This past week the temperatures dropped to mid sixties. It was nice! This week in Texas the temperatures soared to above 90. It was NICE. Texas Septembers can be a roller coaster of temperatures which means lake temps really don’t know what they are doing and Texas Divers are coming to a close for the season. With the roller coaster of temps, one thing is certain- the End of Summer is here.

For me this brings an urgency to get something booked, connect to divers, grab those last few dives of the season-no matter where they are. I call it the Urgency of Fall. Really, how do you cope with this intense inner emergency that you never want to admit? I have a few tips:

1. Start researching for your summer dive trip.
   • If you are like us, one to two big trips a summer is all we can afford. Therefore, we want to get the most out of money and time.
2. Take inventory of your gear.
   • Every summer, when we are at the training lakes or on a dive boat, I see something I wish I had. However, on vacation or Huntsville, Texas is rarely the time to buy it. Therefore, when you are cleaning and putting up your dive gear, inventory and decide which cool dive gadget do you REALLY NEED and start planning to buy it!
3. Make time to connect to other divers!
   • Find your local Dive Club or PADI Dive Club and connect. Divers are unique and love no matter if it is for fun or for profession. The Fall and Winter months if you are not diving regularly is a great time to connect and share travel information, gear talks, and friendship in general.
4. Become a reseach diver at Spring Lake.
   • Texas State University owns one of the best places to dive in Texas-Spring Lake. As a diver, you can take part in the expirence by becoming a Research diver and volunteering your time. It’s an e-learning module and you have to do a check out dive to learn, but the water is prestine and 70ish all year. It makes a perfect January weekend dive if the sun is out.

The end of summer is inevitable, but the diving blues are not. If you can’t travel this winter because of ALL THE THINGS, try these tips to keep the Winter Dive Blues under control and you will be OK.