Moving to Madison from California.

[DiveCaptDean]

Justin,
i have no choice but to assume that you are well settled in at this time, but wanted to add a few thoughts. Underwater Connection is Delafield..roughly 40miles from Madison is a good shop to hit. See Colin there, he is a hell of a nice guy and is also a PADI Course Director. Underwater also offers TDI courses through instructor Michael Haynes. Milkwaukee has fantastic wreck diving, several of which are in recreational depths. Yes, we get a little cold here, and a dry suit would be a worth while investment, but you will be fine with your 6.5 suit for most of the season. There are several charters along the lake from Chicago to Sheboygan. in Milwuakee, i know of three regular charters. Len-der charters, aboard a steel hulled ex gill net fishing boat (Lender) Master Capt. Jerry Guyer runs all year long and generally has ten or better divers on each trip throughout the summer. Nordic Diver, aboard a 31ft? bayliner is most commonly a Technical charter and Captain Bill usually runs to the wrecks beyond recreational depth, with 6 divers or less. WreckXpress dive charters runs a 28ft Trojan Flybridge. They will take 6 divers out to local wrecks, and will customize trips for a small group. They are also able to provide an instructor if arrangements are made in advance. I am partial to WreckXpress as i own it, feel free to drop me an email at DiveCaptDean@aol.com.
In general, you will find alot of great people to dive with in the area. There are a lot of very good divers in the area, most of which are happy to play tour guide, or just welcome new divers. Enjoy the local diving, as you will find the best preserved shipwrecks in the world here, and Milwaukee is a great place to start.
Welcome
Dean