Jarrett:Nah, I am still reading the thread. (Going into Devil's Advocate mode here) Just having a hard time understanding the desire to dive in a cold, muddy lake. I could see being in the ocean or something with clearer viz and then buying the equipment needed to make the dive at whatever temp. But in Texas, in the muddy lakes, where bass, perch and catfish are mostly likely what you are going to see if you get lucky. What's the draw?
I mean I get cold and clear dives, and I can understand warm and murky dives. But cold and murky in a Texas lake is a hard one to understand for me. Is there something down there I don't yet know about?
It's not what's down there. It's just the fact that you're diving. You're under water breathing a reg. Living in Arizona, if I didn't dive 5' or less viz and temps in the 50s, I might not dive for several months. So I adapt. I bought a dry suit. I got really good at compass navigation to make up for the low viz (that only works when I can see my compass). It also makes me a better diver. I can maintain my buoyancy in black, fresh water. And because I do it so often, my skills are better than if I just dove once every few months.