North Carolina Outer Banks

The Graveyard of the Atlantic earns its name with hundreds of wrecks littering the seafloor off North Carolina's Outer Banks. German U-boats prowling these waters during World War II sank dozens of Allied vessels, and several of those submarines met their own end here too. Today the wrecks are encrusted with corals and swarming with sand tiger sharks — one of the densest aggregations of these gentle giants anywhere in the world. Cape Hatteras and Frying Pan Shoals push warm Gulf Stream water against the cooler inshore waters, creating nutrient upwellings that attract bull sharks, barracuda, amberjacks, and enormous schools of baitfish. These are advanced open-water dives with strong currents and depths from 55 to 130 feet, best suited for experienced wreck divers.