Welcome to a wonderful sport!
Diving really kind of divides into two types: Warm water and cold water. Warm water diving involves minimal exposure protection and minimal weight, and typically occurs in water that's pretty clear. (I can remember the guys in Australia APOLOGIZING for 40 feet of viz!) It can be fairly easy and not too physically strenuous.
Cold water diving is a different animal. It requires thick exposure protection, which then demands much larger amounts of weight. The exposure protection, whether wet or dry, complicates buoyancy management. The gear is cumbersome and the diving is strenuous, whether you're just trying to maneuver on a boat deck, or whether you are hiking 70+ lbs of stuff across a beach into the water. Cold water viz is often very bad by warm water standards -- summer viz in Puget Sound is often about ten feet, although the California coast seems rarely to get quite that bad.
So why do we dive cold water? Because it's FULL of life! The cold means the water can hold more oxygen, and the green means lots of phytoplankton to serve as food for other species. The density and variety of invertebrates in the Eastern Pacific is amazing. It isn't until I go somewhere tropical that I realize the the "background noise" of anemones, hydroids, sponges, crabs, shrimp, sea cucumbers and the like is largely missing.
So, if you want to stay in the US, I'd highly recommend using your local resources to become a comfortable cold water diver, and then come join us on the West Coast. From San Diego wrecks to Catalina and the Channel Islands and the LA oil rigs, to Monterey's spectacular topography and amazing color, to Puget Sound's benign entries and giant octopuses, to BCs clear, cold water and stunning walls, there is utterly amazing diving to be had.
Diving really kind of divides into two types: Warm water and cold water. Warm water diving involves minimal exposure protection and minimal weight, and typically occurs in water that's pretty clear. (I can remember the guys in Australia APOLOGIZING for 40 feet of viz!) It can be fairly easy and not too physically strenuous.
Cold water diving is a different animal. It requires thick exposure protection, which then demands much larger amounts of weight. The exposure protection, whether wet or dry, complicates buoyancy management. The gear is cumbersome and the diving is strenuous, whether you're just trying to maneuver on a boat deck, or whether you are hiking 70+ lbs of stuff across a beach into the water. Cold water viz is often very bad by warm water standards -- summer viz in Puget Sound is often about ten feet, although the California coast seems rarely to get quite that bad.
So why do we dive cold water? Because it's FULL of life! The cold means the water can hold more oxygen, and the green means lots of phytoplankton to serve as food for other species. The density and variety of invertebrates in the Eastern Pacific is amazing. It isn't until I go somewhere tropical that I realize the the "background noise" of anemones, hydroids, sponges, crabs, shrimp, sea cucumbers and the like is largely missing.
So, if you want to stay in the US, I'd highly recommend using your local resources to become a comfortable cold water diver, and then come join us on the West Coast. From San Diego wrecks to Catalina and the Channel Islands and the LA oil rigs, to Monterey's spectacular topography and amazing color, to Puget Sound's benign entries and giant octopuses, to BCs clear, cold water and stunning walls, there is utterly amazing diving to be had.
