WetAndHappy
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I Joined SB because it would be great to have a SCUBA community to interact with again. There aren't many SCUBA divers in my neck of the woods...
I moved to the Inuit village of Cambridge Bay about 5 years ago, situated on Victoria Island just North of mainland Canada. Originally I was just going to stick around for a 3 year work contract, but I fell in love with the people and the land up here. My wife moved up to join me, and for our 10th anniversary (~1 year ago) she got me a comprehensive set of ice / cold water SCUBA gear. All my vacations and trips South had a heavy dive component, so I think the idea was to bring the action closer to home. Besides, diving the Arctic Ocean is a real treat and an opportunity not to be missed.
From what I have researched, there have only ever been 8 active divers (non-visitors) in the community since it was established in 1955. There are 4 active divers in town right now, and one fellow who used to dive here years ago is still around. There may be others I am unaware of, but that's unlikely. Peers are sparse (though I still have yet to meet one of the active divers) but thanks to the wonder of the InternetTM and SB, I can get my fill of SCUBA chatter. I have found a dive buddy who is an excellent, level-headed partner, and keenly interested in exploring the underwater world here. Being that there are few other divers, solo diving is a part of life now. (I have joined the solo subforum.)
There are many things to see in the Arctic ocean (when it's thawed) some highlights being historic wrecks like the wreck of the Maud (aka The Baymaud, aka Roald Amundsen's ship,) a Globemaster aircraft, a Consolidated PBY Catalina (in 160 feet of water :depressed: I so I can't go see it) old army vehicles, and, armored personnel carriers and jeeps from the DEW line station. Like anywhere, life under the water is 2x-10x what you see on land, and there are sea urchins to eat, narwhal to dive with, gardens of tube anemones, mussels to harvest, skulls of musk-ox and caribou, nudibranchs, seals, and the list goes on... Oh, and a small fortune of fishing hooks to pack out after a dive. I am an avid photographer (former professional photographer) and love taking my cameras down with me.
So that's a bit about me and my dive playground. I'll be acquiring a boat this coming year and plan to start mapping things to see, and dive sites of note. Who knows, maybe some locals will join in over the next few years.
Edit: Just thought of a quick neat thing to add, two weekends ago I did my first sub-zero dive - the water temperature was -1oC at 67 feet.
I moved to the Inuit village of Cambridge Bay about 5 years ago, situated on Victoria Island just North of mainland Canada. Originally I was just going to stick around for a 3 year work contract, but I fell in love with the people and the land up here. My wife moved up to join me, and for our 10th anniversary (~1 year ago) she got me a comprehensive set of ice / cold water SCUBA gear. All my vacations and trips South had a heavy dive component, so I think the idea was to bring the action closer to home. Besides, diving the Arctic Ocean is a real treat and an opportunity not to be missed.
From what I have researched, there have only ever been 8 active divers (non-visitors) in the community since it was established in 1955. There are 4 active divers in town right now, and one fellow who used to dive here years ago is still around. There may be others I am unaware of, but that's unlikely. Peers are sparse (though I still have yet to meet one of the active divers) but thanks to the wonder of the InternetTM and SB, I can get my fill of SCUBA chatter. I have found a dive buddy who is an excellent, level-headed partner, and keenly interested in exploring the underwater world here. Being that there are few other divers, solo diving is a part of life now. (I have joined the solo subforum.)
There are many things to see in the Arctic ocean (when it's thawed) some highlights being historic wrecks like the wreck of the Maud (aka The Baymaud, aka Roald Amundsen's ship,) a Globemaster aircraft, a Consolidated PBY Catalina (in 160 feet of water :depressed: I so I can't go see it) old army vehicles, and, armored personnel carriers and jeeps from the DEW line station. Like anywhere, life under the water is 2x-10x what you see on land, and there are sea urchins to eat, narwhal to dive with, gardens of tube anemones, mussels to harvest, skulls of musk-ox and caribou, nudibranchs, seals, and the list goes on... Oh, and a small fortune of fishing hooks to pack out after a dive. I am an avid photographer (former professional photographer) and love taking my cameras down with me.
So that's a bit about me and my dive playground. I'll be acquiring a boat this coming year and plan to start mapping things to see, and dive sites of note. Who knows, maybe some locals will join in over the next few years.
Edit: Just thought of a quick neat thing to add, two weekends ago I did my first sub-zero dive - the water temperature was -1oC at 67 feet.
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