Wondering what the diving's like and where to stay

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm from Northern California (North Coast- north of San Francisco) and am planning a trip at some point out your way to the eastern seaboard. I've been to Cape Cod (not diving) on family vacation years back and we really loved it. You guys have lots more history that we just don't have out here.

I'm used to cold water (42 to 53 degrees year round) and have a dry suit and two really thick wetsuits, one's 1/2" thick, BP/W, all that, so I have an idea what I'm in for as far as conditions.

How are you set up for dive charters out of Rockport or Gloucester or nearby areas. These are just a few names I've seen. I'm also an artist so going to Rockport is on my list of places to make a pilgrimage to for my own reasons.
What is the shore diving like? Can I rent a tank and some weights at a dive shop then park along the shore somewhere and jump in? Driving out to a desolate coastal area and hiking a goat trail is nothing new to me if that's what it takes.
What about lobsters, is there an out of state temporary license I can purchace to be able to get a few bugs and maybe some scallops.
What kinds of things do you see on your dives, is there lots of sand or is there some interesting rock structure.

I'm into wrecks too. Here in Norcal we are a bit wreck challenged. Any wrecks we have are usually from the old schooner days from logging back in the mid 1800's. Most of them are badly decomposed from the pounding winter storms and are debris piles.

Lastly, where would be a good place to stay on Cape Ann. My plan would be to fly into Boston and get a car and go up to Cape Ann for a few days then go up to Maine for a few days after that. There's a boatbuilding place up in Maine that I want to see and also I just want to go there. Has anybody dove up in Maine off the rocky shores? From all indications it looks like interesting diving. Some of the north coast looks like that.
I've searched the internet for lodgings but as you know anything can be made to look good in a brochure. I'm assuming Rockport is touristy and a little expensive but that's OK, it couldn't be as bad as California.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Eric Sedletzky

 

[Thalassamania]

Fred can help you with Rockport, MA.

Billy can help with wreck dives, esp. the U-853.

 

[spectrum]

Mt. Desert Island all that Acadia National Park has to offer, our Bonaire of the north.

Plenty to do in southern Maine too. My dive site guide should go live sometime this winter. It will be here.

When are you planning your visit? Our nicest diving IMO is Mid July through September.

Pete

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

When are you planning your visit? Our nicest diving IMO is Mid July through September.

It would be right in that time period.
That was a cool report.
Thanks

 

[daveg1]

Eric, Any idea what time of year you plan to visit? Personally I do not do boat dives in winter. The seas are just too rough for me. Also once the water gets cold a lot of the color dulls to a grey. There are many great dive sights on and around Cape Ann. As for a charter the best I have seen is the day breaker and Capt. Fran Marcoux. He does not have a web site and pulls the boat in winter. If your trip will be next summer PM me and I will send ya his phone #.

The temps here in summer range from mid 30's to 50 or so. It all depends on what time of year and the depth you are at. There are several wrecks that Fran goes to. The most common is the stern 1/2 of the Chester polling.

As for Maine one of the most popular dive sites is Nubble Light. It can be a really nice dive with lots of parking and easy access. I don't know much about the coast north of there I can't help too much.

There are lost of places to stay in both locations as you expect though anything on the coast will be a bit pricey. But if you are used to Ca you may not find it to be too bad.

Some day I have to get back to the bay area to see how it has grown. I left in 86 and have not been back.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Some day I have to get back to the bay area to see how it has grown. I left in 86 and have not been back.

What part of the Bay Area were you living in?
I could get a better idea of the growth rate. Most areas that are not limited by water have sprawled out with new subdivisions and strip malls. There are new shopping centers with outlet stores and I'm sure there are wider roads and new lights put in that weren't there before. This scenario is true in all areas, North Bay, South Bay, East Bay, Sacramento Delta, Sacramento, Etc. That's just the way it goes.

It's wide open right now as to when I will be there. I'm self employed but my wife works for the school system so she is more the one we need to tailor this around. She can get time off though if there's enough lead time.
I wanted to try and avoid the peak tourist season if possible, if there is a tourist season, and I'm sure there must be. It could be that it would be a trip when it's cold, that would be OK with me, but more than likely it will be in spring or fall.

 

[all4scuba05]

Personally, I like Sept/Oct trips to Gloucester.Less tourists, better hotel prices, water's still "warm", and more than one dive boat to choose from. Just this weekend it was 42*F at the Chester Poling at depth with "great" viz and only a little surface current on the second dive there.

 

[oceancat]

September has probably some of the best fish diversity and numbers and cheaper rates with hotels/motels. There is excellent shore diving and a lot of the shops can steer you to good places and how to park--Cape Ann Divers (who also run a charter boat op) has a map you can pick up at the store with shore dive sites. Can can rent tanks/weights and be on your way. Probably the best wreck off Cape Ann is the Poling, but there is also the Haight, a Liberty Ship (in pieces), and the Chelsea. Fran's boat is great (the DayBreaker) and Cape Ann Divers has 2 boats. Some cool boat dives here include Saturday Night Ledge and Burnam's Rock. You can also do seal diving and some interesting wall diving from Portsmouth (also a very fun town to visit). As for lobster licenses, you are out of luck--you do need to be a MA resident or own property here. You can't take lobsters diving in NH or ME. There is a good lobster pound by Folly Cove in Gloucester (good shore dive) with tasty desserts and it's BYOB. Great views. Have fun!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

September has probably some of the best fish diversity and numbers and cheaper rates with hotels/motels. There is excellent shore diving and a lot of the shops can steer you to good places and how to park--Cape Ann Divers (who also run a charter boat op) has a map you can pick up at the store with shore dive sites. Can can rent tanks/weights and be on your way. Probably the best wreck off Cape Ann is the Poling, but there is also the Haight, a Liberty Ship (in pieces), and the Chelsea. Fran's boat is great (the DayBreaker) and Cape Ann Divers has 2 boats. Some cool boat dives here include Saturday Night Ledge and Burnam's Rock. You can also do seal diving and some interesting wall diving from Portsmouth (also a very fun town to visit). As for lobster licenses, you are out of luck--you do need to be a MA resident or own property here. You can't take lobsters diving in NH or ME. There is a good lobster pound by Folly Cove in Gloucester (good shore dive) with tasty desserts and it's BYOB. Great views. Have fun!

It's sounding better and better to go in Fall.
The lobster thing, no biggie, so I'll bring an extra benjie and buy a few bugs and take 'em back to the room with the kitchenette and stuff my face. I don't mind buying them, keeps the lobstermen happy. Any good micro breweries around there?

And thanks everyone for all your help.

I should post a few photos of what the Norcal shoreline looks like, I'll bet it looks a lot like the rocky shoreline of Maine.

Eric

 

[daveg1]

I lived in Pleasanton for 10 years. I have been told I would not even be able to find my way around anymore. LOL

As the others have said fall diving can be great here. The only issue really is we tend to get a few more storms in fall than summer. So it's a bit less reliable.