Do you have a minimum viz or temp for a dive?

[Scuba_Jenny]

hijack
Dearman...LOVE your profile pic!!!
/hijack

 

[Derek S]

No pre-set limits for me. I'm more concerned about the safety and comfort level I have with my buddy.

I've dove mid-40*F in a 2pc 5mm wetsuit, and right down to 33*F in a drysuit with only fleece undies.

Of course I prefer 70*F water with 30ft viz (about as good as it gets up here in Upstate NY), but the better preserved wrecks are in colder, deeper, darker waters. The good news is that usually the deeper and colder I go, the viz usually improves.

 

[PhotoTJ]

5', 50 degrees F.

I've dived in less, but didn't enjoy it much.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

I like to have at least 32 deg F in fresh water and at least two feet of visibility. I have dived in lower vis, but those really were not dives for fun. As long as the water is liquid and I can read my gauges I can enjoy diving.

Hey, these were the words out of my mouth

Sometimes I wonder what they are thinking of, those divers who only do warm waters. I mean, I could certainly do with a couple of weeks in the Bahamas. But then I would enjoy land life even more than the coral reefs!

Why? Well, I simply think and feel by all of my heart, I am so lucky to have the best diving in the world here in my own fairly cold country. -Well, sort of cold compared to the Bahamas!

Water temps? Usually our best dives are in the ocean in the winter, with temps at about 7 degrees celsius.

Air temps are actually more to worry about! But then here we are not so worried. Just look at this:



TEMPERATURES IN THE WORLD - AND IN NORWAY

+15°C / 59°F

This is as warm as it gets in Norway, so we'll start here. People in Spain wear wintercoats and gloves. The Norwegians are out in the sun, getting a tan.


+10°C / 50°F

The French are trying in vain to start their central heating. The Norwegians plant flowers in their gardens.


+5°C / 41°F

Italian cars won't start. The Norwegians are cruising in convertibles, top down.


0°C / 32°F

Distilled water freezes. The water in the Oslo Fiord gets a little thicker.


- 5°C / 23°F

People in California freeze to death. The Norwegians have their final barbecue before winter.


- 10°C / 14°F

The Brits start the heat in their houses. The Norwegians start using long sleeves.


- 20°C / - 4°F

The Aussies flee to Mallorca. The Norwegians end their Midsummer celebrations. Autumn is here.


- 30°C / - 22°F

People in Greece die from the cold. The Norwegians start drying their laundry indoors.


- 40°C / - 40°F

Paris starts cracking in the cold. The Norwegians stand in line at the hotdog stands.


- 50°C / - 58°F

Polar bears start evacuating the North Pole. The Norwegian Army postpones their winter survival training awaiting real winter weather.


- 70°C / - 94°F

The false Santa from Finland moves south. The Norwegian Army goes out on winter survival training.


- 183°C / - 297.4°F

Microbes in food don't survive. The Norwegians cows complain that the farmers' hands are cold.


- 273°C / - 459.4°F

ALL atom-based movement halts. The Norwegians start saying, "Faen, det er kaldt i dag." ("****, it's cold today")


- 300°C / - 508°F

Hell freezes over; Norway wins the Eurovision Song Contest again.

 

[NauticalbutNice]

Our water temps get as low as 3 or 4 degrees celsius. You know it's cold when your dive buddy has blue lips (I have seen this!)

Anyone for ice diving?

Nauticalbutnice :fruit:

 

[drbill]

I usually don't dive if the surge is really bad, vis drops below 10-15 ft or the water temp below about 48 degrees (of course that depends on which wetsuit I'm wearing!). I mainly do video work so strong surge and poor vis is not conducive, nor are seriously shaking arms due to the cold!

 

[Hoosier]

Cool! I enjoyed it..

Hey, these were the words out of my mouth

Sometimes I wonder what they are thinking of, those divers who only do warm waters. I mean, I could certainly do with a couple of weeks in the Bahamas. But then I would enjoy land life even more than the coral reefs!


Hell freezes over; Norway wins the Eurovision Song Contest again.

 

[O'Malley]

the viz dosen't effect my dive paln as much as the temps do...I have yet to go dry, therefore, tend to dive in waters no less than upper 40's F.

 

[Jarrett]

Nah, I am still reading the thread. (Going into Devil's Advocate mode here) Just having a hard time understanding the desire to dive in a cold, muddy lake. I could see being in the ocean or something with clearer viz and then buying the equipment needed to make the dive at whatever temp. But in Texas, in the muddy lakes, where bass, perch and catfish are mostly likely what you are going to see if you get lucky. What's the draw?

I mean I get cold and clear dives, and I can understand warm and murky dives. But cold and murky in a Texas lake is a hard one to understand for me. Is there something down there I don't yet know about?

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Nah, I am still reading the thread. (Going into Devil's Advocate mode here) Just having a hard time understanding the desire to dive in a cold, muddy lake. I could see being in the ocean or something with clearer viz and then buying the equipment needed to make the dive at whatever temp. But in Texas, in the muddy lakes, where bass, perch and catfish are mostly likely what you are going to see if you get lucky. What's the draw?

I mean I get cold and clear dives, and I can understand warm and murky dives. But cold and murky in a Texas lake is a hard one to understand for me. Is there something down there I don't yet know about?

Well, it's there! And when that's what you've got, you go diving anyway. Good practice at least