Places to be left alone while diving warm water?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Where are the best places to go for warm water diving where you can just rent gear and go solo dive off the shore without a guide or a boat? Bonus if they are also good for snorkeling.
In West Virginia, the best place is a lake heated by a coal power plant. I've soloed there a lot. It can be -5 deg F and 2 feet of snow on the ground, but the lake is a tropical 50 degrees F.

 
It's possible, especially from WA, to get to Hawaii Island (The Big Island) without completely breaking the bank. Warm water - Kona is 80°F right now. There are tons of shore dives sites, no one cares about solo. Total cost can be an issue, but it might be worth a look.
 
I do have SDI Solo since 2013. I do not dive with a pony in Bonaire, I'm bad.

Hour and a half on Bari Reef
View attachment 813171
With the shallow beach entries and gradual depth change, I never felt the need for a pony in Bonaire. If there's an issue at the start of the dive, I just stand up and resolve it.
 
The water temp is dropping in Florida. A couple of months ago, it was mid 80's. The last month was around 80. Now it's dropping below 80. If you're ok with the approaching mid 70 temps, then SE FL still qualifies as warm. Here in FL, we are wimps, and it's not uncommon to see divers in 5 to 7mm wetsuits when the water temp is mid to low 70's. I've even seen the occasional dry suit.
 
I agree - for high 70s I still usually wear a full 3mm suit. Get to low 70s and even that wouldn’t be enough for me.
 
In West Virginia, the best place is a lake heated by a coal power plant. I've soloed there a lot. It can be -5 deg F and 2 feet of snow on the ground, but the lake is a tropical 50 degrees F.

Mt Storm lake is only open for diving from a boat. The Dominion Energy website says:
  • Scuba diving is allowed. Divers must access the scuba diving area via a launched pontoon or other suitable boat, away from the boat launch area. Diving directly from the shore is not permitted.
 
The water temp is dropping in Florida. A couple of months ago, it was mid 80's. The last month was around 80. Now it's dropping below 80. If you're ok with the approaching mid 70 temps, then SE FL still qualifies as warm. Here in FL, we are wimps, and it's not uncommon to see divers in 5 to 7mm wetsuits when the water temp is mid to low 70's. I've even seen the occasional dry suit.
The older I am, the less tolerant of being cold I have become. My gas consumption goes up and I am uncomfortable.

I have dived SE Florida year-round for 15 years. I have a 3, 5, and 7 mm full suit and a 5/3 mm hooded vest and wear them all each year. I wear the 3 mm down to mid-high 70s, the 5 mm to the low 70s, and then the 7 mm.

A wimp, maybe. However, with my chosen wetsuit and my nice boat coat, I am often the only warm diver on the boat :)
 
A wimp, maybe. However, with my chosen wetsuit and my nice boat coat, I am often the only warm diver on the boat :)
Sounds like it's time to go dry and be truly comfortable. Anything needing a 5+ is dry imo.

Wimp, no. Better at understanding how water zaps the heat from you, yes.
 
I've done a decent amount of what the OP describes in Hawaii. Plenty of beaches where you can just go in and explore. Water is warm year-round. I love solo beach diving from Shark's cove, Hanauma bay, Electric beach, Makaha etc.

There is no logical argument for going to 115 ft solo with only a single air source. That's a sign that the person may not have the right risk-management mindset for diving.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom