Boston - Worth diving?

[waterblue]

Hi Divers,

I'm having the opportunity to come to Boston the last week of August and I'm wondering if it's worth diving? I'm a rescue diver and also have a CMAS Dive Leader certification (leader to 40m and autonomous to 60m) and by the way I'm French - sorry ;-)

Thanks a lot for your advice.

W.

 

[DaveV]

Lots of good diving in the Boston area!

 

[divin'dog]

Depends on what you expect to see... If you've never experienced New England diving, it might be a nice change of pace for you. The Cape Ann area might be one of your best bets to get in a good "cold" water dive, maybe catch a lobster or two if you're with a licensed diver.

 

[waterblue]

Depends on what you expect to see... If you've never experienced New England diving, it might be a nice change of pace for you. The Cape Ann area might be one of your best bets to get in a good "cold" water dive, maybe catch a lobster or two if you're with a licensed diver.

Actually it would be a 1st time for me. I've never been in New England at all ;-) Cold water is fine as long as there is some visibility and as I can rent a 7mn ;-) How long does it take to get by car to Cape Ann from Cambridge/Boston?
Would you have any good diving centers to recommend?

Sorry for all these noob questions, but not that easy to organize when you live abroad.

 

[divin'dog]

Actually it would be a 1st time for me. I've never been in New England at all ;-) Cold water is fine as long as there is some visibility and as I can rent a 7mn ;-) How long does it take to get by car to Cape Ann from Cambridge/Boston?
Would you have any good diving centers to recommend?

Sorry for all these noob questions, but not that easy to organize when you live abroad.

No apologies needed... There will be the usual vis of about 10'-15', depends. A 7mm is minimal protection as temps will get down to mid-to low 50ºF. A core warmer or other insulation is recommended if you get cold easily.

Boston to Cape Ann is about an hour depending on traffic. Nice drive if you avoid rush hour. Diving mid-week is best as you avoid the weekend crowd but also have to deal with traffic.

I'm not up on all the dive ops in the Boston area but Cape Ann divers could outfit you with gear and is obviously in Cape Ann.

 

[large_diver]

Bon jour

Agree with Cape Ann Divers recommendation for simplicity. They run a well-stocked dive shop, rent most of the gear you need and run 2 dive charter boats. They can also give you advice on shore diving sites, parking, restaurants, etc. Definitely check with them in advance regarding what gear they rent and what you need to bring with you.

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In terms of what to expect - similar to what's been described above. In the Cape Ann area, water will be in the 40sF at depths in the 90-100 foot range, 50sF at mid-range depths; above 60 in shallow water above the thermocline. Cape Ann is a popular location as it has lots of interesting underwater topography characterized by large rock formations, wrecks and decent access to the water. Marine life = depends on the site and conditions of course; sometimes there is a lot of fish life, sometimes very little. Usually plenty of lobster this time of year, but you need a license to catch them (need to be a resident for this).

If you decide to do a Cape Ann Divers charter, they have a very helpful crew and provide good dive site briefings, but there is no divemaster in the water unless you pay to hire one (need to arrange in advance). New England divers are pretty friendly (most of us anyway :cool2 and you can usually find someone to buddy up with if you arrive alone.

Here is a video I took on a Cape Ann Divers dive charter 2 weeks ago. This is "typical" New England diving = visibility of about 15 feet. Nothing particularly noteworthy, but it will give you an idea of the visibility and underwater topography. 2 weeks earlier (not this video) we encountered some seals underwater.

https://zurich-diver.smugmug.com/Picket-Paddock-25-July-2015

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[kmurray719]

You might also check out Boston Scuba for diving closer to the city. They run boat charters out of East Boston. They have a really well set up boat and great staff. There are plenty of easy sites in the Harbor, and if you're not used to shore entries and all the carrying gear they can involve, boat diving might be more fun for you.

Boston SCUBA