What is the appeal of Lake, Cold, Low vis diving?

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haha49:
there is one lake i cant rember the name that has jellyfish in it and they cant sting because they lost the abilty to do so..
It's called Jellyfish Lake, and it is in Palau. There is another, less famous one on the island of Kakaban, off the east coast of Borneo.
 
It is all I have within 9 hours. I still have to drive 2 hours to dive in the lake. Diving is so much fun it is worth diving anywhere.
 
- Seeing a sturgeon as I drift by a rocky shoreline. Strurgeons are way cool! So are pike, muskie etc... my home and native fish!
- Wrecks wrecks and more wrecks. Much better preserved than down south
- Magic carpet ride of the Niagara River
- Being able to drive up to a dive spot with my buddy and tanks and get to it... all close to home. Car key in BC pocket and all set to go!
- Not having to help instruct the person next to me on the boat how to turn off their air: "doesn't the boat operator do that for me" "No, here's how..." (Real convo)
- Someone mentioned cold water feels *good* when it's stupid-hot outside.... on a hot summer day, the bottom of the lake's the place to be...
I prefer to dive here/. I only dive down south when It's too cold for my 7mm...
Katy
 
I did not read all the previous posts, so maybe this has already been mentioned, but here goes....

I live 3 hours away from ocean diving, so a one hour trip to the lake is pretty convenient.

Practice makes perfect. If thats all you have to dive, then dive it a lot. When you have more favorable conditions, maybe you will appreciate it all the more.

Deep quaries and lakes are great places to learn deep water and tec skills! If you don't like it cold and deep, then I guess its not for you.

To everything, there is a purpose....
 
rexman24:
Maybe someone can explain it to me.
I am a vacation, warm water diver.
I like it because there are so many interesting things to see.

So what is the appeal of diving in lakes, quarries, cold, low vis waters?

Is it just the thrill of the diving itself?
Is it the challenge presented by the conditions?
Maybe sometimes there is something interesting to see?

Okay.......I didn't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this has already been posted.

For me, Quarries are just a place to dive, and practice. It's a place to dive and have fun.

low vis is great for learning and practicing navigation.

The Great Lakes hold over 5000 Shipwrecks. Only half of them have been found.
The cold fresh water preserves the wrecks. The deeper you go, the better shape the wrecks are in.
The Zebra Mussells have greatly improved the visibility. There are days with 100' vis in Lake Erie!!

The 1000 Islands have a lot of shipwrecks too. from mid July to September, It can be as warm as 75f from top to bottom. Not really cold water :D Awesome shipwrecks and fun playing in the current!!

I couldn't handle only being able to dive on vacations. I love it to much!!

If you couldn't tell, I love Shipwrecks!! :)
 
I'll jump on the bandwagon of those that didn't read the whole thread, and add my 2 psi....

I don't live anywhere near a warm ocean dive.
The last time I was on a nice warm ocean dive was January of 2006...If I haven't done any diving since then it would be more than a year and a half! SO I go where I can locally, I suck it up in a 7mm suit with steel 119's hood, gloves, etc. and keep my skills happening while I can't get to the nice pristine clear reefs that some can hit with the frequency of a good morning poop!

I WILL be in the Keys in November, and will take advantage of that situation until my wife says " no more, we're out of money" and then come back home, and start diving again in May or June....

I think when I DO get back in the warm ocean (with 50+feet viz), I'll appreciate it even more! Heck..I may even need to kick it up a bit to make it feel more like home!
 
Hello!

I live on the shores of Lake Michigan. I am home at LEAST 50 weeks of the year. Wrecks are very cool. Dove the same wreck today as last Sunday. There was a 20ºF temp difference and 30' viz difference. Plus, being a slow learner, I need LOTS of practice, so I dive here.

Charters aren't that expensive and I have a buddy with a boat, so it's easy.
 
hnladue:
Who said it's cold water diving up north??? Try the St Lawrence seaway!! 75 degrees all the way to the bottom(in summer)! Yea baby!! even at 120 ft, still 75!!! What cold water?


I absolutely LOVE diving the St. Lawrence. FREAKIN AMAZING UP THERE
 
I would dive anywhere in any condition because I like getting wet. Problem is I dive with my family and I don't think my wife has any interest in diving in water cooler than 75f.

Thankfully we are in Florida.
 
:( I dive Tahoe in January in a 7mm wetsuit. The thing I like about it is that there is not a lot of boat traffic when it is snowing and the water temp is 38 degrees F, you are not likely to accidentaly find a dead body because they don't heat up and rise to the surface like warm water, carrying extra weight makes me feel like a stud and gives me the much needed exercise I require, you can observe the wonders of "shrinkage", it is fun to lose the feeling in your face, (after the initial cold burn,the headache, and the feeling of blacking out subside) and finally it is such a great feeling once the dive has ended and you can get your *** out of that freezing cold water.

Why did the clown keep hitting himself in the head with a hammer?
Cause it felt better when he stopped.

It is all I have around this area.
 

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