Posted by CalAbDiver on July 11, 2001 at 17:34:23:
In Reply to: Re: So.Cal. Vacation want to dive. posted by MHK on July 11, 2001 at 17:20:46:
for a price $$$.
definitely find a dive shop. i havent seen any dive shop owners post lately. there is a NAUI shop in Beverly Hills. the owner occasionally posts here and participates in the friendly banter.
btw, the Arctic and Antarctica are about the only dive locations that i can think of that are more challenging dive sites than California. thats because you have to cut through the ice there, and it becomes a DIR tech dive.
and Southern Cal is actually a relatively warm water dive compared to the rest of the State. one wetsuit down there is plenty. up here in Northern California we wear overlapping wetsuits or else double wetsuits, or dry suits. all of those (even in SoCal) cause a sense of claustrophobia until you get used to it.
and improper Pb(lead) weighting can be a safety hazard. flood a drysuit, and that is a rescue scenario.
Alaska seems about the same as Northern California except the drysuit becomes a requirement not just an option. Plus we dont get snow and icebergs.
Get the picture: cold water !!!