What is Reddit's opinion of A Shore Diving Guide to New England?

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While I've never dove on the West Coast I have a lot of friends that live there and they say it can be similar.

New England's water temperatures tend to get a little colder than West Coast. In late winter the ocean is typically 36-39f (2-4c). In the summer the surface gets to mid-60s (~17-18c) but below ~70-100ft or so it's almost always going to be in the mid 40s (say ~6c or 7c) or low 50s in peak of summer. Deco temperatures in the summer are really nice.

In the winter if there haven't been any large storms to churn up the bottom or lots of rain to cause run off then visibility can often exceed 30ft-40ft (9m-12m). Winter diving can be fantastic for visibility but most marine life (besides nudibranchs) is absent. Most boats don't run in the winter so a lot of people are limited to shore diving.

In the summer I would say our average visibility is 10-25ft (~4.5m-7.5m). Some dives and areas are better than others. It's not uncommon even have 30ft+ (9m+) on some wrecks or areas with sand/rock bottom composition. Boston Harbor Islands, for example, averages 10-15ft visibility (varies) while Cape Ann area averages 20-25ft visibility.

The majority of shore diving in New England takes place in Cape Ann which encompasses Gloucester, MA and Rockport, MA. Of course there is also diving along the coast in other states like Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine. Maine has a huge shore line and lots of dive sites.

Unlike the West Coast, New England's coastline is relatively shallow so in order to hit depth you'll typically need to be on a boat. A lot of shore dives average depths are 20ft-40ft. Most dive sites (actually pretty much all of them) are not tide dependent although you'll typically have an easier entry and better visibility closer to high tide. Some sites offshore (Stellwagen Bank) or sites closer to tidal estuaries or further north (Eastport, ME) must be planned with slack tide tables.

Jerry Shine (a local photographer) has a really good shore diving guide to New England. https://www.amazon.com/Shore-Diving-Guide-New-England/dp/097629530X