Tips for… Cold Water Diving
Cold water diving… Not the most appealing title to those of you with a record of diving in Thailand and the Maldives! But have you given it a try?
The UK isn’t all murky waters and grey coloured fish. We actually have a pretty cool and diverse eco-system here. Plenty of coloured fish – check out the Tompot Blenny as an example, and the Wrasse – just so you know we have not just selected the only coloured fish here! As for corals… yes, we have corals too… dead man’s finger and dalehia anemones, to name a few. The bright underwater colourful world of UK diving.
Understandably cold water diving does bring its challenges, and we understand that it is definitely not the same as jumping in a shorty with 1kg of lead. The prep work is far greater, having to layer up with thermals, put on the drysuit and add the 8+kg of lead. But it is well worth it. Not only for the fact of being able to explore the UK waters, but to also enhance your own diving skills. Learning about different dive kit, working on your buoyancy again if you are new to a drysuit, and ultimately diving in harsher conditions such as lower temperatures and visibility – in comparison to the tropics!
So, this article is all about tips, so what tips do we have… lots! But in order to not ramble, we have narrowed it down to just three.
First off: Choose the right gear! We understand that it can look expensive to purchase branded thermals and a drysuit – but you will not regret it. You can never enjoy a dive if you are cold and shivering. Investing in those all important base layers will make the world of difference.
Second: Don’t do it alone (or with your in-experienced buddy). You may have lots of experience of diving but not here you don’t. Our conditions are undoubtedly amazing but are also very different. So, before jumping in together, there are plenty of guided dives from not just us in North Wales but all around the country. Not only can they show you the best methods for UK diving, but also give you the opportunity to relax and enjoy the sites.
Third: Change your mindset… and don’t compare it. If you are going to jump into the UK waters with the expectation that the cold is horrible, dark and boring, then I am sure that you are going to find it just that. The UK is a completely different environment, as is Egypt, the Galapagos and Iceland. They all have their own unique places to explore and are not all going to be the same.
So, if you have never dived in the UK before, make sure 2022 is your year to do it… we are sure that you will not look back!
Find out more at www.duttonsdivers.com
