"Coolest" Winter Diving Experience?

[Gidds]

Ok I am refusing to discuss my drysuit any further until it actually arrives :frown: *pout* so I thought I'd open a new can of worms:

Please share your coolest winter diving experience.

Maybe you saw some cool critters or got to do something that you couldn't in the summer with all the crowds around. Maybe it was bloody cold and your mask froze:11: Maybe you just went diving on a beautiful winter day This is the first year that I've gone diving after September so I want to know what I have to look foward to.

 

[Diesel298]

am i allowed to participate in thies thread or are you just gonna make faces at me?

 

[Gidds]

We'll see. You have a story or not?

 

[Diesel298]

i have lots of storys
im like walt freakin disney

 

[decapoddiver]

Was solo diving for scallops mid-november (not sure if this counts but...) and noticed that it kept getting dark and then light again over my head. Turned to see the eyeball of a beluga whale about a foot away from me. If you search you will find my multiple posts about this amazing experience.

The really fun part is that my diving (but dry that day) buddy who stayed in the boat had brought along his neighbor who had never been on the ocean before. This guy asked my buddy about a week later if he could go again and see more belugas He really thought that everyone sees them when they are out on the ocean. My buddy now brings his gear even if he plans on only being surface support and I always bring my underwater video camera just in case:05:

 

[decapoddiver]

i have lost of storys

You lost them? Where did they go? Must be the old-timers disease

 

[Gidds]

Yes that counts. Come on people follow the example *looks pointedly at diesel*

 

[Diesel298]

About 2 years ago in January i did a dive off Fort Adams
the Vis was the absolute best i have ever sen anywhere in the bay at about 30 feet.
and we say all kinds of skate and flounder.
i had dove that site over 100 times, and had never seen it quite as nice as that day.
so we got outa the water and headed back to our trucks (about 15 feet away)
by the time i got to my truck i had to slam my hands aganst the bed several times to break the ice that formed on them.. thats how cold it was....
hows that for a "cool" story
the water temp that day was 34 and i was diving wet...
when my face began to thaw about 10 minnutes later as i blasted the heat in my truck driving to the nearest dunkin donuts for coffee my face started to hurt badly...
(thats what prompted me to get a full face mask)

 

[reefseal]

One of my best dives ever was one of my first winter dives. It was before I got my dry suit so was very uptight thinking would be very cold diving wet. It was a sunny day, no wind, air temps just over freezing. One of those rare instances seas were calm. Chose to dive Normans Woe. First dive was awesome with great vis. What was great about this dive was that was able to lay on warm rocks in sun to warm up during surface interval. Was diving solog and had it to myself. Surprised that I some some scallops as rocky terrain turned to sand. Didn't have my catch bag with me. After that dive, got over concern of cold in winter. Was a day that glad got out for a dive than to putz around house.

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/USA_East/Massachusetts/Normans_Woe/index.htm

 

[Diesel298]

One of my best dives ever was one of my first winter dives. It was before I got my dry suit so was very uptight thinking would be very cold diving wet. It was a sunny day, no wind, air temps just over freezing. One of those rare instances seas were calm. Chose to dive Normans Woe. First dive was awesome with great vis. What was great about this dive was that was able to lay on warm rocks in sun to warm up during surface interval. Was diving solog and had it to myself. Surprised that I some some scallops as rocky terrain turned to sand. Didn't have my catch bag with me. After that dive, got over concern of cold in winter. Was a day that glad got out for a dive than to putz around house.

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/USA_East/Massachusetts/Normans_Woe/index.htm

those are some of my favriote dives..
nothing special. just great conditions all around
i had a few dives like that this spring in cape cod bay from my friends boat

did a dive on the pinthis and had upwards of 75 feet of viz
on the way back we stop to do some buggin, it was shallow (30 feet) but the viz was great there was no current, and the surface conditions where great.