Not time to hang up the wetsuit yet

[localdivah]

I've been out of town for the past few weeks and had no idea what weather to expect at home, much less underwater. Nonetheless, conditions looked good (compared to when I left) so a few of us went out to Magnolia to take a look. One friend decided not come along but bail on diving based on the 32 degrees it registered at 7am this morning (bad move).

Turned out to be one of the nicest dive days I can remember all season. Bright sunny cloudless skies, visibility clear past Halfway Rock, nice warm 47 degrees and 20+' viz, as close to glass as I've seen it, especially at Magnolia. And the bugs are definitely still out there. My buddy working shore support was kicking himself for not bringing gear.

If anyone else decided to get up this morning, ignore the chill, and get in the water, hope you had as good a time.

 

[Gidds]

Who's afraid of a little frost? Not me! Thanks to all the folks on this board who gave be tips on staying warm. It was nice down here in RI too. The lobsters seem to have come back in shore for some odd reason I think? All the traps are way close to shore and we saw a lonely little lobster wandering around by himself out in the eel grass today. Any guesses on why they're doing this?

 

[Rafael]

Nice to know, thank for the report.

 

[JohnL]

It wasn't bad in the water, but it did feel strange carrying the tanks out to the car then looking for a scraper.

Dove Warren cove in Plymouth today with Greg (Tengai). Had to cut the dive short when I broke a fin strap 25 minutes into the dive. After carrying our gear OVER the rocks, UP the beach then UP the stairs followed by UP the hill we decided against a second dive at that location.

Didn't see much close to shore as vis was a bit shady, but it opened up nicely in the sandy area and we saw thousands of sand dollars everywhere. They seemed quite content in the 50 deg temps.

 

[Diesel298]

i was in the water in Faifhaven last night....
it was nice. i actually had swet running down my face..
probally had something to do with the hot water being pumped into my suit....
i wish all my dives had hot water..

 

[TRIG]

After carrying our gear OVER the rocks, UP the beach then UP the stairs followed by UP the hill we decided against a second dive at that location.

Hi JohnL , you probably know, just a reminder, avoid physical stress
immediatly following a dive.

__

 

[pgdive]

Hey Localdivah the water is 86 degrees here in Bonaire, although I must admit there is a pretty nasty thermocline at around 160 ft.


Paul

 

[large_diver]

water temps were a consistent 46F today at Folly. Vis close to 20 feet at times. We were in the water about 7:30AM...air temps were a little nippy.

Tip -- we brought 2 large thermos containers of hot water and a small rubber-made tub -- soaked the hoods and gloves in the hot water between dives 1 and 2.....those warm gloves and hood felt GREAT for dive 2.

-Chris

 

[localdivah]

And you're spending your precious time on line??? Did you have to take a refresher course before getting into the water?

So I'm still looking for a recommendation on good 5-7mm neoprene socks for use under wetsuit booties. Stretched out 2mm ones just don't do much more than help me get into my wetsuit. Anyone using thicker stuff or hear of a good brand? (I've heard things about free divers using pretty good stuff)

Hey Localdivah the water is 86 degrees here in Bonaire, although I must admit there is a pretty nasty thermocline at around 160 ft.


Paul

 

[large_diver]

And you're spending your precious time on line??? Did you have to take a refresher course before getting into the water?

So I'm still looking for a recommendation on good 5-7mm neoprene socks for use under wetsuit booties. Stretched out 2mm ones just don't do much more than help me get into my wetsuit. Anyone using thicker stuff or hear of a good brand? (I've heard things about free divers using pretty good stuff)

I bought some from LL Bean a few years ago that I used to wear with my wetsuit. They were lined with fleece -- very toasty. Not sure if these are the exact ones I have or not. I would think Cabela's or any hunting/fishing store would sell them as well.

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/st...langId=-1&categoryId=14925&sc1=Search&feat=sr