fall diving at Catalina

[highlandfarmwv]

How late in the fall is the diving good (kelp still long) and doable with a wetsuit?

 

[FrankPro1]

How late in the fall is the diving good (kelp still long) and doable with a wetsuit?

I'm not fully experienced in Fall diving at Catalina, but here on the mainland diving is good all the way through winter with a wetsuit. I use a 6.5mm front zip and during the colder months I add a 3mm pinnacle heater underneath. The temps are quite tolerable.

Also the kelp beds thrive in the cool waters of the Fall/Winter months. Some of our best diving can be found during this seasonal period.

 

[fnfalman]

I dive year round in SoCal with nothing but a 7mm one-piece wetsuit.

Supposedly this year is predicted to have warm water staying longer than usual due to El Nino or something like that. However, usually water temperature doesn't really drop into the mid or low-50sF until around end of the year.

 

[tc]

Here's a handy chart for predicting the temp at various depths at Catalina-

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showfull.php?photo=121454

 

[merxlin]

Fall diving is good fron Sept 22nd until it's officially winter.

Year round diving in a 7mil is very typical. You might need to add a vest or more at depth if you get cold easily. Temps are typically above 60F most of the time.

 

[drbill]

Fall diving is fantastic, winter usually even better. In early fall temps are still "high" (relatively speaking, 71 F at 40' max depth on my night dive last night), but the kelp tends to be stressed because higher temperatures mean much lower nutrients. In winter visibility usually improves (in between storms), nutrients are higher and the kelp is healthier.

 

[blue steal]

I am looking forward to some fall and winter dives.
I wonder if the boats go out as often as in the summer.

 

[ligersandtions]

Fall and winter diving is the best....it's summer diving that can have iffy conditions. However, I think all year is drysuit (not wetsuit) temperatures cause I'm a huge wuss

 

[Leejnd]

I dive year-round, Catalina and other Channel Islands, in a 7mil one-piece. As far as I'm concerned, Fall is the BEST time of year to dive. That's when bug season starts!

 

[Teamcasa]

Fall and winter diving is the best....it's summer diving that can have iffy conditions. However, I think all year is drysuit (not wetsuit) temperatures cause I'm a huge wuss

Come on Nicole - Huge? The reason you get cold is because you are so small!

The majority of SoCal divers will dive year round in a wetsuit but the drysuit divers are more comfortable on the surface on the cold winter dive boats.

For me, wet or dry, the late fall and early winter dives are always my favorites.