Suggest a good drysuit destination ...

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

for a diver based in DC.

After polishing my drysuit skills in the local quarry I plan on going for a drysuit dive vacation early next year. I am not interested in international travel. For local travel, I would have gone to the Great Lakes but diving there does not start till summer. Are there any other dive destinations where entry level drysuit diver can build up on his drysuit skill? California comes to mind as kelp diving is supposed to be better during winter. How about Puget Sound? Too cold? Bonne Terre mine? Id be greatful if people could recommend some drysuit destinations.

Thanks -

Sinbad

 

[spectrum]

The Acadia National Park region here on the coast of Maine. We spent 2 more weeks there this past summer.

Pete

 

[mathauck0814]

There's no reason you can't dive the atlantic coast all winter - visibility also improves there in winter months. Diving in Massachusetts and Maine is quite good and you can scallop in New Hampshire, for instance. California is also very good for practicing in your drysuit. Really you can dive your drysuit anywhere on the pacific coast from Alaska down to Baja. Lots of options.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

There's no reason you can't dive the atlantic coast all winter - visibility also improves there in winter months. Diving in Massachusetts and Maine is quite good and you can scallop in New Hampshire, for instance. California is also very good for practicing in your drysuit. Really you can dive your drysuit anywhere on the pacific coast from Alaska down to Baja. Lots of options.

Really? I thought viz drops down to below 30 in North Carolina area. Mass and Maine sound good but do they have charters go out in winters?

 

[mselenaous]

Hey Sinbad, congrats on the drysuit!

Seriously, everywhere in the US IS a drysuit dive.

One of these days I'll get to some of those wrecks in the Great Lakes.

+1 California (SoCal is where I learned to drysuit dive), NorCal & PNW are on my to-do-list. Kelp forrests are GREAT as well as oil rigs.
Also on my list are the Thousand Islands in NY/CAN. (Just ask the DNYers).
Bonne Terre - definitely drysuit and also on my to-do-list (after hearing about Netdoc's exploits)

Don't forget about all the FL springs/caverns/caves with consistent 68ish temps.

Yes even the FL Keys in winter are drysuit turf (shhh don't tell the tourists). Bring your drysuit in Jan/Feb. Many of the local dive pros will be in drysuits while everyone else is shivering.

So many choices, not enough vacation days

 

[fisheater]

Monterey.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Sinbad, puget sound is very easy for all seasons, and winter is not cold, sure there is some cold days at the holidays, but it is shore diving and you can do around 15 dives that will be protected and are very good dives, to plan you must use the tides to get the better dives inTides at Seattle, Puget Sound, Washington

There are over 50 shore dives between puget sound and hood canal. Seattle area has some to where you would be centrally located to travel to all dives. In a days time you can drive and do three dives and be back, and do it every day and get in 15 dives in 5 days and cover it all for the most part.

 

[vladimir]

I would be tempted to do some ORCA DIVING IN NORWAY, though it seems it might no longer be a viable option:

Due to changes in the herring migration to new breeding grounds, the orcas no longer follow the herring to the fjords, only to the open waters of the north sea. Last year’s scouting proved that this operation is unsafe and unpredictable. Therefore, big animals expeditions has decided to curtail current plans and observe any future migration changes to design future trips accordingly.

Perhaps not ideal for the beginning drysuit diver anyway.

 

[mathauck0814]

Really? I thought viz drops down to below 30 in North Carolina area.

No worries here, you almost never have 30 foot viz in New England even in the best of conditions.

Mass and Maine sound good but do they have charters go out in winters?

Most good diving can be had from shore, but Cape Ann Divers run their charter boat year round (and only require two divers to go out) so far as I know.

 

[spectrum]

Really? I thought viz drops down to below 30 in North Carolina area. Mass and Maine sound good but do they have charters go out in winters?

Drops to below 30 feet? That's often above average but there's plenty enjoy in the field of view.

Speaking for Maine, the charter offerings are few. With more coastline than California we just find a rocky cove and go exploring.

In the winter critter life will be scant near the shore but visibility can open up and be real nice.