Chicago in September

[the goat]

Hi all.
It appears I shall be in Chicago mid September and was wondering about getting a day or two s diving in.Any recommendations regarding mid week boats, good dive sites water temps etc. would be most welcome.
I wouldn t want to haul all my kit over so anywhere that hires kit too would be a bonus.
Any non diving tips would be welcome too.

 

[captndale]

Give me a call when it is closer to the time you will be in town. I can often get a group together for a Wednesday dive. With the exception of exposure suits, I have equipment to rent.

 

[ppo2_diver]

I'll certainly dive if you come to town.

 

[the goat]

Thanks Guys.
Much appreciated,.
Will be in town from Mon 21st until Sat.26th after travelling up from Indianapolis.
Would love to see what the lakes have to offer and meet up with a few like minded divers.
Lee

 

[ppo2_diver]

You won't be disappointed.

 

[the goat]

Bump!
Trip is definite now.
Looking forward to this now.Again with transatlantic airline baggage allowances being so meagre is there anywhere I could hire a dry suit or perhaps a 7mm wetsuit assuming the water temps aren t too bad.I have dived in and aound the UK in Summer with a 5mm suit so cold water doesnt bother me toomuch.
We will be staying in The Magnificent Mile area if this ahs any bearing on dive operators.
Ta.

 

[StreetDoctor]

I have a bunch of time off mid-week. I'd be interested. I have an older 7mm farmer john that's free to borrow if you're interested. For a size referenc I'm about 6'1" 200lb and it's just a tad big on me, I believe it's an xxl.

 

[Capt.Bob]

Hi Goat,

We have been taking divers out mid-week alot this summer. I have a handful AOW students and they often like to jump in during the week and knock out a couple of their dives. Please feel free to PM, check the website or contact me directly.

 

[luckydays]

Hi Goat, If you want to dive mid-week besides the boat option, we can always set up a mid-week dive/meet up at Haigh Quarry which is about 45 miles south of the city. With enough notice, we can get a decent crowd of people to come on out. Its a large quarry with quite a few attractions to keep you busy for the day and most of us are out there fairly regularly.

Haigh Quarry has full equipment rental options for you, if need. Home - Haigh Quarry - The Place for Scuba Diving in Northern Illinois Also, if you have the cert, Scuba Emporium can rent you a dry suit if you want to go that route, at least I think they require the cert. Home - Scuba Emporium, Chicago, Illinois, Midwest & Florida Instructor Training & Equipment Leader

A 7 mil is sufficient for the Quarry for most people (and a 5 mil for others), and I think for some stuff on the lake as well. Depends on how deep the wrecks are that you are going to see. Water temps tend to stay chilly at depth in the lake, even if the surface temp reaches 70's.

For boat charters: Windy City Divers leave out of Burnham Harbor which is by the Museums (closer to down town than anything else) Windy City Diving.net Home Page The other options are either N'Pursuit Adventure Charters, Scuba, Wreck Diving and Sportfishing Charters on Lake Michigan out of Hammond Indiana (30 miles away south) or Capt Dale (as previously offered) Captain Dales Inc. out of Waukegan (30 miles away north).

Good luck to you and hopefully we can meet up at some point while you are in town.