I know it is tough to just show up alone to a pizza parlor where everyone else if friends & u r the stranger
Sometimes you just have to suck it up...I am not an outgoing person at all and would never go into a meeting or something where I didn't know anyone and just introduce myself and start chatting (I stutter at times)...but, my desire to dive outweighed my desire to not embarrass myself or possibly look stupid so I showed up at a local dive club meeting of about 20 people or so and just started blabbing...
Know what happened? I was sitting right next to a guy who had just bought the same gear configuration as I had, was there for his first meeting, loves NE wrecks, and was looking for a training buddy to wreck dive all over the East coast. Damn...and I never would have met him if I hadn't shown up...now we are planning dives together and can't wait to get moving on some advanced classes...
Not to mention I am signed up for two North Carolina wreck dive trips with the club and met a mentor of sorts that does some technical stuff.
For me the question was either shut up and stop diving or get out there and find a damn buddy...man am I ever glad I didn't avoid going to that first meeting