One of the beautiful things about scuba diving any enthusiast will tell you is the fact that the community is very close and always looking to help each other out. In Oklahoma, as the weather starts getting cooler, it is certainly the best time to visit Lake Tenkiller. As things are indeed quite chilly this time of year, we thought it would be beneficial for our readers to review what are the latest innovations in staying warm during cold weather diving.

• Using lottery winnings to pay for Scuba equipment and diving excursions – Believe it or not, there have actually been multiple instances over the past year of lottery prize winners taking their prize money from picking a winning combination of numbers and actually spending it on extravagant trips. Particularly with Powerball winners, they actually have significant money to spend on the best scuba equipment and trips to the most exotic diving locations.
• Fully dry yourself before putting your wetsuit on and going into the water – Ok, so this is actually not a piece of technology or trend but just an overall general good practice. You should be fully drying yourself of any water before even putting first piece of underclothing prior to your wetsuit on. The reason is that once you put your wetsuit on, the material will be non-porous and any water that you did not dry off will stay on and not evaporate, making you extremely chilly as you submerge in the cool water. This is not only uncomfortable but can also be extremely dangerous as hypothermia can even be fatal in the worst cases. You can avoid a lot of this by taking proper safety precautions when you dive. 
• Full body suit including head covering – Many of the body suits available in the market today will NOT cover your head, and that is guaranteed way to ensure you will get extremely cold when you are water. Whenever the water temperature is below 65 degrees F, you need to ensure you are covering your head in order to stay warm. There are many bodysuits out there that will do this for you, just make sure you are actively looking for this feature when purchasing. 

We hope some of these tips will help you have an overall better and more importantly, a safer diving experience. Once you do decide to “take the plunge”, make sure to visit the DiveScubaShack when you get a chance!