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.
New England is famed for its spectacular fall scenery. However, if you want to head for the water, the area also has an abundance of dive sites. The rugged coastline and many islands off Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut are home to a large variety of marine life. You can also head inland and dive in the lakes here, so even landlocked Vermont is a great scuba diving destination.
The varied geography in the region means that you're spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing what type of diving you want to do. Whether you're into wreck diving, cave diving, diving at high altitudes, night diving, diving for oysters or lobster or even ice diving, you'll find it here. The only real limit is how skilled you are.
The states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut border on the Atlantic coast. This means that they are the places to go to if you're looking for saltwater dive sites. Wreck diving is a favorite pastime here, with everything from fishing boats to warships lying at the bottom of the ocean. If you've always thought that submarines can't sink, be sure to visit Rhode Island and explore the wreck of U-853, a German U-boat sunk during World War 2. Marine life in these waters includes shoals of fish as well as sharks, whales and seals.
Heading inland, you'll find quarries, ponds and lakes to explore. There are in fact more than 2,500 of these bodies of water in the north-eastern part of the United States. Many freshwater diving enthusiasts head for Lake Champlain in Vermont, where the lake floor is strewn with historic wrecks.
Another option is to go aquarium diving. The New England Aquarium has a large and very active dive club. If this sounds too tame for you and you want to get out there during winter, you may want to try ice diving. This is challenging but there is a very special thrill to watching your air bubbles float up to the thick frozen ceiling above you.
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're planning on doing some diving in the area, first do some research on the best dive sites for you. There are several New England scuba clubs and dive shops that you can contact for advice. Then make sure that your camera works well under water.
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