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Posts: 938
Location: NeverNever Lake | Just wondering if there are any other divers out here besides myself. I had to leave all my gear behind when I left Australia, so I started buying equiptment on Ebay. I have everything I need now except for the tank. My question is, I've never done a fresh water dive and was wondering what to expect? I know I'll need less weight. What are some other differences?
Even if you don't dive, there's a good chance my friend Kotie could talk you in to it http://www.scubacontest.com/kotie/ be nice!
...................................................RaZe1
Edited by RAZE1 2/1/2004 3:06 AM
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Posts: 41
Location: Minneapolis, MN | The good
~A much different underwater world than what you are used to
~Many cool treasures to fill up your tackle box
The Bad
~In MN, mostly poor visibility, except for a few lakes, mine pits and Lake Superior
~THERMOCLINES!!!
~Algae in sinuses, use antihistamines to reduce the probability of barotrauma
The UGLY!!!
~Boaters who have no idea what that red flag with the white stripe is doing floating around the lake and come in for a closer look
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Posts: 2089
| My brother and I have been skin diving almost since we could walk. One of these years I will get Padi certified and become the next Jacque Cousteau.Many summer days psent below the Post Lake dam retrieving treasures lost to the rocks and logs. Always saw a lot of fish but never a muskie. Rented some equipment in St. Thomas a few years ago for my first saltwater dive.The colors were unreal. I could get used to that!I think I was a fish in my former life! Steve |
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Posts: 60
Location: Germantown,wi | If you can afford it I would invest in a drysuit.. Water temps and visibility can vary greatly from lake to lake. You will actually end up using more weight than saltwater. You will be wearing a 7mm wetsuit and hood and gloves, so you will be more bouyant, and require more weight. Other than the water temp, there is quite a bit to see, the great lakes are loaded with ship wrecks that are very well preserved because of the fresh water and cool temps. |
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Posts: 419
Location: Appleton, WI | Man, I've been certified but haven't been diving for quite a long time. Toughest part is trying to find someone that is certified and wants to dive with you. I remember going for my certification and doing my dives in the Red Granite Quarry. It was during Halloween and there were snow flurries. I remember that cold water trickling down my neck of my wet suit. It was pretty cold at first but once your body heats up the water than it's not too bad.
Visibilty in fresh water I believe is the the biggest difference to saltwater. But no doubt that diving in cooler water temps is also another factor. Like what has been mentioned earlier, a dry suit would be a plus if you want to log quite a few dives during the year in the midwest. Especially if you plan on diving in the Great Lakes, or during times that water visibilty is at it best.
catch ya later,
Krappie |
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Posts: 60
Location: Germantown,wi | I have also done some diving at Red Granite Quarry. That was my first experience with "cold" water. It was a 90 degree day in July and we made a dive to 95 feet and the water temp at that depth was 37 degrees. It is damn cold even with a full 7mm wetsuit. |
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Been diving since I was 12.... that's a long time ago. My dad started diving Lake Michigan in 1945... Cousteau invented the Aqua Lung in 1943...
Diving the Great Lakes can be a wonderful adventure. Shipwrecks are my favorite.
I have worked on/off for the past 12+ years as a Divemaster helping a buddy who owns the local dive shop. Diving on inland waters can be a blast, but you need to choose your lakes based on visibility. Summer water temps in 70's, thermoclines usually around 20 feet makes for comfortable diving in a 3-6mm wet suit.
My personal favorite for inland waters is to dive a lake with a good bass population. You can literally feed them out of your hand. I have pictures of my wife feeding what I know is a new state record smallmouth.
The one thing that might surprise you in a not so nice way is just how littered the bottom of our lakes have become. People throw crap overboard, out of sight-out of mind type thing. It's terrible...:(
Good luck, you ever get up this way give a call I'll try to break away and we can blow some bubbles. |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | Hey Raze,
I have an 80 cu. ft. tank I'd just give you. The problem is I live in Utah, and shipping would probably eat the cost of just buying a new one locally! It's only been used about a half dozen times, but that was several years ago and it now needs a visual inspection and a hydro. If you're interested, let me know.
Kent |
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Posts: 938
Location: NeverNever Lake | Dang, thanks for all the good quality info guys. I Probably ought to take some refresher courses even though I'm fully certified. Most all of my dives have been in sub-tropical climes, so temp/clairity/buoyancy will all be big differences. Like any other sport, it's as safe as you make it.
Kent, thanks for the generous offer. You got mail! |
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Posts: 60
Location: Germantown,wi | Mark H., Have you done any diving at Lake Wazee? Have heard it has the best vis. of any lake in the state. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | RAZE, there's a guy here in Athens who teaches a course thru the college. They use a local pool then do a spring break trip to Florida for the final exam, using some of the freshwater crystal springs near Gainesville (the old Sea Hunt set). Couple of my buddies from work took it. Their only complaint was the college girls were a bit distracting in the water. I can hook you up with him, he has a scuba shop in town. Good luck with this, m
Edited by mikie 2/2/2004 5:17 PM
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Posts: 938
Location: NeverNever Lake | Mikie, "I knew my air was running low" Nelson,,,,,,,,,,,lol
That was one of my favorite shows when I was a youngen. Wow, I know I'm gettin old now, my very first dive was in Crystal River, Fla(mostly freshwater). I totally forgot about that. I got a wetsuit that I'm going to airbrush in either a sucker or firetiger pattern............ |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | RAZE, be careful not to leave anything trailing off that wet suit or they'll mistake you for a six foot bulldawg. see ya at the Cave, m |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Anyone have any photography from fresh water dives? specailly a muskie photo, anything?
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Topwater...
I've been to Wazee several times, actually I was one of the first divers in it before it was open to public. Vis. is good...
If anyone ever gets the chance to dive Lake Owen up by Cable WI you will absolutely love it. 40-60 foot vis is common and fish everywhere.
Steve...
For about a 3 year period of time we had a muskie that would frequent a spot we used to use for night-dive training. He/she was mid 40's when we no longer saw it...not sure if someone caught/kept it or what happened.
I tried for a few years to get a few good underwater photos and to no avail. I may try it again this spring. I suspect not that the Marcum and Aqua Views are common place that underwater photos will start to become more common.
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Posts: 189
Location: Hoboken, NJ / North Webster, IN | I know nothing of scuba diving, but I'm an internet freak and found this site a while back with the best underwater shots I'd seen of pike and freshwater fish. Consider it a preview I guess.
http://www.pikedreams.com/underwatergallery/indexpage1.htm
Good Luck |
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Any Divers? Scuba?