Cold water diving is a PITA

[billt4sf]

My wife and I got up early, drove 4 hours total, spent $300 and had zero fun. Well, we do enjoy each other's company.

We drove to Monterey got our rental equipment, toted it to the car, drove to the BW, geared-up on the stairs, and as we were ready to go in, sweating in heavy drysuits, Emily’s BCD wouldn’t close. They had given her a small, not small-medium. Fortunately the shop owner was there and a replacement BC was sent. We switched the tanks and we headed for the ocean. By this time Emily was thoroughly frustrated and said “This is not fun. I don’t want to dive here any more”. It is quite a PITA to get the drysuit on and everything in its place, meanwhile you’re sweating inside the hot DS and have to lug heavy gear into the ocean.

So we got past the surf, got the fins on, swam out 30 yds or so and – couldn’t get down. Neither of us. I am 6’6”, 245 lbs and had 36 lbs of weight plus ankle weights using an AL tank. My wife is 5’2”, 125 lbs and had (I think) 22 lbs. plus ankle weights. The viz was pea soup anyway. We swam back to the shore, both of us fell in the surf and couldn’t get up. I had to swim back out holding my fins, while three other divers helped Emily while she was crawling out on the beach. A strong young guy had a heck of a time popping her weights out! No way could she have done this on her own.

When we arrived back at the shop, the manager gave us full credit for the rentals. This alone made my wife say that she’d try it again! Good job, Keith at Bamboo Reef!

Truly though, we are not having much fun cold water diving. We took the DS course, have dived about 5 times in cold water and I have to say, it’s OK. But not more. Not yet, anyway. With all the gear, lugging it back and forth to the car and into the ocean, and dealing with the drysuit discomfort, (and buoyancy issues in the water) there’s a lot more PITA than fun, for sure. Not to mention the 2 hour drive each way. We have had fun diving in Hawaii.

Oh yeah, we got lost on the way home.

Realistically we’ll probably try it a time or two more, but if we don’t start having fun soon, I doubt we’d continue. I know I won’t be the only one to give up on cold water diving. I have a good friend that has taken his family to Bali and to Belize and he won’t even try it.

Beyond spending a few thousand bucks to get our equipment, especially a DS, which would make things somewhat easier, but not way easier, I can’t think of anything we could do. Can you?

We are looking forward to a dive trip this summer in the Caribbean.

 

[annasea]

Well, you're not alone; cold water diving does not work for everyone. I tried it up here in Vancouver (certified in northern Florida) and simply did not like it. The cold, the gloves, the weight, the marine life... none of it made the effort worthwhile.

I'm sure you'll now get a bazillion posts 'defending' it.

 

[BUDMANOK]

yes cold water is a pain but that's what we have most of the time so if i want to dive at all then that's it.when I get to warm tropical water it's like i've died and gone to heaven.

 

[RVBldr]

My wife won't go anywhere near the cold stuff, but she'll dive all day in the tropics! I dive Puget Sound with my buddies and find the cold water stuff different, but fun, from diving warmer locations, just as long as you have the proper equipment (that makes a huge difference).

 

[Damselfish]

Been there done that. Learned to dive in New England and dove here for a few years. Started out about every other weekend at first, dropped off to not very often, then zilch - especially after we had a couple tastes of warm water diving. I'm glad we did it but to us it just usually seemed way more trouble than it was worth.

 

[dlofting]

We've experienced similar problems to yours.....but not going to give up, there's some marvelous critters down there and I want to see them.

 

[Doubler]

It is also a PITA to drag all your gear to the airport and fly off to the Caymans but oh so worth it. Just sayin.

 

[Kian]

First I must say that all i know is cold water as I am a newbie and haven't had the opportunity to dive in any tropical waters. So far I have enjoyed all of my dives, even the rough ones that were more work than sightseeing! I have seen a lot of dive videos from tropical waters and I can see how cold water would not be as appealing to people. I hope that some time you will give Monterey another chance as I have had a great time playing with seals and exploring the wonders of the kelp forrest. It would be a shame if you guys didn't get to have the same experience.

 

[bl6394]

Well.... Not to disagree. But we had two trucks in 4WD mode slog through a foot of snow to make our way down a winding wooded road to Eugene Quarry in Central MO today. After climbing down an icy ladder into the quarry (wearing doubles and stages) - we had two awesome dives in 38 degree water with 10 foot of vis. By the second dive - most of the ice on the surface of the quarry had melted away. A beautiful day!

I like warmer water - but any day diving is still a good day.

Bjorn

 

[David_57]

Have 300+ cold water dives in Canada and some in the UK including Scapa Flow, I have just decided to give up the cold water low vis tech stuff, and stick to the warm water good vis rec wetsuit diving so much more fun IMHO, in fact in the process of selling of my cold water gear, took me a few years and many dives to figure this out but now I know my preference.

Just came back from St Andres Island absolutely beautiful my friends called be to go for a dive when I got back, the thought of getting up at 6:00 am driving for 2 hours putting on a drysuit double tanks etc ect jumping into 45F water with low vis for fun, well put it this way Icould not get my head around the idea see a few below pics from my St Andreas trip and my Canada and scapa flow dives if you get my drift ;-) then again maybe its old age LOL.