Diving into the Winter Chill

There is something about the full-body chill of a Pacific Northwest winter. For multiple months of the year, I often feel damp to the bone amidst rain and frozen fog. Over time, this same phenomenon makes its way to my psyche and impacts my daily moods as I begin to interact with the world with increased apathy. My frustration with these emotions led to a scuba trip in the middle of January.

I have been planning to get my advanced scuba diving certification for a few years now. A couple of times, I even signed up for university classes to get it, but I later had to drop the class because I was too busy to complete the full course. Somehow, the winter term of my senior year was when I finally made time for this endeavor.

On Friday the 24th of January, I left Eugene to drive five hours to Mike’s Beach Resort, on the Hood Canal in Washington for the trip. As my instructor noted before the arrival, “resort is a generous way to describe the place”. We stayed in a large dorm close to the ocean with some diving resources like a fill station. The water temperature during the weekend hovered around mid-forties on the surface but was significantly lower the deepest we dove.

I could tell you that the second the icy cold water hit my face on my first dive I felt a wash of relief from my winter mind fog. But this unfortunately would be a lie. The truth is, I was uncomfortably cold for most of the weekend. I dreaded diving back into the freezing ocean water every time we prepared for a dive.

Despite this, I thoroughly enjoy myself. Diving is an absolute blast and the fact I got to do this during the winter months is a blessing within itself. Times like these are when I feel most like myself during the winter. I also felt like I truly earned the certification that I received because I completed the course in grueling conditions.

In subsequent posts, I hope to explore more about my strategies for making it through 22 winters in Oregon. Many of these are through continuing my passions despite internal and external challenges. It is no surprise that mental health experiences a decline during these months in our region. The incorporation of research surrounding this is essential to understanding how to combat the dregs of PNW winters.