Are we really the minority??

[amitsi]

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??

True for most CA divers who don't like the cold water! I on the other hand don't really care about the temp

 

[bracdiver]

My wife has two female cousin's that are certifed. One of them just made Master Scuba Diver. The other one, along with her husband who is also certified, has not made a dive in over 20 years. So some will get the bug and others will not. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about diving. I dream about diving in my sleep. My son-in-law has made a few dives but only at resorts. He is not certifed. His only dives were Discover dives. He's going to Maui with me in Jan. but he will be buddying up with an instructor. For some reason he has no interest in getting certified and that's fine. Each to his own. I was a freshman in High school when the seed was planted by watching 'Mike Nelson' aka Lloyd Bridges in 'Sea Hunt'. Maybe there's a dive gene in us.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Life moves in cycles.

It may seem surprising to a younger diver who is relatively new to diving, but over a 30 year period you will likely find yourself moving away from, then closer to, diving regularly many times as different things change in your life.

If you're really into diving then the feeling never really leaves you entirely - but as all these others have already noted, life certainly has a way of interfering with your continuous pursuit of additional dives!

Perhaps the best way to look at it is as an evolutionary process from season to season. You'll get more from some than others, but if it sticks with you through the years you will always have something to come back to in your life that promises to fascinate you - and this can be particularly therapeutic when your life turns completely upside down.

(don't think it won't happen to you... Very few of us make it through 30 or 40 years without a few scars! )

Dive safe,

Doc

 

[drbill]

Hey Doc, they're not "scars," they're just extended surface intervals to ensure the nitrogen is "fully" released.

 

[kidspot]

I used to be a diver ... been 6 hrs since my last dive ... and sadly I won't be taking up the sport again for a couple of days

Honestly I consider myself very fortunate to live in a place where I am able to dive several times each week for fun. Then God blessed me by giving me a part time job where I get to dive 2 days each week off a boat on a beautiful reef... blessed is an understatement I guess. So I'll just say thank you God for this season in life and enjoy it for as long as He allows

Aloha, Tim

 

[rakkis]

Rakkis, what's on your right shoulder in that first pic? It looks like a soda can.

I understand the need to go diving in cold weather like that, and I'm probably about to. I haven't had the chance to get under since October and it's driving me nuts.

It's a strobe/back up light. Comes in handy once in a blue moon.

 

[testpilot58d]

I'm stuck about as dry as can be right now sitting in Baghdad. There's a big man-made lake around Saddam's palace here. I told a guy the other day, 'ya know...if they sunk a bunch of tanks and anti-aircraft pieces in there and let me dive in it even once a week...I wouldn't mind being here.'

 

[aubie85]

Actually, when I signed up for my OW class, I was having doubts about taking the course.(prior to my class I did 'discover scuba' in Cancun and St. Thomas) I thought I would be wasting money because I was planning to only dive on vacation. Much to my surprise, I discovered that there are plenty of local places to dive here in the Midwest. I am impatient for summer to arrive to head back to the quarry where I completed my OW checkouts. For now I'll just have to settle for Cozumel in March

 

[Zeeman]

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)

There is also the "spoiled diver"...

People like me who, once having dived the tropics with 80 degree plus water, 60 or more feet of vis and vibrant colours and amazing creatures, just can't be bothered diving in a freezing quarry - or even the semi reasonable dive site of Sydney for that matter - anymore, because it just doesn't compare. I still manage 50+ dives a year, I just pay a heck of a lot more per dive

I really should do more dives locally, it really isn't so bad in summer...

Z...

 

[black durgon]

most people are lucky to get a dive in once a year . sorry to say ,so get out there. be safe