New York is home to many dedicated scuba divers and it is easy to find a scuba diving school if you want to receive your scuba diving training in the New York area and go scuba diving in NY. You might not think of New York as a scuba diving destination, but there are actually many interesting dive sites in close proximity to this busy city and scuba diving in NY is very popular. The easiest way of finding out more about dive sites near New York is of course to contact one of the many scuba diving clubs, scuba diving schools and scuba diving trip arrangers that are based in New York City or New York State. If you live in New York and plan to go on a scuba diving holiday to another part of the world, you can prepare your vacation by participating in classroom and pool training while still in New York. This way, you will already be well on your way towards your diving certificate when your holiday starts.
Scuba diving NY – Wreck Valley
If you want to go scuba diving in NY, you should definitely not miss the Wreck Valley located East of New Jersey and South of Long Island. Keep in mind that you need special training to penetrate wrecks. Local regulations regarding wrecks can also apply. Never enter a wreck or collect artifacts unless you know for sure that it is allowed. Collecting artifacts is rarely permitted, and you should also keep in mind that artifact collecting gradually deprive the wreck of its original charm. A wreck that has been stripped by artifact collectors will be less interesting for subsequent divers.
Wreck Valley is a virtual ship graveyard and the sea floor is filled with scattered shipwrecks from various epochs. The ships also vary greatly when it comes to size, style and previous purpose. A majority of the scuba diving in Wreck Valley takes place from early April to late November, but scuba diving in NY is of course possible year round as long as you have the necessary equipment. You can reach Wreck Valley with one of the many boats that leave from New Jersey, Long Island and Brooklyn. Some wrecks can be reached within 20 minutes of departure, while others are located more than 7 hours from the mainland. A majority of the boats will only traffic the Wreck Valley during the weekend, but there are a few lines that operate on Wednesdays too.
Many different types of scuba divers are attracted to the Wreck Valley and choose to dive here when they go scuba diving in NY. Some of those who go scuba diving in NY are passionate wreck divers that have dived numerous shipwrecks in the tropical waters and long for a new wreck diving experience. The cooler New York waters affect how shipwrecks decay, a fact which makes scuba diving in NY different from wreck diving in tropical waters. Other scuba divers are more interested in the fascinating marine flora and fauna that surrounds the wrecks in Wreck Valley than the wrecks themselves when they go scuba diving in NY. Underwater photographers are typically very fond of scuba diving NY and the Wreck Valley. A third type of diver is the hunter. We must however advise you to be cautious when scuba diving NY. Do not engage in spear fishing or other forms of hunting when you go scuba diving in New York unless you know for a fact that you are allowed to do so.
Scuba diving NY – Dutch Springs
If you want to go freshwater scuba diving in NY, you can visit Dutch Springs. From New York and New Jersey, you go west on I7 to Rte. 22 (exit 3, last exit in N.J.). You then proceed to Route 191, take North on 191 and continue driving to Hanoverville road. Roughly 1 mile north of Route 22, you turn left and proceed for roughly 1 more mile until you have Dutch Springs on your left hand side.
Dutch Springs is a 50 acre lake that has been turned into an Aqua Park. A lot of non-scuba divers visit the area during the summer. The water in the lake comes from a spring and is filtered through limestone to ensure great visibility.
If you want to go scuba diving NY during the summer, a 7 mm wetsuit is usually enough. During the warm season, the surface temperature in Dutch Springs is typically from 75 to 80° Fahrenheit (24 to 27° Celsius). A wetsuit with a hood and gloves is recommended. You should keep in mind that there are thermoclines throughout the lake. You can expect the water temperature to decrease by 10º Fahrenheit every 30 feet (9 meters). The water temperature at the bottom of Dutch Springs stay around 45-50° Fahrenheit throughout the year. (7-10° Celsius), so if you want to dive to the bottom you might want to use more than a 7 mm wetsuit.
When you go scuba diving in NY Dutch springs you will need a buddy, unless you can show a solo diving certification card. With a solo diving certification card, you will be required to fill out additional forms and rent a dive locator (a deposition is also required for the dive locator). Most people therefore choose to go with a dive buddy. You can find a dive buddy for scuba diving in NY by contacting a dive centre or visit any of the online forums where NY scuba divers communicate with each other. You can also visit www.dutchsprings.com and look for a dive buddy in their forum. On this page you will also find a lot of useful information about scuba diving in NY Dutch springs.
