Candice LandauLast Updated on April 24, 2026 by Candice Landau
When I moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, in October 2024, I was surprised to find the diving season had already closed.
Aquatic Safaris dive shop told me the water temperature was 58 degrees Fahrenheit.
I immediately thought of the Puget Sound and our average water temperature that hovered between 40 and 55 degrees depending on the season.
Related Reading: First Impressions of Wilmington, North Carolina
“But don’t people dive drysuits?” I asked as I glanced around the dive shop. Of course, there wasn’t a drysuit in sight.
“They wait for the next dive season or they travel,” the shop owner said looking unperturbed. “There just isn’t the demand.”
“So no one does any shore diving?” I said.
“Very little. We take the boats out in summer and need to fill them to make it feasible.”
The owner did mention that a shop in nearby Carolina Beach—Carolina Beach Scuba—ran a few winter dives, mostly the close-in ones that were easier to get out to. Later, when I investigated their calendar, I saw they’d take you out to Meg Ledge (where you can hunt for megalodon teeth), or to they Hyde and Markham wrecks, both places you can visit to see North Carolina’s famous sand tiger sharks. Check out these wonderful pictures of the locations on Patrick Edall’s site, Salty Shutter Photography.
Still, eager to get wet between magazine assignments, I started looking for other options—something inland, perhaps a quarry or a lake.
To my relief, I found Fantasy Lake Adventure Park, a filled-in quarry about 25 minutes from downtown Raleigh, with plenty of attractions for divers like me. A day pass cost $25 (with discounted options for regulars and instructors).
Since it was late November and the water temperature hovered around 59 degrees, serious exposure protection was non-negotiable.
Unfortunately, my drysuit’s neck seal had torn. My only option was to squeeze into my old 7mm Waterproof wetsuit—a wonderfully warm but brutally snug suit. I’d gained a bit of weight between travel, deadlines, and ten annual ship weeks at the magazine, and now I was paying the price. With my backup drysuit sitting in storage (and no dive shops renting drysuits), I didn’t have many alternatives. Yes, and this is why you need a backup drysuit.
Related Reading: The Complete Guide to Cold Water Diving by a Cold Water Diver, Not an AI Bot
The dive
The morning of our dive was cold and clear but mercifully dry. Stephen and I drove from our hotel in downtown Raleigh to Carolina Dive Center to pick up tanks and get a dive briefing. Then we continued east to Fantasy Lake, about an 18-minute drive.
When we arrived, we were greeted by a sign that told us to text to check in (the gate before it said to call to check in, which is actually what we did as it was locked).
In mid-winter there were few people willing to brave the chill, but I imagine it gets very busy in summer given there’s an inflatable water park and kayak and paddle board rentals are possible. Still, the lake is deceptively large with multiple entry and exit points, as well as spaces to kit up and park. And, there appear to be separate areas for swimming/kids and divers.
Stephen and I grabbed a shelter near beach entry 3 and donned our gear. As we entered the water we were greeted by two rebreather divers exiting, both fully-kitted out in drysuits. I chatted with them for awhile and exchanged contact details. One of them was about to start his own dive shop.
Finally, we entered. With my thick Waterproof suit on as well as 5mm gloves and a 10mm hood it was next to impossible to feel cold. Stephen too had on thick DUI thermals and his compressed neoprene BARE drysuit as well as a 7/10mm hood and dry gloves.
The visibility wasn’t bad, reminiscent of a decent day in Puget Sound: slightly green, a little hazy, but perfectly diveable. We quickly found the main guide lines that crisscross the park and serve as underwater navigation.
There is a dive map on Fantasy Lake’s website but it’s a little hard to parse once you’re underwater. Plus it doesn’t include some of the newer attractions like the helicopter, the school bus, and who knows what else. Definitely in need of an update.
The lake’s size is deceiving; though the attractions are clustered in certain areas, you can still get a good long dive in if you follow the lines without even seeing a third of the lake.
One of the first surprises came almost immediately: a giant carp, looking like a massive goldfish, hovered nearby. Its large white tail reminded me of the bettas I used to keep as a kid. It barely seemed to notice us.
We followed the lines west toward the newer helicopter attraction, which was fun to explore but quickly overshadowed by the rock crusher, an industrial beast resting like a canyoned wreck in low visibility. It had that eerie, mysterious vibe that wreck divers know well. Stephen was fully absorbed, inspecting every corner, and I had to gently nudge him to keep moving.
By this point I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. My tight suit was making movement awkward, I was frustrated about my weight gain, and my camera strobes had decided to malfunction.
When we reached the school bus, I had already decided to cut the dive short. But just then, a turtle left its perch near the steering wheel and glided past me, momentarily swallowed up by a small school of fish vacating the bus. It was a small but welcome distraction.
We followed the guide lines back to the exit and clambered out. Though it hadn’t been my most comfortable dive, Stephen had a great time, and I was relieved for that.
The cold winter air hit like a wall, and I dashed into the bathroom to change, regretting not packing my USIA deck jacket—another lesson in the realities of nomadic diving life.
As we loaded our gear and drove away, I couldn’t help but reflect on how different diving feels when you’re landlocked and chasing water wherever you can find it. Fantasy Lake may not be the ocean, but on a gray November morning, it delivered what I needed most: quiet water, a place to submerge, and a reminder that even an old quarry can offer those small underwater moments that keep me hooked on the feeling of diving.
Next time, I’ll bring the drysuit and maybe stay a little longer.
Useful information
Nearest dive shop: Carolina Dive Center. They do rent tanks and gear and do give site briefings.
How to dive Fantasy Lake: You do need to book tickets on the Fantasy Lake Adventure Park website as well as fill out releases. Tickets cost $25 per diver, unless you’re an instructor, in which case it’s $15. You can also buy an annual pass which makes it much more affordable if you intend to dive there a lot. Hours for diving are 7am to 7pm Monday to Thursday and 7am to 10pm Thursday to Saturday.
What else is there to do in the area? So much! It’s a city. A few things we did include: Element Gastropub (unbelievably good plant-based food—no seriously, top 10!). Transfer Co. Food Hall (Burial Brewing right next door—my favorite brewery in North Carolina) with tons of food options. DAN (Diver’s Alert Network) is in Durham not far—maybe reach out to them and see if you can tour anything there?! Go shopping at Nashona’s for beautiful African and Tanzanian clothes, jewelry and other gifts. Then go next door to Deco Raleigh for the most fun gift store I’ve browsed in ages. Oh, there’s a cool plant store right to it too if you want to grab a bougie looking house plant. Once you’re done with that, go brewery hopping. This is the state for it, much like the Pacific Northwest and there are over 40 breweries in Raleigh!
