THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408110194
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN HARPER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
THE ANDY GRIFFITH Show theme plays in my head. I'm off to the Ole Swimming Hole in Manteo.
It's hard to believe, but in my 10 years on the Outer Banks, I've never been to this particular haven for beachgoers. I'm sort of partial to that big swimming hole due east of here. Playing in the ocean cures all ills.
But my sense of adventure spurs me on.
The Ole Swimming Hole is just a short distance from the Dare County Regional Airport. It's a peaceful place complete with picnic tables, some on grass, and about l00 yards of beach fronting the Croatan Sound.
There is also a pavilion housing picnic tables and a large grill. Small airplanes overhead replace the seagulls of the oceanfront. Although the planes are noisy, there's a certain comfort in the humming.
There are just a few people. The Schuler family from Michigan occupies the beach. Noble Schuler, the dad, rests after a 20-mile run. His family is here to pick him up.
``I competed in a triathlon here a few years ago,'' Schuler says, ``and I found this to be a nice quiet spot.'' The yearly triathlon consists of a three-mile run, 15-mile bike ride and half-mile swim in the sound.
The water here is much deeper than in the Roanoke Sound on the other side of Manteo. Schuler says that after about l00 yards, the water is over one's head. That's why it's nice to have a lifeguard on duty.
Life Guard Beach Services of Kill Devil Hills provides the protection. Today is James Griffin's first day of duty at the Ole Swimming Hole. His usual spot is the First Street beach in Kill Devil Hills.
How is this different for Griffin?
``Usually I'm watching 300 to 400 people,'' Griffin says. ``Today I'm watching five.'' He says it's a nice change from the hectic pace in K.D.H.
Just to the left of where we're sitting is a small playground with a seesaw and a two-seat swing set.
Schuler's mother-in-law, Marge Sovia, has visited the Outer Banks for 30 years. She says today ``is one of the quietest days'' she remembers.
``Usually there are at least two or three fishing boats,'' Sovia says, laughing.
Nothing but horizon today. The Manns Harbor bridge stands tall in the distance.
To our right is a ferry dock. Before the bridge was built, a ferry ran from this dock to Manns Harbor. It was called back into service in the early '80s when a barge damaged the bridge.
The ferry is one reason for the depth of the water here. At one time, the sound was dredged to allow seaplanes to land.
John Hepler, a computer consultant, and Heather McCall, a Chamber of Commerce worker in Fairfax, Va., are enjoying their last few hours of calm before heading back to the big city. Hepler is reading James Michener's ``Chesapeake.'' McCall is finishing up Jeffrey Archer's ``A Matter of Honor.''
``My grandfather is from Manteo,'' Hepler says. ``He showed us this place years ago. We caught the sunset last night. It was spectacular.''
Kevin Cawley works for Southeastern Air Tours. His office is about a quarter of a mile from the Hole.
``We used to come here when I was a teenager, and we'd jump or dive or cannonball from the pilings,'' Cawley says. ``I lived in Manteo and didn't always have transportation, so it was easier to get here than to the beach.''
There is some folklore connected with the Ole Swimming Hole. Old-timers remember spending their youth playing in the water, fishing or hanging out with friends. Most of the old-timers agree with Cawley: Getting to the Ole Swimming Hole is a lot easier than getting a ride to the ocean.
In the hour and a half I spend here, about 40 airplanes pass overhead. The Schuler family looks up. Hepler and McCall glance from their best-sellers to catch the free air show. Joe Malat from the nearby North Carolina Aquarium breaks bread with his wife, Nell, in the pavilion. Two people share some food at a picnic table on the grass area.
The air is clear, the planes hum, the children laugh, the couples talk and I watch. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
John Betts of Manteo casts a line into the Croatan Sound from the
old ferry dock at the Ole Swimming Hole on Roanoke Island.
OLE SWIMMING HOLE
Take Airport Road south off Route 64 in Manteo.
The sign reads ``Dare County Airport and North Carolina
Aquarium.''
The lifeguard is on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, call the Dare County Parks and Recreation
Department at 473-1101.
by CNB