Snorkel Freak

[ripit]

Never thought of diving before. Then in March I went on a snorkeling trip in St. Thomas as part of a cruise excursion. There was a wreck 30 feet below and I was hooked. I wouldn't come out of the water - it was like an out of body experience.
That was just snorkeling. I can only assume that diving is that plus far more.
My issue is that I am unsure whether it is safe enough for a guy with a bum ticker like I have.
I live in Ottawa and want to snorkel ALL THE TIME - is there an area you can recommend?
thanks in advance,
Ripit

[blee]

I'm not a doctor, but IMHO, diving itself can under many conditions be more effortless than snorkeling. However, you do have to carry large amounts of equipment (around here, with the cold water, 60-90 lbs is not unusual) so getting in and out of the water can involve quite a bit of exertion, and dealing with an emergency can require a large amount of effort. Most dive certifications include swimming a few laps of the pool and treading water for 5-10 min. Depending on how bum your ticker is, diving may unfortunately not be recommended. For instance, symptomatic coronary artery disease is often considered a show stopper (http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.aspx?faqid=67). However, people do dive after things have been resolved, such as after procedures such as angioplasty or bypass. Being able to sustain 13 METS (roughly equivalent to being able to run at 8 min/mile or 5 min/km) in a cardiac stress test is a key threshold. You can get more information about different medical issues from the Divers Alert Network (http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/Default.aspx). Like any potentially strenuous activity, clearance from your doctor may be strongly recommended or required for certification.

To partly answer your question about places to go around here, the wrecks of the Connestoga (in Cardinal) and the Rothesay (Prescott) on the St Lawrence are both relatively shallow and the river currents low enough to be considered easily snorkellable. Unfortunately, the underwater life here is generally not as visually spectacular as in warmer waters. Might be something to do with having to be able to survive the Canadian winter. :D

[owlbill]

I would agree with Ben about the medical issues. I personally feel a professional medical opionion should be given for your situation, for either snorkeling or most certainly scuba diving. In the end though, the choice to snorkel or not is yours.

As for locations, the Conestoga in Cardinal Ontario would be one. The Rothesay is shallow, but is quite a long way out from shore. I would not recommend this for snorkeling unless people are in good shape for the swim. Centeen Park in Brockville could be ok, but as Ben mentioned, there is usually not much life to see and the visibility can be dark and green. Some people have had luck with inland lakes near cottages or camping but that might take a bit more research as to which exact locations. I cannot remember any specific ones. Sorry. Though not very warm, Morrison's Quarry near Wakefield Quebec might be ok. Almost zero life other than divers, but visibility can be good and there are a shallow small boat and small plane to see.

Dive (snorkel in this case) safe.
Bill

[blee]

Bill brings up a good point about some sites being more physically demanding.

One thing you may want to consider when evaluating possible snorkeling locations around here is what type of snorkeling you're used to. The 'floating on the surface looking down' tends to be less popular here because of the usually lower visibility conditions compared to warm sea water. When you say snorkeling to those of us used to diving around here, we have a bit of a tendency to think of 'free diving (breath-hold diving aka skin diving) down to the bottom'. This is somewhat more strenuous than the former.

Also, as a general statement, most places you would want to snorkel around here probably have at least a bit of current. (The water may be clearer than more stagnant locations. There are exceptions, of course.) If you're not used to this, it's a bit of extra effort.

I don't know how much you've considered the lower temperatures here. A few major effects are worth mentioning. One is that your body has to work harder to stay warm. Another caution is that the sudden shock of rapid immersion can be an issue especially for people with existing cardio-vascular conditions. Finally, even when snorkeling you'll probably want significantly more exposure protection (wet suits or dry suits) than down south. These are tighter, heavier and generally take more effort to move in, and you'll probably also need to carry several pounds of lead to counteract the buoyancy (i.e. be neutrally buoyant so that you can sink on demand).

I don't want to discourage you by mentioning all these issues (probably not even a complete list). Quite the opposite; I hope you find the snorkeling or diving you're looking for somewhere around here, and that by anticipating these potential pitfalls, you avoid any unpleasant surprises that might have made the whole experience a turn-off.

[owlbill]

Don't forget also to be aware of boating traffic and use a dive flag or something for visibility.

Hopefully, someone else might have more location suggestions.

[ripit]

Thanks to all that replied. Wonderful advice from all. I've just booked a snorkeling excursion for my trip to the D.R. in July. 25th anniversary!
I'll check out Morrisons this summer on the hot days - ance my Cardiologist gives me the OK, (hoping he will) It'll be off to Burtons for certification.
Thank you again,
John