Are we really the minority??

[DivingPrincessE]

My interaction with other divers primarily occurs through SB, my local diveshop, and the local scuba meetup.com group. As a result of this I was under the impression that natural progression is to get certified, then go totally dive crazy, spend all your summer weekends at the quarries, and take plenty of dive trips in the winter…or dive all winter if you have a dry suit.

I found out this week that several people at work are certified and many of them dive once or twice a year, and some haven’t been diving in years! Is that common? Do most people get certified just so they can dive once in a while?? I can’t imagine getting introduced to something so amazing and then letting years go by without diving or only diving on occasion.

Are we SBers really the minority??

 

[emcbride81]

I think a lot of people get OW at a resort or on a cruise, and then only dive on vacation. Some of those people are also repetitive Discover SCUBA people at a resort. I know people that are the same way, and I think that we have just been bitten by the bug. That is why Lake Millbrook is the haven that it is, with it's 8ft of vis and sub 50 temps!

I think we are the minority, but hey, to each their own. If they are happy logging 3-4 dives a year, good for them. I am not happy without 3-4 on a weekend anymore!

By the way, I love your Boondock Saints tag! Not many people I know have seen that movie! I love that movie...

 

[Ice9]

My interaction with other divers primarily occurs through SB, my local diveshop, and the local scuba meetup.com group. As a result of this I was under the impression that natural progression is to get certified, then go totally dive crazy, spend all your summer weekends at the quarries, and take plenty of dive trips in the winter…or dive all winter if you have a dry suit.

I found out this week that several people at work are certified and many of them dive once or twice a year, and some haven’t been diving in years! Is that common? Do most people get certified just so they can dive once in a while?? I can’t imagine getting introduced to something so amazing and then letting years go by without diving or only diving on occasion.

Are we SBers really the minority??

For many, thats what they become - Holiday Divers. These are the folks you see standing on the bottom, silting things up for the rest of us. There is a person at work who got certified when she went to Australia, and hasn't dove since. I can't convince her to come to the quarry. As far as I can tell there are two kinds of divers:

Holiday Diver (they did it because they thought it was neat)
Serious Diver (they are completely consumed with diving)

Of course most SBers are of the Serious Diver variety...

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Yes ... the majority of people who get certified go on that one vacation, do a few dives, and never dive again ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mkutyna]

I know quite a few divers that refuse to dive if it's less than 80 degrees outside.

 

[rakkis]

Yes.

The average SB user does NOT represent the average certified diver out there. Most tend to dive very occasionally.

 

[redacted]

In my immediate neighborhood, I have found 6 certified divers in addition to my wife and I. 4 of them basically stopped diving shortly after certification, 1 has not dove in almost 2 years but intends to dive (on vacation) this spring, and the last is not a current diver and I am not sure of his diving history. I dive at least twice a month even thru the "off" season. My wife would be happy as a vacation diver but I drag her out a little more often than that.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I dive as often as I can. Sadly, being landlocked, it's not nearly as often as I would like, but when I'm planning a vacation, if I can't dive there, I don't go there. My dive trips ARE my vacations. Nothing else I'd rather be doing.

 

[robint]

Yes ... the majority of people who get certified go on that one vacation, do a few dives, and never dive again ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Agreed.......... stat I was told is that 9 out of 10 divers do less than 25 dives.

Over the years I have seen lots of divers get certified for a particular dive trip, go out and do 2-3 days of diving and then never do it again. The reason I think is that it is time consuming (less time for touring, shopping, sitting on beach, etc.) and it is money consuming. Also, most divers go to resorts that are not focused on diving so their dives tend to be boring and not as good as they expected. The only divers who seem to continue are those who are "inspired" by diving, go to places centered around diving, and get bitten by the bug early.

 

[TSandM]

After I got certified, I was amazed to find out how many people I know had taken a diving class. Some never did a single post-certification dive. Others dove a few times and quit, or continue to dive occasionally, when it's an option on a warm water trip.

Clearly, doing this either grabs you or it doesn't. There doesn't seem to be much of an in-between.