New to diving the Puget sound

New to the NW Dive Club Forum? Come in and introduce yourself, the water's fine!
Post Reply
User avatar
JJHACK
Aquaphile
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 12:04 pm

New to diving the Puget sound

Post by JJHACK »

Hello folks. I've been a long time diver internationally Singapore, SE Asia, and mostly South Africa for my business doing the shark cage dives out of cape town near seal island. I was not a certified diver for the longest time because it was not a legal requirement. However, recently my wife and I have gone through the certification and now we are both certified. Seems some foreign countries simply don't care about this as much as Ameria does.

I have to buy her some gear, although mine is a decade old or more now so I may be in for two sets, Yikes! That is gonna cost me! I have a 7mm Bare Velocity wetsuit and a step in 7mm vest with a hood. Is this combination gonna be at all comfortable for me in the sound? I'm not sure I will dive a lot in the sound, but it's so close compared to the other options who knows. We currently live near Walla Walla on my farm. So diving the Columbia will be much more frequent.

I lived in South Africa and went to university there until 1994, when Mandela was elected I moved back to the USA. I own a safari tourism business there and travel between here and there annually. So I guess I'm open to suggestions on the Puget sound equipment needs. She must get everything, I need a new BCD and a regulator I guess. I have everything else that is in pretty good shape. My BCD is quite UV damaged and thread bare. The Regulator was not new to me 15 years ago so I think I'm due for a new one as well.

Hoping to learn a few nice places to dive in the sound, and not freezing my A$$ off down there!
The best things in life are not things
User avatar
Gdog
NWDC Moderator
NWDC Moderator
Posts: 3984
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:41 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Gdog »

Welcome to the board! I hope you find this site to be a great resource. Jump in on the discussions, and welcome back to the sport!
User avatar
Tom Nic
I've Got Gills
Posts: 9368
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:26 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Tom Nic »

Welcome to the board!

Yeah... Scuba Units are measured in $100 increments, and starting out that is probably too conservative!

But SO worth it!
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT
"Anyone who thinks this place is over moderated is bat-crazy anarchist." -Ben, Airsix
"Warning: No dive masters are going to be there, Just a bunch of old fat guys taking pictures of fish." -Bassman
User avatar
Norris
NWDC Moderator
NWDC Moderator
Posts: 4695
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 2:31 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Norris »

Well the 7mm will work and many of us have started where you are. However, it doesn't take long to realize a couple things.
1) our best diving is generally during the winter considering lack of sun allows the visibility to open up due to lack of particle growth
2) the winter diving temps are not so bad in the water (temps change maybe only a couple degrees at depth annually) but outside it sure does, so most have gone to dry suit, as changing out in winter can get a little cold and also numerous dives can tend to get cold.

But there is a sticker shock associated with drysuit shopping for sure. So it sounds like you are on the right track with updating older gear and getting that figured out. We also dive a lot of steel tanks here rather than AL due to weight, size, and the ability to lose some weightbelt weight.
Check the Dive Planning section for weekly dives and there are two main groups..TH TH TH who dive in the south end on Thursdays and Bubbles and Suds who dive the North end on Wed.
WELCOME ABOARD!
**Pinch it, don't stick your finger through. You're just pinching a bigger hole.
CAPTNJACK - 2012**
User avatar
Gdog
NWDC Moderator
NWDC Moderator
Posts: 3984
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:41 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Gdog »

Dammit...wheres that like button?!
+1 on what both Tom Nic and Norris said!
User avatar
johndo88
Compulsive Diver
Posts: 321
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2012 3:50 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by johndo88 »

Gdog wrote:Dammit...wheres that like button?!
+1 on what both Tom Nic and Norris said!
Make that +2
User avatar
johndo88
Compulsive Diver
Posts: 321
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2012 3:50 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by johndo88 »

Norris wrote:...temps change maybe only a couple degrees at depth annually...
Norris, you got me thinking, is this statement true? I looked at my dives on the computer for the past 17 months and you are absolutely correct. Check out viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26224
User avatar
Tom Nic
I've Got Gills
Posts: 9368
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:26 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Tom Nic »

johndo88 wrote:
Norris wrote:...temps change maybe only a couple degrees at depth annually...
Norris, you got me thinking, is this statement true? I looked at my dives on the computer for the past 17 months and you are absolutely correct. Check out viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26224
45 in the Winter, 55 in the Summer, sometimes a degree or two warmer or colder, but that has pretty much been my experience of temperature range the last 10 years diving in the Sound.
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT
"Anyone who thinks this place is over moderated is bat-crazy anarchist." -Ben, Airsix
"Warning: No dive masters are going to be there, Just a bunch of old fat guys taking pictures of fish." -Bassman
User avatar
Gdog
NWDC Moderator
NWDC Moderator
Posts: 3984
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:41 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Gdog »

Tom, Ill bet at depth, say 80-100', I bet the fluctuation is half that...
User avatar
Tom Nic
I've Got Gills
Posts: 9368
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:26 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Tom Nic »

Gdog wrote:Tom, Ill bet at depth, say 80-100', I bet the fluctuation is half that...
So, I'm basing this simply on what my computer records, which is the lowest temperature on the dive. Same computer, pretty consistent over that time, 10 years running.
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT
"Anyone who thinks this place is over moderated is bat-crazy anarchist." -Ben, Airsix
"Warning: No dive masters are going to be there, Just a bunch of old fat guys taking pictures of fish." -Bassman
Steiger
Avid Diver
Posts: 53
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2015 4:50 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Steiger »

Yakima Dive Club has events planned all year long, we recently went diving in the Hood Canal and rented the Yellow House. You're welcome to join us for our events because there's not a whole lot of dive locations here on the "dry side".

https://sites.google.com/site/yakimadiveclub/
https://www.facebook.com/Yakima-Dive-Cl ... 843557827/
User avatar
JJHACK
Aquaphile
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 12:04 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by JJHACK »

Great, Thanks for the offer. Just came back from Redondo beach, Had several dives there over the weekend. Water on Saturday was rough, you could have surfed in ( ha ha)

Sunday was beautiful and calm. However, the water was only 47 deg at 48-60 feet. I have a 7mm wetsuit not a dry suit. It was on the chilly side but I was never actually freezing cold. Visibility was not great probably 3-4 feet on Saturday, and maybe 7-10 feet on Sunday. My goal was to see octopus, no luck could not find one anyplace there. The aquarium guy said nobody had seen one in a few months there. I thought they were more common in this area?

Oh well, first time diving in the sound, some surprises both good and bad, the good was that I can dive a whole 100cf High pressure tank and be comfortable in just my 7mm wetsuit. I do have a hooded vest with it as well. The bad was the much different visibility then I have been used to.

Oh, I thought the shark stature at about 35-38 feet was a clever touch to the area, not so much the toilet bowl!
The best things in life are not things
Scubak
I've Got Gills
Posts: 1514
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2006 7:25 pm

Re: New to diving the Puget sound

Post by Scubak »

JJHACK,
Sounds like you had a couple of decent dives this past weekend given what the weather has been lately.
PM me if you would like to meet up for a dive. I would love to meet you and your wife and we can discuss local diving.
Kirsten
"Let's go diving!"
Post Reply