Ten years ago, the thought of diving off the cold Oregon Coast never
entered my mind. Although I live in Oregon, an hour or so from the
coast, my dreams of diving were based much farther south. I could
barely stand the wait for my yearly trek to dive warm water. Even
obtunded by pregnancy, I would launch into the local pool and pretend I
was in Belize or Roatan, fantasizing that the band-aids and hairballs
were really small ocean critters. As a dedicated fair-weather diver,
the trips happened much too far apart and were over, it seemed, in the
clearing of a mask.
My skills deteriorated with the long intervals and every vacation
required more time to get comfortable with my gear. The disgust of
feeling like an inadequate diver drove me to enroll in a Divemaster
program at our local dive shop. I chose the long route that included
assisting ten open water classes along with the book work and exams. It
would take a year. This all sounded wonderful until I realized that our
classes do their open water checkouts at the coast, all four seasons!
"Armed to the gills with knowledge on hypothermia and dehydration, totally
prepared to face this freezing she-devil of an ocean, I was completely
caught off guard by her stupefyingly huge beauty."
So it was that I began my relationship with the Oregon Coast. Armed to
the gills with knowledge on hypothermia and dehydration, totally
prepared to face this freezing she-devil of an ocean, I was completely
caught off guard by her stupefyingly huge beauty. Now ten years later,
I find myself still aching to hit the coast for a weekend of diving and
camping.
I have recently read a handful of articles in dive journals about cold
water diving (water colder than 70F). All the writers stress how
difficult and/or dangerous this type of diving is unless you are
prepared. This seems to me to be a foregone conclusion. What is
missing is what I have experienced over the years and wish to share
with my reader. . . how to dive cold, be safe, and have FUN doing it.
When I pack my car for a weekend of cold water diving and camping, it
looks like I’m leaving for a trans-Alaska trek:
-dive gear, four tanks.
-camera gear, four-one gallon jugs of water
-dry suit and polar fleece underwear, extra wool socks
-six towels
-three sets of warm clothes including wool socks
-giant down parka with hood, rain gear
-wool watch cap and wool gloves (it stays warm when it’s wet...)
-four packets of small disposable chemical heaters (open and shake for
heat - can be purchased at ski/winter sport shops)
-subzero sleeping bag and pillows
-portable book light and juicy novel
-inflatable mat to sleep on
-33 gallon empty clean plastic trash can
-3 gallon plastic bucket for the camera
-large waterproof tarp
-half a dozen lawn size garbage bags
-$10 roll of quarters
-propane camp stove and fuel
-coffee pot and cup (bring two if you’re sociable)
-bowl, spoon, knife
-roll of paper towels
-saucepan and lid
-two thermos’ - one big, one regular
-a tent if your car is too small to sleep in
-about twenty feet of clothesline and some plastic hangers
For food, I’m not the one to consult if your taste runs toward gourmet,
or even adult for that matter, but basic rules apply for diving
appetites across the board:
-Low on greasy fat.
-High on carbohydrate and protein.
-Low on caffeine and alcohol.
-High fluid intake.
-If you are on a diet, throw it out with the bath water for the
weekend. Cold water diving calls for LOTS of calories.
A very basic list of food items that I take:
-loaves of bread, boxes of crackers, jars of shelled nuts
-peanut butter, jelly, honey
-turkey slices, cheese slices
-apples, oranges, carrots - cleaned, sliced, ready to eat
-yogurt, homemade granola (!), candy
-quarts of non-carbonated fruit drinks
-Ramen style noodles and canned soup (emergency rations)
