d. Vehicle Use and Rentals . Vehicles with an axle width less than 3.1 

 meters and a weight under 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds) per wheel may be driven 

 on the pier with permission of the FRF Chief. Beach access is provided just 

 south of the pier. To minimize any adverse effects to the beach, all dune and 

 beach vehicular traffic is restricted to permanent trails. During special 

 studies or experiments, vehicular traffic will be detoured off the beach and 

 around the property. Beach travel in Dare County is prohibited from Memorial 

 Day to Labor Day. Rental automobiles are available at the Norfolk Airport, 

 and may also be obtained at the Manteo Airport by contacting: 



First Flight Air Service, Inc. 

 Manteo Airport 

 Manteo, NC 27954 

 (919) 473-3000 



Between 15 May and 15 November it is also possible to obtain rental cars at 

 the First Flight Air Strip in Kill Devil Hills by contacting: 



National Car Rental System 

 Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 

 (919) 441-5488 



e. Boats . Except under special circumstances, visiting scientists should 

 plan to provide their own boats. Small boats for ocean use must be launched 

 from the shore. Larger boats must use Oregon Inlet, 56 kilometers (35 miles) 

 south of the facility. A boat ramp for Currituck Sound is located about 1.6 

 kilometers (1 mile) south of the FRF. Large charter boats are available, and 

 arrangements may be made by contacting: 



Oregon Inlet Fishing Center 



Box 533 



Manteo, NC 27954 



(919) 441-6301 



f. Scuba Diving. All nongovernment scuba diving at the pier must comply 

 with OSHA Coraiaercial Diving Regulation (Department of Labor, 1977). Copies of 

 the regulation may be obtained from the Diving Officer at the FRF. Divers are 

 required to sign a statement that they have read this regulation and are in 

 compliance. Specialized equipment required by the regulation (e.g. , first aid 

 kit, resuscitator) is available at the FRF. 



Before diving permission at the pier is granted, a written dive plan (see 

 sample in App. B) must be submitted 2 weeks in advance to the FRF Diving 

 Officer for approval. Only no-decompression diving is permitted. In addi- 

 tion, the FRF Diving Officer or his assistant may cancel any diving activity 

 if conditions warrant doing so. 



Diving conditions around the FR.F vary considerably. Visibility ranges 

 from to 6 meters with marginal visibility being the norm. Monthly mean 

 water temperatures range from a mean of 4.4° Celsius (40° Fahrenheit) in Feb- 

 ruary to 24.3° Celsius (75.7° Fahrenheit) in July (based on daily measurements 

 from 1960 to 1966 at Virginia Beach, Virginia). Environmental conditions are 

 discussed further in Section IV. Although ladders are planned, there is cur- 

 rently no way for divers to enter or leave the water from the pier. 



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