There are many dive sites along the coast of Maine that come up during a typical scuba related conversation about diving in the northern waters. One dive site, on the south coast of Maine, always comes up; Nubble Light just south of Sohier Park. It is here, with plenty of sea life including crab, lobster and lots of fish, divers tend to begin their quest into the northern waters.

There are several general rules to follow in order to make the most out of your dive trip throughout the Maine coast. Be sure and use a flashlight to peer between the rocks, diving with a drysuit will keep you warm in the cold Atlantic waters and be careful because some of the rocks at low tide can be slippery. You can see almost everything on general coast dives without ever getting deeper than 30 ft. It is important, however, to follow the advice of local dive shops on where to dive; some of the Maine coastline can be dangerous due to rocks and currents.

Now for the Nubble Light...this dive site is extremely popular with out-of-state divers. Many divers choose it because of it's easy entrance. It also has free parking, but with up to 150 divers on a single summer day, spaces could fill up early. It is important to note many of the dive sites in Maine have free parking, but even without other divers you have to compete with tourists coming to the coastline to take in the scenic beauty. At Nubble Light with its lighthouse sitting so close on its own picturesque island not far from the main shoreline, it also tends to be a tourist favorite.

I was recently told once upon a time Nubble Light was so popular that dive shops from afar would bus divers in for training. They'd refill their tanks on site with portable air compressors. For the locals who lived nearby, it must have been like watching the US Marines landing with the noise of downtown construction inserted for good measure. Perhaps that's why air compressors are forbidden at Nubble Light now and scuba diving is not permitted on Sundays. Gene Sutton of All Resource Diving in Sebec ME says the Nubble is a pretty crowded site on a regular basis. "I don't know all the history behind Nubble Light but it is a good dive site and can be crowded," Sutton says. "You do have to compete with tourist but it is well worth the effort as an experience."

Moving up the coastline, the second most often mentioned dive site is Kettle Cove, a part of Crescent Beach State Park. You can dive it any season, it too has free parking and an easy entrance. There is lots of sea life. Maine is infested with lobsters of every size, color and demeanor, but unfortunately, the lobster season is closed to scuba divers. Not to worry though, because lobster stew is already being served hot at a plethora of well-established Maine eateries. Kettle Cove has one of the highest amounts of juvenile lobsters of any of the twenty some juvenile lobster monitoring locations in the state which makes for a cool dive experience. The lobsters are nocturnal by nature, so you might have to peek between rocks or peer inside hollowed-out areas to find the lobsters hiding out from flounder, cod and seals. Divers should note that while I usually only carry my C-card for air fills or dive boat verification, in Maine state park officials may check your C-card, so have it readily available if asked.

A third dive site for your consideration would be Rachel Carson Salt Pond not far from Portland. Rachel Carson was an environmentalist and marine biologist who wrote "The Edge of the Sea" in 1955 and "Silent Spring" in 1962. The local dive site is called Round Pond and you will understand the name as soon as you see the site. Julie Footnan, an instructor out of Aqua Diving Academy in Portland, likes this site because it can be a shallow or a deep shore dive and after having made more than a hundred dives at this site she still has not been below 110 ft. but when you are a good instructor and busy teaching student divers all the time, the students come first and deep dives just have to wait.

Another dive site to consider is Acadia National Park. As Randy Cook from Aqua City Scuba in Waterville points out, it's all about the visibility. While the visibility may be 12-16 ft. at other dive sites in Maine, here the visibility can go up to 20 ft. It has a rocky bottom with lots of marine life, but you'll have to go out quite a ways to get below 40 ft. The other side of this site, Cook points out, is the national park which lends itself to multiple activities. You may come here to dive, but you can camp, hike or observe nature above sea level too. When

it comes to outdoor activities Acadia National Park is a real Maine attraction. Sutton adds there are very few places to dive in Acadia so you'll need to ask a local. "The ones that are available have free parking but poor access," Sutton says. "You have to carry your gear up and down lots of rocks. The vis is very good though so it makes it worth it."

While the above mentioned sites are touted as the top ones in Maine, everyone keeps mentioning a few others such as Two Lights and Dyer Cove, which is close to Portland. Besides easy access and a rocky bottom filled with marine critters, there are lots of crevices to explore. One other thing about Maine I should mention is there are probably more boats here than cars in Detroit and kayaks are stealth bombers waiting to separate snorkels from masks, so it's a good idea to carry a dive flag when venturing out and keep a close eye on the surface before rising out of the water. Also fishing line can be a problem, so always carry a knife and scissors to disconnect you from someone else's snagged lines.

There are many more Maine dive sites I didn't get a chance to mention. Fresh water diving is huge here too but that's another article altogether. In the meantime, stop by your local Maine dive shop or ask members of the Maine-iacs Divers dive club for suggestions, I'm sure they can fill your dive log in no time. ■