What do you do over the winter?

[Marie13]

For those of us in cold climates, what do you do over the winter diving-related? Even a weekend trip to Florida, for example, is not in my budget. My LDS is looking at scheduling pool time (have to rent time at local park district indoor pool) for certified divers wanting to keep the rust off. I've also located several other LDS with onsite pools where you can reserve time when they don't have classes. I'm doing that next weekend for 2 hours with a buddy. $10/hour including tank rental and weights.

What else do you do besides as much pool time as possible? I dove our local quarry on the 30th (closing day), and as a diving buddy says, my gills are drying out already! . I've got a number of YouTube videos on my to be watched list.

 

[KevinNM]

I have months where I'm on call and can't leave town. I pretty much hook up with OW classes and use their pools. You can do lots of stuff there, but can't really work ascent profiles as the deepest pool is 14 feet. I'll occasionally get away during week to get to a deeper OW site when other people available, but not that often.

The closest open water site is 2 hours away and it's 62 degrees all year round, so I'll get out there during the winter multiple times. Diving a dry suit in cold weather and 95 degree days are both kind of less than ideal, so I just make it work. But realize that in NM it typically gets above freezing by noon even in deep winter.

 

[RandomGuy1]

I would suggest reading. If you want to learn more:Scuba: A practical guide for new Divers, Scuba Confidential, Diver Down, Deco for Divers
Just good reads: Shadow Divers, The Last Dive, Pirate Hunters

 

[archer1960]

Keep diving ;-) I live on the New England coast, and as the ocean water cools down, the viz improves dramatically, so I keep doing my shore diving whenever the weather is decent (not too cold and not too windy).

 

[Marie13]

I've got books I'm working through.

I dive dry and I don't mind cold weather, but the nearest year round quarries, Mermet and Gilboa, are 5-6 hours away. Bonne Terre is out due to all the steps (knee issues).

 

[archer1960]

I've got books I'm working through.

I dive dry and I don't mind cold weather, but the nearest year round quarries, Mermet and Gilboa, are 5-6 hours away. Bonne Terre is out due to all the steps (knee issues).

Lake Michigan? Your profile pic says you're near Chicago...

 

[Marie13]

All the boats have been pulled out of the water and I don't know anyone who shore dives Lake Michigan.

 

[MasterChief D]

I live in the UK - around this time of year we are bidding farewell to the sea diving season and resorting to inland diving (lakes & quarries). Water temperatures will drop as low as 3-4C in Feb but surface freezing is very rare. Time for the thicker undergarments...

 

[DustyC]

For this winter, I'll be diving. And won't be happy about it lol. The dive shop I'm using has an indoor pool, and if you're enrolled in a class, you get free use of it, as classes permit. I'll be doing lake diving too, as part of classes. And I'll be in Bonaire the first week of next month.

The same shop, does a $75 per year deal where you get free use of the pool (and air for pool use) any time it's not being used for classes, they have monthly meetings to help people meet other divers, and monthly dives from late spring to fall. And if you take a trip with them, you get $50 to $100 off the trip.

 

[Tug]

Thankfully I can dive locally year round and like archer1960 said, the viz improves in the winter.

In your case, I'd do a few pool sessions just to keep some of your skills up. Time like that is good time to work on things like SMD deploying, buoyancy and trim among other things.