Hi! last did scuba diving about three years ago (lake leman at hermance and in the maldives). Am pretty rusty but would like to revamp : ) let me know when you decide on dates and count me in. Got my own gear (except tank). Cheers, Sheila.

Hi, 

i did a PADI Advanced diver course about 5yrs ago and would love to get back into it.  I'll need to rent everything.  Please let me know when you plan a trip.

thanks

James

Hi, Richard. I post one here, too, following your kind reply to my own posting but on the same topic. There seems to be three postings on the same topic by you and myself. This one and the other one under the General thread both by you and “Diving club/ activity in English in Geneva” by me. I will carry on things here. Adding to my reply to your reply, it would be absolutely fine for me to dive together with anybody who needs a kind of “review” dive in the lake soon. I would also like to make sure of the conditions of my regulator, which has just been done a periodic service, in a shallow and easy dive. If you need to help someone for diving training at the same time, it is fine, too, for me as I would not wish to make a 40m deep dive in the lake soon as the first one of this year for me. Cheers. Kaz

Maybe we can organize a pre-meeting with a refresh-dive so all of us can get together. I am an Open Water Diver preparing for my Advanced OPen water this summer. Got my ABC equipment here and my diving suite. I would have to rent the rest.

Hi Richard, can you recomend a place where you can get trained and certified in Geneva?

Hi, Naurin. I think Richard is qualified as a diving instructor to certify you. This is the thing, there are quite a few diving clubs with an instructor(s), but very limited when it comes to a diving certification course in "good" English. At least I know one called Dive Explorer in Versoix. www.diveexplorer.com 
 You need a car to get to there. Alghough it is a French speaking club, the instructor can certify you in "good" English. I know some other people who are interested to certify them and we may get together soon for a nice and friendly talk over a drink looking at the diving manual (of the training course) of the first level and several other diving things including interesting tips in terms of saving money and so on. Tell me if you like to hear those with us. Cheers. Kaz

Hi Kaz, I would be interested. pls keep me updated.

Thanks.

Hi Naurin,

I only have direct experience with one dive club in Geneva, which is ADN-diving, on Rue de Lyon. They are friendly and professional, but you will need a car to get transport your gear etc. I can introduce you to them, if you wish.

http://www.adn-diving.ch/

However, beware! - if you want to dive because you want to see nice blue water and tropical fish, you will get a shock learning in Geneva! 

Richard

Hi Shiela,

Thanks for responding. Kaz and I are going to start up a Geneva Scuba Diving Group on Glocals, so we can start organising dives on there. Ill let you know when that has been set up.

Richard

Hi Richard,

Great initiative, please count me in, I have Advanced PADI, I only have a 3mm and a 5mm wetsuits and I do not think they will be thick enough for diving around here so I will need to rent most of the equipment.

Cheers

Andras

Hi Andras,

Yep, to dive in the lake I recommend a 6.5mm semi-dry - less bulky than a 7mm+7mm wet-suit. If you have a dry-suit - even better. I know a place where you can rent gear, so can help with that. I'll set up a scuba forum.

Cheers,

Richard

Another option is 7mm wetsuit in mid-summer, ideally the suit tissue (neoprene) is lined with a thin layer of titanium for better heat insulation (keeping warm). Scubapro produced a range of this kind of wetsuits. And in the beginning and end of summer an additional inner vest (2 - 2.5mm), for example. There are different other options of wetsuit combination. 5mm full + 5mm shorty on top of it, etc., etc. Tangible feeling of cold and warm can vary personally. There could be even 4-5C degree difference in actual personal feeling of temperature in water, from one person to another, with the same conditions and the same underwater suit.

As Richard mentioned, a semi-dry suit is recommendable for diving in the Geneva lake if you can afford money and intend to dive in the lake very often since such a suit is more expensive than wetsuits and can be used only in cold water such as the Geneva lake (or at the temperature that YOU would feel cold otherwise.) 

I am using 7mm wetsuit. With an additional 2.5mm inner vest, I feel fine up to 9-10C degree in the lake. I don't easily feel cold in water.

Hi,

I'd be interested in hearing about the glocals scuba diving group when it happens. Though I am a little apprehensive about the cold waters of Swiss lakes... (most of my diving has been in Australian & Asian waters).

Do you know if it's possible to hire dry suits? However, I've never used one so a few pointers from an instructor would be good!

Cheers

Kathy

Hi Kathyl,

I understand your aprehension - Swiss lakes are dark, cold and the visibility can be very low. However, there is always a positive side, and for me they are great places to explore - fresh water crayfish, pike and other critters. Also, if you get some experience in these more demanding waters, you'll become a much better diver.

I'm not sure if it is possible to hire dry suits, but you can hire semi-dry, whcih are usually enough unless you want to go below 40m.

Richard

Hi Richard,

you know nothing about how much diving I've done so why do you assume I have not dived in "demanding" conditions? My apprehension was not based on degree of difficulty but degree of enjoyment... As I said, the only thing that I am not familiar with is a dry suit.

All the best

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Sorry if I offended you, it certainly wasnt my intention. By demanding I was referring to cold (below ten degrees celcius) and low visbility, which significanlty increases stress levels. I've never come across those sorts of conditions in Asia and Australia. With regards to enjoyment - the worst part about diving in Swiss lakes in my experience is when you actually get out of the water because that's when the cold really hits you. Otherwise, I usually find it quite enjoyable, although I do know some people who tried it out and hated it. I highly recommend giving it a go.

Richard

Thanks Reichard, for sharing your good knowledge and experiences that many people can trust and rely on.

What you mention about diving in the lake (Geneva lake) is exactly the case just up until recent days over the cold season, and would be like that after summer from around October. In between, that the season for me! Once in mid-summer, I remember that the water temperetaure at 20m deep was 20 degree in the lake! (Exceptional!) The best visbility I remember was about 7m or so... The worst visibility was like less than 1m! Even some brochets (a big fish, 50cm or so) couldn't even see divers so that I was almost bamping into it :-))  The fish must have been astonished by me apprearing just in front if its eyes out of the "green"...

When it is sunny, diving in the lake is fun! I heard that there are some 20 different kind of fish in the Geneva lake, in different dive spots.

Yet, some divers hate diving in the lake, while some others love it!

Day trips for diving in lakes and rivers in other cantons would absolutely doable as soon as nice sunny days come (very soon). Thanks for many tips on those destinations, Richard! We will do that soon with other divers! Kaz

Fellow divers,

In case you are interested, there is a Geneva Scuba Diving Group in the groups menu. Please join, and we can continue our discussion/organise dives etc there.

www.glocals.com/groups/geneva/geneva-scuba-diving-group.htm

Thank you,

Richard

Hi, all.

Here are some links to video clips and photos I shot that I thought might be useful for the people curious to imagine about Geneva Lake diving.

The “Scuba Diving” GROUP page cannot be posted with photos so that I post these here. 

Please note that these video clips were taken with my old movie camera before I changed it. The quality is very low! Also, these links are set to “private” = only those who have the links can watch them. If you lose the links, you won't be able to find it again on YouTube. When you click the link, each video clip indicates roughly what it is about and whether a colour filter was used or not at shooting. I hope these can provide some good imagination about Geneva lake diving. 

Geneva Lake dive in Hermance - shallow water: This is about the average visibility, I would say...

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FB6ZT4gXvk

Geneva Lake dive in Hermance - “perche”: This was shot right after the "regeneration" season of perchet. But they are seen in water all year around!.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRkDqMsv-B0

Geneva Lake dive in Hermance - Brochet: You can see how brochet reacts, and its rough size comparing with a diver behind it...

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Ck1bfpsE4

Geneva Lake dive in Hermance - Brochet passing by: Usually if you are still or moving very slowly, it stays stll in water and won't swim away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bgd7mYHhVU

Geneva Lake dive in Hermance - crayfish: it is everywhere...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH0lJTtjyFI

Geneva Lake dive in Hermance - near a pier: This one was shot with a colour filter. The coulour is not so blue like this. But so gree at this depth of 3-5m either! And, there are fish in Geneva Lake!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVZOep2Gze8

Geneva Lake night dive in Genthox - Resting "perches": Night dive is also fun! Fish are resting (sleeping?) at night. You can get close to them around 30 cm!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIlZOuQb55w

Cheers. Kaz

Sorry, I forgot photos. Here they are... Kaz

Anyone interested to meet up for talks in a cafe/bar this week, Fri, Sat, Sun or Mon?

I posted this on GENEVA SCUBA DIVING GROUP comments, too.

Topics can include; What we have done about diving; what we like to do about diving; getting certified; diving in lakes & rivers in Switzerland; clubs and shops for diving; ideas of group diving trips (short- and long distance), for example. And we can plan a next dive in the lake (also for those who wish for a review dive) to make soon. Kaz