Winter gear storage

[Marie13]

Marie, What do you do to keep wet/active? Not gunna say "pool" are ya?

I’ll do some quarry dives over the winter. There’s Gilboa in OH that’s 5 hours away. I was out there a few weeks back. Will go out more over the winter if there’s no ice on the quarry and the roads are clear for the drive. But it requires a hotel stay so that adds up quick. Plus, weather can cancel us last minute.

Yes, I do the pool. Can’t let the gills dry out. DRIS runs once a month pool sessions for 4-5 hours for already certified divers at a local big indoor community pool they rent a lane or two in. Nice that you can stretch out for underwater laps. Got one next weekend. I’ll be having a couple separate pool sessions with my tech instructor after New Year’s (AN/DP/Helitrox). Classroom will be done over the winter, too. Otherwise, I just workout on the bike or do pool laps at my gym

 

[formernuke]

Don't knock pool drills if it wasn't snowing here (I don't drive in snow) I would be doing pool drills right now.

@Marie13 I'm considering a winter drive trip are the great lakes off for winter diving?

 

[Marie13]

Don't knock pool drills if it wasn't snowing here (I don't drive in snow) I would be doing pool drills right now.

@Marie13 I'm considering a winter drive trip are the great lakes off for winter diving?

You don’t dive the Great Lakes in the winter. The charter boats are pulled out. In many places there is little or no shore diving even in good weather. We tried a New Year’s Day dive this year off the beach at the Hammond, IN marina where our local boat goes out of. There’s a little wreck not far off the beach. We had at least 3ft waves. No go. We tried diving off the boat ramp, but the water was so churned up that I couldn’t see my white fins standing in knee deep water. We gave up and went for lunch with lots of hot coffee.

Ice is usually on the shoreline and dangerous to try to get through to open water. IF there is open water close.

Today there is an advisory for 8-12ft waves along the shoreline on Lake Michigan in the Chicago area.

Someone asked the same question last winter on a Great Lakes diving group on FB. We laughed. Given the history of huge freighters going to the bottom from fall/winter weather, most notably the Fitz, I’m still trying to figure out why people think there is diving on the Great Lakes in the winter. And planning a trip to dive here?

 

[Jcp2]

This is Great Lakes surfing season.

Why winter surfing on the Great Lakes is all the rage

 

[formernuke]

This is Great Lakes surfing season.

Why winter surfing on the Great Lakes is all the rage

Surfing no surfing..... surfers get bit by great white sharks

 

[Compressor]

So I have officially called it a wraps on my first scuba season. Looking to store my gear for the winter. I'm taking everything in from the garage, and just curious if I need to do anything before I pack it all away for the winter? My wetsuit, BC and Lycra suit are all hanging in the closet. I have integrated weight pockets..that have solid lead weight bricks in them. Can I leave them in there, or should i take them out? I leave them in there during the season, maybe I should be taking them out then too? Everything else was rinsed really well after my last dive (figured it would be last) and a little oil put on my two diver knives. Anything special I need to do to my regs? Anything else I need to consider? Thanks!!!

Dave

Dave: I service my regulators once every 2 years. I put roughly 80 dives on them a year. I try to service them during the "off" season.

 

[formernuke]

You don’t dive the Great Lakes in the winter. The charter boats are pulled out. In many places there is little or no shore diving even in good weather. We tried a New Year’s Day dive this year off the beach at the Hammond, IN marina where our local boat goes out of. There’s a little wreck not far off the beach. We had at least 3ft waves. No go. We tried diving off the boat ramp, but the water was so churned up that I couldn’t see my white fins standing in knee deep water. We gave up and went for lunch with lots of hot coffee.

Ice is usually on the shoreline and dangerous to try to get through to open water. IF there is open water close.

Today there is an advisory for 8-12ft waves along the shoreline on Lake Michigan in the Chicago area.

Someone asked the same question last winter on a Great Lakes diving group on FB. We laughed. Given the history of huge freighters going to the bottom from fall/winter weather, most notably the Fitz, I’m still trying to figure out why people think there is diving on the Great Lakes in the winter. And planning a trip to dive here?

I want to see Niagara Falls frozen, but that is a one day thing, so I was thinking do the falls and then head to the great lake and do some revolution war/ civil war wrecks..... guess not maybe south I go

 

[tridacna]

I’ll do some quarry dives over the winter. There’s Gilboa in OH that’s 5 hours away. I was out there a few weeks back. Will go out more over the winter if there’s no ice on the quarry and the roads are clear for the drive. But it requires a hotel stay so that adds up quick. Plus, weather can cancel us last minute.

Yes, I do the pool. Can’t let the gills dry out. DRIS runs once a month pool sessions for 4-5 hours for already certified divers at a local big indoor community pool they rent a lane or two in. Nice that you can stretch out for underwater laps. Got one next weekend. I’ll be having a couple separate pool sessions with my tech instructor after New Year’s (AN/DP/Helitrox). Classroom will be done over the winter, too. Otherwise, I just workout on the bike or do pool laps at my gym

Do they chill the pool to 34F so that you can dive? How do you cope with the water otherwise?

 

[Marie13]

Do they chill the pool to 34F so that you can dive? How do you cope with the water otherwise?

They keep it about 78 or so. I’m usually in my drysuit as I’d be terribly overweighted with my doubles otherwise. Base layer only. I’m in the pool for 4 hours so I don’t get that hot.

 

[Marie13]

I want to see Niagara Falls frozen, but that is a one day thing, so I was thinking do the falls and then head to the great lake and do some revolution war/ civil war wrecks..... guess not maybe south I go

Haha. No wreck diving between the end of October and late April or sometime in May.