Posted by Steve on January 31, 2003 at 08:09:24:
In Reply to: Diving in April posted by kate Eberlein on January 30, 2003 at 18:44:17:
"From what I've read - the water temps are cold - are they still that cold in April?"
Plan on the water temp's being 50-60 degrees F. We have thermoclimes here so you will find warmer water at shallow depth and sometimes "El Nino" conditions that warm it up so there are exceptions. You will need good exposure protection, thick wet suit, hood, gloves, booties. With the added rubber at least 5mm maybe 7mm you will need more lead which makes it more difficult to control buoyancy. Low visibility is another issue to deal with here sometimes. It can lead to buddy seperation and possible panic if that diver has never been alone in the ocean. Panic and poor dive planning are IMO the two leading causes of accidents. Air consumption also increases with the added load and colder water. You may get tangled in kelp which isn't much of problem if you don't panic and just untangle, snap or cut the kelp free. These are some of the problems you may encounter but California diving in and around the kelp forest is fantastic in good conditions.
There will be a learning curve for your family to adapt from Caymen to California diving. However, you are asking some good questions so developing a good transition plan should be beneficial. If you have time consider a trip to Catalina to dive Casino point and the front side from some of the dive boats there.
Steve