cold vs warm water diving

[micboucher]

But the best dive I've done yet was here in CA, off Santa Barbara island (Sea Lion dive) in 57 degree waters. Cold? Yes. Poor vis? Yes. But more fun than I could shake a reg at!

Wow, that does look like it was an awesome dive...sea lions every where! And the jellies are cool too.

 

[paradicio]

Wow, that does look like it was an awesome dive...sea lions every where! And the jellies are cool too.

It really was, I'm still reeling. My friend, that went on the dive with us, just gave me a CD of the videos he took. If they were mine to post they'd be up on YouTube... I spoke to another friend of mine that did the dive a few years back and he was amazed at how many we saw. I didn't realize that seeing so many might be different from the norm there.

By the way, I checked out your flickr page, you've got some great photos!

 

[ChrisA]

What do you all prefer and why? Which do you find more interesting?

What do I prefer. Water that is reasonably close to my house. I live 5 minutes from th Pacific Ocean. In So. California. Water here is low 50's now at depth and I'm happy if the viz is 15 feet and I'm really happy if the surf is less then shoulder high and not over my head.

I'd be a VERY unhappy diver if I lived some place where I had to take an airplane to get to the dive site. Or even if I had to do a longish road trip.

Vancouver has to be one of the world's best dive locations. Just buy a good drysuit and you will not notice the water temp. Last night we were diving (I do a night dive every Wed. night after work) and my buddy said after "it was chilly, got 52F on the computer." I literally had not paid any attention to the temperure I was waring street cloths under my drysuit.

I think if you are a vacation diver, some one who dives only a few times a year, then you want color and unlimited viz. But those of us who dive several times a week at familiar locations tend to look at the small stuff. After a dive when we all ask each other "what did you see" people will say stuff like a few more pipe fish then normal, a baby 1 inch octopus, or a new kind of nudebrach The frequent divers are looking at and noticing small changes in the environment and for that 5 foot viz works well enough

Some day I'll have to go to a tropical dive site.

 

[micboucher]

It really was, I'm still reeling. My friend, that went on the dive with us, just gave me a CD of the videos he took. If they were mine to post they'd be up on YouTube... I spoke to another friend of mine that did the dive a few years back and he was amazed at how many we saw. I didn't realize that seeing so many might be different from the norm there.

By the way, I checked out your flickr page, you've got some great photos!

Thanks! I had a really cool harbor seal dive in Monterey last May. There were a bunch of them following me and tugging at my fins the whole dive. Here's one of the videos I took that day.

YouTube - Seal in Monterey

 

[diver 85]

warm, I hate heavy things.........

 

[creamofwheat]

It's tough to say really. I think we are really blessed here in BC with the diving we have access to. It's beautiful, especially in winter when the viz gets good. I have yet to get bored with our local diving. Sure, all the gear sucks, and I end up getting really cold, but I love it.

Warm water I have also gone diving in...it is very easy and relaxed, tons of life. Hardly any gear. For those reasons, I love warm water diving. But that being said, I usually end up getting bored of it because it all starts looking the same after a while.

If I had to pick one and only one for the rest of my life, I'd pick cold.

 

[mobeeno]

I agree with TSandM. I too like both warm and cold, especially when the visibility is good.