Dutch Spring Pics, PA, 12-5-09

[mtamborra]

Sorry there are no underwater photos. I was already nervous enough diving in cold weather for the first time. I didn't want to deal with trying to handle the camera with 7 mm gloves on.

Here's some pics from this weekend

 

[diablonyc2]

Wow....Dutch Springs without a crowd! That looked it could have been a great dive!

How thick was your wetsuit?

 

[liuk3]

Diving in the snow with a wetsuit?!! You guys are hard core! What was the water temp like? My parents still live in Philly, and I'd like to check Dutch Springs out some time.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

Hardcore indeed. Can't imagine how cold you were getting out of that wetsuit. You might want to check out DNY, seeing as you clearly have the diving bug.

 

[mtamborra]

It was a 7MM rental but I think my boots are 5mm and I sure felt it. The rest of my body was actually fine but the feet started to give way early (15 minutes in the car with floor heat on full blast to get them back to normal). I should have sprung for the pricier pinnacle 8mm booties!

The water was 50 to 52 degrees so it was warmer than it was outside.
It was instructor's weekend at Dutch Spring so since they are officially closed and we got in by invite from our instructor which is why there was hardly anyone there

I will say I was a litter nervous when I saw everyone else in dry suits though.

It was quite a shock since my last dive before this was in Cozumel this September.

They had a heated tent so the surface interval wasn't so bad, but donning the already wet wetsuit for the 2nd dive was a little tough to do because I just kept picturing a TV and fireplace instead, lol

One really cool thing was, the fish were very lethargic and slow moving. They let you get up really close without scurrying away. I got extremely close to a large trout who just seemed to ignore me...

 

[Buoyant1]

Wow....I've done low 50's and windy in my old 7mm, but haven't been out in this kind of cold weather in my dry suit yet...one of these weekends it will work out!

 

[idocsteve]

You guys have nice teeth.

I was on a cruise recently and went for that cosmetic teeth whitening.

$176 dollars later I saw no appreciable difference. Too much coffee.

 

[herbdb]

I think that if you contact Lehigh Valley Dive Shop and ask, they will let you tag along next time they are running a class at Dutch. I know they are still diving, I talked with one of the instructors at the shop last week.

Its still a little too cold for me, but I was told that some people are still diving in wet suits occasionally.