Are we really the minority??

[Alex777]

<< 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&#8217;t been diving in years! Is that common? Do most people get certified just so they can dive once in a while?? >>

On Grand Cayman, completely common. I would estimate that roughly 50% of all the foreigners who come here to work get certified. So, that's about 10,000 people. How many dive at least once per week? Maybe 200.

 

[augk]

I guess it's a matter of whats going on in your life or how involved your passion for diving is. In my case diving is genetically etched in my soul I would dive as much as possible if I could, but between work and family my diving has been shall we say limited at best. hence my great appreciation for this web site. I also do know people that do exactly what you mentioned earlier only diving when on vacation at some resort with palm trees. I thought the same thing you did why? I go out of my way sometimes just to get some type of diving fix, weather I visit a dive shop while working on the road out of my local area or try to swing by the coast to see if anyone is out diving. Hopefully this will turn around and I will get in the water more frequently.

 

[Buoyant1]

If I DIDN'T do quarry diving, I'd only dive once every blue moon.... I went from warm water wuss to "I'll dive in a cold puddle" over two seasons! (dry suit is on the list so I can dive during the winter!)


I've also turned into a judgemental dive snob...whenever I see a car with a dive flag plate or sticker I look at them and try to figure out if they're vacation divers or every day divers!

 

[Blackwood]

I believe in an article about dive computers and safety, DAN defined avid divers as people who dive more than 5 times a year. Maybe it was 10, but either way: 'nuff said.

 

[dvr4lyf]

Divingprincess, I also live in the same part of the country as you. I love your enthusiam and commend you. One of the reasons I visit SB soo freakin much is to stay interested. I hate to admit but '07 I logged 0.0 dives!! My Boss has been certified for many years but only dives on vacation. I'm going to be working on my master diver next year. Sometimes life can get in the way, ya know like having a kid, jobs, broken appendiges, ect., I guess this was my year.

The exciting part is the water isn't going anywhere and as long as I am fortunate enough to get the opportunity to talk with others that carry the same passion I have deep in my heart I will be diving for the rest of my life.

Thank goodness for :sblogo:

 

[DivingPrincessE]

I believe in an article about dive computers and safety, DAN defined avid divers as people who dive more than 5 times a year. Maybe it was 10, but either way: 'nuff said.

Wow. That's crazy! I'm an "avid diver"

 

[Gilldiver]

Either DEMA or one of the certification agencies define an active diver as one who does 5 or more divers per year. This equals one trip to the warm water where they do a two tank dive on Tuesday morning, have lunch and then 18 holes in the afternoon, a two tank dive on Thursday and tennis in the afternoon, and sneak in one night dive.

Check out some of the all inclusive resort diving packages and this is just about what you will find.

The sad fact is that most divers will not even make 5 dives a year within 3 years of open water certification. From watching the industry since 1979 I would put the drop out rate at close to 50% within 2 years, 80+% by three, and over 90% within 10.

Another indicator for you are the number of advertisements on this and other boards and on Ebay for 3 to 5 year old equipment with less then 10 or 20 dives on it.

 

[emcbride81]

I believe in an article about dive computers and safety, DAN defined avid divers as people who dive more than 5 times a year. Maybe it was 10, but either way: 'nuff said.

Wow...avid at 5-10...I wonder what that makes us? Psycho? :jump3:

 

[ev780]

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??

I resemble that remark. According to Google Earth, from my home in Colorado is 677 miles as the crow (or Boeing) flies to the nearest ocean. Rocky Point in the sea of Cortez. 777 miles to SoCal Coast, 1026 miles to the Texas Gulf Coast and 1768 miles to Cozumel. So yeah only a couple of time per year. No fresh water ice cold water for me. Forget it!!! But I do live within 20 minutes of some of the best skiing in the world. And " I can’t imagine getting introduced to something so amazing and then letting years go by without skiing or only skiing on occasion." So it's a matter of perspective!!!

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.

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

I resent that remark. Although I don't live near the ocean and only dive a couple of trips per year I am serious and I do not silt up the works for everyone else.

Colorado has reportedly the highest number of certified divers per capita. Not sure if this is true but keep in mind that, like the ski industry, the dive idustry only survives because people like us Coloradoans spend our wealth in far away places to support the industry.

 

[jupitermermaid]

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

That may be because we're so spoiled with great weather down here. My brothers and sisters in Ct. refuse to sympathize with the cold weather we're experiencing right now (can't understand why????) and my worry about what the diving conditions will be for this Sunday. I may have to break out my 5 mil suit!