From watching the region's landscape suspended in the sky, to testing out one's balance on the ocean surface, to diving deep in the water in search of hidden ecosystems, businesses in the Cape Fear region have long embraced water sports at every elevation. Here are some of them.
In the cold, dark, deep waters off Cleveland, Ohio, Rob Williams, co-owner of Patriot Dive Center in Wilmington, learned to scuba dive.
Williams, who grew up in the Midwest, moved to Wilmington in 2011 to pursue longer diving seasons and experience shipwreck diving in the Cape Fear region.
“The coast of North Carolina is consistently voted one of the top five dive locations for shipwreck diving,” he said. “It’s called the Graveyard of the Atlantic, and there’s lots of shipwrecks out here. It can be a little bit more challenging for diving because of the weather conditions and the ocean conditions.”
While a student at the UNCW, Williams ran the scuba club at the school and worked with the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit that offers programs and services for wounded veterans.
Soon after, Rob Williams and his wife, Heather, opened the Patriot Dive Center at 829 S. Kerr Ave.
“We had a large community of divers between the veterans and the student population, and we saw an opportunity to grow the education side of the scuba industry in Wilmington,” Rob Williams said. “We decided to pursue business goals with the Patriot Dive Center being a facility focused on training.”
Students have many options for diving locations in the region, including popular diving sites such as the Hyde, a ship used to keep waterways open constructed during WWII, and the John D. Gill, a ship sunk during WWII by a German U-boat.
The center provides training for all levels, from kids trying it out for the first time to instructor level courses, the couple said.
“Children who are 8 years old can be involved in the PADI Bubblemaker program, and that involves getting in the pool and trying it,” Heather Williams said. “It’s a great family bonding experience because we can encourage people starting out at that very young age and encourage it to be a family hobby.”
The center also works with the Wounded Warrior Project and Patriots for Disabled Divers.
“I myself am a service-connected disabled veteran,” Rob Williams said. “I served in the U.S. Army and am an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, and scuba has provided me a lot of therapeutic benefits over the years.
“I found that was something that I wanted to share with other veterans. So it was a place close to my heart and a mission and a group of individuals that I really connected with.”
Businesses in the Cape Fear region that are promoting sports to locals and tourists are important, Rob Williams said.
“I think as a coastal community, water and coastal sports or recreation activities are essential,” he said. “I think that we have a big tourism draw towards this community, and a lot of people come for the water activities.”
Water sports also can enhance people’s lifestyles by promoting a healthier way of living, they pointed out.
“Any way that we can encourage people getting outdoors and getting on the water is great,” Heather Williams said. “We live in an age of technology where people are often sitting on their phones or possibly being inside. The water sports and activities that allow people to get outside and enjoy the water are really essential.”
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