Need info from the NE folks......

[TexasZR2]

First welcome to the area. Second wouldn't "all y'all" being of course the plural of y'all have been more accurate or I have I been living in NE for too long?

I think you have been above the Mason Dixon line for too long. "Y'all" is both singular and plural where I come from. "All y'all" would be redundant.

BTW, thanks again for all the responses. I look forward to meeting some of "yous guys" when I finally get up there.

 

[Gilldiver]

I look forward to meeting some of "yous guys" when I finally get up there.

That would be more of a western Long Island (Queens & Broklyn), Bronx, Northern NJ type of thing. Maybe a bit of Northern Rhode Island Swamp Yankee to.

Most of CT sounds much more like the CBS News then anything else.

If you get down within comuting range of NYC (that is within 2 hrs. by train) "The Island" is Long ISland and "The City" is New York City.

 

[ScubaNorth]

I think you have been above the Mason Dixon line for too long. "Y'all" is both singular and plural where I come from. "All y'all" would be redundant.

BTW, thanks again for all the responses. I look forward to meeting some of "yous guys" when I finally get up there.

OK well wait until you find out what BBQ means in CT, boy are you in for a rude awakening. Of course we have "real" lobsters so it is a trade off.

 

[TexasZR2]

Not too worried about the BBQ, as I can always smoke my own brisket and ribs. However, I think I'm going to freak out without my weekly fix of Tex-Mex. Sorry, Taco Hell and Taco Barfo just won't cut it.

 

[Gilldiver]

Not too worried about the BBQ, as I can always smoke my own brisket and ribs. However, I think I'm going to freak out without my weekly fix of Tex-Mex. Sorry, Taco Hell and Taco Barfo just won't cut it.

But you will learn what pizza should be. Pizza Hut is our version of pizza hell. I just don't try pizza much further west or south then Philly.

 

[LobstaMan]

As far as the AL vs. steel question.....ALs are just fine, but I prefer(and most others would agree) the steels for diving in cold NE waters w/ wet or drysuit. Takes weight off your belt, better bouyancy characteristics, more gas supply(AL80 vs. LP95 or HP100) and they come in my favorite color dull, dirty gray. I used 72s for a few years, great tanks, but a bit limited when it comes to deeper diving. LP95s or the HP100s are preferred and will serve you well if you decide to make the switch. Keep the ALs, though. You never know when the Republic of Texas will call you back.

Best NE shore dive sites close to you are in RI, then there's a few in SE MA and then plenty of great sites on the North Shore and Cape Ann. There's a fresh water quarry down in CT somewhere, too.

LobstaMan

 

[michaelp68]

Welcome to Connecticut.

I live in the greater Hartford area. My house is in South Windsor and I work in West Hartford.

If you plan to be working in Bristol, there are a number of good areas you could live in. You mentioned Waterbury. Hmmmm. Drop me a pm.

There's some fantastic mexican food in the area. In Southington, which is near where you'll be working in Bristol, there's a pretty good tex-mex restaurant. There's also some good tex-mex in West Hartford and some very good straight mexican food in West Hartford and Hartford, too.

For freshwater diving, the new Brownstone Quarry will be your best bet. But there are a number of other freshwater options, so you're not limited to the Quarry.

For the ocean, there's the Connecticut coast, Rhode Island coast and Massachusetts coast. I agree with what's been said, mostly.

Boat diving options from all of them exist. The shore diving in Rhode Island can be good. But in my opinion, the shore diving from Cape Ann, Massachusetts, is better, and while it's a little farther drive than going to Rhode Island, it's not that much farther. Sometimes, I think the extra few minutes driving is worth it.

I dove with a 7mm one-piece wetsuit for a while. I finally switched to a drysuit (and I'm glad I did). I also picked-up a steel 100 tank, and agree with what's been said about going steel.

I think all of the information already in this thread is accurate and helpful. It's good information.

If you have more questions about the area, whether diving or non-diving, feel free to send me a pm.

Again, welcome.

 

[DavidInNH]

If you get down within comuting range of NYC (that is within 2 hrs. by train) "The Island" is Long ISland and "The City" is New York City.

Having grown up in Queens and gone to school in Stony Brook, I still thing of L.I. as "The guyland" (as in "Lawn Guyland").

 

[ScubaTexan]

I stayed in a hotel in East Hartford a few years ago and I remember there was a dive shop adjacent to it (on the other side of the parking lot, in fact), but I don't remember the name of it. Does anyone know which LDS I'm talking about?

 

[michaelp68]

I stayed in a hotel in East Hartford a few years ago and I remember there was a dive shop adjacent to it (on the other side of the parking lot, in fact), but I don't remember the name of it. Does anyone know which LDS I'm talking about?

If there's one still there in East Hartford, I'm not familiar with it.

I use Enfield Scuba (in Enfield) and New England Ski & Scuba (in Vernon).

I also know of Scuba Shack (in Rocky Hill) as well as a scuba shop in Wallingford that I've heard many good things about. Oh yes, I've also heard some nice things from a couple people about a scuba shop in Waterbury and another shop in the Southington area.