Massachusetts winter diving

[mandrake]

Got these in some very cold water yesterday in northern Massachusetts. I did 2 45-minute dives in 36 degree water that was unusually clear and almost completely free of life besides starfish, anemones, worms, and mollusks. In an hour and a half I only saw one fish, a small one poking its head out from between some shells.

This photo (white atlantic cadlina) was one of the few of this type of nudibranch that I didn't really overexpose. It's always amazed me how much you have to underexpose the rest of the photo to get one of these right:

Here's a salmon-gilled nudibranch. This was the first I've seen one of these. They're apparently active around this time of year, (which partly explains why I've never seen one before), and much further north in the warm months. There were a lot of them to be seen once I found one.

This is apparently a waved whelk. I thought this and another nearby were the only ones I saw, but in looking through my pictures I have several others. It's amazing what your pictures show you sometimes.

Some other stuff at: http://www.pbase.com/dkusner/newenglandscuba2004

 

[Gilligan]

36 degree water is absolutely positively out of the friggin question.
Nice pics though.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Hey Dave!!!

nice pics...

Chuck

 

[glbirch]

Nice pics. Just got myself qualified ice today in 35 degrees. (Did fine until I blew the wrist seal on my dry gove.) Where were you diving?

 

[mandrake]

Hi Chuck, was wondering about you recently. I was actually reading some of your posts in other forums earlier today. I was diving with a couple of your old confederates, Aaron F and Jim S. You still in the area? Send me some e-mail.

glbirch, I did 2 boat dives at Paddock Rock, near Manchester, MA. It's kind of a circular mount that comes to within about 15 feet of the surface. It's fairly easily circumnavigated but I didn't feel much like swimming very far. We were moored in about 15-20 feet of water and were laughing with joy because we could see the bottom from the boat -- it doesn't happen that often around here.

 

[mandrake]

36 degree water is absolutely positively out of the friggin question.

Yeah, one of my strobes felt the same way. It liked Saba a lot more.

 

[glbirch]

glbirch, I did 2 boat dives at Paddock Rock, near Manchester, MA. It's kind of a circular mount that comes to within about 15 feet of the surface. It's fairly easily circumnavigated but I didn't feel much like swimming very far. We were moored in about 15-20 feet of water and were laughing with joy because we could see the bottom from the boat -- it doesn't happen that often around here.

Ocean then? Pretty chilly for salt water, but I'm sure there's a lot more to see than in my lake. Ling Cod can be pretty boring. Still, the vis is better in the winter months. A good 30 or 40 feet today and I'm sure it would have been better if we had some sun. Just my luck to be born in a city with a sign that says "Welcome to the longitudinal centre of Canada" and not more far enough away from it.

 

[mandrake]

Ocean then? Pretty chilly for salt water, but I'm sure there's a lot more to see than in my lake.

Yes, ocean, and fortunately a very flat ocean too -- it was a really beautiful, mild day of the sort we haven't had much of this winter. The bottom would have been around 85-90 feet. I think my max was 75 -- I was scanning the bottom for anything interesting in the sand (was hoping for a torpedo ray or something) but didn't see anything.