Question Blue Hole at Santa Rosa NM
- Thread starter bryankwatts
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The only time I dived Santa Rosa was to get my AOW and dry suit certification. I was very happy to be in my dry suit, which is more than can be said for the divers who were very cold in 7mm wetsuits. Bring a 7mm, or better yet get dry suit certified the same time as you get your OW.
broncobowsher
Contributor
Yes.
2 years ago I paid my $20 and had the whole hole to myself. There was one other person there as I arrived, but by the time I paid to play they were gone. Couple of swimmers jumped in and got out real quick while I was doing laps around the walls. I doubt they even knew there was a rebreather circling around under them.
I did consider it a nice road side attraction. Not worthy of a sole destination (for where I am at anyway), and if doing another road trip I would stop again. For anyone needing a open water training location and it being nearby, it is really good for that as well.
The problem is that it is very nearly the only diving attraction for many hundreds of miles.
OP
bryankwatts
Contributor
So, my wife and I just finished our OW Certification Dives this weekend at the Blue Hole. While everyone has a different tolerance for cold, we learned that the Class of the wetsuit is really the driver more than the thickness of the wetsuit. For example, our class was primarily diving in 7mm wetsuits (no idea what the class rating was on their wetsuits) and my wife and I dove in Class B 5mm wetsuits and were very comfortable. This is a pretty good test as my wife is not very tolerant of the cold. Our wetsuits are both ScubaPro Everflex Yulex 5/4mm full wetsuits. Just thought I would share this information.
A hundred and twenty pounds ago, I would do my last dive of the weekend in a 3mm suit without a problem. These days, without those extra pounds, I can do a 7mm dive with a hood, but it's not very enjoyable. A drysuit and a hood improve things.
I know another local instructor who dives in a t-shirt and shorts, though he's well insulated.
The bottom line is it isn't the suit, it is the person in the suit. I wouldn't recommend anyone plan to dive BH in less than a 7mm without some experience.
I know another local instructor who dives in a t-shirt and shorts, though he's well insulated.
The bottom line is it isn't the suit, it is the person in the suit. I wouldn't recommend anyone plan to dive BH in less than a 7mm without some experience.
I just googled a couple of underground water temperature maps. Looks like BH's water temps are similar to the U/W temps we have here in southern MO and northern AR. Many people here do recreational dives deeper than ~50 ffw wearing two-piece 0.25" (~6.5mm) wetsuits.
We're not at Santa Rosa's altitude, though. Maybe this matters.
rx7diver
It's funny, I dove another lake last weekend that had a couple of thermoclines in it that dropped from 62 to the low 50s. Going from the cold part of the lake to the "warm" part at the end of my dive felt so good.
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