DIVE THE U-352. Wreck dives don't get any cooler than this German U-boat. The Coast Guard hammered the sub with depth charges during World War II, but her pressure hull sits intact at a depth of 115 feet. You'll have about 13 minutes of bottom time to explore, unless you ...

2. GET NITROX CERTIFIED. On 32 percent nitrox, you can stretch your no-deco time on the U-352 to 20 minutes.

3. LEARN TO SPEARFISH. Just obey the catch rules and keep the sharp end pointed away from other divers.

4. LOG A HAT TRICK. Most wrecks are located 20 to 45 miles off the coast, so a two-tank trip takes a full day. One area shop, Scuba Tech, offers three-tank trips to the wrecks of the Hutton, Suloid and Indra.

5. COMPETE. Mount up for the annual Fourth of July Underwater Bike Race, sponsored by Discovery Diving Co., in Beaufort. Divers decorate two- and three-wheelers, then race across the ocean floor. Everyone has a blast and the proceeds go to charity.

6. TALK LIKE A NATIVE. Around here, it's pronounced "BO-furt."

7. ROUGH IT. Bring a sleeping bag and bunk at the Olympus Dive Center Lodge in Morehead City for just $20 a night.

8. SHOOT A TIGER AND A LION. Photographers can bag close-ups of sand tiger sharks and red lionfish on the wreck of the Papoose. Kneel on the sand beside the wreck, and the curious sharks will approach within an arm's length. The red lionfish, a photogenic transplant from the Pacific, hides in plain sight on the wreck.

9. TRY A SHRIMPBURGER. Great with fries and a cold beer at Rapscallions in Morehead City. Or visit Clawson's 1905 Restaurant and Public House in historic Beaufort for seafood bisque and shrimp and grits.

10. DIVE DRY. The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores has a 12,000-gallon Living Shipwreck display, and the North Carolina Maritime Museum on Beaufort's waterfront features an exhibit on Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, discovered nearby in 1996.