Did you move for Scuba?

[TV Mark]

Hey Jeni,

Beaver Lake was alot better this year. In the spring and fall the visability was around 25 feet.

 

[BluewaterSail]

Hum...I live 4 hours from the nearest dive site that is more than 6" of vis. I dive about 4 to 5 times a year. It makes me sad thinking of how little I dive and I'm tossing around the thought of moving, but I don't have a particular reason to move any particular place...I just know I want more diving, and warmer weather...

If I do move, I will keep diving in mind when choosing the location. But right now I am tied to my location because of work. I also have a 4 hour drive like you do Jeni, to a dive site with good visibility. But I don't consider that such a limiting factor. I try to go for the weekend (to the Red Sea) around twice a month. I can't imagine diving only 4 or 5 times a year when its only 4 hours away!

 

[freewillie]

I have the good fortune of living in prime scuba territory in Southern California. I'm only 30 minutes or less to the beach depending on which beach I decide to dive. San Diego is only 2 hrs away, and I'm 30 minutes to Long Beach for a boat to Catalina.

The only restrictions I have is that any family vacation now has to be a diving destination. If I can't pack my scuba gear then I'm not interested. My wife doesn't always agree and occasionally I'll make a concession but my dive buddy daughter isn't complaining!

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Actually, I started diving because I was living/working in a place surrounded by water. But for future jobs, dive location will be a factor for sure.

 

[tdtaylor]

I grew up in KCMO before I started diving. Can't imagine a lot of diving there, unless there is much lake diving to the southeast.

Now I'm in MD, and 2-1/2 to 3 hours to the coast. Do it occasionally, but otherwise its the 6-10' lake/quarry visibility, with 40 degrees at 95 feet when the surface is 95 degrees in July. Real fun in a drysuit. But even that is typically a little over a hour drive. Do have the Chesapeake Bay fairly close- dove it a number of times, but not my favorite venue unless doing an oyster dive.

I retire the end of this month, and will be moving to a waterfront home in Maine, the nearest shore diving being 3/4 mile away (fortunately I enjoy shore diving in the Northeast). My second location will be on the west shore of FL in Sanibel. Not great diving there, but excellent diving 2 hours away on the east coast. Being retired, I can take the time to commute.

---------- Post added December 7th, 2012 at 04:14 PM ----------

The only restrictions I have is that any family vacation now has to be a diving destination. If I can't pack my scuba gear then I'm not interested. My wife doesn't always agree and occasionally I'll make a concession but my dive buddy daughter isn't complaining!

Funny how diving changes these type of plans. Fortunately, my wife is very flexible, and like you, my dive buddy daughter is always on my side.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Interesting thread. Mostly because Mrs Dog and I are currently discussing this very possibility.
We've talked about Mexico, Hawaii and Florida, but we haven't done any diving in Hawaii or Florida. We're planning Oahu in May, and we're thinking our next trip after that will be Florida, but we're not sure what part yet. Suggestions? We are warm water wussies. We've done a few cenote dives, and I am interested in caves, but she's less enthusiastic about them. Mostly warm open water with some wrecks.

 

[James R]

We have a plan to move to Hawaii, but diving is just 50% of why. Most likely Oahu, windward side, but we aren't 100% on that. We'll see how things go.

It'll sure make our yearly Scubaboard Invasion flights a lot longer, but it'll be worth it.

 

[drbill]

YES! Back in 1969 I took a job teaching marine biology on SCUBA out here on Catalina Island while I was still a senior at Harvard. 43 years later I'm still here. Being a kelp forest ecologist makes it a near necessity. However, as I "mature," I'm thinking of becoming a coral reef ecologist and may have to move to some warm, tropical place at least for half the year!

 

[UforSCUBA?]

We moved from Oklahoma to Tampa for the beaches, weather, and to just get out of Oklahoma. After I picked up diving in Tampa, we moved to Boca Raton so we could dive places like Jupiter, BHB, Boynton Beach, Key Largo, all within an hour or two. That's not counting all of the local diving here in Boca or Pompano that's less than 10 minutes away. Between the Fort Lauderdale and Miami airports, travel is a breeze. We love living here.

 

[scnick]

yep, not the only reason but i wouldnt have moved hardly anywhere else, diving 365 in shorts ) 5,000+ mile move from east coast ) only temporary though for few years (