Recreational deep diving anyone?

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boulderjohn

Technical Instructor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
32,563
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Location
Boulder, CO
# of dives
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I have some students who need to do the deep diver certification and log some dives to at least 100' in the coming months. For various reasons, including especially some economic benefits you get through group activities, it would be good to enlarge the number. We will need to go to Santa Rosa, since there are not a lot of deep sites in the entire Rocky Mountain region. If you are interested in the deep diver specialty and/or gaining experience in planning and executing recreational dives to those depths, please let me know and we will try to include you in our plans.
 
What kind of water temps are we talking? Anyone wanting to unload a gently used dry suit locally? Maybe I can cope with some thick neoprene. Would potentially be interested in a dry suit class as well.... Man I hope my husband doesn't see this post... lol
 
The water temperatures at Rock Lake are in the low 60s for most of the year. That is at pretty much at all depths. It is different from the Blue Hole in that the water outlet is a pipe about 35-40 feet deep (I can't remember exactly) pulling the water into the nearby trout hatchery. That means the water entering from below does not exit at the top the way it does at the Blue hole. Consequently, during the spring and summer that top layer does not flow out, and it warms up considerably. By late summer the top 40 feet or so can be in the low 70s. Once you descend past that, it quickly drops down to the low 60s.

Lots of people dive it in 7mm wet suits and hoods. If you want to just rent a suit like that, you should have no trouble. The problem with diving wet suits at that temperature is not the individual dives but rather that you get colder as the day goes on and you can't do as many dives as people in dry suits. If we are diving to 100 feet each time, though, the dives will be shorter, we will have fewer dives per day, and we will have longer surface intervals in the sunshine. Overheating between dives may be more of a problem in the summer, and I know people who will not go there then because of it.

Dry suits are best, though, if you want to dive either in Colorado or New Mexico. You can get as toasty as you want to be by adding more layers of undergarments. In the coldest diving I have ever done (and no, I have not done any ice diving), I overestimated the need, wore too much underwear, and was sweating at the end of a one hour dive. A dry suit class can be arranged, although you may have to order your own dry suit ahead of time, since few shops have rentals on hand. I have a spare one myself that I have loaned out, but you will need to be around 6' tall to use it.
 
Thanks for the post John. I just need to suck it up and buy a dry suit. I was wearing a 3 full and a 5mm Steamer in 83C water a week ago and that was just perfect with a hood, vest, fleece socks and 6.5 mm boots. Of course that was 4 dives a day for 12 days. Got a little cold in a 77C upwelling and on the 81 night dives.

With family in Maine and San Diego, and potential future employment in NorCal or Seattle, it would really open up my diving opportunities.

Keep me posted on your schedule!
 
Hey DiverJen,

Just a suggestion-- keep an eye on Craigslist. Occasionally drysuits pop up for sale there. Of course, most of the scuba equipment for sale on CL is crap that's sat in garages for years, and for some reason they want nearly full price for it (seriously?). But every now and then... There were some good drysuits for sale last year that I didn't buy because they were the wrong size. Argh.

If you find something interesting perhaps we can offer tips on how to make sure it's worth buying.

John, later this year I may be game for some deeper diving, perhaps even a tech course or two. I just got back from diving Iceland (gotta have a drysuit there!) an I'm about to run off to Puget Sound and BC for more during June and July. Would be happy to get together with you after that, schedules permitting.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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