Diving vs. Career and Home Choices

[Pullmyfinger]

I took a job and moved with my family to Guam 2.5 years ago. I'm lucky enough to have a wife that got me into diving, she made up her mind immediately when I mentioned the job prospect here.
In our case diving was the main factor in coming here. We wanted to be able to dive whenever we wanted, and be able to travel more cheaply to other Micronesian dive spots. So far, so good.
In answer to your question on how much of an influence diving has. For us, the lifestyle is very high on the list. We probably will only move to another dive spot.
We came here from Anchorage, which also has good diving. But Guam offers much easier dive access and travel opportunities.
Here there are plenty of wrecks, shore dive sites, drift dives, etc., plus it's only $38 for a two tank boat dive. A 6-pack charter is only $200. Another very important factor is that my kids love it here.
We have jobs that allow a lot of flexibility, so we've been able to make lifestyle a priority when choosing places to live.

-Mitch

 

[Ze_Abron]

Better career = more money. More money = better diving vacations in exotic locations.

 

[DaleC]

Is it two hours away from any kind of diving or just the diving you are used to? There's gotta be a hole with water around there somewhere.
Though the ocean is about an hour away for me (lakes are closer) we often travel 2+ hours for a dive (especially if a ferry ride is involved).

 

[Jack Scuba]

I am no longer able to dive on Saturdays and Wednesday nights. But I am able to plan week long get aways to places I couldn't justify before. It is a suitable trade for now. Work and life opportunities were important to me and diving wasn't the only factor.

Will the move offer more opportunities for you in other aspects of your life? What about the rest of your family?

 

[Sas]

For those of you lucky enough to dive for a career, this is hardly relevant ... .

Today my wife and I visited the location of a potential career advancement opportunity. Problem is, it is a couple of hours farther away from dive opportunities.

Now, if it was a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious career opprtunity, I suppose I would just take it and do the driving. But it is actually a so-so opportunity, and every mitigating factor counts.

So, my question to you is: How much of a role does scuba play in your job choices? How much of a role does it play in your choice of where to live?

Two hours drive, no big deal, I'd take the job. I wouldn't worry about it personally - I spend anywhere between 4 to 16 hours a week driving between dive sites every week . You get used to it.

 

[AndyNZ]

To give you some context, I used to drive 8 hours each way for a decent surf.... thanks to a career choice. I could get a surf in within an hour (in polluted, crappy onshore windslop - East Runton, where the waves broke over a sewer pipe, nice) which I'd do when I just needed to get wet.... but then having to put the effort in makes you really appreciate the good times when you get them. When you have to travel that distance, you just find a way to make it work - that's when the other "career issues" become important.... do you get summer hours, or flexible working? In the job I was in at the time, as long as I'd done my 40 hours for the week I could finish whenever... so I'd normally get out of work at 11am on a Friday and miss all the traffic around the cities and get an evening surf in on arrival. You can make the most out of anything, if you want something enough.

 

[matts1w]

If one is creative, adaptive, willing to sacrifice, flexible, and a little bit lucky, there is no reason why one cannot have both- a great career and great diving/surf in the neighborhood. Set a goal, then make it happen.

 

[FloridaRanger]

I took a job and moved with my family to Guam 2.5 years ago. I'm lucky enough to have a wife that got me into diving, she made up her mind immediately when I mentioned the job prospect here.
In our case diving was the main factor in coming here. We wanted to be able to dive whenever we wanted, and be able to travel more cheaply to other Micronesian dive spots. So far, so good.
In answer to your question on how much of an influence diving has. For us, the lifestyle is very high on the list. We probably will only move to another dive spot.
We came here from Anchorage, which also has good diving. But Guam offers much easier dive access and travel opportunities.
Here there are plenty of wrecks, shore dive sites, drift dives, etc., plus it's only $38 for a two tank boat dive. A 6-pack charter is only $200. Another very important factor is that my kids love it here.
We have jobs that allow a lot of flexibility, so we've been able to make lifestyle a priority when choosing places to live.

-Mitch

Lucky guy Mitch! Awesome.

 

[FloridaRanger]

Better career = more money. More money = better diving vacations in exotic locations.

It's not that much more money ... lol. But i hear where you are coming from.

 

[SeaHound]

Very good question!

In my case a better career does not mean more diving. I live near DC area and the closest dive destination is North Carolina. 6 hours drive! This means that in order to do just one dive I have to add costs like hotel / lodging, fuel and time away from work! If I fly to Florida it would add air fare and long waits at the airport. I have lived in DC area for four years and you know how many dives I have logged? Guess ....

around 24! Out of these 8 were work related. I am a TV journalist so I was filming a project.

It is really THAT pathetic! And please bear in mind that my job enables me to make good money!

By the end of the day ...

You can live near the ocean and be poor or you can make a lot of money, spend most of it to fly to the ocean and come back to your home poor. What would you do? There is no right answer.Unless your career gives you your own Lear-jet and a lot of vacation time, your diving will take a blow my friend.