I'm changing. I'm starting to really enjoy diving all these cold water enclaves throughout the Midwest. Recently, I got to dive Dutch Springs in Pennsylvania. I went for a DUI DOG Rally and Demo Tour because I didn't fancy taking on the 50°F water (and colder down deep) in a wetsuit. DUI provided the drysuit for me, a CLX 450 (thanks!!!), so I joined a friend of mine from Olympus, John McGuire and his buddy, PADI Dive Instructor, Bob Hahn, for some cold water exploration at this iconic dive site. Now, the first thing you need to know is divers that dive here love this sport. And, each weekend they cover the rolling hills around this spring with tents, tanks and BBQ grills. They come from Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware. I was also told that more divers get certified here than anywhere in the Caribbean. I have two things to say to that: Brrrr; and Bravo. You can dive with me anytime.

Now, you have to also know that John and Bob don't dive dry. Bob has been an instructor at Dutch Springs for years and wears a…yes, a 5 mm! John, a 7 mm (wimp). So, they made fun of me mercilessly for my drysuit. I didn't care, I was just fine with that.

Dutch Spring, I found out right away, is cool. I love wrecks and things that resemble wrecks. So, Bob takes me on a tour to the Helicopter sunk here, the Cessna, an old Schoolbus, a few old boats, all striking and interesting in their own way. As an encore they took me to the working end of this ex-cement plant, where ladders once brought workers to the bottom 85 feet down. Here, the water dips to a brisk 48°F, but the viz kinda blew me away. I could look up the ladders and see the trees above that surrounded Dutch Springs. Like a ladder to heaven.

Between dives, Bob and John shivered, and I reveled in my newfound love for these unique cold water havens that undeservedly get the short shrift in our mags.

I also loved exploring nearby Bethleham, PA, a postcard piece of Americana.

For more information, check out www.dutchsprings.com.

For more information about joining the DUI DOG Rally and Demo Tour events for 2010 click here for the complete schedule.