Comments on: Is Cold Water Diving Worth It?

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 22 May 2011 15:15:50 +0000

I can’t disagree. Cold waters can hold a tremendous amount of life. I am pretty spoiled here though so it’s hard to go back.

By: Jane

Jane — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 05:19:23 +0000

New Zealand diving rocks! It is cold but not cold enough to wear a dry suit except in winter or very much South. We have some of the best dive spots in the world such as Poor Knights Marine Reserve and The Three Kings Islands North of the North Island. The diving is very mixed and there is something for everyone with pretty, tame dives, cave dives, rugged coastal, deep and currenty open water dives and wreck dives. Don’t write off the cold water until you’ve dived the diversity of NZ waters! Pretty corals and tropicla fish are great but I never get bored here.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:34:01 +0000

Hi, I have only done three warm water dives but completly agree that learning in the colder water makes you a better diver in the long run. We trained in a quarry in the Uk in Feburary with water temps of 3 degrees. You have to concentrate so much harder which in my opinion makes you a safer diver. Its really not that bad once your kitted up in your dry suit and just means you can enjoy diving all year around instead of being seasonal! I would say to anyone, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it x

By: admin

admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:24:25 +0000

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay in responding. I have recently moved from Tokyo to the tropical island of Miyakojima, and haven’t had internet for a while.

@Cheryl- The Pacific Ocean really does have a lot of life. And especially once you get a little farther south the water really isn’t too bad. I would definitely take advantage of your father living in SD.

@guy- I have never dove in the UK, but I hear what you mean about not considering it cold water. Once you you get used to it it’s just great diving. The cold water attracts a lot more life than the warmer waters.

@Megan- Yes I completely agree. The Channel Islands are still one of my favorite places to dive. When I compare other warm area sites, it is usually a comparison of beauty along with the ease of diving.

By: Megan

Megan — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:59:39 +0000

I’ve been diving in Cayman, Thailand, Hawaii, Honduras, and a dozen other places…but California diving is still my favorite. The kelp forests off the channel islands are incredibly beautiful and nothing really compares to it. Throw in some friendly sea lions and a giant sea bass – heaven!

By: a guy

a guy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:54:45 +0000

I, like many others in the UK, dive in the waters surrounding the UK. Cold water diving can be absolutely incredible, but I don’t tend to think of it as ‘cold water diving’, rather as diving in water that just so happens to be cold. For example, you can get drift dives along walls covered in Jewel Anenomes, and I’ve seen hardly any of them in the diving I’ve done in warm water. One of the best dives I’ve done (including comparison to places like Malta and the Red Sea) is the James Eagan Lane, it’s like a massive ruin of a cathedral made of iron, but underwater and covered in sea life. Awesome. Dry suit negates the 12 degree water, only gets an issue below 6 degrees, and even then it’s only my hands that get cold – sorted by dry suit gloves.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:58:49 +0000

I started diving in southern California about 4 years ago and love it. A Canadian, I am used to cold water diving. But, the diversity and constantly changing environment in the Pacific Ocean has hooked me. I have traveled to some warm-water dive spots but I have plenty in So-Cal to keep me coming back, a few times a year when I can manage it! My father now lives in San Diego so that helps!! Great divers and lots to dive off California’s coast!!