Diving in winter months

[Spencermm]

How much does winter(cold water temps)slow you down from diving in the continental US?

 

[Tigerman]

If I was to only dive the continental US, it would slow down my diving considerably

Generally, as long as there is no ice, I can dive..

 

[PerroneFord]

None.

 

[robint]

actually, we are very lucky here in NM. Our primary dive site is a fresh water spring with 62 degree water year-round. So diving in winter is the same as summer, except the surface intervals are colder. We have been diving while it is snowing here, water still 62, steam rising off it like a fog! The hardest part is pealing off that wetsuit and getting dry and warm between dives when the air temp is 30s or 40s. Brrrr.
The best thing about diving here in winter, less people! Last month it was still sunny and warm so there were about 100+ people trying to dive all at the same time on a Saturday. Yuck. In the winter, sometimes we are the only people there, usually on a Saturday 10-20 people at most show up. That means vis is crystal clear, too.

robint

 

[LiamtheDiver]

So far it doesn't. I am a dry diver in the colder temps. So far it hasn't affected me much!

 

[Dirkadiver]

Not at all. Well, it slows down a lot of divers which sometimes makes it tought to fill a boat. So from that respect, I guess it technically slows my diving a bit.

 

[igotag!]

There is a 5 degree water temperature difference between the middle up the summer and the middle of the winter, it is either 50 or 55. If your diving dry it really doesn't matter! Good ol' Washington.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Not a lot. For me anyway. Biggest thing is finding people to go along especially if they don't dive dry. What is even more of an issue is the shorter daylight hours. There's a site less than an hour away from me, shallow but good for practice. Problem is there are no lights at all other than what you bring with you. Summer I solo it once a week or so. Winter byt the time I get off work and get there it's dark when I get out of the water, I mean really dark in the woods no streetlights type stuff. Kinda dangerous exiting and if it's icy forget it. THe one lake is two hours away, never freezes, and is warm relative to air temps but again short days and the fact that it's at altitude and you can go in for an hour dive and come up to 2 inches of fresh snow on the ground in a blizzard slows people down as well. Otherwise cold itself is not an issue.

 

[scubajb]

A lot up here in the mountain country. Most everything is already icing up. Will make occassional trips to Utah (Seabase and I just heard of a warm cavern around Park City)... So I use this time to study.

 

[Gary D.]

We actually dive more in the winter than we do in the summer months. We get way to busy when it’s warm and way way tooooo many boats to deal with.

Gary D.