Wetsuit selection to dive Winni

[Bluesman]

I am planning to dive the lake for the first time this year and I am wondering what wetsuit thickness would be recommended. I hope to be diving from June to September, but mostly during the warmer weather. At what depth are the thermoclines and the biggest changes in temps? Are there any sort of charts that show the lake temps? I have never done lake diving before.

thanks!!

[fatlazyless]

...hey...check out the Etcetera Shoppe in Meredith for a used wet suit....apparently, they look like new so could be people try it once or twice and then decide to sell the wet suit...

[Senter Cove Guy]

Originally Posted by Bluesman

I am planning to dive the lake for the first time this year and I am wondering what wetsuit thickness would be recommended. I hope to be diving from June to September, but mostly during the warmer weather. At what depth are the thermoclines and the biggest changes in temps? Are there any sort of charts that show the lake temps? I have never done lake diving before.

thanks!!

Hi Bluesman and welcome to the Winnipesaukee Forum. You'll find lots of information and friends here.

I dive in a 7 mil full wetsuit during the months of late June through early September. If I'm going below 30 feet, I also wear a hood and gloves because the water temp will drop into the high 50's - low 60's. My deepest lake dive last summer (Aug 9th) was to 85 feet where the water temp was 55 degrees. However, my coldest dive (Aug 12th) was to 51 feet and 52 degrees. If your max depth is around 30 feet, expect water temp to be 63 -66 in most places. The warmest water temps are in August.

If you need equipment, Dive Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro has a nice selection. Perhaps we'll get a chance to "blow some bubbles" together this summer.

[Bluesman]

Thanks for the info and tips. I was snorkling the lake in a bathing suit August last year and it was nice and warm at the surface but there seemed to be a big change at around 12 or 15 feet when I was free diving down it got chilly.

Senter Cove Guy you mentioned that the temp drops below 30 feet. Is this typical throughout the lake?

I only currently own a 3 mil farmer Jon and "surf" jacket with nylon arms that I used for Jetskiing, so I certainly need to invest in something else. I am skinny and don't have a lot of natural insulation so It sounds like a 7 mil one piece would probably be the way to go. I could always add a shorty over it I guess If I had to.

Is a standard 7 mil too warm for any typical lake dives? I usually can't be too warm!

[bilproject]

A 7mm will do for most dives. If you get cold easily and want to do a lot of diving below 30 feet than a dry suit would be best. You will need special training for the dry suit. There is a lot of exploration that can be done above 30 feet. The vis is usually better at the shallower depths. I have not been down 80 feet in the lake but I can't imagine the vis being more than a couple of feet at that depth. At 30' on a good day it's 15-20 feet. My buddy and I plan on doing some diving this year in the lake maybe we'll see you out there. A shout out to Hans... where you been? Have'nt seen any ice diving posts! Remember you are always welcome at my dock.

[Bluesman]

It would be great to hook up with some folks at the lake. I have a boat on the laconia side.

I have done lots of warm water but the only New England ocean diving I did was for my Open water cert off off back beach in gloucester. I was wearing a one piece 7mm I think with hood and gloves in September and my face, hands and feet were numb after 45 minutes in less than 30 ft. I remember I could barely do a manual inflate of my BCD for the test my lips were so numb.

How do the lake temps compare to the ocean? Are they this cold below 30 feet?

I did a quick check of popular dives and these are the depths reported

Lady of the Lake - 30'
Belknap Steamboar 20'
Clark's Point - 45 - 100 (Wall)'
Diamond Island Navy Site 25+'
Goodhue and Hawkins Navy Yard - 45'
Horseboat Barge bear island 40'
Laker Wrecks - Located off Ship and Moose islands 10 and 37 feet. to 100'
Loon Cove - Echo Junior wreck 45'
Parker Island - Rock formations 15-60'
Rum Point - West Alton 40-60'
Steam Barge - Weirs Beach 50'

[Senter Cove Guy]

Here's a date/depth/temp sampling from my dive log over the past few years.

Lady of the Lake - 30'
07/05/09 31 feet 63 degrees
07/26/09 31 feet 68 degrees
08/02/09 31 feet 68 degrees
08/16/09 30 feet 70 degrees
09/06/09 30 feet 68 degrees

Belknap Steamboat 20' - Not really worth diving.

Clark's Point - 45 - 100' (Wall)
07/26/08 90 feet 57 degrees

Diamond Island Navy Site 25+'
07/22/07 29 feet 70 degrees

Diamond Island Wreck - Empty Pockets in 55 feet
08/21/05 58 feet 57 degrees
07/29/06 58 feet 55 degrees

Goodhue and Hawkins Navy Yard - 45'
Never dove

Horseboat Barge - Bear Island - 40'
Never dove

Laker Wrecks - Located east of Ship & Moose Islands 10 & 37 feet. to 100'
08/22/09 30 feet 70 degrees
09/04/09 38 feet 66 degrees
09/06/09 38 feet 70 degrees
08/09/09 85 feet 55 degrees

Loon Cove - Echo Junior wreck 45'
Dove once - Couldn't find stats

Parker Island - Rock formations 15-60'
08/13/04 42 feet 57 degrees
06/21/08 43 feet 55 degrees

Rum Point - West Alton 40-60'
07/27/08 37 feet 63 degrees

Steam Barge - Weirs Beach 50'
07/29/07 50 feet 52 degrees
08/23/07 49 feet 52 degrees
08/12/09 51 feet 52 degrees

[Bluesman]

That is a great list thank you very much for posting, the detail helps a lot!

I guess the only question is weather to get a straight 7mm suit, or some farmer john setup? I like the farmer johns but hate the bulk and additional weight you need to add.

Do you find the 7mm is too warm when the temps are in the mid - high 60's??

[Senter Cove Guy]

Originally Posted by Bluesman

That is a great list thank you very much for posting, the detail helps a lot!

I guess the only question is weather to get a straight 7mm suit, or some farmer john setup? I like the farmer johns but hate the bulk and additional weight you need to add.

Do you find the 7mm is too warm when the temps are in the mid - high 60's??

Definitely not. I own a 3 mil and a 7 mil wetsuits. I once dove in my 3 mil in 72 degree water and was cold towards the end of the dive. I wear the 7 mil all summer and add a hooded vest and gloves when I know the water temp is going to be below 65 degrees. I'd much rather be a little warm than a little cold.

I have found that my 1 piece X-Flex 7 mil wetsuit is really comfortable, especially when combined with a Lycra skin which makes getting into and out of the wetsuit really easy. As previously mentioned, add a hooded vest for colder water comfort.

[Production Trlr and Dock]

Just to let you know Production Trailer and Dock in Meredith has opened up "Central NH Divers".
We purchased the inventory and equipment from the former Fathom Divers in Gilford.
We will be offering a full sales and service center with retail product in the store, air fills, rentals, equipment service, and dive classes and dive trips in conjunction with Dive Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro - Great People!
Let us know how we can better serve the local diving community!

[scubajay1153]

All kidding aside, great info here for you! I do dive in August in shorts and a neoprene t-shirt in water as deep as 25 feet but it does chill you pretty quickly at that depth.

And Howie, ya beat me to the punch!

[Diver1111]

Bluesman,

As to your question about lake temps vs. ocean temps, you are pretty much talking, depending on time of year and the depth involved, about two very different environments.

I have dive buddies who have dived-and continue to dive-wet-off Bostons' Northshore this winter; Gloucester, Beverly etc... Both men and women. How they do it I just don't know...they tell me "it just doesn't bother me"-but they don't do a 2nd dive ...;

Point being everyone is different; Now while they are not going deep to hit a new thermocline (say 50 feet-not that it matters this time of year) they are not staying all that long-perhaps 30 minutes. Their dry-suit buddies for the most part are immune to any temp. change and temp.-based time restrictions.

Different metabolism, different body fat content, different tolerance to cold etc. all factor in; I've dived wet in the winter-twice in the 21 years I've been diving-learned my lesson; I started diving dry in '94 and dive dry all the time in the ocean because as a rule the "warm" water is no deeper than 25 feet. I routinely go much, much deeper than that-60-70-80-90+ feet all the time where it's just bloody cold (40's in the summer)-but I am geared up for this so I am quite comfortable and having a hell of a good time.

While it may not sound like "cold" water, anything in the low 50's will be an exercise in pain (screaming "ice-cream headaches" for many divers) until your head "normalizes" with the water temp, at which point you start asking yourself what you are doing there and why the dive was such a great idea. For conditions such as this I use an "ice-mask"-a very thin but very effective tight hood that I on before I put on my wet hood-so I have 2 hoods.

Thermoclines in Winni actually surprise me because you never can be sure where it will be-and there can be more than one. The general rule is to expect one at maybe 25 feet. I've sometimes found the 1st "cline" at 45 feet-go figure. I've dived the outflow point at the Lakeport Dam down to 60+ feet and there is no 'cline at all even at that depth, because the lake water is so mixed up in Opechee at that point it's just the same temp throughout the water column. We find the same thing in the CT. River;

I've done searches for things and reasons I can't talk about in the CT River, but have been down to 60 feet there and the temp does not change for the same reason (Note: It's a night-dive at that depth even at noon on a sunny day-the water is the color of ice tea due to sediment from the farms and tannic acid in the water from organic material, such as leaves rotting).

Venture outside this area in Opechee and you will hit really cold water soon enough.

As to your questions about charts being available showing temps, a bathymetric map is the only (general) way to determine this-and you can't rely on them for site-specific diving in Winni, say, off Welch Island. Frankly I have no need for such maps-I simply base my dive on the depth I figure I will go and gear up as needed from there-done deal. Works for me every time.

As to BilProjects entry about viz at depth in Winni, I was diving last summer off Clarks looking for this alleged cave-my buddy and I were at 94 feet or so for maybe 20 minutes and the viz-for those who care-was perhaps 10 feet. But I've been in Greens Basin at 25 feet and it's 5 foot viz. As to water temp-I don't really look anymore at my temp gauge-I know what to expect and prepare accordingly, but it was perhaps high '30s-no big deal.

As to a 7mm wetsuit or the common 1/4", doesn't really matter to me-they are about the same. However, I understand your comment about one-piece 7 mil or a 2-piece farmer john set-up; Buoyancy to me is easy to adapt to. I wear a "chicken-vest" (literally a vest) then don the farmer, then the jacket-resulting in serious heart-area-warmth-insurance, what you need to protect 1st. It's a core-temp thing (hypothermia); Rescue divers like me and emergency FD personnel reading this post know exactly what I mean (yes I know you're out there).

Some folks may tell you this set-up is just "bringing sand to the beach" as to the warmth question, but it works for me. And what works for me, rules.

You need to figure the whole warmth issue out for yourself, based upon the variables I have described, as well as what other experienced divers tell you.

Lastly, as to the new dive shop in Meredith, does anyone have an address on these folks?

I trust this has been informative. I welcome your questions; Perhaps we'll meet to dive Winni.

I love diving with folks less experienced than me, as well as folks more experienced than me. Ego will get you killed in this sport-please leave it at the dock.

At Your Service,

Diver1111

PS Bill & C-will def. catch up with ya’ll on the big island this summer-can’t wait-your camp is sweet!!!!!!!!!!

[scubajay1153]

A very well written post Diver1111. Lots of excellent thoughts and information for all involved.

The Central NH Divers shop is inside the Production Trailer and Dock building on Rt 3 between the Circle and the Weirs. Not sure of the exact street number for those Garmin/TomTom users...

[Diver1111]

Thanks for the compliment ScubaJay. I hope I wasn't long-winded but I like to be clear.

How about in the spring divers who are interested meet up for pizza at some local establishment? I for one think it would be great to put some more faces to the names we see all the time on Winni.com..

If interested please private-message/PM me with your contact info..

I have lots of dive buddies but also dive alone if there is nobody around ready to go when I want to go. I don't do this in the ocean (currents can be..."problematic"-just not worth the risk although I've never been unable to get back to my boat-can't say that for some of my buddies who go out with me-had to go get them on more than one occasion because they lacked "situational awareness" thus getting caught down-stream and unable to swim back to the boat; It's very very easy to get separated in low viz conditions and surfacing time and time and time again each time it happens to try and re-connect with your buddy-regardless of what you've read about-is simply not realistic for several reasons).

The more folks I can connect with the better as far as Winni diving goes. For example, those of us who are boat owners would also be good to know so divers who don't own boats can get out on the lake with them.

Last year I suggested to Don our terrific WebMaster that he create a separate link for divers and diving Winni-sure enough we had our link in short order. Sure made it easier to drill down to the topics related just to diving-thank you again Don!.

Diver1111

[Grant]

I'd be in for a spring diver con. I'll be up late April/early May to open up, then back and forth in June, July, August, September, October...

REALLY looking forward to getting back in the water. It's been a few months, and my recent visit to the lake didn't scratch the itch.

And, for the record, I've dove in my 7mm F/J in Winnipesaukee beginning in spring and never needed anything more. Down here in PA, I've used it from early April through December 31. I followed Senter Cove Guy's lead a few years ago and added a lycra skin, which may only provide minimal additional protection, but makes donning/doffing that sausage casing MUCH easier.

All things being equal, I'd jump over to the drysuit, but with three kids in college, that is one item not in the budget for a while. Plus, with the wetsuit, I never worry about neck seals, wrist seals, zipper leaks, etc. Plus, those undergarments can't be very comfy on the dive boat in August!

As Diver111 said, it all depends on the your body composition, tolerance for cold, depth of your dives, etc.

[Gatto Nero]

If I could be the one downer here I might suggest that you rent a suit once or twice for some lake dives before you spend the cash on your own. I too got certified in Gloucester, about 15 years ago. I went out and bought all the gear, which I still use to check the mooring etc, but I really found lake diving to be kind of boring and I just don't bother much anymore. Call me a sissy if you like. I know I'm in the minority on this but it might be something to consider.

[Coolbreeze]

Gatto, that is good advice...it sounds like you need to hook up with Grant, Scubajay or the diver1111 or any of our other seasoned vets and have them show you what you may be missing. I strictly am a snorkler but I love to read about their experiences and someday I may get certified myself. Happy spring to you all!