morehead City, and Beaufort in North Carolina. Late spring-early fall is the best time to snorkel.
While Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach on the Delmarva Peninsula are reputed to have clean, clear waters, most of the snorkeling activity in eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, takes place on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where a powerful Gulf Stream current blasts in warm water from the south. The area around Hatteras offers great snorkeling with warmer water temperatures and a vibrant color-splash of coral reefs, crabs, and other marine life. The Outer Banks are essentially sandbar reefs; snorkel along the coast of the barrier islands during the warm weather and you will be privy to a tropical-like underwater world of tiger sharks, and schools of colorful fish. You don't have to travel to the Caribbean to enjoy toasty water temperatures and a startling array of sea life - the Outer Banks offers both.
Here are a couple of Outer Banks snorkeling options:
- The Oregon Inlet, between Bodie Island and Hatteras Island, has always been a particularly sinister place for seamen - the area has claimed hundreds of ships and thousands of lives - many of the wrecks are located in shallow-enough water (about 15-20 feet) to be seen while snorkeling. Three miles south of the Oregon Inlet, about 200 yards from the shore at a depth of 20 feet lies the Oriental, a 210-foot-long federal transport ship that sank in 1862. Strong swimmers (currents can be challenging) can snorkel out to the Oriental and look down at her massive hull.
- Several shipwrecks off the coast of Nags Head are swim-able and snorkel-able from the beach. Located about 250 yards north of the Nags Head Fishing Pier, you can snorkel around the Huron, a federal gunship steamer that sank along with 98 crewmen in 1877. The Huron lies in about 25 feet of water. About 100 yards north of the same pier (150 yards from the shore) is the Explorer tugboat. The old girl wrecked in 1919 and currently lies in about 20 feet of water for your snorkeling pleasure.
- Off the coast of Historic Beaufort, you will have up to 100-feet of visibility to look down on a literal graveyard of maritime tragedy as well as live coral and schools of brightly-colored tropical fish. WWI cruisers, WWII ships (including those sunk by the Germans), and countless other small and large submerged vessels are just a few of the top-notch snorkeling sites that unfortunate sailors have left behind.
Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, North Carolina's Outer Banks
Snorkeling
Assateague Island National Seashore Beach - Chincoteague, Virginia
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