Carolina Breeze ShipWreck
33 Miles offshore.
Virginia Beach, VA.
The CB is a 86ft fishing trawler that sunk on Oct. 7th, 2000. The Coast Guard air lifted 5 crewman in stormy weather 33 miles off the coast, while Capt, Billy Haver remained on his vessel along with one crewman in an effort to save it from sinking. The Coast Guard returned to the site after dropping off the 5 crewman and refueling, to find the vessel had sunk and only the crewman could be found. The Capt. had gone down with his ship trapped in the Cabin. Commercial divers recovered his body Oct 12th, 2000. The wreck sits in 95ft of water 33 miles NNE off Rudee Inlet.
The videos below are from the Carolina Breeze and the 4A Dry Dock, provided by divers Steve Kitchell and Ben Grau.
SEa Turtle Rescue!
Diver Steve Kitchell and buddy cut a sea turtle free of the fishing line ensnaring its back foot, while diving the Carolina Breeze out of Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach.
20 years later.
Divers who first visited the wreck in 2001 saw an intact vessel with the mast and rigging rising to 45 ft. 20 years later in 2024, the wreck has been reduced to a pile of rubble with a barely recognizable mast section. Coral growth, sea stars, sea bass, and tautog have taken over the former trawler.
ReEfs Close to home.
Cozumel isn’t the only place to see corals, sea starts, sea fans, and anemones. Go for a dive in Virginia Beach and see what lies beneath here. Yes, it’s a little colder… but that just means fewer divers brave the waves to experience our unique wonders!
4A Dry Dock
The 4A Dry Dock gate was sunk as part of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) artificial reef program. A dry dock caisson gate is a large floating steel gate that is used to seal water out of a dry dock. A dry dock is a dock space where the water can be removed so the entire ship is serviceable.