Howdy from WI

[revjlw]

I have a niece who lives in Seattle and works at Microsoft. I plan to visit and want to dive while there. I am free to plan my trip so that I am around for the best conditions, if there is such a time! Not the world's strongest swimmer, so all the talk about strong current and winding up in Oregon has me a little nervous! Is there an "ideal" time to dive near Seattle?

Also, I would likely hire a dive guide/buddy for the half dozen dives I plan to do. She is not a diver, so I will be solo.

[Tom Nic]

Welcome to NWDC revjlw!

You will love diving here, and you do NOT have to be a strong swimmer to do so. The Puget Sound is blessed with an abundance of great shore diving that you can do year around. Timing and conditions will dictate a bit, but there is never a time that you cannot dive.

Oregon, however, is an ENTIRELY different animal!

Post when you are coming and you will find many folks willing to dive with you - we have lots of experienced divers on the board that love to take folks out from out of town - and I'm guessing no "hiring" will be necessary, although a beverage after a dive day will not be turned down!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your experience level, if you'll need equipment, etc.

And once again, welcome to NWDC!

[Tom Nic]

I am free to plan my trip so that I am around for the best conditions, if there is such a time!

Oh, and I missed this in your post initially.

We usually get some wonderful visibility late August and into September and October. If I had to pick one time of the year that is perfect, that would be it - the water is still a hair warmer from Summer and when visibility opens up it is magical!

[revjlw]

It turns out, Tom, that late August and mid-September are the best windows for me. So that is good to know. I will post when I have dates with details and more info about me. In the mean time, here are the basics:

Got certified in 2006 right before a trip to visit my son, who was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Completed 6 dives there. Didn't dive again for almost 2 years, so got re-certified in Florida and spent a week there doing three a day. LOVE IT!!! Since re-certification in 2008 I have spent 10 days diving the Red Sea off Sharm el Shiekh, a week in Bonaire, a week in Hawaii - Big Island, and a week in Grand Turk. (Gotta find that bloomin' dive log book... I am remodeling and it is currently hiding!) Of course, there have been other trips to Florida too. The Red Sea was AMAZING!!! I am planning to dive the Great Barrier Reef in a couple years for my 55th birthday.

I love taking photos and am learning about that as I go. Manual white balance was an ah-ha moment! Own an Inon strobe that I flooded in Bonaire in 2011 and haven't fixed it or replaced it. That'll be the next step in the photography journey. I am single, so travel without a buddy in almost all cases, tho my brother dives and we hope to do more of that together now that our nests are empty. (It is his daughter I am coming to visit in Seattle.)

I'll be in touch when I know my agenda. Jeanne

[revjlw]

Oh, and how do I set this board to alert me when my post gets a reply?

[Tom Nic]

Hmmm... Not sure about your posts... Perhaps someone else will post an answer.

I LOVE the Red Sea, and have done 6 trips to Bonaire, hard to beat for warm water diving.

Cold water is a whole different animal. You can rent wetsuits and gear at one of the many shops around here, but if you are able to get comfy in a drysuit that is definitely the way to go. A light is essential gear here, the brighter the better - 30' visibility is an awesome day, and the few days it gets better are epic. Macro photography is really inviting in part because of the viz, and we have a ton of life in our cold, green waters. In fact there are some walls in British Columbia that easily rival anything you will see in the tropics.

Good lick, and I think you will have a great trip!

[eliseaboo]

Do you dive in WI much? I'm from there originally, and probably will be heading back in September

There are lots of great people here who would be happy to dive with you. If you're here in August shoot me a PM and maybe I'll be able to meet you somewhere. I'm always looking for a dive! When you do decide to come, just put up a post in the Dive Planning section that says where you are and how long you'll be around, and I'm sure you'll be able to find willing buddies.

[revjlw]

Do you dive in WI much? I'm from there originally, and probably will be heading back in September

There are lots of great people here who would be happy to dive with you. If you're here in August shoot me a PM and maybe I'll be able to meet you somewhere. I'm always looking for a dive! When you do decide to come, just put up a post in the Dive Planning section that says where you are and how long you'll be around, and I'm sure you'll be able to find willing buddies.

Actually, I have NEVER been diving in WI. I did my cert training and pool work in Minneapolis (2 hrs from here) and then my check off dives in Stillwater in Square Lake in OCTOBER!!! 40 degree air and 65 degree water and I couldn't see my hand at the end of my arm... but i was going to Okinawa and had to finish it! 7 mil suit, gloves and hood... ugh. Had to wear wetsuits in Oki too, but since then have gone almost exclusively in my rash guard/skin. I am quite sure I'll be renting a wetsuit in Seattle.

I'll be sure to post when I know details. Thanks. JW

[selkie]

Do you dive in WI much? I'm from there originally, and probably will be heading back in September

There are lots of great people here who would be happy to dive with you. If you're here in August shoot me a PM and maybe I'll be able to meet you somewhere. I'm always looking for a dive! When you do decide to come, just put up a post in the Dive Planning section that says where you are and how long you'll be around, and I'm sure you'll be able to find willing buddies.

Actually, I have NEVER been diving in WI. I did my cert training and pool work in Minneapolis (2 hrs from here) and then my check off dives in Stillwater in Square Lake in OCTOBER!!! 40 degree air and 65 degree water and I couldn't see my hand at the end of my arm... but i was going to Okinawa and had to finish it! 7 mil suit, gloves and hood... ugh. Had to wear wetsuits in Oki too, but since then have gone almost exclusively in my rash guard/skin. I am quite sure I'll be renting a wetsuit in Seattle.

I'll be sure to post when I know details. Thanks. JW

It is great you are planning to visit our waters. Like Tom says the currents can be worked around and like others have said there are a lot of welcoming and accommodating divers in the Pacific Northwest and on this board in particular. However, I have a suggestion that will help you get a bunch more enjoyment out of your dives here. As Tom says 30 ft vis is great and more is stellar but 10 to 15 ft is more common. Our water here in summer can sometimes brake into the low 50's but at depth and most of the time our water temp is in the mid 40's. You would be well served to buy or rent a 7 mil wetsuit or a drysuit and get some cold water local dives in before you make your trip. The adjustment from warm water diving to cold water can take a bit but the adjustment from cold freshwater to cold saltwater is far easier. Even if you are only able to make a few dives this summer it will make a world of difference. That way when you get here you can spend more time checking out all of our cool critters and less time fighting the thick suit and extra lead required to sink the thick suit.

[revjlw]

Seriously, selkie? 40 degree water in August at 50-70 feet? YOWZA! I can't get diving that cold between now and August here in WI - well, maybe in Lake Superior. There is no doubt that diving in a 7 mil would take getting used to AND a lot of weight, as I currently dive with 12#, 3 of which is around my ankles. (Stupid floaty girl ankles!)

Drysuit diving is a whole other thing. Takes a different certification, no? At least a class to learn about it.

I am gonna have to think this through a bit more, I guess. I am determined to see the anemone and octopus and eel though. My little bro said is was the coolest! Oh, wait, maybe he was talking about the water...

[eliseaboo]

Yes, the water is cold. Yes, you need to prepare for that. And yes, it WILL be worth it!

Superior would be great practice. Even in the summer it's usually quite cold at depth, but you get the nice upper water to warm up in (sometimes...) Really any freshwater lake or quarry around there that gets deeper than about 40 feet is good cold water experience at depth. You must be fairly close to Lake Wazee? That's a great place to dive, and there are several good shops in the area that dive there frequently.

[Tom Nic]

It is cold, no doubt. Divers here commonly carry 80 - 100lbs of gear, between tanks, weights, and exposure protection. It is NOT "easy" diving.

But it is SO worth it!!! The life is amazing and the beauty here is, well, beautiful.

I really, really, really second biting the bullet and getting some cold water dives under your belt before you come out - you will enjoy it so much more if you aren't working through those issues on your dives here.

There are a ton of small, get cold easy gals who dive regularly here and deal with the cold by adequate exposure protection. It is worth it - although of course you will ultimately decide that! Good luck again!

[revjlw]

Oh, I'm comin'... just might be next year instead. Gonna start looking around for some dives to do here - yup, Wazee is on the list - and in Lake Superior. I just don't have a ton of time between now and August to get significant diving done. I absolutely hate it when my gear takes more attention than the scenery, so I will make sure I practice well in preparation. Glad of the warnings, but you can't scare a Wisconsin girl by talking about cold!

I'll be seeing you, and thanks!

[Zen Diver]

Seriously, selkie? 40 degree water in August at 50-70 feet? YOWZA! I can't get diving that cold between now and August here in WI - well, maybe in Lake Superior. There is no doubt that diving in a 7 mil would take getting used to AND a lot of weight, as I currently dive with 12#, 3 of which is around my ankles. (Stupid floaty girl ankles!)

Drysuit diving is a whole other thing. Takes a different certification, no? At least a class to learn about it.

I am gonna have to think this through a bit more, I guess. I am determined to see the anemone and octopus and eel though. My little bro said is was the coolest! Oh, wait, maybe he was talking about the water...

I've never measured colder than 49 in summer months, at depth. At least this time of year warming up is much quicker and easier even if you do get chilly.

Valerie