Cold Water Diving

Some people define cold water as anything below 70 degrees F.

I disagree. Strongly.

Just how cold is this water anyways?

Ouch! What do I wear to stay warm?

Is it worth it? What will I see?

Okay, I'm convinced. Where should I go?

Water temps on the BC coast stay around a balmy 48 degrees Farenheit (or 4 degrees Celsius) year-round at depth. On the surface, I've seen temperatures from a high of 63 degrees after a hot spell in August to a low of 38 degrees. (BRRR!) Water temps may vary a degree or two, but generally don't swing too far.

Staying warm in these temps involves a little more thought! Most divers who dive regularly wear drysuits, and there seems to be a fairly even split between neoprene and shell suits. Many divers are also comfortable in a 7mm farmer john/jacket wetsuit, which needs to fit well. Hoods are a necessity, as are boots and gloves. I personally wear a custom fit Oceaner Polar Light with three-fingered *dry* mitts. It's a 7mm neoprene drysuit with 3mm neoprene across the shoulders for added flexibility.

What you wear underneath a drysuit depends on the type of drysuit. Shell suits require more insulation, and wearers usually have a thick *wooly-bear* type underwear. Neoprene wearers sometimes wear the wooly-bears too, but often find sweats or long underwear suffice. Wetsuit wearers may benefit from a dry t-shirt or polypropelene under their suit, and a pair of nylons or a Diveskin will help a close-fitting wetsuit slide on better.

The important thing to remember is to stay warm. Having hot soup for lunch or hot tea helps warm you up, as does putting on dry clothes if you are wet. If you get cold - get out and get warm. Warm (not hot!) water poured in gloves and hoods, and even into a damp wetsuit, can also help. Conversely, gearing up on a warm summer day requires special thought to avoid overheating.

Our cold waters are home to some of the most sought after marine life. You might see pods of killer whales or grey whales, although you are not allowed to be within 100m of them. There are also resident porpoises and pilot whales. Once you actually get below the surface, you may encounter a friendly seal or a nosy sealion, curious to see what you are doing. They love to watch, and get quite playful if you put on a show for them. There are six-gill sharks down deep in the summer, mudsharks shallower, ratfish quite frequently. Lingcod can grow upwards of five feet long. There are rockfish of every color imaginable - tigers, quillbacks, yelloweyes, blacks, dusky, browns, canaries, Puget Sound. Kelp greenlings that will eat out of your hand, rock, whitespotted, and painted greenlings too. A bright red or brilliant green crescent gunnels. Ronquils. Gobies. Red Irish Lords. Buffalo sculpins. Flounders. Red brotulas - always a delight to see these bright red ribbon fish! And my favorite - the grunt sculpin, hopping away on his fins rather than swimming. Sailfin sculpins are another special treat. And lots of small sculpins to identify for the budding icthyologist. You might catch a glimpse of a decorated or mosshead warbonnet too.

Look hard, and you may find yourself face-to-tentacle with a Giant Pacific Octopus - the largest in the world! I've heard these referred to as *the cats of the ocean* in that they do as they please. If they want to come out and visit, fine. If not, all the coaxing in the world won't get them out. I've had some luck with with banging a rock or shell gently outside the den - they quite often will "explore" with a tentacle. But look hard - they blend in so well you may mistake one for a rock. It's best NOT to handle these delicate giants - but should you need to for some reason, please be extremely gentle!

Don't be surprised if you are suddenly greeted by a wolf-eel. The best description of these neat fish is *a muppet on steriods*. Wolf-eels that are used to divers can be particularly friendly, especially if they have been fed. They will swim out to greet you, and can be somewhat alarming as they grow up to eight feet in length!

There are all kinds of crabs too - large Puget Sound King crabs, dungeness, Red Rock, umbrella, spiders, and my personal favorite, the decorator, who sticks pieces of kelp and such on his shell to camoflauge. And seastars - as well as being the biggest in the world, there is a rainbow of colors! Blue, red, orange, yellow, brown, black, white, purple, pink... almost every color imaginable! Brittlestars you can send scrambling with a light touch. Swimming scallops that "clap" up around you like chattering teeth. Anemones - fluffy white plumose, orange, green, strawberry, christmas, tube-dwelling. Gorgeous nudibranchs - you could almost spend an entire dive just looking at the different nudibranchs! Orange seapens that shimmer neon green at night. Clear jellyfish that glow neon blue. And the occasional red jellyfish.

The best way to experience the diversity of life is to actually come and dive it! Where else can you dive to see such incredible scenery and then surface to a backdrop of snow-covered mountains?

Visibility can range from about 20 feet to well over 100. Best time for visibility in in the winter - plankton blooms occur in early spring and fall, and can cause some low vis situations in the top few feet, as well as the runoff from our local mountains.

There's all kinds of local sites to try out, most just a short drive from Vancouver. And you can find something to suit just about every level of diver at these. Wall dives, shore dives, boat dives, just plain sightseeing too.

If wreck diving is more your style, there are several decomissioned Canadian warships that have been sunk to create artificial reefs. These have been cut open to allow easy penetration to trained wreck divers with proper equipment. The HMCS MacKenzie is one that quite close to Vancouver. Porteau Cove is another site offering some wrecks, such as the Nakaya, an old minesweeper, and the Granthall, and old tugboat. Looking for a "real" wreck? Try the Vanlene, a car freighter that ran aground and sank in Barkley Sound. Or there's the Miami or the Del Norte in Porlier Pass.

Need help finding a dive store, have questions, or just need a buddy? Email me!

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