I think I'm ready for Puget Sound

[hmccracken]

Hi all,

I have always been a tropical diver, but I spend a LOT more time in Seattle than I do traveling for 3-day dive trips. I don't have gear anymore, but did a pool refresher this year and an Open Water dive (in Australia).

I would like to explore diving in my backyard, West Seattle, and beyond. I want to see if dry suit diving in cold water can work for me, because I really miss diving!!!

[Dusty2]

Dry suit diving can work for anyone if you go at it with a positive attitude. If you live in west Seattle cove 2 is right in your back yard and they have weekly dives there where you can get acquainted and get a lot of good advice about cold water diving. Way different than tropical diving but just as interesting and addictive.

Welcome

[Waynne Fowler]

Well said Dusty...

Nice to have you aboard hmccracken

[LCF]

hmmccracken, you will not regret trying Puget Sound!

When I got (somewhat reluctantly) certified, I had no intention of ever getting in the Sound. I had my referral all set up -- I was going to Maui to do the diving. But I liked my instructors and my classmates, and I got mau-maued into trying a dry suit and doing my certification dives here . . . and the first day was a disaster, where my dry suit leaked and I got hypothermic. Why I went on, I have no idea . . . but that was eight years and close to a thousand cold water dives ago.

After diving in Australia, Indonesia, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, the Sea of Cortez, and Hawaii, I have come to the conclusion that the best diving in the world is up and down the Pacific coast of North America. The density and diversity of life in cold water just can't be matched anywhere else. You will be delighted.

And, to my surprise, it is quite possible to dive comfortably here, even in winter, with the right gear.

[Tom Nic]

Welcome to the board! I just returned from two weeks in my beloved Bonaire. Our best sites have way more color than just about anything in the Caribbean. Keep diving here - for those who persist in our cold waters many treasures await!