Welcome to the USA, to ScubaBoard and to some nice shore diving in Cape Ann, MA!
I took the liberty to look at your profile and posts, Thierry, and with your relatively extensive experience, you'll get plenty of offers to buddy up from people on this forum.
I'd certainly be happy to buddy up with you sometime.
In fact, I
might be coming down this Saturday, the 25th, to dive Front Beach, so PM me if you're interested or if you just want to ask a few questions about dive sites and conditions. Provide a phone number and I'll be happy to call you.
I dove there last weekend and there's not much marine life to see so early in the season. Maybe it would be a "tune-up" dive for you or it might not be interesting enough this early in the season. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to wait for more interesting conditions. Personally, I enjoy the topside ambience as much as the dives at this time of year.
I saw that you were looking for hp steel tanks, specifically 120's. Did you find any yet? If not, what size tanks would you be using?
I dive with an hp120 and it provides lots of time underwater on many of the shallower Cape Ann shore dives, like Front Beach (max depth might be 15m, depending on how far out one goes).
I also noticed you like photography. Does that include underwater photography and do you have gear with you? I bring a camera along on every dive and it slows me down even more than my usual slow pace.
The water temp will be around 4 or 5C this weekend.
How long a dive in those temps would you be comfortable doing? Especially if moving slowly....
In about a month, winter flounder will be showing up, ready to be speared and taken. Do you hunt? Do you mind seeing flounder cleaned and filleted during the surface interval? :shocked2:
I saw you've got a lobster for your avatar. Did you get a license?
Not surprisingly, the lobsters aren't in yet. It might take another month to see them in any numbers, probably when water temps get up to around 10C or so.
The Boston area has some great clubs that dive regularly and they welcome visitors to join them on their weekly dives. I don't know if they've gotten into a regular pattern yet, but MetroWest is one that often meets every Saturday am at the Burger King on Rt 128 in Beverly, MA, on their way to Rockport, usually.
MetroWest Dive Club
You might share with this forum what kind of shore diving interests you most.
It's great to have you here! Feel free to PM me.
Dave C
