Flying and Diving, a medical investigation from Tanked Up Magazine

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6 February 2025

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	Cold Water Diving The very first time I dived in cold water was in the Great Lakes. Tobermory, the diving capital of Canada on Lake Huron to be exact. I felt clumsy and awkward in my rented 7mm wet suit. With single digit water temperature it was a necessity rather than a luxury. Needless to say, none of that lycra-sleek-comic-book- superhero stuff that is the only thing you need to dive in tropical waters, will suffice here. I also had, on good "expert" advice, enough weight on my weight belt to sink a small inflatable boat. For some reason I could not stop thinking that the effect cold water diving had on me must be similar to the effect of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, especially the part of having your brains smashed with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. Minus the lemon. Minus the gold. Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that I savour pain, Descartes might have said: "I hurt, therefore I am", but talk about too much of a good thing, all at the same time. It took me a few dive trips before I warmed up (pun intended) to the concept of cold water diving. Not diving however was never an option. Back to present day and the oh-so-familiar UK waters. Little choice, if any, in fact only one - cold water diving. Unless global warming really shifts the tropics a few degrees up North this will remain the case for the foreseeable future... To read the rest of this article, you'll need to get your hands on Tanked Up Magazine. It's free. What are you waiting for?
Seagrass » The Trials of UK Diving » Richard Peirce's Sharkipedia » Scapa Flow » Ancient Wreck Hunting » Wakatobi National Marine Park » Weymouth and Portland » DCI Myth Busted » Dos and Don'ts of Diving in Weymouth and Portland » Trip Report Index »