Cape Cod Lake temp

[DolphinWannabe]

How would I go about finding out expected temperatures in a Cape Cod lake over the summer?

There's a lake dive I want to do, and I have a friend who is an experienced diver (I'm a novice) and I've asked him if he'll buddy with me for the dive, but he's only done tropical diving (and is as skinny as a string bean and so doesn't have a lot of personal insulation) and says he doesn't want to dive in water colder than 65F.

So how can I determine whether the water is likely to meet his temperature requirement?

 

[frankb]

The water at King's Beach off Newport was in the 60s this weekend so you can probably bet the water is going to be A LOT warmer in a lake.

Here is a site that does ocean temps on the Cape so you could go from there.

http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/sat_data/?nothumbs=1&product=sst&region=capecod

 

[Tavi]

...............[snip]..............you can probably bet the water is going to be A LOT warmer in a lake.
..........[snip]..........

Not always so.

I once made the mistake of thinking that about a shallow lake in upper NY. We got to 15' and everything turned black and ice cold!!

Some lakes are spring fed.

 

[frankb]

Ya I forgot to add the big BUT..if they are spring feed.

 

[mfalco]

What lake are you thinking of diving?

 

[ScubaGypsy]

I went diving at Hathaway's Pond in Barnstable on Saturday (July 08) and the surface water temperature was 79 F but it dropped to 55 F below about 20' (including on the "Field and Sea" cabin cruiser).

Last night I went diving at King's Beach in Newport and the surface water temperature was 68 F which only dropped to 66 F at a 20' depth.

 

[mfalco]

I went diving at Hathaway's Pond in Barnstable on Saturday (July 08) and the surface water temperature was 79 F but it dropped to 55 F below about 20' (including on the "Field and Sea" cabin cruiser).

Last night I went diving at King's Beach in Newport and the surface water temperature was 68 F which only dropped to 66 F at a 20' depth.

If you go about a foot deeper than the deepest point on the Field and Sea, there is a thermocline, and it gets real cold

 

[DolphinWannabe]

Hathaway's Pond is in fact where I want to go, including a visit to the Field and Sea. So, from GypsyDoc's report, it's still too chilly for my friend. Does anyone know if it gets any better by late summer?

Perhaps I may need to seek another buddy if I want to do this dive.

 

[paulthenurse]

Perhaps I may need to seek another buddy if I want to do this dive.

If your buddy won't dive in 55 degree water it is definately time to find a new buddy.

Controversial Post to Follow​

Hell, it's Hathaway's Pond. Just go alone. You can't park in the main lot cause it's summer, so you need to park over on the right. A straight shot swim to the boat will give you, at the most, 30 ffw. (For reference, a straight shot swim from the swim platform will give you, at most, 55 ffw.) How much trouble can you get in in 30 ffw? (Or 55?) You have an infinate supply of air 15 seconds away. You couldn't incure an obligation if you tried. If you are worried about going thru the boat alone, stay outside. If you manage to bollux everything up and find yourself shooting towards the surface, do what you were taught... blow out. Realisticly, if you do have a problem, what is your buddy going to do for you that you won't have done for yourself already? It's incredibly liberating the first time you go solo. You realise that, OK I'm here, I'm alone, I'm the only one responsible for my arse, and I'm OK. Ulimately, we are all responsible for ourselves. I don' know about you, but I feel a hell of a lot more comfortable in my own ability to get my arse out of a jam than in someone elses ability to get my arse out of a jam. (OK, I just checked back and see you are a 'novice' diver. If by novice you mean 'just got certified last week,' well you might want to get a couple dives in before you go solo. But don't wait too much longer than that. Learn to be responsible for yourself. Get comfortable in the water. And you can't get comfortable if you are depending on someone else. Especially someone who won't dive in 55 degree water.)

In every other endeavor in life, many as or more dangerous than diving, we don't consider someone competent until they go solo. Driving a car and flying airplanes are two that come immediatly to mind. Get used to the idea that YOU are the one responsible for yourself and that YOU need to be capable and competent and responsible for yourself.

The best reason to dive with a buddy is to have a friend buying half the beer afterwards.

My 2 cents.

 

[DolphinWannabe]

"Last week"? Why, it has been almost two weeks since I was certified! :-^) No, even if diving solo is an OK idea, it's not for me at this point.

My goal is to build up my experience at this point, get more confidence, enjoy some interesting local dives. And if I can't do it with this particular friend who happens to have dived only in warmer climes and that's what he's comfortable with, then I'll do it in other ways, that's OK.