Northern European dive spot in mid-March?

[flowerpecker]

Hello everyone - I'm going to be leaving the lovely Balkans in the middle of March, heading back to the States. I'm trying to schedule a few days (3-5) to spend diving somewhere on my way back. For a variety of reasons including cost, flight schedules and Spring Break in the States, I've ruled out the Med, Carribean and Canaries/Azores/Madeira. So, I was thinking of trying some colder waters on this side of the Atlantic - Norway, Iceland and Scotland all come to mind, but I was wondering if any of you folks could help me out with some information and/or suggestions....

I'm traveling alone, I'm pretty inexperienced and I don't have a full kit yet, so I'd need someplace where I could rent some gear and get some DM assistance. I've done one dry suit dive so far, and one wreck dive - I'd love to do some more wrecks! Going someplace that's convenient from London, Paris or Copenhagen would be most economical.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dbulmer]

Flowerpecker,
Hope you don't take this the wrong way but I doubt if you'll have too many people rushing to your assistance. The water in the UK is at about its coldest in March and you really need to have had several drysuit dives in sheltered water before getting on a boat. (and don't even think of a wetsuit). I think you'd be better off giving it as miss and get some cold water training/drysuit training dives when you get back to the US.

 

[String]

March/April can be great for UK diving if the weather is kind. Cold water means no plankton or algae and the visibility there can be better than any other time of the year. Of course, you still have storms to blow you out but you can get those any month of the year.
As already said though, a drysuit is 100% essential for northern europe that time of year when the waters are at their coldest.

Norway/Iceland im not sure about diving purely due to half the fjords/sea being still frozen...

If you fancy warmer, go to the Red Sea - about the same distance and warm/clear wet suit diving.

 

[grazie42]

Iceland will be great...
Thingvellir (sp?) is a great place to dive and it is pretty sheltered. No wrecks but an awesome divespot. Now Iceland is expensive but the diving as well as the place itself is well worth a visit.

Or you can try to get in a few naturedives either in Scotland or Norway, both countries have plenty of naturedives well worth seeing and save the wrecks for some other time when you have both experience and weather on your side...

YMMV

 

[Diver0001]

Water temps in/around the Netherlands will be about 5-6C in March, which feels nice and warm if you've been diving all winter here but you definitely need a drysuit.

Northsea wreck diving on this side of the channel doesn't start until the end of april or beginning of May.

Personally, since you're in Kosovo, my first reaction is to ask why don't don't go back to the states in the other direction and stop in Egypt.

R..

 

[flowerpecker]

Well, thanks to all for their respective input. Maybe I need to reconsider how much I'm willing to spend on one-way flights, and just hit the Caribbean on my way stateside.... I'm going back to Alaska so I'm going to get MANY opportunities now for cold water/drysuit diving! Thanks again and safe diving -

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Had a great dive near Ålesund, Norway, yesterday. We had 8 degrees all the way down to 41 metres, and a splendid 40 metres viz!

 

[String]

I'd be scared in 40m vis. Wouldnt know what to do !

 

[Diver0001]

Look up. It's amazing.....

R..

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

I'd be scared in 40m vis. Wouldnt know what to do !

I know what you mean... I've only had that kind of viz once before, and then during a night dive. But this was weird... We went to 41 metres. At 37 we could see the waves over us! During a slow ascent my eyes (= mind) told me I had reached 15-18 metres. My brand new Vyper told me I was still at 29,7 metres! Of course I got mad. Lousy computer crap! After double checks with my buddy's old trusted I found I'd been played a trick by the viz...

Anyway, it was awsome! can't wait to get back to salt water in a few weeks. I live in the inland, and outside my window it's -14C and 50 cm of pure white snow...

Anyway, threadstarter ask about diving up north. You may come with us to Hitra February 24., for a week of awsome diving. We have some spots available. I can post something about it in a new thread, if there's no rules against it.

(One week, 18 boat dives comes to 375 Euro. Bus ride from Oslo is 25 Euro each way. Food is self service in modern kitchen.)