Not to be another annoying person to remind you that fall will be here soon, but I’d like to offer some exciting activities that await you besides Monday night, Thursday evening, and all of Sunday. By all means, savor every last bit of barbeque and sun. But in the meantime, I would also like to inform you that we are upon some of the best cold-water sports conditions right outside your backdoor. So if you’re craving an active transition from your summer to fall, I suggest you put on a wetsuit.
Grab the Diver’s Flag
For those of you who dive around the Puget Sound, you already know that it is one of the coolest environments to experience underwater. Alternatively, those of you who maybe went on a dive “that one time” in Hawaii with the family in 20 feet of pristine clear water but wouldn’t event think about dipping a toe in our cold waters, I implore you to reconsider. And for the rest of you who think you can’t dive because of phobias, finances, or otherwise, I hope dispel that myth.
The Pacific Northwest boasts an insanely rich array of aquatic life, even in the bustling waters of Seattle. At Cove 2, for example, in the city’s West Seattle neighborhood, you step right into the water looking at the downtown skyline. Less than ten minutes later, you can find yourself at the “Honey Bear,” and old wooden sunken boat. There’s not much left of it, I didn’t know what to expect on my first dive there. What makes the Honey Bear so special is that it is a favorite resting and nesting place of the Pacific Giant Octopus. These creatures are huge and unique to our great waters. Head about 30 minutes up north to the Mukilteo T-docks, where you can conveniently hand pick your Dungeness crab dinner while in-season. Just make sure to abide by the crabbing laws!
People’s natural first concern about cold water diving is the lack of visibility. But as fall rolls in, and the air gets crisper, there are less kelp/algae blooms in the water and thus better visibility. It’s also a great time to get certified if you aren’t already. Several PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) instructors are available, and many have dive-fairs where you can get discounted lessons. Don’t worry, they won’t chuck you in the frigid waters right away. You spend two weeks in the classroom and the pool learning everything you need to know before heading out for your open-water dive. And, the cost of rental equipment is typically covered in the price of your lesson. If the cold water really sounds like something you don’t want to mess with, you can get certified in a dry suit instead of the 7mm wetsuit. However, your buoyancy control is different and you can’t pee in your suit (hey, you gotta go when you gotta go, and sometimes you don’t want to be peeling off all your gear in-between dives). Personally, I’ve found that even on a cold November day in Seattle, I’m so warm from the physical act of suiting up all that neoprene that I can’t wait to get in the water.
Surf’s Up, Brah
Another less popular, but equally as exciting cold-water sport you can indulge in is surfing the Washington and Oregon Coasts. According to the more seasoned suffers at Surfline, fall is actually a better time to surf the coast than the summer because there is far less “pea soup” fog and that water can actually drop into the mid-40 degrees Fahrenheit instead of its usual 50-53 degrees Fahrenheit due to upwelling, an oceanographic phenomenon where the wind drives cooler water towards the ocean’s surface (where the warmer surface water usually dwells). You’re also more likely to catch a clean wave, whereas in the summer you might find choppiness from the wind.
If you’re going to take a dip in the Pacific, you’re probably going to gear up in a 3mm-5mm wetsuit with booties (add gloves and a hood if you’re prone to getting cold). Rentals are typically very affordable. For example, you can rent a board and wetsuit at the Westport Surf Shop in Westport, WA for $30.00. They, and many other surf shops along the Oregon and Washington coast also offer surf lessons. These can come in handy if you’re like me, incredibly afraid of angering the local seasoned surfers. Or, if you have some experience, just try to be courteous and find out where the experienced surfers try to pick up waves and maybe hang down from where they catch their waves.
So, enjoy the rest of your summer. But if you’re lamenting the approach of shorter, colder days, you might as well prepare to escape them in the water.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
