Scuba a Winter Sport?

[Storker]

The SECOND best way to get newbies to NEVER dive again is to show them the price tag of a dry suit

95+ % of my fellow divers around here dive dry, in their own gear.

I have no effing idea about the attrition rate, though. But I wouldn't be surprised if it were on the same order of magnitude as the attrition rate of n00bs certifying in warm water, because you have to be kinda dedicated to choose to take a scuba cert when the annual average water temp is <10 degrees C.

I guess we're just bovine stupid. Or masochists.

 

[Bob DBF]

Lol, I think Max is gently trolling everyone, as SoCal "winters" are very mild and pose little obstacle to diving

NorCal winters are pretty mild, I think, and the ocean rarely goes over 5 degrees f either way of 52 f. The usual daytime temps are about the same as the water, but the wind chill make you want to stay in the water. I dive

As for me in Monterey/Carmel, I am a wetsuit diver, so when the air temperature gets REALLY COLD - say from mid-January through February - I dont dive. I generally take advantage of winter holidays and the MLK holiday to dive, as its often still bearable.

Really cold is more about the wind than the air temp, of course I grew up in cold weather so my idea of cold is different than a native.

 

[clownfishsydney]

We are lucky enough to be able to dive all year round in Sydney. No such thing as a dive season here. In fact, winter diving is best, cleaner water and flatter seas.

 

[TMHeimer]

Recently I've heard that the shop here will do OW course with drysuit if the student pays (how much?) more. This means you could get certified throughout winter, yet still just buy a thick wetsuit & dive in warmer months only. Back when I was assisting ('12-'15), all the students I saw dived wet. Now some dive dry even in summer. I don't know how the instructors work in the extra drysuit knowledge and training if most of the class is wet.

I still don't consider 50F water too cold for wet--- IF you have 80F weather, even 2 dives a day is doable for me. One dive for 20 minutes in winter wet if it's 40ish or lower.

 

[jborg]

When I did OW we started out intending to do it wet but the course kind of dragged on into winter and the sea got cold. We just added a couple of pool sessions for dry suit and did it that way. No extra charge or complication really.

I think dive shops around here are happy enough to get any kind of business during winter that they just swallow the difference, if any.