Great Lakes diving for beginners

[Stoo]

Amazing. Stokes Bay is somewhat protected with islands too so that must have been a big blow. It likely wasn't the same one though. The one I shot was blowing in from the NE so Stokes would have been in the lee, but there has been a few "gaggers" as the locals call them. The Coast Guard clocked those waves at about 35'... I can't imagine what it might have been like getting caught in a storm 1/4 that size in a schooner!

 

[Marie13]

If this forecast holds, I won’t be diving Lake Michigan at all this weekend.

 

[DanielRJones]

Dont mind a fin on lader but in the UK we are blessed with having most charter boats with lifts. Finish dive stand on platform and 20 seconds later step back onto deck.

Marie as a wreck lover you should try the uk when you have had a few years on the freat lakes. More metal that you can dream about from u boats to trawlers and enough ships to dive twice a day for 10 lifetimes and never have to repeat

 

[maj2]

Amazing. Stokes Bay is somewhat protected with islands too so that must have been a big blow. It likely wasn't the same one though. The one I shot was blowing in from the NE so Stokes would have been in the lee, but there has been a few "gaggers" as the locals call them. The Coast Guard clocked those waves at about 35'... I can't imagine what it might have been like getting caught in a storm 1/4 that size in a schooner!

Technichally, the house was just south of Stokes Bay... Faced open lake Huron to the southwest, behind the southern tip of Lyal Island. Nowhere near as protected as Stokes Bay itself, but still in the lee of Lyal Island for anything coming from the west or northwest.
I could not imagine being out there for one of those big blows either!

 

[maj2]

The waves may be smaller, but they're steeper and closer together, making them especially dangerous.

The differences in the waves between the ocean and the lakes really cannot really be understated...

I have seen people who have spent what seems like half their life in boats on the Great Lakes without a problem who easily get seasick on the ocean, and vice versa with people very used to the ocean who get sick from the wave patterns on the lakes.

 

[lv2dive]

Bonine is a brand name version of meclizine - one can purchase 100 tablets of the generic meclizine at Walmart or on Amazon (or at some drugstores behind the counter) for less than $10. I recommend the generic version... I take one tablet at bedtime, one when I wake up, and one an hour before I get on the boat.

What is your anti-sea sickness med of choice? I like Bonine, but I’m open to new options.

 

[Stoo]

The differences in the waves between the ocean and the lakes really cannot really be understated...

I'm blessed with rock-solid guts, but I also believe that every person has a wave frequency that will get them.

 

[Firebar]

Scopolamine patches work soooooo much better than bonnie for me. Plus 1 patch is good for 3 to 4 days. Not cheap, but the only option for me.

Just watch out for reactions with the patches, some people have bad ones.

Two lessons I learnt about them from others were:
1) always wash your hands after touching one, if you get some in your eye it can make your pupil dilate (for about 3 days)
2) never put two on at once (I.e. forget which ear the old one is behind) I met someone who started hallucinating about the clouds being distinct shapes.

Stugeron is the brand of tablets that I use (used to get Dramamine in the US but you can’t seem to get it in the U.K.) but like Marie says you’ve gotta start the night before, when you’re feeling ill is too late.

 

[Marie13]

I'm blessed with rock-solid guts, but I also believe that every person has a wave frequency that will get them.

I've missed one too many dives from being queasy (I've not gotten close to the point of feeding the fishies), so I watch the marine forecast closely. I tend to take Bonine before every charter now. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Marie13]

Dont mind a fin on lader but in the UK we are blessed with having most charter boats with lifts. Finish dive stand on platform and 20 seconds later step back onto deck.

Marie as a wreck lover you should try the uk when you have had a few years on the freat lakes. More metal that you can dream about from u boats to trawlers and enough ships to dive twice a day for 10 lifetimes and never have to repeat

That would require me flying, which I do my best to avoid at nearly all costs.