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Diver Down: Scuba Diving off Cape Ann

Sure, you could fly to the Caribbean or the Great Barrier Reef to experience top-notch scuba diving, but if you’re coming from the United States, be prepared to shell out quite a few clams. If you’re a hard-core diver, you can still get your fix less than an hour north of Boston off Cape Ann, where a very active community of scuba enthusiasts keeps the “diver down” flags flying in all but the nastiest weather, 12 months of the year.

The fish may not be as bright and colorful here as they are in the tropics, but during spring and summer, you’re likely to be followed by schools of swift striped bass, flounder, and pollack. During the winter, you’ll often be able to get face-to-face with inquisitive harbor seals.

Several shipwrecks also give divers a nice opportunity for exploration. The stern of the Chester Poling, an old oil tanker that sank off the coast in 1977, harbors an enormous concentration of aquatic animals and vegetation, and the Haight, a World War II-era Liberty Ship lies in 50 feet of water further north.

One of the greatest rewards of diving in New England is that at the end of the day you can pick up a lobster dinner from the ocean floor. Lobster-fishing license required, of course.

Practically Speaking
The best resource for anyone with scuba certification is Cape Ann Divers (978-281-8082), on Rt. 127 in the Cape Ann Market Place between downtown Gloucester and Rockport. Full gear and wetsuit rentals and sales and a daily, year-round dive boat (including weekly night dives) are more than enough reasons to pay them a visit. If you’ve got your gear in the trunk and just need a dive buddy, check out the Saturday Date-at-Eight, an ad hoc divers’ rendezvous at the Burger King on northbound Rt. 128 just after Exit 19. A volunteer outreach service of the MetroWest Dive Club, the gatherings are held rain or shine at 8 a.m. year-round, and are designed in part to pair up nonmembers with divers experienced in local water and weather conditions.

Adapted from Moon’s Massachusetts Handbook

Related Links
Cape Ann Divers
Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau
Providence Convention and Visitors Bureau
Photo: David Millhouser
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