Let's try this again . .

[Wristshot]

Hello, I am a California diver, and I am looking for some information / advice from some "local" New England divers. Things like Temperatures, Locations and Rentals.

I will be in New England (southern Vermont base of operations) October 5 -12, 2003. I will be visiting friends and relatives, and taking some photos of the fall colors. (I know how most of you hate "leaf peepers" but I try to be considerate) I might also spend a day in Boston.

I am just wondering whether it would be worth considering diving while I am out there. I could pack some gear and a 3mm wetsuit, but the 2-piece 7mm would be to big to bring.

1) What are the ocean (and Lake) temperatures in New England in Early October? Would 3mm work?

2) Are there any dive sites within a few hours of southern Vermont that would justify bringing scuba gear across country?

3) Near these dive sites, are there any good dive shops that could rent me the gear that I don't want to transport? Any chance of finding places that rent fins to save carrying them across country?

4) Any general advice about this? It may be silly to consider diving out there, but I had to ask. The locals would know better than anyone whether it would be worth the trouble. What do you think?

Serious request for information / advice from experienced New England divers.

Thanks in advance for your asistance,

(and apologies if this is a duplicate post)

Wristshot

 

[mer]

1) A 3mm will not cut it in the ocean. A 3mm might cut it in some lakes if you stay shallower than 15'. Place here rent 2piece 7mm suits.
2) Within 2-3 hours of Southern Vermont there are at least 30 decent shore sites and many boats. Cape Ann (north of boston), Portsmouth Channel (NH/Maine Line) are definitely in the range. There is also diving in VT, although I'm not familiar with it.
3) There are tons of shops in the area. Check out one of the local dive shops list here. Almost all of them rent gear, but ask about fins, some do, some don't. It's hard to find a place that will rent everything. So you're probably either going to have to bring either a) fins or b) boots/hood/gloves. Some may rent fins but won't say they do b/c they want their OW students to buy them... if you ask nicely and explain your found out of town you might have some luck. i know that I rented everything but mask and boots from United Divers in Somerville once. Otherwise, I don't have personal experience with renting for many other shops. My advice, make some calls and do some research.
4) There are some pretty sites out here if you don't mind the water being alittle chilly. Right now it's 66 deg surface and 52 near 100' with the cline running about 30ft. In early we're predicted (break out crystal ball) slightly cooler surface temps and at depth 50 to high 40s. Tons of great shore dives. Tours led by Cape Ann Divers on Sat and Sun at 10am (free- but check to see if they are running that late in the season). Some local dive clubs also have gatherings you can join up with on weekends and some weeknight for a nominal cost (5-15$). Then there are charter boats that are available almost every day. I dive here all the time (and have all but 5 of my dives in the area) so I think it's worth it. I don't stop diving wet until mid-Nov.

Excuse any typos, I'm in a bit of a rush. Hope that helps.

 

[MASS-Diver]

We've got some world class diving here

Are you into wrecks?

Like mer said, leave hte 3mm at home, bottom temp will in the 50s.

 

[large_diver]

A few suggestions:

All of my experience is ocean-related --

MA -- Cape Ann (30 miles north of Boston) is probably your best bet. There is 1 dive shop on Cape Ann who does rentals and runs 2 charter boats. Not sure if they rent fins, but they will rent you wetsuit, tanks, reg, BC, etc. There are sites/shops south of Boston and on Cape Cod, but Cape Ann has the best "one stop" variety in terms of shore dive sites and charters.

Diving in MA is very nice. Water temps will be in low-mid 50s at that time....somewhat colder at deeper (~100 ft) depths. You will not see big pelagics, but the smalll marine flora and fauna are beautiful. Vis tends to be average -- 10-25 feet depending on conditions.

http://www.capeanndivers.com/

CT -- diving is average at best in Long Island Sound.

RI -- There are some nice sites, both on shore and via charter, but that will be a longer drive.

 

[o2scuba]

Wristshot once bubbled...
Hello, I am a California diver, and I am looking for some information / advice from some "local" New England divers. Things like Temperatures, Locations and Rentals.

I will be in New England (southern Vermont base of operations) October 5 -12, 2003. I will be visiting friends and relatives, and taking some photos of the fall colors. (I know how most of you hate "leaf peepers" but I try to be considerate) I might also spend a day in Boston.

I am just wondering whether it would be worth considering diving while I am out there. I could pack some gear and a 3mm wetsuit, but the 2-piece 7mm would be to big to bring.

1) What are the ocean (and Lake) temperatures in New England in Early October? Would 3mm work?

2) Are there any dive sites within a few hours of southern Vermont that would justify bringing scuba gear across country?

3) Near these dive sites, are there any good dive shops that could rent me the gear that I don't want to transport? Any chance of finding places that rent fins to save carrying them across country?

4) Any general advice about this? It may be silly to consider diving out there, but I had to ask. The locals would know better than anyone whether it would be worth the trouble. What do you think?

Serious request for information / advice from experienced New England divers.

Thanks in advance for your asistance,

(and apologies if this is a duplicate post)

Wristshot

I don't remember if i posted a response (if you posted this before). I am a Vermont diver/instructor, perhaps I can help.

There are a number of lakes in the area that offer good diving. As others said, there are many Atlantic sites within 2-3 hours drive. If you can tell me where in VT you will be, perhaps I could offer a specific recommendation.

The 3mm wetsuit is unfortunately not enough for these waters. Most of us wear a minimum of a 2 piece 6 or 7mm as well as a hood and gloves.

If you are in southern VT you may find that the closest dive center is in MA or NH. The link that mer posted lists 2 VT dive centers, but one of them (Morin's Dive Centers) closed several months ago. Morin's still has a store in Glens Falls, NY which is not too far away (depending exactly where you are in VT). The other (Victory Sports) is in Burlington, which is northern VT. There is another in burlington called "waterfront divers". There is another dive center in Rutland ("Bottom Time SCUBA",south central VT), but personally I am a little wary of this one. In my experience they are a little inconsistent in their hours of operation and overall just not all that friendly.

If you want to do a dive on the 5, 6 or 7th, I may be able to help. I am going to Florida on the 8th. I have rental/student equipment including wet suits, gloves, hoods, fins etc. It would be best if you brought your own bc & regs, but if you can't, we could help there too.

We have a small group of divers who frequently dive at sites in southern Maine, NH and MA. We go pretty much every week. Usually Sun , Mon, and/or tuesday (all three this past week).

If you are interested, please post or PM me and we can discuss it further. You can also email me directly at o2scuba@aquatic1.com.

I also have 35mm camera, and video equipment that you can rent, or we can shoot some footage of you above and below, for you to show your friends at home.

Hope this helps,

Andrew