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I am interested in planning at least one trip up to New England this year for some diving. Can someone give me an idea of water temps in the spring? When does it get warm enough to comfortably dive in a wet suit. We routinely use 7mm full suits for our local diving in PA, but don't have dry suits.
We will be traveling by motor home and visiting different areas. Do some areas warm up before others? Good/easy shore dives?
I looked at my log from last year. march is high 30's, low 40. april is in the 40's, may is 50ish. At least in Long Island Sound. It should be a little warmer off of RI. I have dove in 7mm suits and have been fine. Ft. Wetherill in RI is a good shore dive and has multiple locations to dive off of depending on the depth you want and there is alot to see.
Where about in NE do you plan to visit and when? Cape Ann on the north shore of Ma has some great easy dive spots with some of the clearest water you'll find in the NE area. Here in RI as mentioned in post 2 Fort Wetherill in Jamestown is a popular spot. Fort Getty also has easy access though not quite as spectacular as Ft. W. There are other places in Jamestown not quite as easy but doable by the average diver. Newport RI also has nice spots that are easy to dive. Kings beach is the most popular. There is also Fort Adams and Butter Ball rock. Both easy access and nice spots. New England can be a tough place to dive with a lot of days of >10 feet of visibility. Night diving here is a wonderful experience. Most of the life is nocturnal and the vis is usually a little more than the distance of your light beam so you get the illusion of good vis, and of course the light brings out the colors, that rival the tropics. The Gulf Stream is what warms the water here as it moves west during the late spring early summer. The north shore of MA rarely gets warmer than 55 deg. as it's not affected by the Gulf Stream.
There are other spots that have easy access but require knowledge of the sites to make a safe and enjoyable dive. I know when to dive, when not to dive them and how to dive them. The currents around here require some places be dived at slack tide or the towards the end of the incoming tide etc....You can PM me for details if you'd like.
I did my OW certification at Ft. Wetherill in Jamestown, RI in May 2009. The water temps were pretty decent (~50) in early May because of the Gulf Stream. We saw some marine life there and visibility was about 10'. I hear that one side drops off quick and is a more advanced site, while the other side is sheltered and is 20'-30' deep. Seems like it was a great place for the LDS to take students and for new divers to practice.
The temperatures are a bit colder in Gloucester and Rockport, MA even in June, but there is pretty good shore diving there. Stage Fort Park is another good spot for beginners like myself. The site is easy to get in and out of and there is a good amount of free parking. I saw a good amount of marine life there including a number of lobsters and crabs.
I am interested in planning at least one trip up to New England this year for some diving. Can someone give me an idea of water temps in the spring? When does it get warm enough to comfortably dive in a wet suit. We routinely use 7mm full suits for our local diving in PA, but don't have dry suits.
We will be traveling by motor home and visiting different areas. Do some areas warm up before others? Good/easy shore dives?
How low a temp is still comfortable for you in your 7mm full suit?
How late in the Spring do you plan to go?
Mid-June shallow water temps in Cape Ann are around 50 degrees. Vis is often 20 to 40', sometimes even better. The shore dives can be quite interesting. Winter flounder will be plentiful that time of year, if you like spearing dinner!
Shore dive sites are many. Cape Ann Divers dive shop is located nearby.
If you get up to Maine, a really easy and fun spot is Nubble Light in York ME. A 7 mil would be a bit on the cool side until early June. Sundays and Holidays are non-diving days as per local ordenance.
If you are interested in a guided dive, give me a shout about 2 weeks beforehand.
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