In lockdown here in the UK (again) so right now I can only dream of any kind of diving. So thanks for the reminder there's still a world out there waiting! At least I managed a few in our local quarry when things briefly opened up. For me the hardest diving is when it's really warm on land and a lot cooler in the water, especially if there's a long walk in the burning sun from kitting up to getting in the water. The Cathedral Cave or the Blue Hole in Gozo spring to mind Otherwise it's just doing research and having the right protection. And I've seen great vis in cold water at 40F and bad vis when it was 86F at 30m in the Caribbean. This - ua-cam.com/video/ACXYZkWeBZc/v-deo.html was the vis in summer here with a temperature range of 44 at the bottom to 64F at the safety stop. Keep the posts coming!
My very first cold water dive experience was when my wife and I got OW certified in Seattle...in the warm month of February. After our final dive, the dive master congratulated us and informed us that if we still had air in our tanks that we could go explore a little bit with some of the other instructors. My wife was already half way to the truck shedding her gear. I fell in love with the cold water and have been diving the Pacific Northwest ever since. There are some amazing (and amazingly cold 2-3°C) lakes in the area, from calderas to canals, and even shipwrecks in lakes deep enough for submarine training.
It was AWESOME! I was certified at the famous Breakwater in Monterey. It was during a driving rainstorm and the Coast Guard was filling sandbags at the beach to use for flooding. Nonetheless, I was totally hooked on diving. I saw cool critters and even an old anchor. After five NorCal dives, I went to Hawaii. Before my first dive there, I cautioned my instructor to keep an eye out on me because I hadn't nailed buoyancy yet, sometimes being sucked up to the surface during the last ten feet or so. She asked were I'd been certified and when I said "Monterey," she laughed and said "See those guys over there. You're already better than them and they have a hundred dives." I was shocked and exclaimed "No. You don't understand." Responded with "No. YOU don't understand." Turned out, she was right. In Hawaii, I was buoyancy god. I controlled my depth with my breathing and only a couple of puffs into my BC. It really WAS easy. I was also amused by the concept of a "navigation" dive. Heck, if I ever wanted to figure out where the boat was, all I had to do was look around. At home, two or three fin kicks and you can't see where you just were! But, as much as I enjoy warm, clear water diving, my heart is with our cold, dark challenging diving.
I learned to dive in the Caribbean. After 6 years I was pretty good. Then I decided to dive in Canada. A 7mm full suit wet, 7mm vest, 5mm hood, 5mm gloves, 5mm boots. SOOOOOO much positive buoyancy; 12kg of weight to make myself sink. It was like learning to dive all over again. Thankful, I took a local diving course. We had a meter visibility.... it was a good day. This made practicing compass skills fun. By dive number 5 I was doing a lot better but still not as good as diving warm water. Went down a line to see a shipwreck. It was 6m from the line. We couldn't find it at first because visibility was only 2m and the metal ship was throwing off my compass. My favourite quote from a friend seeing a picture of me shore diving, "Wait, are those icicles on the building on shore?!??" haha, yes. First cold water dive was 14 years ago. I'm a Divemaster now and I still dive in Canada. I enjoy diving in warm water a LOT more though; can't wait until I can travel to South East Asia again.
yea. A good dry suit is essential! And if you get a Trilam suit you can use it in pretty much any water temp. I've taken mine to Bonaire (27C water) and I loved it! - It's the third and fourth dive of the day when you really start to feel how much heat you lose in a wetsuit. Do that for a couple of days in a row and you will get cold in pretty much any wetsuit... - Or at least I would! :D
Cold Water Diver for Life!!... or atleast until the world opens up again and travel is safe. But in all honesty I do really love diving out in the cold green waters of British Columbia, Canada.
I love it! We gotta take what we can get these days!! Maybe I'll have to check out Canada one day 😃When things do open up again, we'll be waiting for you in Komodo!!
The ice is getting thicker each day in Sweden, temperature between 2-4 degrees celcius. Crispy surface intervalls between the dives with lots of hotdogs and warm soup. You should try it!🥳
According to your logic, I have never done a warm water dive :D If I dive in a wet suit that covers my torso with two layers (over 1/2in) of neoprene and I don't feel cold after half an hour, I consider this a warm water dive :) Cold water can be very fun as well, Ice diving is fun. As long as you are warm ;)
Try the Morro Bay Coast Guard T-Pier for the best macro diving on the Central Coast. I always let the Coasties and Harbor department know that I'll be diving under the pier, although you don't need permission. If you're polite, they will let you enter from the pier rather than the rocks. They also don't mind you rinsing your gear with their hose. There are restrooms, benches, and lots of places to eat.
Lol. Great parody with lots of truth to it! As cold water divers we feel your pain. 10 foot of vis is a great day for us! But don’t let most cold water divers fool you....we all still have our fluffy pj’s on under our dry suit! And keep a little JD on hand to warm up at the end of a dive day! Thanks for a great video!👌
hahahaha fluffy pj's all the way!! I love that visual. I think when I start diving dry suits i'm gonna get some fun onesies to go underneath just for giggles. Thanks for watching!
You ALWAYS have a "Save a Dive" kit (tools, O-rings, mask strap, fin strap, etc.) no matter where you go. If you can pack extra/redundant gear, do so. Also, on a clear water day in SoCal there is nothing that compares to a Kelp forest. Finally, depending on where you dive make sure to plan your thermal protection correctly. Most coastal diving from SLO (San Luis Obispo) to San Diego you can dive with a 5 or 6mm wetsuit with a 2-3mm hooded vest, 5 mm booties, and 2-3mm gloves. This way you keep the core body warm, don't have a boat load of neoprene on (2 piece 5/6mm suits put 10-12mm around your body core and a lot of extra buoyancy). Outer islands and further north you can go with a Semi-dry suit or full Dry-suit (get training on how to use them). When putting on a one-piece suit it is best to roll down the top to the crotch area (a little beyond is better) and get the legs on first and the roll the suit up on to yourself. And if you have a set of nylon/spandex running tights and a long-sleeve rash guard you can wear those under the suit as well and they will help you get the suit on and off. They do give a little extra insulation. Weight yourself to 10% body weight plus 4-5 pounds. Use a Steel tank instead of an Aluminum one (Steel tanks stay negatively buoyant the whole time), and because of this you can drop a couple of pounds off of your weight belt. For after dive I have used a Solar Shower (allow it to sit in the sun a couple of days beforehand, it will still be nice and warm the next day after the dive) to rinse off and warm up. Also, make sure you have a good set of fleece top and/or bottom as well to warm you up. A good pair of Ugg type boots work well to warm up your feet. So don't be a "Caribbean Complainer" type diver and learn how to be a Temperate water (which CA diving mostly is) diver. True "Cold" water diving is when the water is 50 degrees F or lower. Temperate is 50-75 F, and Warm water is 75+ in most definitions. (Yes, I used to be a Scuba Instructor in SoCal, how do you think I got my name).
As a Puget Sound diver who dives every weekend in 46 degree water with 10 ft. visibility on a decent day, just let me say that the only negative feelings we have about warm water divers is envy. That being said, if you ever get a chance to dive the wall in the San Juan Islands in Washington State I think you'd find it amazing. Or the drift dive under the Tacoma Narrows bridge is pretty cool as well.
Diving solely in cold water in Scandinavia... currently its 3-4 degrees Celcius... so... Drysuit - undersuit, weights and a LOT of gear prep. But - its SO worth it... the chill on the face from the cold water, the critter and nature at winter time - the HOT Coffey after the dive and satisfaction of doing it all by yourself. preparation, execution, debrief and cleanup - no one to mesh things up - just you to prep and clean up.. Looking forward to trying wam water diving in light travel setup this summer, maybe in Indonesia, but for now we are enjoying the life and quiet waters of the coast of Denmark..
That's amazing. Totally agree. There's something really special to doing it all yourself. I do hope that you will come to Indonesia! If you have any questions, please email us at azulunlimited@gmail.com
@@AzulUnlimited - all year for me in UK, even in summer 15c is considered warm. I have an neoprene dry suit but if I had a trilamnate I think I would use it in warm water as I prefer dry suits, just not convenient to travel with. Last Easter weekend was 8c. From about May to September you can usually get away with 7mm wet suit and hood, but at 20m+ it’s too cold, for me at least. There are always some crazies out there who can brave it! California seems nice an toasty by comparison?
Little late to the party, but just wanted to say Great channel! This was a funny video too, full of truth. Lol We are very envious of you guys down south. The temps, colour, and vis are fantastic... But! The Great Lakes have the best wrecks in the world imo. You gotta give it a try, especially in the fringe seasons when the vis is spectacular. In a tri-lam with steel bp/w & steel 120 tank I only need 8lbs in my tank pockets and 2 ankle weights of 2lbs each. That’s it! Hope to see you out there some day. Keep up the great work 👍
Last week in Mexico the water temp was about 79 degrees and I was getting chilled in a 3 mil at the end of the 2nd dive each day. On three dive days I was out and out cold. But it was the air temp and the wind on the boat after the dive that made me realize that I would NEVER be a cold water diver. WARM WATER WUSSES OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!
hahahaha cold air temp and wind on the surface intervals are tough! I'm a big fan of diving parkas, but that would for sure get you some funny looks from the diving staff 🤪
Baby steps my friend! hahaha, 11C is cold enough at the moment! I really do want to get a dry suit and try it out though... I may take you up on that invite 😉
This is all true. I learned in cold water and dive with a drysuit. 32lb of weight and at 63 it's tough sometimes walking out of the water with all the gear, especially at low tide. I think the coldest water I've dove in was 45 F. It's very challenging and fitness is a key to success. You have to deal with rain, sand in everything, walking down slippery shore lines over odd sized boulders and cobbles, donning and doffing your fins in the water. It's all hard, but worth it. Warm water diving is a piece of cake. No weight belt, no buoyancy change from suit compression, etc. I've been in viz so bad that my buddy and I were hanging on to each other and as soon as we got underwater we couldn't see each other. Fun at night too! I recommend it.
Your welcome to come dive with us in norway haha last dive was -15 c in the air and 0c on the first 15cm of water, about 8c at 10 meters. Full drysuit with 3 layers of wool under but no matter how much you wear you will always get cold in the face and fingers haha
You are so nice tho thanks for the invitation but I think.. I will colapse before getting out of the car LOL. Now seriously, I would love to dive there one day, and ice diving is also something that is calling. Thanks for your comment and enjoy the cold!
Definitively a cold water diver!!! Last week 0 Celsius outside and 8 degrees Celsius at 40m depth... Very good visibility in the Lake Maggiore. North of Italy. Obviously dry suit!! Pure Joy!!!
Haha! Made I chuckle. 😁😁. Nice to see Batu Balong. Miss that place. Next year and I'm bringing my Thailand crew.. Some of the best diving I ever did was off Scotland! Balmy 17°c (think that's - 303°f or summit). Dry suit all the way (just ned to hold on to that peee. Not so easy now days)
Ahhh Batu is a treat. We would love to have you next year! Keep in touch: azulunlimited@gmail.com 17C is a dream! Here in California I'm diving down to 11C in a semidry... not ideal! Dry suit will be my next investment...
I'm taking an open water dive course (my first ever time diving) soon and our open water section is going to be in an absolutely frigid lake. Already mentally preparing myself lmao
Just discovered this channel. Very nice :) btw...My buddies all mostly dive out of FL (i live in Ga) and they’re always giving me shit because I mostly dive in rock quarries. Lol...just a couple weeks ago I dove in 48 degree water. You’re def right about the vis in most places. Luckily the quarry i was at was pretty clear passed 70ft or so. Got a video on my channel in case you’re bored and wanna see. Have fun and dive safe!
Rock quarries divers are the badass of the diving community! My respects, I have many friends in UK that dive every weekend in cold quarries with almost no vis and they keep going and going! Thanks for watching and let's check it out your Video!!
@@AzulUnlimited I like to joke with my warm water dive buddies if they really wanna try diving, come dive with me, lol. If you can get comfortable diving in rock quarries, you can be comfortable diving almost anywhere IMO. Great channel! You’re awesome Sarah, I’d love to dive with you some day.
Just went for a dive today in the lake close to where I live in Canada. The cold spring water was at 39°f and even with my 14mm thick wetsuit I was cold ;p I need to buy a drysuit...
Hahahah!! Aitor here and yep for me 25 ºC is already cold. Komodo sometimes go down to 24ºC and those days is like WTF!! specially because we normally jump with a lycra and swimsuit... Thanks for dropping by and don't get cold!
@@AzulUnlimited My Friend Aitor! nice to read you! and glad to hear that I´m not the only one with coldness issues JAJAJAJA. I hope an amazing year for you and your families and friends! Muchos saludos desde Venezuela. Good dive for everyone!
Great video, but there is a lot more to cold water diving and crappy visibility, where I dive there is not even much of life under surface of the water just rocks thick layer of silt if You spot a fish or a school of fish its Your lucky day. The visibility in California is a dream lol. I had days where all I could see is my compass and if lucky my buddys fins. One thing for sure getting in to my Scuba gear checking it making sure everything is 100% is an hour minimum. Getting to the dive site 2.5 hours. For planning the actual dive not so much time as I usually know where I will be diving way ahead of time as it has been done so many times.
Totally. This was made more as a laugh at myself for how dramatic us warm water divers can be when we're taken out of our comfort zone. Good on you for the dedication, my friend! I have a lot of respect for those of you who do real cold water diving and I want to learn more for sure!
My normal dive… 63ish deg F 7mm wetsuit + booties, 3mm hood, 3mm gloves and sometimes an extra 2-3mm hooded vest Still cold AF 10-15 ft visibility is AMAZING!! 😁😁😁 All dives in the golden state
We live in the french alps so the first dive sites are either frozen half the year (wich is awsome but cold) or very murky lakes... the michelin man is definitely the best way to define us during these dives 😂
@@AzulUnlimited Definietly an addictive experience! If you ever want to visit France and dive there, I highly recommended you to contact Will at Divextreme, he's have a ice diving school in a nice lake nested in the mountain... and a heated cabin to put your drysuit and full face mask
I dive in Washington state and Canada and its soon much work but epic at the same time. So help me out here... you are from California but have been living/working in Indonesia somewhere?
That's awesome. And I completely agree, more work, but there's a lot of freedom diving in places like that. Love to keep learning. Yes, I'm from California, but I own a dive shop in Indonesia. Azul Unlimited in Komodo. COVID took me home so I took advantage for some different kinds of content. When we open fully again, we'd love to have you visit!
Being as I live in the northeast, the coldest water I want to dive in is a quarry. Yes, I'm a Gucci diver. Give me that warm Caribbean water.... when I can afford to go there.... haha
You're too lucky using to dive at warm weather zones xD Come to mediterranean sea! I miss so much goint to water... my dry suit is accumulating so much dust this year :(
Aw man, I know what you mean. Definitely haven't been in the water all that much compared to pre covid times... we'll get through it though! Watch out, I may just show up for some diving in the mediterranean in the future!
I would just like to point out that it is the wrong type of wetsuit for cold water diving you want an opencell wetsuit which takes no time to put on and keeps the wearer much warmer a Limestone made is even warmer than a petroleum based opencell suit. Many more things to go wrong with Scuba from gauges to drysuit and regulator hoses in cold water, maintenance and cost is much higher. Underwater visibility is dependent on weather if it has been windy then less visibility and northern cold waters are well known for there water clarity. Diving weights can be worn on your back as well as your waist and in the Mediterranean the water is so salty you will need to wear extra weight just to achieve neutral buoyancy even in a 3mm wetsuit.
Thanks for this. and you are correct about the suit being wrong. It's one I got from another diver when I came here with nothing so I've just been making it work since I don't have the budget to get a drysuit yet. I appreciate your comment though. Enjoy the water!
Hello I've been following this channel since last year and everything in the videos has always been spectacular. The sessions are great, the quality is great, the explanations are very clear... this channel is absolutely brilliant and you helped me a lot with the majority of my curiosities about the world of scuba diving, thank you so much. Anyway, I would like to make a suggestion (if it's not a problem): I'm convinced that to add a really funny video on your channel, you could make a compilation of all of the moments where scuba divers get "caught" on video while peeing in the water (my uncle relieved himself in a scuba diving session and that was hilarious, he always says there are 2 types of divers: those who pee in the water and those who lie), it's something like a "oops and bloopers moments" compilation, what do you think? I'd be so so happy to watch it, let me know, bye!
Thank you so much Carlos!! I really appreciate you sticking with us throughout the year. It's been a strange one and all of you here on UA-cam have really made a huge impact on our resilience what with our dive shop being closed. I like the idea, although I think it might be an invasion of privacy! 😂 I'm thinking bloopers would be great though. Hopefully when we start being able to operate again, we can do something like that. At the moment I'm just a one woman show :)
Around here, water can get to about 11C, which is pretty cold even in a semi dry. I plan on going dry at some point, but may not be for a while. The cool things about cold water are the different creatures. It's nice to have variety :)
Heh. Saskatchewan diving - thermocline at 5m, 7mm semi-dry even when it's +30C out, and 1m visibility due to algae in the lakes. Not that there's anything to see anyway. I much prefer warm water diving.
haha touché. It definitely depends on the place. Some cold water diving places like Catalina island are my favorite (also not that cold, but eh whatever!) Our boat in Komodo will be waiting for you when the world opens up again!
Semi dry works just fine for a while but I can't wait to put my hand on an dry suit. BTW you have a nice channel! Keep the good work, we need more channels like yours, we will love to do a cooperation one of those days. Have a great day!!
@@AzulUnlimited absolutley! My dive trips for this year are already planned out but the following year I could fly down. And if your in WA just let me know. I could bring some of my SAR Dive Team for you to meet and we could do a big group dive at some of our favorite dive sites up here.
@@AzulUnlimited 2 weeks ago at surface it was 19 degrees Celcius. At 12 meter around 12 degrees Celcius. In winter it can be around 4-6 degrees. Which is way too cold for me. Even with drysuit 😂😂.. Round March-April is about 10 degrees. I mostly dive till 8 to 10 degrees, lower than that I stop.
@@Richard1976 Oh boy, just in case you were thinking about inviting me to dive in Holland.... I´m busy, I can´t go, thanks, looks fantastic, 4-6 degrees is my life dream hahaha but pass. I have so much respect for cold water divers! Thanks for answering, keep warm and dive safely.
@@AzulUnlimited don't be such a party pooper. Come to Holland for some diving 😇😇. We always suggest new divers to do their open water course in Holland. Where you never know the view. It can be 50 centimeters.. Few meters like 3 to 5. Or it can be 5 to 10 meters. Also with water temperature. When you can dive in the Netherlands you can dive everywhere. 🇳🇱🇳🇱🇳🇱.. See you soon 👍👍👍
California diving: no ice so it's not cold.Its just cool water diving. If your suit's zipper tends to freeze if you don't open it asap after dive thats cold water diving...
Quick tip for anybody who's not too familiar with diving in cold and/or windy weather: Bring your warmest hat (no joke, your ears will thank me later) :)
You want to try real cold water diving ... cut threw the 20 inches of solid ice and find the clear water in the 2 to 5 Celsius range ...thats how we do it here...lol
Most of this has nothing to do with cold water per see (apart from the thicker suit and weights). All else is more about diving on your own (well, with a buddy), without a dive center handling logistics and guiding for you. Coldwater diving would be about doing things underwater with 5mm gloves on. Or a mask replacement in 10 C water.
@@AzulUnlimited Most important is a good fitting drysuit + undergarment. Not such a pressed sausage. Then it beats wetsuitdiving buoyancy and trim 10 out 10 times. I use that regardless of temperature. A bit cost intensive at the beginning, but then is no way back.
My mom friend Marty and I wear wetsuits and dive gloves and dive hoods and dive boots and dive fins dive masks and scuba tanks and bcds and regulators to breath from and breath underwater with my mom friend Marty can Marty and I wear wetsuits and dive gloves and dive hoods and dive boots and dive fins dive masks and scuba tanks and bcds and regulators to breath from for warm water diving yes I like to see more scuba diving video on azul unlimited
How was your first cold water diving experience?? Tell us here 👇🏽
👕AZUL UNLIMITED TSHIRTS!!! azul-unlimited.teemill.com/
In lockdown here in the UK (again) so right now I can only dream of any kind of diving. So thanks for the reminder there's still a world out there waiting! At least I managed a few in our local quarry when things briefly opened up. For me the hardest diving is when it's really warm on land and a lot cooler in the water, especially if there's a long walk in the burning sun from kitting up to getting in the water. The Cathedral Cave or the Blue Hole in Gozo spring to mind Otherwise it's just doing research and having the right protection. And I've seen great vis in cold water at 40F and bad vis when it was 86F at 30m in the Caribbean. This - ua-cam.com/video/ACXYZkWeBZc/v-deo.html was the vis in summer here with a temperature range of 44 at the bottom to 64F at the safety stop. Keep the posts coming!
My very first cold water dive experience was when my wife and I got OW certified in Seattle...in the warm month of February. After our final dive, the dive master congratulated us and informed us that if we still had air in our tanks that we could go explore a little bit with some of the other instructors. My wife was already half way to the truck shedding her gear. I fell in love with the cold water and have been diving the Pacific Northwest ever since. There are some amazing (and amazingly cold 2-3°C) lakes in the area, from calderas to canals, and even shipwrecks in lakes deep enough for submarine training.
It was AWESOME! I was certified at the famous Breakwater in Monterey. It was during a driving rainstorm and the Coast Guard was filling sandbags at the beach to use for flooding. Nonetheless, I was totally hooked on diving. I saw cool critters and even an old anchor.
After five NorCal dives, I went to Hawaii. Before my first dive there, I cautioned my instructor to keep an eye out on me because I hadn't nailed buoyancy yet, sometimes being sucked up to the surface during the last ten feet or so. She asked were I'd been certified and when I said "Monterey," she laughed and said "See those guys over there. You're already better than them and they have a hundred dives." I was shocked and exclaimed "No. You don't understand." Responded with "No. YOU don't understand."
Turned out, she was right. In Hawaii, I was buoyancy god. I controlled my depth with my breathing and only a couple of puffs into my BC. It really WAS easy. I was also amused by the concept of a "navigation" dive. Heck, if I ever wanted to figure out where the boat was, all I had to do was look around. At home, two or three fin kicks and you can't see where you just were!
But, as much as I enjoy warm, clear water diving, my heart is with our cold, dark challenging diving.
I learned to dive in the Caribbean. After 6 years I was pretty good. Then I decided to dive in Canada. A 7mm full suit wet, 7mm vest, 5mm hood, 5mm gloves, 5mm boots. SOOOOOO much positive buoyancy; 12kg of weight to make myself sink. It was like learning to dive all over again. Thankful, I took a local diving course. We had a meter visibility.... it was a good day. This made practicing compass skills fun.
By dive number 5 I was doing a lot better but still not as good as diving warm water. Went down a line to see a shipwreck. It was 6m from the line. We couldn't find it at first because visibility was only 2m and the metal ship was throwing off my compass.
My favourite quote from a friend seeing a picture of me shore diving, "Wait, are those icicles on the building on shore?!??" haha, yes.
First cold water dive was 14 years ago. I'm a Divemaster now and I still dive in Canada. I enjoy diving in warm water a LOT more though; can't wait until I can travel to South East Asia again.
I can do better, I can show :) ua-cam.com/video/3B2QP-ethDk/v-deo.html
I watch this at least twice a month to get a chuckle! I LOVE the guy with the guitar singing "LET'S GO DIVING!"🤣
Aww thank you! He's a legend in Belize 🤣
The only conditions I would consider to be "too cold for diving" is when the water is solid!
With warm regards from Zurich ;D
hahaha you're tougher than I am for sure! But seriously, I want to give it a go. Need to get a dry suit.... Thanks for watching!
yea. A good dry suit is essential!
And if you get a Trilam suit you can use it in pretty much any water temp. I've taken mine to Bonaire (27C water) and I loved it! - It's the third and fourth dive of the day when you really start to feel how much heat you lose in a wetsuit. Do that for a couple of days in a row and you will get cold in pretty much any wetsuit... - Or at least I would! :D
@@watoriocean6762 I got a thermalusion vest for the later dives in the day
Well, here you just cut a hole in the solid part and dive underneath.
Cold Water Diver for Life!!... or atleast until the world opens up again and travel is safe. But in all honesty I do really love diving out in the cold green waters of British Columbia, Canada.
I loved British Columbia diving it was spectacular still not as Cold as Alberta Lakes not even close😀
I love it! We gotta take what we can get these days!! Maybe I'll have to check out Canada one day 😃When things do open up again, we'll be waiting for you in Komodo!!
The ice is getting thicker each day in Sweden, temperature between 2-4 degrees celcius. Crispy surface intervalls between the dives with lots of hotdogs and warm soup. You should try it!🥳
I want to!! Watch out, I'll show up if you offer me some vegandogs 🤪
Crispy intervals :)))))
You've got me beat. Have you been to Iceland to touch the continental shelves?
@@maxkol4380 nope unfortunately not, still on my bucketlist.
According to your logic, I have never done a warm water dive :D
If I dive in a wet suit that covers my torso with two layers (over 1/2in) of neoprene and I don't feel cold after half an hour, I consider this a warm water dive :)
Cold water can be very fun as well, Ice diving is fun. As long as you are warm ;)
Good point! hahahaha.... I would love to do ice diving, is calling me since long time ago!
Try the Morro Bay Coast Guard T-Pier for the best macro diving on the Central Coast. I always let the Coasties and Harbor department know that I'll be diving under the pier, although you don't need permission. If you're polite, they will let you enter from the pier rather than the rocks. They also don't mind you rinsing your gear with their hose. There are restrooms, benches, and lots of places to eat.
Yes! That's a great spot. Thanks so much for watching and sharing information. That kind of beta is good for new people to the area.
Two tanks, scooter, drysuit and 9kg of lead. That's at least 65kg of gear! Cold water diving is exhausting!
Great video!
Now THAT sounds tiring. I think I need a nap. but also... i want to go diving with a scooter :) where do i sign up? hehehe
Lol. Great parody with lots of truth to it! As cold water divers we feel your pain. 10 foot of vis is a great day for us! But don’t let most cold water divers fool you....we all still have our fluffy pj’s on under our dry suit! And keep a little JD on hand to warm up at the end of a dive day! Thanks for a great video!👌
hahahaha fluffy pj's all the way!! I love that visual. I think when I start diving dry suits i'm gonna get some fun onesies to go underneath just for giggles. Thanks for watching!
@@AzulUnlimited the only warm water you come across as a cold water diver comes out of your body...
You ALWAYS have a "Save a Dive" kit (tools, O-rings, mask strap, fin strap, etc.) no matter where you go. If you can pack extra/redundant gear, do so. Also, on a clear water day in SoCal there is nothing that compares to a Kelp forest. Finally, depending on where you dive make sure to plan your thermal protection correctly. Most coastal diving from SLO (San Luis Obispo) to San Diego you can dive with a 5 or 6mm wetsuit with a 2-3mm hooded vest, 5 mm booties, and 2-3mm gloves. This way you keep the core body warm, don't have a boat load of neoprene on (2 piece 5/6mm suits put 10-12mm around your body core and a lot of extra buoyancy). Outer islands and further north you can go with a Semi-dry suit or full Dry-suit (get training on how to use them). When putting on a one-piece suit it is best to roll down the top to the crotch area (a little beyond is better) and get the legs on first and the roll the suit up on to yourself. And if you have a set of nylon/spandex running tights and a long-sleeve rash guard you can wear those under the suit as well and they will help you get the suit on and off. They do give a little extra insulation.
Weight yourself to 10% body weight plus 4-5 pounds. Use a Steel tank instead of an Aluminum one (Steel tanks stay negatively buoyant the whole time), and because of this you can drop a couple of pounds off of your weight belt.
For after dive I have used a Solar Shower (allow it to sit in the sun a couple of days beforehand, it will still be nice and warm the next day after the dive) to rinse off and warm up. Also, make sure you have a good set of fleece top and/or bottom as well to warm you up. A good pair of Ugg type boots work well to warm up your feet.
So don't be a "Caribbean Complainer" type diver and learn how to be a Temperate water (which CA diving mostly is) diver. True "Cold" water diving is when the water is 50 degrees F or lower. Temperate is 50-75 F, and Warm water is 75+ in most definitions. (Yes, I used to be a Scuba Instructor in SoCal, how do you think I got my name).
We may give you spoiled warm water people a hard time but we are actually just super jealous haha.
This channel is really great by the way!
Thank you! 😃
The hard life of the warm water divers... oh boy!!
As a Puget Sound diver who dives every weekend in 46 degree water with 10 ft. visibility on a decent day, just let me say that the only negative feelings we have about warm water divers is envy. That being said, if you ever get a chance to dive the wall in the San Juan Islands in Washington State I think you'd find it amazing. Or the drift dive under the Tacoma Narrows bridge is pretty cool as well.
Great 👍🏼 job Sarah! 🤿 🌊🏊🏼♀️
Thanksssss a lot!! we love youuu
Diving solely in cold water in Scandinavia... currently its 3-4 degrees Celcius... so... Drysuit - undersuit, weights and a LOT of gear prep. But - its SO worth it... the chill on the face from the cold water, the critter and nature at winter time - the HOT Coffey after the dive and satisfaction of doing it all by yourself. preparation, execution, debrief and cleanup - no one to mesh things up - just you to prep and clean up..
Looking forward to trying wam water diving in light travel setup this summer, maybe in Indonesia, but for now we are enjoying the life and quiet waters of the coast of Denmark..
That's amazing. Totally agree. There's something really special to doing it all yourself. I do hope that you will come to Indonesia! If you have any questions, please email us at azulunlimited@gmail.com
Not sure if I’ve ever dove in anything above 75. I can’t wait to become a warm water wuss 😜
Come on over when travel restrictions lift. The water is lovely in Indonesia 🥰
Oh come on sea, warm water, clear water! Be thankful 🤣🤣🤣
We central Europe Carps, 3m visibility, short suit long suit here wo goooo!
hahaha sometimes we have even less visibility in California!! You definitely learn to be grateful for those 5m viz days
Dry suit is essential at depth, especially over here in UK.
Do you dive dry suit the all year around?? or summer time is ok with a semidry or tick wetsuit?
@@AzulUnlimited - all year for me in UK, even in summer 15c is considered warm. I have an neoprene dry suit but if I had a trilamnate I think I would use it in warm water as I prefer dry suits, just not convenient to travel with. Last Easter weekend was 8c.
From about May to September you can usually get away with 7mm wet suit and hood, but at 20m+ it’s too cold, for me at least. There are always some crazies out there who can brave it!
California seems nice an toasty by comparison?
Little late to the party, but just wanted to say Great channel! This was a funny video too, full of truth. Lol We are very envious of you guys down south. The temps, colour, and vis are fantastic... But! The Great Lakes have the best wrecks in the world imo. You gotta give it a try, especially in the fringe seasons when the vis is spectacular. In a tri-lam with steel bp/w & steel 120 tank I only need 8lbs in my tank pockets and 2 ankle weights of 2lbs each. That’s it! Hope to see you out there some day. Keep up the great work 👍
Thanks so much for watching! Watch out, I've been thinking about a road trip so you may just see me in your neck of the woods next year!
Last week in Mexico the water temp was about 79 degrees and I was getting chilled in a 3 mil at the end of the 2nd dive each day. On three dive days I was out and out cold. But it was the air temp and the wind on the boat after the dive that made me realize that I would NEVER be a cold water diver. WARM WATER WUSSES OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!
hahahaha cold air temp and wind on the surface intervals are tough! I'm a big fan of diving parkas, but that would for sure get you some funny looks from the diving staff 🤪
On surface ints get you a decent slip over rain jacket and pants-it cuts the wind cutting through your suit and you will get and stay warm.
I’m doing an internship program soon for dive master and I can’t wait for a cold water and free dive!!
Yay! You're gonna love it 🤙 the Divemaster course is so fun
Try the Great visibility of Shipwreck ally. NOAA, Thunder Bay National Marine Santuary.
Oh my I miss diving with you! I’m in that cold water down here too! 17 degrees 🥶
hahahahaha miss you too babe! oh and watch out, the real cold water divers here are gonna get on you for complaining about 17C hahahahahahaha 💙
We have that in summer.
Haha, So true, but I've also enjoyed diving in California soo much!
I really do love it more now that I'm used to the temperature. When I first got back to CA from Indonesia, I was freezing all day every day 🤪😆
You forgot the most important thing about cold water divers it's us saying "Fuck I need to buy a drysuit....oh wait I'm poor"
Oh man... seriously story of my life right now! 😂 One day... One day 😂
Same here!! 🤣🤣⛄️
That is cool water diving ... lol ... come up to lake Ontario in Dec/Jan/ Feb and lwill show you Cold Water Diving... CHEERS
Baby steps my friend! hahaha, 11C is cold enough at the moment! I really do want to get a dry suit and try it out though... I may take you up on that invite 😉
We’re cuttin through the ice at Clear Creek Reservoir north of Buena Vista CO this Saturday!!!
This is all true. I learned in cold water and dive with a drysuit. 32lb of weight and at 63 it's tough sometimes walking out of the water with all the gear, especially at low tide. I think the coldest water I've dove in was 45 F. It's very challenging and fitness is a key to success. You have to deal with rain, sand in everything, walking down slippery shore lines over odd sized boulders and cobbles, donning and doffing your fins in the water. It's all hard, but worth it. Warm water diving is a piece of cake. No weight belt, no buoyancy change from suit compression, etc. I've been in viz so bad that my buddy and I were hanging on to each other and as soon as we got underwater we couldn't see each other. Fun at night too! I recommend it.
Haha yeah cold water dives are something else!! but I love all the preparation and hard work, is like a ritual for me!
Lol gotta love California dives. Oooo warm waters in San Luis.... some of my fave dives are in Monterey the kelp forrests seals etc👍 love your channel
Thank you so much! Yeah, Monterey is awesome. MUCH better than San Luis Obispo hahahaha Keep in touch. Maybe we'll dive together one day!
@@AzulUnlimited I did enjoy a liveaboard along the Channel Islands also.
Your welcome to come dive with us in norway haha last dive was -15 c in the air and 0c on the first 15cm of water, about 8c at 10 meters. Full drysuit with 3 layers of wool under but no matter how much you wear you will always get cold in the face and fingers haha
You are so nice tho thanks for the invitation but I think.. I will colapse before getting out of the car LOL.
Now seriously, I would love to dive there one day, and ice diving is also something that is calling. Thanks for your comment and enjoy the cold!
Definitively a cold water diver!!! Last week 0 Celsius outside and 8 degrees Celsius at 40m depth... Very good visibility in the Lake Maggiore. North of Italy. Obviously dry suit!! Pure Joy!!!
Yikes!!! I'll have to take your word for it for now! I want to get a dry suit and give it a whirl. So far i've only gone down to 11C in my semi-dry 😂🥶
So, you’re back home. Good to see ya Sarah.
Thank you! Yeah, covid has brought some interesting pivots into life... still figuring it all out... Thanks for watching!
Sorry, don't miss diving in California or cold water at all. Been here in S. Florida for 2 years and loving it.
Hahahah yep, I miss also diving in Komodo or Mexico!
So funny from the UK and north sea dives!!!
Ufff that's on our bucket list, we have so many diving friends in UK!! hopefully one day, we wanna see basket sharks jijijiiji.
Haha! Made I chuckle. 😁😁. Nice to see Batu Balong. Miss that place. Next year and I'm bringing my Thailand crew..
Some of the best diving I ever did was off Scotland! Balmy 17°c (think that's - 303°f or summit). Dry suit all the way (just ned to hold on to that peee. Not so easy now days)
Ahhh Batu is a treat. We would love to have you next year! Keep in touch: azulunlimited@gmail.com
17C is a dream! Here in California I'm diving down to 11C in a semidry... not ideal! Dry suit will be my next investment...
It is par for the course... Hello from Monterey!
Yeah, instructor normally teach those techniques base on the local environment.
I'm taking an open water dive course (my first ever time diving) soon and our open water section is going to be in an absolutely frigid lake. Already mentally preparing myself lmao
I'm sure you'll do great! Let me know how it goes :)
Just discovered this channel. Very nice :) btw...My buddies all mostly dive out of FL (i live in Ga) and they’re always giving me shit because I mostly dive in rock quarries. Lol...just a couple weeks ago I dove in 48 degree water. You’re def right about the vis in most places. Luckily the quarry i was at was pretty clear passed 70ft or so. Got a video on my channel in case you’re bored and wanna see.
Have fun and dive safe!
Rock quarries divers are the badass of the diving community! My respects, I have many friends in UK that dive every weekend in cold quarries with almost no vis and they keep going and going!
Thanks for watching and let's check it out your Video!!
@@AzulUnlimited I like to joke with my warm water dive buddies if they really wanna try diving, come dive with me, lol. If you can get comfortable diving in rock quarries, you can be comfortable diving almost anywhere IMO. Great channel! You’re awesome Sarah, I’d love to dive with you some day.
Just went for a dive today in the lake close to where I live in Canada. The cold spring water was at 39°f and even with my 14mm thick wetsuit I was cold ;p
I need to buy a drysuit...
Uffff I will be dead cold diving with wetsuit there!! Drysuit are not cheap but man they are worth it!!
Fluffy water divers 😂
baaaahahahahaha I'm all about the fluff. Not even embarrassed 😂
.. here in upnorth Sweden we call them "Coctail-divers" (the ones that only dive when on vacation and not back home ;) )
Hhahaha I love that!!
California cold water? You need to get up to the Seattle Tacoma area and dive the Sound. That's some epic diving.
Maybe one day! I would love to go up to Seattle but not until I get a dry suite LOL!!
Thanks for watching
Epic video! Cold is my fearless enemy )= even on 25 °C I felt like it is super cold!
Hahahah!! Aitor here and yep for me 25 ºC is already cold. Komodo sometimes go down to 24ºC and those days is like WTF!! specially because we normally jump with a lycra and swimsuit...
Thanks for dropping by and don't get cold!
@@AzulUnlimited My Friend Aitor! nice to read you! and glad to hear that I´m not the only one with coldness issues JAJAJAJA. I hope an amazing year for you and your families and friends!
Muchos saludos desde Venezuela. Good dive for everyone!
Great video, but there is a lot more to cold water diving and crappy visibility, where I dive there is not even much of life under surface of the water just rocks thick layer of silt if You spot a fish or a school of fish its Your lucky day. The visibility in California is a dream lol. I had days where all I could see is my compass and if lucky my buddys fins. One thing for sure getting in to my Scuba gear checking it making sure everything is 100% is an hour minimum. Getting to the dive site 2.5 hours. For planning the actual dive not so much time as I usually know where I will be diving way ahead of time as it has been done so many times.
Totally. This was made more as a laugh at myself for how dramatic us warm water divers can be when we're taken out of our comfort zone. Good on you for the dedication, my friend! I have a lot of respect for those of you who do real cold water diving and I want to learn more for sure!
My normal dive…
63ish deg F
7mm wetsuit + booties, 3mm hood, 3mm gloves and sometimes an extra 2-3mm hooded vest
Still cold AF
10-15 ft visibility is AMAZING!! 😁😁😁
All dives in the golden state
I desperately need 2 things in life
A dry suit
To travel more
…. So really I just need lots of money 💰
hahaha relatable. I hope you're able to get a drysuit soon! That's next on my list for gear as well.
We live in the french alps so the first dive sites are either frozen half the year (wich is awsome but cold) or very murky lakes... the michelin man is definitely the best way to define us during these dives 😂
Michelin man all the way! All you guys are seriously tempting me for some ice diving... bucket list experience for sure
@@AzulUnlimited Definietly an addictive experience! If you ever want to visit France and dive there, I highly recommended you to contact Will at Divextreme, he's have a ice diving school in a nice lake nested in the mountain... and a heated cabin to put your drysuit and full face mask
Nope, no, that's a negative! Keeping it warm!
hahahaha alright fair enough! 😂 Thanks for watching!
I dive in Washington state and Canada and its soon much work but epic at the same time. So help me out here... you are from California but have been living/working in Indonesia somewhere?
That's awesome. And I completely agree, more work, but there's a lot of freedom diving in places like that. Love to keep learning. Yes, I'm from California, but I own a dive shop in Indonesia. Azul Unlimited in Komodo. COVID took me home so I took advantage for some different kinds of content. When we open fully again, we'd love to have you visit!
Being as I live in the northeast, the coldest water I want to dive in is a quarry. Yes, I'm a Gucci diver. Give me that warm Caribbean water.... when I can afford to go there.... haha
Hahahah I love that LOL
Tobermory ontario is one of the cold clear diving in canada.. if you like cold water diving check it out.. maybe see you there 👍
Thanks for the suggestion. Would love to try out diving in Canada! One day when things are more normal....
You're too lucky using to dive at warm weather zones xD Come to mediterranean sea! I miss so much goint to water... my dry suit is accumulating so much dust this year :(
Aw man, I know what you mean. Definitely haven't been in the water all that much compared to pre covid times... we'll get through it though! Watch out, I may just show up for some diving in the mediterranean in the future!
Bahahaha! Love this video!
hahaha thanks :)
I would just like to point out that it is the wrong type of wetsuit for cold water diving you want an opencell wetsuit which takes no time to put on and keeps the wearer much warmer a Limestone made is even warmer than a petroleum based opencell suit. Many more things to go wrong with Scuba from gauges to drysuit and regulator hoses in cold water, maintenance and cost is much higher. Underwater visibility is dependent on weather if it has been windy then less visibility and northern cold waters are well known for there water clarity. Diving weights can be worn on your back as well as your waist and in the Mediterranean the water is so salty you will need to wear extra weight just to achieve neutral buoyancy even in a 3mm wetsuit.
Thanks for this. and you are correct about the suit being wrong. It's one I got from another diver when I came here with nothing so I've just been making it work since I don't have the budget to get a drysuit yet. I appreciate your comment though. Enjoy the water!
Hello I've been following this channel since last year and everything in the videos has always been spectacular. The sessions are great, the quality is great, the explanations are very clear... this channel is absolutely brilliant and you helped me a lot with the majority of my curiosities about the world of scuba diving, thank you so much. Anyway, I would like to make a suggestion (if it's not a problem): I'm convinced that to add a really funny video on your channel, you could make a compilation of all of the moments where scuba divers get "caught" on video while peeing in the water (my uncle relieved himself in a scuba diving session and that was hilarious, he always says there are 2 types of divers: those who pee in the water and those who lie), it's something like a "oops and bloopers moments" compilation, what do you think? I'd be so so happy to watch it, let me know, bye!
Thank you so much Carlos!! I really appreciate you sticking with us throughout the year. It's been a strange one and all of you here on UA-cam have really made a huge impact on our resilience what with our dive shop being closed. I like the idea, although I think it might be an invasion of privacy! 😂 I'm thinking bloopers would be great though. Hopefully when we start being able to operate again, we can do something like that. At the moment I'm just a one woman show :)
If you do not need a motor saw to get into the water, the water is not cold. And if you see things before they are within arms reach, viz is good.
Fair enough. I’m a baby and I’m ok to admit it🤣
Define cold. I won't do dry suit diving. Too cold and too painful to deal with. I have a 7/8 mm wetsuit which I have no real issue using.
Around here, water can get to about 11C, which is pretty cold even in a semi dry. I plan on going dry at some point, but may not be for a while. The cool things about cold water are the different creatures. It's nice to have variety :)
Heh. Saskatchewan diving - thermocline at 5m, 7mm semi-dry even when it's +30C out, and 1m visibility due to algae in the lakes. Not that there's anything to see anyway. I much prefer warm water diving.
haha touché. It definitely depends on the place. Some cold water diving places like Catalina island are my favorite (also not that cold, but eh whatever!) Our boat in Komodo will be waiting for you when the world opens up again!
I love this sharing now.
Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Cold water diving is a whole other thing, isnt' it!
@@AzulUnlimited I think it makes safer divers.
As a cold water diver for many years I wore a wetsuit for 3 years before getting a dry suit.
Semi dry works just fine for a while but I can't wait to put my hand on an dry suit.
BTW you have a nice channel! Keep the good work, we need more channels like yours, we will love to do a cooperation one of those days.
Have a great day!!
@@AzulUnlimited absolutley! My dive trips for this year are already planned out but the following year I could fly down. And if your in WA just let me know. I could bring some of my SAR Dive Team for you to meet and we could do a big group dive at some of our favorite dive sites up here.
Get a good drysuit. Living in Holland makes you automatically a cold suit diver 😂😂..
What's the average water temperature there and how cold can go??
@@AzulUnlimited 2 weeks ago at surface it was 19 degrees Celcius. At 12 meter around 12 degrees Celcius. In winter it can be around 4-6 degrees. Which is way too cold for me. Even with drysuit 😂😂.. Round March-April is about 10 degrees. I mostly dive till 8 to 10 degrees, lower than that I stop.
@@Richard1976 Oh boy, just in case you were thinking about inviting me to dive in Holland.... I´m busy, I can´t go, thanks, looks fantastic, 4-6 degrees is my life dream hahaha but pass. I have so much respect for cold water divers!
Thanks for answering, keep warm and dive safely.
@@AzulUnlimited don't be such a party pooper. Come to Holland for some diving 😇😇. We always suggest new divers to do their open water course in Holland. Where you never know the view. It can be 50 centimeters.. Few meters like 3 to 5. Or it can be 5 to 10 meters. Also with water temperature. When you can dive in the Netherlands you can dive everywhere. 🇳🇱🇳🇱🇳🇱.. See you soon 👍👍👍
California diving: no ice so it's not cold.Its just cool water diving. If your suit's zipper tends to freeze if you don't open it asap after dive thats cold water diving...
Hahha I think that's above my cold water limits LOL.... But mmm one day I would like to try Ice diving.
How much weight did your carry for your 7mm suit?
16lbs diving with an 80AL
Quick tip for anybody who's not too familiar with diving in cold and/or windy weather: Bring your warmest hat (no joke, your ears will thank me later) :)
Hahha thanks for the reminder! I agree, a hood is a must for cold water dives.
car heater after a dive? no, I take hot tea with me, is the best. try it
Car heater is for the dramatic. I'm the drama 🤪
if california is considered cold water diving, what does that make vancouver 😂 ice diving!
hahaha anything 11C and under is cold to me 😜
I missssss youuuuu
Miss you too, my dear!!!!
How cold is cold water dive? I think 20 celsius is soo cold...
hahaha... coldest i've done was 11C. The real guys are talking about ice diving, but i'm not equipped for that yet 🤪
You want to try real cold water diving ... cut threw the 20 inches of solid ice and find the clear water in the 2 to 5 Celsius range ...thats how we do it here...lol
Most of this has nothing to do with cold water per see (apart from the thicker suit and weights). All else is more about diving on your own (well, with a buddy), without a dive center handling logistics and guiding for you.
Coldwater diving would be about doing things underwater with 5mm gloves on. Or a mask replacement in 10 C water.
Thanks for the comment.
Cool
See you in the premiere!!
Haha. See what you did there. ✌️
Wanna have cold water? Try germany in winter 😝. Is more like flying in outer space.
I'm cold just thinking about it. When I get a dry suit I'll call you 🤪
@@AzulUnlimited Must be good fitting. RIG needs to be balanced, strong undergament + heating and You´re fine. But feels more like Astronaut then. 😁
@@johannmattis4842 one day! I want to feel like an astronaut :D
@@AzulUnlimited Most important is a good fitting drysuit + undergarment. Not such a pressed sausage. Then it beats wetsuitdiving buoyancy and trim 10 out 10 times. I use that regardless of temperature. A bit cost intensive at the beginning, but then is no way back.
@@johannmattis4842 I'm hoping to get into a DUI dry suit soon!
What's your cold water/hood HAIR situation?
I do my typical single braid and it seems to work for me.
wait there is cold water in California?
hahaha
My mom friend Marty and I wear wetsuits and dive gloves and dive hoods and dive boots and dive fins dive masks and scuba tanks and bcds and regulators to breath from and breath underwater with my mom friend Marty can Marty and I wear wetsuits and dive gloves and dive hoods and dive boots and dive fins dive masks and scuba tanks and bcds and regulators to breath from for warm water diving yes I like to see more scuba diving video on azul unlimited
Thanks a lot for watching ;)
Silly video indeed...couldn't say it better myself 🥴
Thanks so much for watching! it's great to have a laugh at yourself 🤪
California? Wait! What?
Yup. COVID baby. Good times 👌
It is not cold water if you use wetsuit!
hahahah!! That's true LOL
Welcome to Poland 4 celsius degrees ICE diving :P ua-cam.com/video/vnKVVVcqK24/v-deo.html
oooooo... one day... I've gotten tougher since making this video so I would love to check it out!