184 menhaden vessel CAPT GREG MICKEY AR-400 - North Carolina
The Capt. Greg Mickey, an old menhaden fishing boat, sits upright in the sand, a proper wreck dive off the North Carolina coast. We love a wreck that still holds its shape, and this one does, with the bow and stern mostly intact. You can swim into the wheelhouse and down into the engine room if you’ve got the right training and a good guide. It’s dark in there, properly atmospheric. Schools of baitfish usually swirl around the superstructure, and we often see sand tiger sharks cruising the perimeter, especially in late summer. It's a solid intermediate dive, nothing too crazy, but the currents can pick up. We’d suggest going with a local charter who knows the best slack tide windows. Our favourite spot is the stern, where the prop shaft usually hosts some big sheepshead.
- Location
- North Carolina, United States, North America
- Coordinates
- 33.488365, -77.587750
- Type
- wreck
Wreck History - 184 menhaden vessel CAPT GREG MICKEY AR-400
- Year Sunk
- 2012
- Vessel Type
- fishing vessel
- Cause
- scuttled
The Capt. Greg Mickey spent its working life as a 184-foot menhaden fishing vessel, navigating the Atlantic in pursuit of its catch. After years of service, the ship was retired and prepared for a new purpose. In 2012, it was purposefully sunk as part of the North Carolina Artificial Reef program. It now rests on the seabed off the coast of Carteret County, designated as the centerpiece of Artificial Reef 400 (AR-400).
Unlike historic wrecks lost to storms or war, the Capt. Greg Mickey was sunk in a controlled manner, ensuring it would land upright and be safe for exploration. This makes it a fantastic dive site, especially for those new to wreck penetration. Sitting in the famed 'Graveyard of the Atlantic,' the vessel has rapidly transformed from a clean steel structure into a vibrant, living reef. It attracts an incredible amount of marine life, including large schools of baitfish, amberjack, and the occasional sand tiger shark, offering divers a dynamic and fish-filled wreck experience.
Nearby Dive Sites in North Carolina
- Aeolus (Wreck) - 31m (wreck)
- AR-220 - Buoy - 20-35m (wreck)
- AR-225 - Buoy
- AR-255 - Buoy
- AR-302 - 459 Assault Transport Ship YANCEY (wreck)
- AR-366 - Buoy
- AR-368 - 10 Railroad boxcars (wreck)
- AR-368 - 241 barge LC-16 (wreck)
- AR-368 - Buoy
- AR-372 - 10 Railroad boxcars - 15-30m (wreck)
- AR-372 - 2 220 barge (wreck)
- AR-376 - 10 Railroad boxcars - 15-30m (wreck)
- AR-376 - Buoy
- Atlantic Beach Reef AR-315 - 104 US Navy tug TAKOS (reef)
- Atlantic Beach Reef AR-315 - 60 lash barge 1 (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to 184 menhaden vessel CAPT GREG MICKEY AR-400
- All About Diving
- Aquatic Safaris - ["PADI"]
- Bay Breeze Dive Center
- Broadreach Adventures LLC - ["PADI"]
- Bubbles or Not Scuba
- Carolina Dive Center - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in North Carolina
Home to 42 recorded species including 38 reef fish, 2 clams & mussels, 2 other.
Notable Species
- Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdii) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - Reef Fish
- Sea Trout (Salmo trutta) - Reef Fish
- American Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) - Reef Fish
- brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) - Reef Fish
- asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) - Clams & Mussels
- Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) - Reef Fish
- Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus)
- Skipjack Herring (Alosa chrysochloris) - Reef Fish
- White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) - Reef Fish
- Threadfin Shad (Dorosoma petenense) - Reef Fish
- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) - Reef Fish
- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) - Reef Fish
- Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) - Reef Fish
- Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis) - Reef Fish
- Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) - Reef Fish
- Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) - Reef Fish
- Fringed Flounder (Etropus crossotus) - Reef Fish
- Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) - Reef Fish
- Wandering Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) - Clams & Mussels