To continue or not to continue

[drdaddy]

Hello all! Not to sound like I'm whining, but diving is a pain in the butt! It's a whole lot of aggravation for not a whole lot of fun! My girlfriend and I are both ready to quit.

I've dove in the US, Mexico and the Bahamas. We have much more fun snorkling than we've ever had diving.

I know I see lots of folks loving it. So I would like to hear from those who may think I'm doing something wrong!!! I bought my own equipment so I would like to talk to a few folks to see if I can get some inspiration.

Thanks,
Dayne

There are many thoughtful (cognitive) answers above, so I thought I'd give you personal emotional (irrational) response.

Diving isn't for everyone.

Read the following with smiles and excited, enthusiastic, loud, boyish abandonment of all the stress of the topside world!!!

When I was growing up, I wanted Daddy to stop every time we went by a place that looked "swimmable" - I just wanted to get wet - warm or cold - who cares? Then I got a mask and snorkle - it wasn't just "snorkling" at the top, I found out later I was "free diving". So many places back then that equipment wasn't available (like along the Red Sea - now is!!!), so I just went down under as long as my non-smoking lungs could take me.

I'm 58 and love getting wet - warm or cold. I have my own equipment and take as much of it with me, wherever I go (local or around the World), so I can go down as long as my tanks can take me. It doesn't have to be deep or clear or warm - just wet!!!

My wife, who is my best friend and we enjoy all kinds of things together, doesn't dive - she doesn't like to get her face in the water. But I have friends who do, and I even solo sometimes (don't recommend until 100+ dives and training).

I hate cruises. I hate laying on the beach. I hate watching sporting events. And I don't do TV!!! I love doing, not watching!!! The things I love about diving is I love the water and getting in and being wet and the buoyancy/"weightlessness" about it. And all the things you can see and get/eat and bring home - even finding a partially rusty fishing lure is fun!!!! And finding an anchor - well, I've got too many, but finding an anchor and bringing it up with a lift bag is better than ... ... ... well, fill in the blanks!!!!!!!!

I love scuba diving. And I thank God that, in His sovereignty, I did not get involved in Scuba Diving too early, or I would have made a career of it and been a beach scuba bum or a scientific scuba diver and missed my present career that I love which allows me to scuba dive every week and (almost) wherever I am!!!

Anyways - Diving isn't for everyone.

DrDaddy

P.S. Private message me when you get ready to sell your dive kit. I'm serious!

 

[TMHeimer]

TSandM hit the nail on the head. Seems most divers need a purpose besides just diving and looking around. Mine is shell collecting. Some like photographing wrecks or spearfishing. Whatever. If I don't find any good shells, the dive is not a waste--I saw the underwater world once again and I was looking for the shells. Finding that "other" thing to do down there may be the key to continuing to dive.

 

[Papa_Bear]

This from a man who posts "Did you drowned? No! Success!" (ref: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/4790051-post12.html )? Good to see that you woke up from hibernation.

And yes you finally got my point! He didn't drowned and his dives were good dives! The fact that he hits coral can be corrected and it sounds as if he is learning its not a good thing! Did he drowned? No! Success! Just like a skier who falls all the time, if he stops he is no longer a skier, if he gets back up and learns he still might be one some day! Every day on the slops you don't break something or kill yourself is a good day! :mooner:

 

[scubafanatic]

I had a friend who was a competitive swimmer in college, fit, and totally comfortable in dive gear. He was certified but hadn't dived much, so I talked him into joining me on a few dives in Thailand. I was impressed with the ease with which he dived, like an old pro, and with his amazing sac rate. After three excellent dives: Ko Doc Mai, Anemone Reef, and Shark Point, I asked him, "How was it?" expecting to have rekindled interest in the sport. His answer: "Boring."

Diving is not for everybody. If it doesn't appeal to you, move on to the next thing.

....agreed, I don't waste my time responding when someone asks such a broad question (why should I scuba dive?) and they provide zero input on their part...I'm not going to bother with 'here's a list of 101 good reasons to dive'. If you're someone who just doesn't 'get 'it'...that's OK, stop diving...seems kinda obvious, plenty of people drop out of the sport...no biggie, move on.

 

[DaleC]

I agree.
I believe in trying to do what I say I will do and giving it my best shot but diving is supposed to be fun. It's just a pastime. Try to sort it out but in the end, perhaps diving isn't for you. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Not diving is an even bigger pain for me. But if you do not like it what is it that causes the most issues. the gear, the travel, the training you received? If you were poorly trained I can easily see why you would not like it. If your gear does not fit correctly or is not well thought out for your type of diving it would be a pain. traveling with gear can be difficult but to me is better than relying on crap that the operation may have. If it's combination of all of these then two options come to mind. Get with a good instructor who will go over all these points and suggest solutions or quit and leave more room on the boats for those of us who do not see it as a pain.

 

[Adaveke]

I'm very surprised to hear about somebody that doesn't like to dive.
But then again, perhaps there are some people on the globe that don't understand why I don't like jogging.

Maybe if you can tell us what it is that you dislike, we can help you.
But then again, it might not be for everybody.

 

[OldNSalty]

Well, worse case, your cert is good for life so if you drop out, change your mind, you can get right back in (but depending on the time you might need a refresher course.)

The truth is, you're in the majority. Most peolpe never want to dive or have a chance to. Those that do, most never keep diving past a season I imagine. Very few people 'dive for life' or even more then a few years.

If you can't find a reason to stay, ebay.

(or just PM me for my address and send me all your stuff for being so helpful in your time of need)

 

[Mike Boswell]

Hello all! Not to sound like I'm whining, but diving is a pain in the butt! It's a whole lot of aggravation for not a whole lot of fun! My girlfriend and I are both ready to quit.

I've dove in the US, Mexico and the Bahamas. We have much more fun snorkling than we've ever had diving.

I know I see lots of folks loving it. So I would like to hear from those who may think I'm doing something wrong!!! I bought my own equipment so I would like to talk to a few folks to see if I can get some inspiration.

Thanks,
Dayne

The first thing I would say is that if you love snorkeling, then do that. Freediving is a wonderful and very athletic sport.

Second, if you are carrying all the gear a typical new scuba diver uses these days, it is indeed a pain in the butt, and you might be a lot happier with a more minimalist approach. Many people here on SB can advise you on that.

Lastly, perhaps you haven't been to a really good dive site. Try drift diving in Cozumel for a great, hassle-free scuba experience.

 

[docdayne]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses. Just a little more about me. I have my advanced and NITROX but only have 29 dives.

I'll go by the numbers:

1. I have headaches after every dive. I emailed DAN about this yesterday. Waiting for their response.

2. I have good/brand new equipment.

3. Any decent place to dive is at least 2 hours away.

4. Cost of dives have gone up. Couple that with hotel cost because I have to drive so far for a dive.

5. Most dive outfits are good, but seems like they are packing in more folks.

6. I don't get seasick but at the end of a rough water day, I don't feel exactly good either.

7. Lack of good things to see. I was excited to go to Mexico to see all the pretty things that I have seen in the SCUBA magazines. Unfortunately, I have better dives in Florida.

8. My best dive has been at the Living Seas at Epcot. I got to dive 40 minutes with 2, 11 foot tiger sharks.

9. My 2 coral injuries that I talked about in previous posts were while snorkling.

So I guess my biggest beef is it's not the thrill I thought it would be. If I saw really cool stuff on every dive I may enjoy it. But like I said, it's easier to snorkle and save myself the hassle.

Dayne