Cape Ann during end of March?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Hello guys: I wanted to ask the locals how is diving in the Cape Ann (Gloucester) area during the end of March? Any info on what kind of visibility / marine life that we can expect around that time? Would any of you be interested in buddying up for some shore dives?

 

[large_diver]

It will be cold...water is in the 30s now and likely won't be much warmer than high 30s/maybe 40 by then depending on weather.

Marine life = lobsters will still be deep, fish life will be sparse. Good time for seeing macro critters. Vis always a crap shoot - generally better in winter, but for shore diving is dependent on whether there has been a recent storm.

 

[Tug]

It will be cold...water is in the 30s now and likely won't be much warmer than high 30s/maybe 40 by then depending on weather.

Marine life = lobsters will still be deep, fish life will be sparse. Good time for seeing macro critters. Vis always a crap shoot - generally better in winter, but for shore diving is dependent on whether there has been a recent storm.

I'll second everything he said above. The visibility is pretty hit or miss in the winter and is pretty weather dependent. If you want to travel a little north, there is good diving in Portsmouth, NH off Peirce Island. This is a nice winter diving site as the entry is pretty easy. My friend (macado on here) has a blog with a few pictures: wrecklessdiver.com - trip reports, gear reviews, scuba DIY, and rants about tech diving

Post again if you're around as there are usually at least a few people diving year round up here.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I

I'll second everything he said above. The visibility is pretty hit or miss in the winter and is pretty weather dependent. If you want to travel a little north, there is good diving in Portsmouth, NH off Peirce Island. This is a nice winter diving site as the entry is pretty easy. My friend (macado on here) has a blog with a few pictures: wrecklessdiver.com - trip reports, gear reviews, scuba DIY, and rants about tech diving

Post again if you're around as there are usually at least a few people diving year round up here.

I think I know that dude! If you guys are up for a Pierce Island trip then we can surely talk about it. Isn't Pierce Island an island accessible by boat only?

 

[Tug]

It's a really simple shore dive. You basicially gear up in a dog park parking lot and walk across a small field to the beach. It's good to dive one time there with someone who's been there as it's really only diveable at slack water.

For directions, use the peirce island dog park: Google Maps

 

[tokillamurderer]

Hey, guys! I'm looking for people to go diving with over the winter here in New England (mostly Cape Ann)! I don't own a dry suit yet, but am very tolerable of the cold (even though I hate the cold...) anyway, I've done one winter dive here so far, which was early this January at Stage Fort Park in a wetsuit. The dive was about an hour long, and shallow. Water temp and air temp were 40F. I'm looking to do more... not really willing to stop diving for months at a time! Any takers/recommendations/tips? Thanks!

 

[large_diver]

Hey, guys! I'm looking for people to go diving with over the winter here in New England (mostly Cape Ann)! I don't own a dry suit yet, but am very tolerable of the cold (even though I hate the cold...) anyway, I've done one winter dive here so far, which was early this January at Stage Fort Park in a wetsuit. The dive was about an hour long, and shallow. Water temp and air temp were 40F. I'm looking to do more... not really willing to stop diving for months at a time! Any takers/recommendations/tips? Thanks!

One suggestion is to join the New England Scuba Divers Group on Facebook. I think there are over 300 members, and many folks on there dive year round.

 

[kmurray719]

One suggestion is to join the New England Scuba Divers Group on Facebook. I think there are over 300 members, and many folks on there dive year round.

Awesome suggestion, but you're about 1100 members off in your estimate

 

[macado]

Hey, guys! I'm looking for people to go diving with over the winter here in New England (mostly Cape Ann)! I don't own a dry suit yet, but am very tolerable of the cold (even though I hate the cold...) anyway, I've done one winter dive here so far, which was early this January at Stage Fort Park in a wetsuit. The dive was about an hour long, and shallow. Water temp and air temp were 40F. I'm looking to do more... not really willing to stop diving for months at a time! Any takers/recommendations/tips? Thanks!

EDIT: Whoops I didnt realize this thread was from Feb 2016 but my advice still applies.

Many of us dive year round. There is no such thing as a dive season in New England although wetsuit diving gets a lot tougher. I won't say impossible but others might. I won't get into the drysuit argument on here but If you are diving a wetsuit in winter I would make sure to change into warm clothes immediately after surfacing. It's the air temperature and wind that is a major issue. Some people also like to pour hot/warm water in their suits or use those re-usable heating packs that you can boil.

People post on the New England Scuba Divers group a lot when they are diving; I'd join there if you haven't already. Most people are happy to have company.

Boston Scuba, Cape Ann Divers (they shut down for a month usually in January I believe), and Gauntlet are dive charters that also run all winter.

The good thing about diving in New England in the winter is that you have an opportunity to have some really great visibility if there hasn't been any storms or wind for a few weeks. 50ft-60ft+ is a rare treat when it happens here.

Think "small" in terms of marine life. Lobsters retreat out to deeper water. Nudibranches are plentiful and very good photo subjects if you have a keen eye.