This spring I joined Mike Gerken for the 4th annual North Carolina Shark and Wreck Shootout in Morehead City, NC. We were blessed with fantastic weather for photographing sharks and shipwrecks.  The picture above is a sand tiger shark that was leaving the wreck of the Aeolus as I was entering. We met head-on in the darkness. There can be more than 2 dozen sharks on this wreck. The site allows close up encounters of sharks while inside the wreck as seen below.

These sharks are actually quite docile despite their looks. They can be quite curious at times and will cautiously approach divers if not threatened. Sometimes they like to sneak up from behind! Mike has removed fishing lures from their mouths on occasion. I like my fingers on my hands so I'll stick to taking pictures.

Olympus Dive Center is a great organization and provides fantastic trips out to see many of the wrecks in NC. They have 2 spacious boats. The picture below is the smaller Midnight Express. I was on the Olympus this year. There is space for multiple cameras as well as benches inside that are great for sleeping on the way to dive sites.

We had beautiful blue water for dives on the U352, Papoose, and the Shurz. The visibility was 100' for all 3 dives. These pictures below are not edited for color or clarity. Visibility on the Carib Sea and Atlas was not as good and the water was green. The submarine was stunning. It is no longer possible to enter the sub which is probably good.

The wreck of the Papoose was fantastic. The wreck is upside down at 105'. Thousands of fish fill the inside of the wreck, making navigation tricky at times. As I entered from the side of the wreck I was surrounded by hundreds of fish. 

Inside the wreck is thrilling. It was difficult to find my buddy through all the fish. At times like this It's good to remember that you are below 100 feet inside a shipwreck.

The picture below was looking up the anchor line at the stern. I was well into deco but I really didn't want to go up yet. Can't wait for the next dive in NC!