Moving to Madison from California.

[scubert]

Hey Justin,
Welcome aboard.
Freshwater is pretty much the same. If you've got your own gear, plan to drop some lead from your setup. If you are planning to purchase new gear, I'd look at a drysuit and winterized reg. In the great lakes and some of the quarries around here the bottom is regularly <50*f.
Be prepared for the color green. Most of the inland waters turn solid green by the middle of summer. If wrecks are your thing, there are a few charters that run out of most port cities on Lake Michigan.
The wreck diving here is very good, said to be some of the best in the world.
I don't have too much experience with the dive shops in Madison, but what little I do have is that overall, you will have a better selection of products in Milwaukee. Madison recently lost one of it's shops "The Crabby Hermit" was OOB last time I went up.
Welcome to Wisconsin, Madison is a great place to live.
scubert