Keeping in mind that this is BASIC scuba...

[imasinker]

Unmistakably the Lillie Parsons. You can fool around descending the anchor chain to the wreck and on the exit you can drift the wall and then make your way around the island to the sheltered bay, but for my money drifting in open water onto and off of the Lillie makes everything worthwhile.

You got that right, used Under Where Charters (Tom) and dove the Gaskin and headed to the Parsons, first drift dive I did. I couldn't believe the viz It was so amazing. We followed the chain down over the rock cut and across, being my first time in a drift I thought I would play it safe. Love that area, did most of my wreck dives 33 in total in Kingston and Brockville Area.

 

[bfw]

If you dive in the cold (anywhere you need a 5mm or more) and where vis is typically less than 10ft, why do you dive? What do you get out of it? What are you doing there

Notice your username and avatar. Why do you name yourself in a way that implies mental illness? Why do you choose as your avatar the symbol of a criminal society who lived well outside not only the social contract and the law, but did so at the cost of most of the comfort and safety most people associated with civilization. You're baffled as to why people would seek out a physical and mental challenges with a degree of risk, why they take the road less cushy. I suggest you ponder why you find the the "edgy" impressions implied by your chosen self designation attractive and desirable. There lies the beginning of understanding.

Simply put, they are doing what you are implying.

 

[seaducer]

Why do you choose as your avatar the symbol of a criminal society who lived well outside not only the social contract and the law, but did so at the cost of most of the comfort and safety most people associated with civilization.

Well, all that aside let's give credit where credit is due. Pirate communities are quite probably the first real example of modern democracy. Captains were elected and every member of the crew was treated equally. Pretty neat considering. In fact, many pirates defected from navy or trade ships because pirate crews were treated much better than ordinary sailors of the day.

just a little bit of history to brighten our days

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

I have a question for those who are fairly new but choose to dive in less than optimal conditions.

If you dive in the cold (anywhere you need a 5mm or more) and where vis is typically less than 10ft, why do you dive?

What do you get out of it? What are you doing there?


I really am curious as I know I will never ever dive cold or with low vis. Seems quite pointless to me. I do want to know what would make some that just took this sport up do it though..

I understand that some people are just going to dive where ever they can due to their financial and geographical restraints.. but what is down there that pulls you in?

There's still a lot of cool stuff to see, and you still get the great feeling of breathing underwater. I have no issue with the cold, I've been swimming in water in the 60s and 70s all my life, going into 40-50 water in a 7mm wetsuit is no big deal. I'm sure warm water diving is great, but for me cold water is the only option and I still think it's awesome. Plus a bit of an extra challenge is never a bad thing for me.

 

[bfw]

Well, all that aside let's give credit where credit is due. Pirate communities are quite probably the first real example of modern democracy. Captains were elected and every member of the crew was treated equally. Pretty neat considering. In fact, many pirates defected from navy or trade ships because pirate crews were treated much better than ordinary sailors of the day.

The point remains that they were not the sort who would question why someone takes the road less cushy.

 

[NudeDiver]

every member of the crew was treated equally.

Sure - with a compatible definition of "treated equally".

 

[jjhill]

For me I've dove in limited visibility cold water dives for about 90% of my 150 dives. Mostly due to the convenience factor but I am not even close to being bored with it. I just love the water and being under water. I even enjoy diving at the pool which I do about once a week volunteering with my LDS helping with classes

 

[thanksforallthefish]

As my wife says any dive you come back from is a good dive ... warm or temperate poor viz or gin clear water I always (ok i lie ... not always, but the vast majority) have fun and more often than not find something I haven't seen before. I enjoy just being underwater, I find that when diving I forget about whatever has been happening topside and am able to relax completely.

Most of my diving is temperate, but have done a number of tropical trips and enjoyed those too, to do any cold water diving would require a dry suit (I hate the cold and feeling like the Michellan Man) ... hopefully one day I will relent and fork out the $ for a dry suit.

 

[Coelacanth]

I completely agree with "being able to breathe underwater" being the only necessary reason to dive, its amazing to throw hundreds of millions of years of evolution right back in Earth's face.

Also, as a new diver that has only dove local (California) I would love to try all types of diving: tropical, ice (think leopard seals like the taste of divers?), WRECKS, reefs, possibly caves, shark dives... I can't think of one genre of diving that doesn't seem exciting or at the very least worth what ever extra effort or hardship it takes to get in the water.

I would hate to limit myself to a certain temperature range when I know full well that there is an entire would of things to see and experience. And as nice as a thin wetsuit, warm water, and as much visibility as I could ever want sounds, I don't curse my local waters for being cold and silty. The dives are beautiful and sometimes a welcome challenge, never 'not worth it.' And at least what I see down there is something I don't think I will ever see in someone's aquarium (with the exception of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which I think made me want to dive and therefore become even poorer in the first place...)

Where ever you are and whatever the type, I wish you awesome dives

 

[BigFame]

because I live in Seattle, and NOT in Tahiti and have wanted to dive my whole life.

Thanks to NWGrateful Diver and to Peter Guy for sharing the PNW dive photos. I dive here because I live here, and I got tired of family from other parts of the country (namely an uncle in L.A. with a home in Maui as well) telling me the diving was far better here than either of those places. So I got my card.