U-352 Outer Banks, North Carolina The Gulf Stream water is almost tropically warm, the fish around me are the type I might see in the Bahamas. The wreck before me, listing heavily to starboard, is an authentic unterseebot - a battle-hardened German vessel that, unbeknownst to most Americans during World War II, helped make the Atlantic off the Outer Banks one of the world's most-dangerous stretches of water. Being depth-charged, fired upon and finally left on a 120-foot bottom for six-and-a-half decades has not been kind to the U-352. Its outer hull has largely disappeared; what remains now is mostly the inner hull. Yet its skeletal appearance only adds to the mystery. To dive the U-352 today is not so much an exploration as a visit to a watery ghost. Swimming along the encrusted hull, I check my air, switch on my light and pull myself through the forward loading hatch and into the forward torpedo room. I'm careful to hover well above the two feet of silt sleeping on the bottom of the wreck, knowing from previous experience that a careless movement of a fin can quickly remove virtually all traces of visibility, rendering my light no more than a brown glow in the gloom. On other dives, I've visited U-352's control room, where several wartime details still survive. But now, conscious of the seconds ticking away, and my air, being breathed away under nearly five atmospheres of pressure, I twist in the confined space and make my way back to the hatch. With one last glance, I return to the light. Quick Guide: Olympus Dive Center (olympusdiving.com) has been in operation since 1975 and is owned by Capt. George Purifoy, one of the discoverers of the U-352; his son, Capt. Robert Purifoy, operates a second vessel, and both regularly dive the Outer Banks. The Crystal Coast Tourism Authority (crystalcoastnc.org) is a one-stop source for news and information about activities, events, lodging and more on North Carolina's Crystal Coast.