Anyone scuba dive in NY???

[Deep Dive Coral]

jarret you can count me in for dutch as well... my fiance just got certified so i want to bring her up there as well. so let me know

 

[Paul B]

I have equipment and a boat and have been diving the western Sound since about 1979. I have about 150 dives here and know all the dive spots. Most of my local dives were for lobsters but they disappeared, then we went for flounders, but they disappeared so we went for bottles and they dried up.
I hardly dive here anymore but I know all of the good spots.
One of my favorite spots, Execution Lighthouse

This is from the top of the lighthouse

 

[beerfish]

jarret you can count me in for dutch as well... my fiance just got certified so i want to bring her up there as well. so let me know

I learned the hard way (twice), never to dive with a significant other. Especially if your skill level varies by a lot of dives.

I'm very particular about who I dive with. If I haven't dove with someone before, I always tell them that we're both solo divers who happen to be diving together. I may come off like a jerk, but I once put myself in danger looking for another diver (who was an experienced wreck diver) after he surfaced without letting me know he was going up.

Since a bunch of people may be getting together to dive this season, I'll offer some dive buddy advice.

1. You are a solo diver, even if you have a dive buddy. Never rely on someone else while underwater. Hopefully if something goes wrong, they will be there, but you can't count on it.

2. Have a dive plan. Where are you going? What is your maximum depth? Where will you meet if you get separated? Cover as many situations as possible ahead of time in case something happens.

3. Know your buddy. How much experience do they have? What are their motives on the dive? If your buddy wants to take macro pictures of seaweed, and you want to explore as much as possible, find a new buddy for the dive.

4. Review equipment. Go over your equipment, and that of your dive buddy. Make sure you know where everything is on your buddy's equipment and that they know where everything is on yours. For instance, I dive with a technical diving configuration. One of my secondaries is on a 7 foot hose, and one is bungeed around my neck. If you run out of air and try to grab the one around my neck, you won't get far. I tell anyone I dive with that if they need to quickly grab a reg from me, they should grab the one in my mouth. Even if I can't reach up, I can nod my head and get the other one in my mouth.

5. Review hand signals. Make sure you agree on hand signals. New divers will often give a thumbs up if they're ok. If I see this, I begin an immediate ascent, assuming something is wrong. Make sure that you're both using proper signals, and agree on what the proper signals are.

6. Call off an unsafe dive before it starts. If you feel in any way uncomfortable about a dive, don't be afraid to back out of it. NEVER let a dive buddy pressure you in to diving, or doing anything underwater that you're not comfortable with.

Now, with all of this talk about diving... I think I'm going to go dig out my gear and start doing some inspections on it! Let's all have a happy and safe dive season!

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

agreed 10000%. couldnt of said it better myself.

 

[DREUTZ]

I got certified last summer with another member on here and I have about 10 dives under my belt. We would like to go diving as much as we can this season so pm me if any of you divers are trying to dive out of LI. Could be interested in Dutch as well.

 

[Brian65901]

Go south

I didn't go through all the posts but NY or shall I say cold water diving dose not compare to warm water diving. I rather do one trim to Little Cayman than 5 trips to a northern dive spot. The main reason visibility and comfort. When I go to dive resorts I'll be doing up to 6 dives a day up north you'll just be doing 1 two tank dive in cold murky water. You wont see and coral and not too many fish as they are scared of humans because we spearfish which is not allowed in most tropical resort areas. I have friend who like some of the wrecks you have in the local waters but that is not my thing. If you are asking how I do 6 dives a day firt of all for my trip I will be on my dive computer. I'll do a pre-breakfast beach dive and a 2 tank dive both before and after lunch then of course a night dive and I'll do this a week at a time.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

I would love to go south but time and $$ is the key. I am trying to get a bunch of guys here on MR to dive together and going south is impossible as a group

 

[beerfish]

I didn't go through all the posts but NY or shall I say cold water diving dose not compare to warm water diving.

You're right... They don't compare.

That's like saying that hiking through a hilly trail doesn't compare to climbing Everest.

I didn't get into diving to see fish and reefs, I got into it to see shipwrecks. I've done warm water diving, and I'm actually not all that crazy about it. If I can see 100 feet, I'm looking at everything around me. If I can only see 10 feet, I'm capturing every detail of everything I see.

Eventually, I'd like to dive on the Andrea Doria. It's in ice cold water, with generally terrible visibility, in the migratory path of white sharks, and at 230+ feet. You're right... it doesn't compare at all.

Different people dive for different reasons.

 

[beerfish]

Just changed my avatar... That's me in my dive rig. Seas were 4-5 foot that day, the hands grabbing mine belonged to one of the boat crew. With double steel tanks, my rig weighs about 125 pounds. The crew helps pull you up with the motion of the boat and gets you to the edge of the boat. It's up to you to climb the ladder with your gear after the dive.

Local diving is a different beast.

 

[Paul B]

Most of the diving in the Western Long Island Sound has less than 3' visability. Usually it is about 2' and many times zero. When it is zero we of course return to the boat.
I recently dove Bora Bora where the visability under water there is better than the visability here in NY above the water.
I enjoy both types of diving for different reasons. But it is nice to just dive with a dive skin instead of a full wet suit.

On the rocks of Execution Lighthouse about 10 years ago. It mush have been at the end of the summer when the water was warm because I don't have a hood on.

 

[FMF0331]

I think we should muster up a trip to dutch, this way everyone will have a chance to get comfortable again in the water, and not feel pressured to jump into the ocean with currents and swells. Itty bitty steps...i'll bring my underwater video camera.

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

+1

 

[krzysiek]

Eventually, I'd like to dive on the Andrea Doria.

You must be brave. I would not do it for millions of $$$$. Over 14 divers died just trying to dive there. And I?ve heard that there is 2 weeks/year window to dive on the Andrea Doria. Why not to try Bianca C in Grenada? The biggest wreck in Caribbean. And it is easier.

 

[beerfish]

Why not to try Bianca C in Grenada? The biggest wreck in Caribbean. And it is easier.

Why not... Because it's easier.

Some people dive to sight-see, some people dive to fish, and some people dive for the adventure.

The Doria and the U-869 have been on my list since I started diving.

 

[beerfish]

You must be brave. I would not do it for millions of $$$$.

There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity... Life's more fun if you walk it like a tightrope!

 

[krzysiek]

The Doria and the U-869 have been on my list since I started diving.

Safe diving and good luck. Let us know how it was.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

i am thinking about going to Dutch on june 25 or 26

 

[FMF0331]

I'm in for june - 26

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

I'm in for june - 26

great

 

[krzysiek]

I am in for June 25 or 26.