fisheater
Contributor
Along those lines, join a local dive club. That way, you'll dive often and with friendly folks experienced in the local ways.
warm and clear- cold and murky
- Thread starter NB DIVER
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Along those lines, join a local dive club. That way, you'll dive often and with friendly folks experienced in the local ways.
Funny. I just got home from a week in Maui, and on the plane on the way home, I was thinking that, despite all the places I have traveled, the best diving I've done has all been in cold water. Seattle, BC, Monterey, Channel Islands . . . It just doesn't get any better than that, for me.
I am fairly new to diving and cant offer advice as good as most of the people on here. However I don't have the means to travel to warm clear water so all my dives have been in cold water and most of which viz under 10 feet. The fact is i love diving and if it needs to be in cold murky water so be it. I look forward to some nice warm water diving, but until then i will be in cold water with my dry suit on and tons of weight. Maybe it is because i haven't really experienced warm water diving but i don't mind the extra bulk of the exposure suit, undergarments, and weight i need to dive.
Cold water diving is a blast!!! The reason it is, is because I can go anytime. And I can spear and crab crabs and take them home and cook them. Can't do this in any resort area that I've been to. I know there are exceptions, but here I can bring the crab Home!
I dive 46 F (7.8 C) degree regularly. In fact I was going today, if I the stormy clouds and rain/hail didn't scare me off. I wish now that I had of gone, because the clouds have parted a bit - but too late.
Anyway, I dive with a 7mm farmer john wetsuit with thick hood and gloves and I'm just fine - 2 dives. My buddy dives with a one piece and he's just fine too. Some dive expensive drysuits. This is fine, but I would not have wanted to be rolled around the jetty rocks, like I did last week in a thousands of dollar drysuit.
Just get out and dive!
I don't know what it is like there, but visibility can be a factor in our cold-murky Pacific NW Ocean/Bays. Be sure your underwater navigation/compass skills are up to par. I also carry a pony bottle, plenty of knives/surgical scissors, light, and DAN signal/lift sausage. And always a bag for dungeness crabs (and cleaning up garbage).
drdaddy
I dive 46 F (7.8 C) degree regularly. In fact I was going today, if I the stormy clouds and rain/hail didn't scare me off. I wish now that I had of gone, because the clouds have parted a bit - but too late.
Anyway, I dive with a 7mm farmer john wetsuit with thick hood and gloves and I'm just fine - 2 dives. My buddy dives with a one piece and he's just fine too. Some dive expensive drysuits. This is fine, but I would not have wanted to be rolled around the jetty rocks, like I did last week in a thousands of dollar drysuit.
Just get out and dive!
I don't know what it is like there, but visibility can be a factor in our cold-murky Pacific NW Ocean/Bays. Be sure your underwater navigation/compass skills are up to par. I also carry a pony bottle, plenty of knives/surgical scissors, light, and DAN signal/lift sausage. And always a bag for dungeness crabs (and cleaning up garbage).
drdaddy
I would disagree that diving is not as fun in cold water. I've never seen wrecks better than what we have up in the Great Lakes, and that's about as cold as it gets. It took me a little while, but eventually I got used to the extra gear, and constriction of cold water diving. In time, you won't notice anything.
One more piece of advice is that fit becomes even more important the heavier the thermal protection. You can deal with a 3mm shorty that doesn't fit well, but a poorly fit drysuit or 7mm will cause all kinds of problems.
Tom
One more piece of advice is that fit becomes even more important the heavier the thermal protection. You can deal with a 3mm shorty that doesn't fit well, but a poorly fit drysuit or 7mm will cause all kinds of problems.
Tom
RonFrank
Contributor
I think the main issue with cold water diving is exposure protection, and what one can do to minimize the weight requirements, and maximize the comfort. Lynne's tank suggestions are certainly worth while. I dive with a Hammerhead SS BP, and a SS STA which adds up to about 12lbs of weight. This minimizes that amount of weight I need to carry.
A drysuit IMO is a must for anyone that does much cold water diving. It's not just the comfort in the water, but after the dive as well. Most can handle the cold of being in 50F water in a good 7mm wetsuit, but once out, if you are in 30F temps or worst, the cold just sets in, and you either need a source for warm water in a wetsuit, or you must get that cold wetsuit off.
5~7mm hoods take some getting used to, but they also provide essential warmth for diving in cold water. Basically cold water diving is a PITA from a gear perspective, but having the right gear is the difference between comfort, and hypothermia!
A drysuit IMO is a must for anyone that does much cold water diving. It's not just the comfort in the water, but after the dive as well. Most can handle the cold of being in 50F water in a good 7mm wetsuit, but once out, if you are in 30F temps or worst, the cold just sets in, and you either need a source for warm water in a wetsuit, or you must get that cold wetsuit off.
5~7mm hoods take some getting used to, but they also provide essential warmth for diving in cold water. Basically cold water diving is a PITA from a gear perspective, but having the right gear is the difference between comfort, and hypothermia!
NewBrunswick (may I call you NewB?
):I can offer a few tips and tell you it will get better--or rather, you can acclimate if you stick with it. The biggest factor is experience--knowing you can do this, and you will get cold, but you will warm up.
- Choose a sunny day.
- Use a well-fitted suit if you're diving wet. Add a vest under it if the torso's loose.
- Stay well-warmed on the ride out and during gear-up.
- Bring a propane heater for you and hot water for your hood and gloves during surface intervals.
- Minimize movement underwater, especially arm movement, so you're not pumping water in and out of the suit.
- Stay out of the wind topside.
- Use synthetic fleece tops and hats topside.
- If necessary, get into the cab or car and run the heater.
It's much easier to tolerate the cold if there's something worth seeing down there, of course . . .
-Bryan
There are some great tips here already. I personally enjoy cold water diving, most likely because I learned to dive in cold (52 degree) water, and have done the vast majority of my dives in colder waters. While I do enjoy the tropics, I still prefer the adventure of the colder Northwest U.S. diving.
My best tip would be to find the calmest, easiest dives you can, go very slow, and just get used to all the gear and sensations of diving cold water. There's nothing wrong with entering the water and spending 20-30 minutes within a few dozen yards of the entry area. As you get more coldwater dives under your belt, take on a few different activities, different depths, etc. And go with someone else who has the same experience in mind.
Find a comfortable, well-fitting suit and spend time to weight yourself properly. This can take some time but will make your dives much easier. Being overweighted or underweighted cause you to expend more energy and complicate your dives. A hood is one of the most difficult things to get used to, so make sure your mask is sealed properly around your face (without the hood caught in it), and practice clearing and adjusting your mask underwater.
There's a lot of great cold water diving around - so get used to both cold and warm water and you'll be a great diver in both environments!
- Chris
.
My best tip would be to find the calmest, easiest dives you can, go very slow, and just get used to all the gear and sensations of diving cold water. There's nothing wrong with entering the water and spending 20-30 minutes within a few dozen yards of the entry area. As you get more coldwater dives under your belt, take on a few different activities, different depths, etc. And go with someone else who has the same experience in mind.
Find a comfortable, well-fitting suit and spend time to weight yourself properly. This can take some time but will make your dives much easier. Being overweighted or underweighted cause you to expend more energy and complicate your dives. A hood is one of the most difficult things to get used to, so make sure your mask is sealed properly around your face (without the hood caught in it), and practice clearing and adjusting your mask underwater.
There's a lot of great cold water diving around - so get used to both cold and warm water and you'll be a great diver in both environments!
- Chris
.
CamG
Contributor
Greetings NB DIVER and welcome to SB! It is great to hear of your almost completion of your OW!
Your observations about warm and cold water really come down to comfort level and proximity to your local dive scene. Being prepared, adequately dressed for the environment goes a long way!
I love the recommendation to get involved in a local dive club. This will give you a network of friends who dive, and some guidance in local conditions.
What ever you do cold or warm do not write either one off! Diving is far to awesome of an activity to not take advantage of what ever environment you are in! The key is to be prepared and comfortable in the water in general! It is awesome warm or cold!
Where else do we loose the shackles of gravity? Unless we are working for NASA!
IMO "In My Opinion" My experience was possibly odd but on the plane ride home from a Mexican diving vacation, I called my instructor and told him I missed the quarry!
I am not kidding, I missed cold water! Did I hate the warm? No, just not the same. This is where I live and always have been interested in what is going on under the water!
What has transpired in the last two years has been incredible! The experiences I have had the relationships I have made, the once in a lifetime dives I have encountered!
Relax and take your time dive as much as you can where ever you can! Take in the experiences make new friends, savor it all!
Have a blast and keep us posted!
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!
Your observations about warm and cold water really come down to comfort level and proximity to your local dive scene. Being prepared, adequately dressed for the environment goes a long way!
I love the recommendation to get involved in a local dive club. This will give you a network of friends who dive, and some guidance in local conditions.
What ever you do cold or warm do not write either one off! Diving is far to awesome of an activity to not take advantage of what ever environment you are in! The key is to be prepared and comfortable in the water in general! It is awesome warm or cold!
Where else do we loose the shackles of gravity? Unless we are working for NASA!
IMO "In My Opinion" My experience was possibly odd but on the plane ride home from a Mexican diving vacation, I called my instructor and told him I missed the quarry!
I am not kidding, I missed cold water! Did I hate the warm? No, just not the same. This is where I live and always have been interested in what is going on under the water!
What has transpired in the last two years has been incredible! The experiences I have had the relationships I have made, the once in a lifetime dives I have encountered!
Relax and take your time dive as much as you can where ever you can! Take in the experiences make new friends, savor it all!
Have a blast and keep us posted!
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!
Other advice from someone who typically dives in cold water (well, almost cold at 45degreesF):
a. As others have said, you MUST have adequate exposure protection -- a proper wetsuit wll work, a drysuit will, honestly, work better
b. To me, a big thing was to come up with a reason to do a dive because I could ALWAYS come up with reasons NOT to do a dive when it was 45 degrees, dark and raining (and that is on the shore!) -- and 45 degrees, dark and with 10 foot viz under water. Towards that end, probably the best class I've taken (and I've taken many!) was a local Marine Life ID class. Now when I dive (and I dive quite a bit, not as much as, say TSandM) I try to ID the "pretty fishies" and especially the nudi's (I love nudibranchs), etc. Some people don't need the extra reason to dive -- but you might be like me and having one more reason to put on all that gear (I'll get into the water with at least 70 pounds of gear diving a single tank) just so you can be weightless for 45 minutes.
c. As soon as you can, get a GOOD light -- that will make diving in your waters much more enjoyable. If there was one mistake I made early on it was NOT getting a good light. They are EXPENSIVE but they make a huge difference in both safety and comfort (safety because they can be used for communicating with your buddy -- comfort because they will bring out the colors and "stuff" that is hiding down there and make the dive more enjoyable, not to mention the comfort that comes from being able to easily stay in contact with your buddy).
Have fun.
a. As others have said, you MUST have adequate exposure protection -- a proper wetsuit wll work, a drysuit will, honestly, work better
b. To me, a big thing was to come up with a reason to do a dive because I could ALWAYS come up with reasons NOT to do a dive when it was 45 degrees, dark and raining (and that is on the shore!) -- and 45 degrees, dark and with 10 foot viz under water. Towards that end, probably the best class I've taken (and I've taken many!) was a local Marine Life ID class. Now when I dive (and I dive quite a bit, not as much as, say TSandM) I try to ID the "pretty fishies" and especially the nudi's (I love nudibranchs), etc. Some people don't need the extra reason to dive -- but you might be like me and having one more reason to put on all that gear (I'll get into the water with at least 70 pounds of gear diving a single tank) just so you can be weightless for 45 minutes.
c. As soon as you can, get a GOOD light -- that will make diving in your waters much more enjoyable. If there was one mistake I made early on it was NOT getting a good light. They are EXPENSIVE but they make a huge difference in both safety and comfort (safety because they can be used for communicating with your buddy -- comfort because they will bring out the colors and "stuff" that is hiding down there and make the dive more enjoyable, not to mention the comfort that comes from being able to easily stay in contact with your buddy).
Have fun.
Similar threads
