Structures are free of kelp in winter
Adding a hood and gloves , or a thicker variant , will help hugely as will the addition of some neoprene socks under your wetsuit boots . Make sure your pre-dive routine allows you to enter the water in a state of relative comfort ; you ’ re unlikely to warm up once you ’ re in there .
Changing into your wetsuit somewhere protected by the weather helps you stay warm as long as possible . Likewise , getting changed back into snug , comfy clothes out of the elements ( even if it just means using a big , windproof robe ) and having a flask of something hot to sip can be a big help . Of course , if you can make it to a seaside hostelry that serves warming beverages next to an open fire , that ’ s your post-dip gold standard .
As previously mentioned , sometimes the weather can play in our favour in winter , but often it can be windier and wetter . Don ’ t just look at the day of the dive but the preceding few days . Heavy rain can cause run-off and mess the visibility days after the event , as can strong winds in the
PHOTO : DAN BOLT wrong direction . These same rains can make rivers lethal , a much more serious issue than bad viz .
Please take time to consider your lighting resources . Even during a day dive , with the sun lower in the sky and the likelihood of cloud cover , a torch might become essential to get the most from your time in the water . Also consider illuminating yourself and your surface marker buoy with small lights .
Night will commence much earlier and faster . You may commence your dive as a day-snorkel but exit the water as a night dive . “ It was light when I went in ” won ’ t be of consolation after you ’ ve been hit by a boat .
So , yes , there are challenges to winter snorkelling . But with some prep and motivation they can be overcome and endured . After all , if we didn ’ t relish a challenge , and couldn ’ t cope with imperfect conditions , we ’ d not be British Divers ! �
Andy under a bridge , inexplicably avoiding the rain
PHOTO : DAN BOLT
For more information on snorkelling with BSAC go to bsac . com / snorkelling Looking to introduce snokelling into your club ? Find out more at bsac . com / snorkellinginstructor
Night diving starts early in winter
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