Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Consider New England Scuba Diving For An Experience With A Difference

By Ladonna Chambers


When most people think of great diving destinations, they think of places like Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the islands of French Polynesia or the Caribbean, where the warm water makes for an abundance of colorful marine life. However, anyone who has dived at a destination like the Antarctic Peninsula or off the coast of Cape Town will tell you that cold-water diving has its own special charm. If you want to have a thrilling new experience without having to fly halfway around the globe, though, you can't go wrong with New England scuba diving.

Tourists usually visit New England for the beautiful colors of the foliage in fall. However, the region has a huge variety of dive sites where you can explore the worlds under water. Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine are obvious choices since they have a long stretch of Atlantic coastline and many islands offshore. However, Vermont is a great scuba destination too because of its many lakes.

The variety of dive sites in the area means that you'll be able to find a suitable spot, no matter what type of thrill you're looking for or what your level of skill is. There are plenty of wreck diving opportunities or you can go ice diving or cave diving. It's even possible to go diving at high altitudes if you head for some of the inland lakes.

If you're interested in saltwater diving, be sure to head for Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island or Connecticut. New Hampshire has a small stretch of Atlantic coastline too. In these waters, chances are good that curious seals will try to come closer and you might also see sharks or whales. There are about 150 shipwrecks to explore, among them the World War 2-era Coimbra off Connecticut and the German submarine U-853 off Rhode Island.

The inland parts has plenty of dive sites too. With about 2,500 lakes and smaller ponds and several quarries, you can take your pick of freshwater dive sites. One spot that you shouldn't miss out on is Lake Champlain in Vermont. Here, centuries of boat traffic across the lake has meant that there are age-old wrecks to explore.

You don't have to wait for summer to go diving. Ice diving may not be for the faint-hearted, but it's a thrill like nothing you'll ever experience underwater. If this sounds too extreme for you, contact the diving club at the New England Aquarium for aquarium dives.

The diving equipment you'll need depends on the type of diving you're planning on doing. However, you'll definitely need a wetsuit with a thickness of at least 5 mm because even during summer the water is cold. During winter, a wetsuit won't be enough. You'll be better off wearing a drysuit over some insulating underwear. You'll also need standard safety equipment and because of the generally murky conditions, a dive light is a good idea too.

If you want to dive in the region, it's a good idea to search diving websites and online forums first to find out what your options are. New England scuba shops and clubs are located near most of the main dive sites and will be happy to help you with tips and advice. They may even arrange trips for you so all you need to do is bring your camera.




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