[m2b]

I did have big dive plans for today that mostly didn't happen. I was going to do an early morning dive at Lake Sunapee, while everyone else was asleep, and then dive at Goshen Ocean today as well. I figured it would make a perfect comparison check. By the time I got around to doing any diving it was 4PM. I knew to skip Sunapee but I didn't listen. I drove off toward the beach and after getting there I decided to skip it and just go for Goshen Ocean. I just didn't like what I saw so I listened to myself and headed southwest.

I got to lake and put the dive line in and found the surface temp to be 66 degrees. Not to surprising other than the fact Sunapee, MUCH BIGGER, was 70 yesterday and I figured that Goshen Ocean should warm up much faster since it is so much smaller?????? I fin out and get to where I figure I'm pretty much into the usual 28 foot water. I drop the line down and see I'm in 31 foot water. I stay there and breathe up. I dive down and in usual Goshen Ocean fashion I bail. I do get close enough to the bottom to break through the "visibility" layer. I do get to where I can see the threaded rod and watch, used for the "anchor" for the dive line on the bottom. I don't actually touch the bottom though like I have on all four dive each of the past two days. I also noticed that the temperature has dropped QUITE NICELY. I grab the dive line, about two feet up from the bottom and head for the surface. As I get 2/3 of the way to the surface I pull the dive line up to where I can see the watch. I check the temperature and see it make a change reading from 47 to 52 degrees. Making me think that it was 47 degrees on the bottom. I get to the surface and check it again and see it change from 52 to 54 degrees as it has gotten into the warmer surface water. I bail after the one dive and call it quits for the day.

Okay, now that you have read the madness, I think you can already guess the questions that I have. Next message.

1. Is there typically a big, non thermocline, temperature change when you "drop the visibility"? I'm not losing daylight but it acts like I have as the water seems to get much darker. I did notice on Sunapee yesterday that down just about 30-32 feet it was starting to get darker, nothing like I have noticed on Goshen Ocean though in higher water. Granted I was diving quite late in the day yesterday and that may have had some impact on it.

2. Is it normal to be able to see a 4 degree temperature change, rise in temperature, in 24 hours??? Even though this is surface temperature, this still doesn't seem right.

3. After today...is the haze, that I've been told about, that sits right at the thermocline layer a clear haze or does it appear dark in color? I know thermocline temps around here are typically 45-48 degrees. It always seems like the "black zone" and the temperature drop, thermocline or not, always happens at the same depth. I thought the dive shop owner, who has been scuba diving 50 years said the thermocline haze was "clear", but I don't remember for sure and I'm curious considering what I've been noticing.

4. Since I still think my problem with bailing is simply the visibility issue, even though water temp is also a possibility, is there anyway of getting over the psychological aspect of the "black zone"?

I have been seriously considering the idea of putting aluminum foil over the goggles and diving blind for a while, more than one reason for this idea. I know from other experience that aluminum foil will turn day into night very quickly and make it so you can't see anything at all. I'd thought for a long time that free icediving would be fun...than I got talking with the local dive shop owner and he shot that idea up with steriods big time. One of the things I would need to get used to doing for what has now become my ultimate dive would be to get use to diving "blind". Putting aluminum foil over the goggles would create the perfect training ground. I don't think normal, that's for regular people to do.

5. Is it normal to find, in lower visibility waters, that you won't have much visibility as you dive down, until you hit bottom and then the visibility will return to what it was on the surface? Err, like I said about Thursday evening as I dove down I couldn't see the bottom until I was a couple feet off the bottom, but once I was on the bottom I could see 10-12 feet easily on any side of me. Is that normal? If I'm in 10-12 visible water shouldn't I be able to see the bottom from 10-12 feet above it?????????

6. Why do I see such a temperature difference between Goshen Ocean and Lake Sunapee? It seems like, since they are within 20 minutes of each that I should see the same water temperature at the same depth. Actually I would think that I would see cooler temps on Sunapee since it is spring fed and is much bigger it should take longer to warm up both at the surface and at depth, shouldn't it?????

Like I said it has been strange. Too many weird things that don't seem like what I would expect them to.

Thanks for any help,
Ryan