A quick question about diving in MA

[MADiver]

I'm not sure that you can rent a drysuit to try out but if your wife gets cold easily, you might find that she doesn't get into cold water diving even with the drysuit. It just might be best to start with a real warm wet suit in our warmest months. If 12-14 mm of neoprene isn't enough to keep her comfortable in 60+ degree water, the drysuit might just be a waste of money.

Before you invest in a dry suit or even a thicker wet suit you should rent a suit and take a dive. New England diving is nothing like Caribbean diving. Low viz, cold SIs, tough entries (made tougher by the additional equipment) don't expect to see a lot of picturesque critters. Although a lot of the critters you will run into are quite tasty! That being said diving in New England is better than not diving at all.

Thanks for the responses. A few reasons I was interested in the dry suit class: (1) we've never been shore diving in NE, so it would be nice to do our first dives in the area during an instructional setting and (2) it would give us an opportunity to rent dry suits and try them out. It seems like a good way to get introduced to NE diving.

As for David's idea, do the water temperatures on Cape Ann ever reach the 60s? I was under the impression that the highest they got was the mid 50s.

 

[Mr.X]

She gets cold enough in a 3/5mm full that she'll want to end the dive after 50+ minutes. Thanks for the advice, everyone.

Cheers. I'd do a couple of dives during the summer at Cape Ann to get a feel for whether you like it with a rental 7mm. The underwater sites in the NE are quite different and for folks accustomed to the Caribbean - it can be underwater culture shock.

If you both like the diving around here a drysuit would be logical next step as your wife gets cold in the Caribbean. The last thing anyone would want is to get chilled to the bone around here. The good thing about Cape Ann diving is that there are nice places to hang out after a chilly dive. Or not. Lobster Pool restaurant The Lobster Pool Restaurant, Rockport, MA - Lobster, steamers, clams, scallops, burgers and more.
is walking distance from Folly's Cove and it's easy enough to get some good eats minutes away at picturesque Rockport which has some nice quaint eats, albeit touristy in the summer. Think about charter buses full of tourists. Also Glostah' has some wonderful restaurants on Main St., wonderful, thick sandwiches at Virigilio's and Intershell has world-class seafood to take away. I have to say Cape Ann is like Monterey Ca except its on the East Coast and for the most part - undiscovered.

Cheers and please feel free to ask us Nor'easter's about diving anytime!

X

 

[pdive]

Thanks for the responses. A few reasons I was interested in the dry suit class: (1) we've never been shore diving in NE, so it would be nice to do our first dives in the area during an instructional setting and (2) it would give us an opportunity to rent dry suits and try them out. It seems like a good way to get introduced to NE diving.

As for David's idea, do the water temperatures on Cape Ann ever reach the 60s? I was under the impression that the highest they got was the mid 50s.

Sounds good. I didn't mean to imply you wouldn't like diving in New England, just that I myself wouldn't make any big financial outlays on equipment without getting wet first.

 

[amajamar]

My $.02, FWIW.

My GF and I have been diving for 4 years. We started in the Caribbean (Aruba and Bonaire) and fell in love! We dive here at home as much as possible on the North and South shore. We are at the point of drysuit acquisition as well, in order to lengthen our dive season.

One word of advice that I would offer is that you should spend at least a season diving locally (shore and boat, good weather and not so good) and really decide how much diving you are going to do locally before investing in drysuits. The diving here is quite different, obviously, and after a season or two and 25-50 more dives you should be pretty sure what you want to do, one way or another.

Currently we dive with 7MM wetsuits and 7MM hooded vests, and we are relatively warm in all the weather we venture out in. My experience is that you (and when I say "you" I mean "we") can tolerate water temps down in the mid 40's for short dives (+-45min) and we often spend around two hours diving when we are in water temps around 58 and above. One noteworthy thing, I don't believe you will encounter water temps much above around 50 when boat diving around the Gloucester area. (at least we haven't!)

There are dive shops that offer drysuit classes and rentals around, as well. Check these links:

Dry Suit Diver

Drysuit

Feel free to PM me anytime and I can elaborate on our experiences!

Good luck and dive safe!

(Go Patriots!!)

 

[Mike W]

I would concur with the advise given here. I've been a wetsuit and drysuit NE diver for years and the one thing I've learned is that everyone is different. What works for one doesn't apply for another. So my advice is to take a drysuit course and practice, practice, practice. The more you do anything, the better and more comfortable you'll get at it. There are plenty of types of drysuits and prices so try different models and options( dry gloves, hoods, undergarments, etc.) For your wife, I know DUI makes a tropical drysuit (30-30) that might help with the tropical chill. There's nothing like comfort during the fall and winter months while diving. And, ypour sure to get a closer parking spot at the site!

 

[asha]

The fiance and I dive in ME and MA fairly regularly. I got certified in St. Martin and wanted to dive New England after I got back. I spent a season diving a 7mm wetsuit and was usually fine for the first dive but absolutely frigid for the second (to the point where I would frequently sit it out). He got me a Pinnacle drysuit for my birthday last year and I've never looked back--I would definitely recommend diving dry up here.

That said, what size does she wear? I have a pretty nice 7mm wetsuit gathering dust

 

[Tug]

Cheers. I'd do a couple of dives during the summer at Cape Ann to get a feel for whether you like it with a rental 7mm. The underwater sites in the NE are quite different and for folks accustomed to the Caribbean - it can be underwater culture shock.

If you both like the diving around here a drysuit would be logical next step as your wife gets cold in the Caribbean. The last thing anyone would want is to get chilled to the bone around here. The good thing about Cape Ann diving is that there are nice places to hang out after a chilly dive. Or not. Lobster Pool restaurant The Lobster Pool Restaurant, Rockport, MA - Lobster, steamers, clams, scallops, burgers and more.
is walking distance from Folly's Cove and it's easy enough to get some good eats minutes away at picturesque Rockport which has some nice quaint eats, albeit touristy in the summer. Think about charter buses full of tourists. Also Glostah' has some wonderful restaurants on Main St., wonderful, thick sandwiches at Virigilio's and Intershell has world-class seafood to take away. I have to say Cape Ann is like Monterey Ca except its on the East Coast and for the most part - undiscovered.

Cheers and please feel free to ask us Nor'easter's about diving anytime!

X

As usual, Mr. X is spot on. I usually make it a point to go to the Lobster Pool after diving Folly Cove.

There are dive shops that offer drysuit classes and rentals around, as well. Check these links:

Dry Suit Diver

Drysuit

Feel free to PM me anytime and I can elaborate on our experiences!

Good luck and dive safe!

(Go Patriots!!)

I noticed you posted a link to Atlantic Divers, unfortunately they closed a month or so ago.

 

[DavidInNH]

... And, your sure to get a closer parking spot at the site!

I was at Nubble Light on Saturday, verifying that I need a new zipper on my drysuit. (Not flooding, but seepage...) Only one other diver in the water (I never saw him and he was gone when I got out.) As Mike said, "closer parking".

This was likely my last dive until the spring. Suit goes back to the manufacturer for repair and will not be back before I'm more into ski season than diving. This last dive was excellent - 48 degrees (my max depth was around 40 feet, as I was alone and stayed in the cove), clear skies and lots of sunshine. Visibility likely in the 25-30 foot range. Nice but not the same as Key Largo last week when I was seeing 78 degrees.

 

[porgyhunter]

Pdive is right....She may not like the whole New England Dive Thing its like the ''Haughted Forest'' in the Wizard of Oz, Compared to skipping through the poppies on the way to Emerald city, being the Carribean dive situation. If Dorithy still is up for it I suggest a neopreme dry. Even in summer you can dive it with no under garmets, just get in the water FAST!:shocked2:

 

[SterlingDiver]

Good luck as you sort this out...