|
|
|
|
Legends of Diving Articles |
|
|
George Purifoy
Notable Shipwreck Discoverer
On September 14, 2008, we lost a true pioneer in the diving
world, George Purifoy. Purifoy loved the water and spent much of
his life diving.
One
could say that George Purifoy's
life came to an end where he truly loved to be " on the water.
The Olympus Dive Center in Morehead, N.C. was founded by Purifoy
in 1976, and is well known among the diving community. He began
with a compressor, rentals and weekend charters aboard a
twin-engine Atlantis II. In the late
1970s he expanded the business by purchasing Olympus I " a 57 foot
wooden-hulled head boat. He
|

George Purifoy |
also founded the Olympus Gym which was Morehead City's first
fitness center. A diesel mechanic for 25 years, Purifoy went into diving full time in 1990.
He was very supportive of the local community giving instruction to
new divers and participating in the preservation of dive wrecks in
the North Carolina area. His work included the preservation of our
ocean waters as well.
Purifoy lent his support to the North Carolina Aquarium where he
sponsored a dive program at the Living Shipwreck which is an exhibit
featuring a replica of a German sub sunk off Cape Lookout in 1942.
Purifoy had close to 7,000 dives beginning in 1961, and his passion
was just as strong in the end as it was in the beginning. His
discovery and identification of numerous shipwrecks adds to his
credits. The most notable discovery was the World War II Submarine,
the U-352 which he discovered in 1975 after purchasing his own boat
and utilizing a LORAN unit which he had to rent as they were just
coming on the market at that time. Purifoy's generosity included
meeting with the U-352 survivors and paying for their trip so that
they could pay respect to their fallen comrades.
One can truly say that George Purifoy was not only a local icon but
a legend around the world. |
|
|
|
Portage Quarry Recreation Club, Inc.
12701 South Dixie Bowling Green OH, 43402
Email
©1999-2021 International Legends of Diving All Rights Reserved
|