When can you start diving wet at Dutch Springs?

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You can rush the season by staying in the "student area", well above the thermocline. Ask someone where the firetruck is, great place to practice buoyancy. From there, head directly towards the nearest wall. Almost nobody ever goes there, an OK place to poke around and see the (limited) life that Dutch offers. The depth is obvious from the pic I took of this area...

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Above the thermocline you might be OK in mid to late-summer in a 3mm wetsuit.

Below the thermocline (which starts off very shallow and moves down as the summer progresses), it's drysuit weather pretty much all year.

flots.
 
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I've done wet to the pumphouse, but that was later in the season and only about a 30 minute dive. It gets cold quick
 
If you visit various deeper locales of Dutch Springs you can find blooms of Daphnia. These clouds of crustaceans are a basis of food for some of the introduced critters at Dutch Springs. This is if you get bored. Daphnia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

During the summer season there are throngs of newbie divers moving in and out of Dutch - much like a carnival show. Plus. 'quarriors.' If you really want authentic diving in non-canned atmosphere I would suggest a trip to the Thousand Islands where there ares hallow 'walkable' off shore sites with real wrecks, shards of pottery and tourist attractions about. Additionally, there is nothing quite like a summer of diving wrecks off NJ/NY where the viz. (if you're lucky) can be 100' or more. When you get comprehensive skills under your belt a trip to the Resor produces giant bugs and gin-clear visibility.
 
Alright my dive gear is sorted out all over my living room, FINALLY out of storage! Been waiting a long time to get wet and will be looking to head to Dutch asap. Never been, but I'm living in Jersey part time so it looks like a short commute. I'll be breaking out the 7mm full and 7mm hooded vest! Still in the market for a dry suit as well. :)
 
There are a lot of alternatives to Dutch Springs in the area, but none as convenient or affordable. I can leave my house and be in the water in 35 minutes, diving as much as I want between Mid May and Nov for $200 plus fills.

I think some of the other posters are recommending that you not limit yourself totally to quarry diving. I totally agree, but don't let that keep you from practicing skills and enjoying your local quarry.

I just returned from Bonaire today, but I am still looking forward to meeting up with friends to dive Dutch when it opens.
 
If you time it correctly with tides as well, there are some decent areas of NJ were you can get some shore diving done with little effort as well.Though some of the areas I do recommend finding someone familiar with the area, plus those dives are free and there are local shops that can rent/fill tanks for you.
 
if you time it correctly with tides as well, there are some decent areas of nj were you can get some shore diving done with little effort as well.though some of the areas i do recommend finding someone familiar with the area, plus those dives are free and there are local shops that can rent/fill tanks for you.

sri!!!
 
I think some of the other posters are recommending that you not limit yourself totally to quarry diving. I totally agree, but don't let that keep you from practicing skills and enjoying your local quarry.

Thanks for all the tips. That's exactly what I'm looking for. Somewhere relatively close and easy to practice basic skills like buoyancy, nav and safety procedures so that when I go on "fun dives" I can enjoy the dive more easily.
 

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