First open water dive of 2010 (in MN)

[mermaid]

Thanks for sharing Detector.  I'm still a wetsuit guppy...but I'm addicted and have a lot to learn. 

[rcojr]

I want to make two points

1) On the drysuit buoyancy, if your in shallow water(10 15 20ft) and you come up 2ft the volume of air change and your buoyancy change is a lot more then a 2ft change at deeper depth (40 50 60ft).
I have always found a drysuit easier to control at a deeper depth.
If you try to learn in 10ft of water you are learning in the hardest environment that you will experience.
If your on the Madiera and you have the mooring line to descend and ascend with I wouldn't be afraid of the stern. 40ft at the top and 65ft at the bottom.

2) When you navigate the Madiera the thing to remember is the rock-sand line.
There are a lot of boulders that have fallen from the cliff face and are in the water just below the cliff.
There are large boulders that slope down from the cliff face to the sand at about a 45 degree angle.
If you are on the bow just find where the rocks meet the sand and follow it.
It will take you to the stern, pilot house. smoke stack, midsection wreckage, and the mast. The bow is in 40ft and the mast is in 120ft.
Going out keep the rocks on your left side and coming in keep them on your right side and you won't get lost.
Bob

[joekarels]

And that's where I challenged myself, intentionally. Knowing that the safety stop was where it was going to be the hardest to maintain.

[Hydro]

how soon does anyone want to go diving? the crap pond by my work has enough open water to dive.... lakes can't be far behind if not ready already.

[mattd]

I can't next weekend, but by the beginning of April, if you can find open water, I'm in.

[acharpenter]

I dove wetsuit last October, thinking it will be about the same in April....thinking I will be in!!!!

[jasondbaker]

You want to dive the drysuit "tight". It shouldn't feel painful but it shouldn't feel too comfortable either.  You don't want to be a bubble boy down there because you could quickly find yourself in an uncontrolled ascent. 

I always try to use my wing/BC for buoyancy as well as the drysuit.  It takes a little practice to keep a balance. You can generally dump the gas faster from your BC.  Trying to maintain proper trim using just your drysuit can be more challenging because the gas moves around more in your suit. 

I think the biggest change is the added lead weight and decreased mobility that comes with a drysuit. After a while you adjust.

[Dragon Eye]

Drove around a little bit of Tonka today.... Here's my brief report from the road.

Smith Bay

Shoreline has a 1+ ft open water area and the ice here appears more clear


Lafette Bay

Cloudy surface Ice to shore still

Black Lake

Fishermen and people walking on the lake here, but there is visible open water a good 6 ft from the shore- so I think they are treading on thin ice heading back to their trucks


Anytime now!

[arcFlash]

Hydro, Superior count? If so put me in the winners circle with everyone else that dove last weekend.

[Terry]

                    WELCOME, WELCOME BACK EVERYONE!
                          Ohhh thats right, it is me who is STILL on vacation, on my last day in the keys. Diving in Utila was bitching good! Did my 1000th dive on the wreck of the Haliburton, 102' down, a dandy good wreck, lots of good pics, couple cool night dives, mostly decent weather, delightfully good chow, pretty sorry St. Pats day celebration though.
                          If Steve wants to count, "international" Lake Superior water for his first owd this season, I want to count Utilas, Honduran water too, we did have one dive that was only 77 degree water, afterall I think it has to be a local MN lake.
                          Steves right Mark, drysuits are not death traps, PADI would have you convinced you cant do ANYTHING underwater without PAYING,  taking a class, and getting a card in that particular speciality, and then REQUIRING, that card at their worldwide network of dive shops. Thats a whole other story. Mark, stay shallow, ( Bobs right about being more difficult, but safer too) stay in calm water, stay diving from shore, bring plenty of lead ( you probably knew that) and bring somewith whose dove dry for awhile with.
                        I  looking forward to my first open water dive this coming weekend (3-28)in MN although probably needs to be basically an ice dive from shore, if Joe, Steve, Dave, Doug are game. I think the 40 degree drop in water temp will suck, but the rest will be good!              Terry