Cold Water

[CJ Waid]

Just curious if anyone knows how cold water can really get...

i always thought that water froze at 32 degrees F.

But, I have since found out that it isn't always true...

I am getting ready for a long winter of ice diving and surfing in heavy cold waves, and I was just curious, how cold the water can really get???

I live in northern Michigan, we are going to be forced to cut holes in the ice to dive in about a month and a half, two months here, just wondering how cold it really is... I have spent a lot of time in the water in the winter, I just never really knew how cold it could actually get before it has to freeze.

 

[mikeyjoe]

Fresh water freezes @ approx 32f (exactly 0C) but salt water freezes below 32f - I have heard polar oceans still liquid at 28f........

 

[jrockosaurus]

pure water (distilled) freezes at around 32 F. However, salinity, wave or current action and other factors can affect this number. I've been in fresh water that was 29 F - that was cold!! I think you'll find that most areas, even when frozen, don't get much below 35 F or so at their very coldest. Ice can be just as cold as you want but water will only get to a certain temp before it freezes.

 

[ApexLongimanus]

fresh water freezes at around 32 dF, sea water at around 28dF (depending on the salt contens.....the more, the colder it has to get).
under the ice cover, the water is normally warmer the deeper you go...
not significantly, though.

 

[DivingCRNA]

Remember-The home-made ice cream is made in a bucket of salt and water. The saltwater gets really cold. 28F or so. You can get it really cold, and you have to to get the ice cream to freeze.

The Titanic museum in Branson, Mo has a great demo of this where they have salt water in a tank at 26-28F and a timer and you can see how long you can stand to keep your hand in water that cold.

 

[Steve_Dives]

OK, I'll be a dork. Technically you can keep cooling water until it reaches absolute zero, at which point all motion stops. If you can find a way to dive it, please send me a postcard!

 

[pir8]

Brrrrrrrrr

 

[Falco]

Salt water will remain liquid below 32f depemding on it's salinity and current/waves/etc. If you have proper exposure protection, diving in those conditions is not that different from diving in "warmer" water. Just make sure you have a warm place to change because if the water is below 32f then the air is very probably going to be much colder and it's a pain to get dressed outside in those temperatures.

 

[Tigerman]

Salt water will remain liquid below 32f depemding on it's salinity and current/waves/etc. If you have proper exposure protection, diving in those conditions is not that different from diving in "warmer" water. Just make sure you have a warm place to change because if the water is below 32f then the air is very probably going to be much colder and it's a pain to get dressed outside in those temperatures.

Also to keep in mind is to plan the dive as a deeper dive than it really is, for reasons taught in your training

 

[Guba]

We do a laboratory exercise in my freshman classes in which we make ice cream in plastic bags. Naturally, we use a saturated brine/ice solution for the coolant. Typically, we reach temperatures of about negative 8 degrees Celcius, or about 18 degrees Fahrenheit! Yup, we have to be careful about not getting frostbite.
And true, the while molecular motion will cease at absolute zero (-273 degrees C), H2O will most definitely be solid long before that (ice, in other words). But I know what you mean, Steve, and I wouldn't want to dive it no matter what!!!