Man in the Sea

Dive log: 2024 (and the watches I wore)

I didn’t put on a wetsuit once this year. It was the first twelve-month period in… well, since I started diving back in 2007 that I haven’t swaddled myself in neoprene. That doesn’t mean I didn’t go diving. I dove a fair bit this year, but it was in cold enough water to need a drysuit, mainly—no, entirely—in the Pacific Ocean and the Great Lakes. I’ve come to really like cold water diving. Tropical diving is wonderful in its own way. I mean, who doesn’t like bathtub warm, vodka-clear water and colorful fish? Not to mention beer just tastes better in the tropics.

But cold water diving is special. In the Great Lakes, the fresh, frigid water and long, dark winters inhibit organic growth, leaving the shipwrecks in spectacular condition. The invasive mussels that do live on the wrecks in the lower lakes (all but Superior) filter feed the water to remarkable clarity. And the Pacific—well, the nutrient-rich, cold waters are teeming with life and there is a diversity of underwater topography that is unrivaled.

Looking back at my 2023 dive log, it wasn’t dissimilar: the Pacific and Lake Michigan, but then also the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico. Oh, and under the ice. This year wasn’t as prolific or widespread (USA only!), but just as rewarding. As for dive watches, it was a Blancpain-heavy year (again), but I managed to get a couple others wet—a couple Marathons and a Citizen. That’s a big range in terms of value and brand prestige, but I like to think that diving is the great equalizer. The ocean doesn’t care about brand prestige, and gear that doesn’t work or is too precious to take a licking doesn’t make the cut, period. From Aqualand up to Fifty Fathoms, a dive watch simply has to be accurate, legible, track elapsed time, and not leak. I’m pleased to report that all of the ones I took deep did their job, and did it well.

So without further preamble, here’s the 2024 dive log. I’m fairly sure I’m done diving for this calendar year unless a friend drops her iPhone in Lake Harriet and needs me to retrieve it. Oh, and a special shout-out to my buddy, Ty, at Aquala drysuits for always keeping me warm and dry on all my underwater adventures.