Did you take a hiatus?

[DeepSeaDan]

...because my "sport" became my "job" and my new job did not use scuba - it was all "surface-supplied". I became a "hose-diver" ( not to be confused with a "Hoser" - if you're unsure what that is, ask any Canadian ).

Weird thing was, I didn't really feel comfortable in scuba while I was a hose-diver. A scuba tank was something I wore on my back as a "bailout" emergency supply should my surface-supply be interupted.

When I finally hung up the hose & returned to the bottle, well, that was weird to. Took a good while to get used to diving again with nothing but an "emergency" supply!Add to that my constant right-hand sweeping for my umbilical ( a good hose-diver ALWAYS knows where his umbilical goes! ).

Now I'm hittin' the bottle big-time, & my "hose" is usually a 38mm, cotton jacket pre-connect off a rescue-pumper.

Better that than "pantyhose", eh?

Regards,
DSD

 

[mrfixitchapman]

two posts the same ... DrBill fits right in here! ... not that I dont ;-)


Sorry, had to do it

They say that the memory is one of the first things to go. I think. I can't remember exactly........

DC

 

[gypsyjim]

Certed in 70, as a teen, but eventually, living far from the ocean, with access only to cold water, and life (school, work, etc) in general caused me to drift away. Finally sold and gave away my gear, as by then it was getting pretty darned obsolete! Rediscovered diving on a trip to CA, for my little brother's wedding in the mid 80's, but again, only for a short spell. My first experience with a BCD was on that first trip with my brother to Monterrey Bay, and is a story in itself, which I was lucky to survive the education to tell!
Loved diving again, and never realized water cold be so warm!
Hey, I was used to NY, Mass, and Maine Atlantic Ocean waters, and was years away from discovering the Caribbean, so Monterrey Bay seemed extremely warm to me!

On a trip to the Caribbean, St Thomas in 95 I got talking with the folks at Chris Sawyers diver center, and after they laughed at my tattered old C card, and tossed me in the pool to see if I knew ANYTHING about diving, they let me dive with them. Haven't stopped since! Plenty of retraining, since I got back into the sport has only made the experience more enjoyable!

 

[Mike Boswell]

25 year hiatus for me. When I moved from Hawaii to California in 1983 I took one look at the cold, green water off San Diego, and said "No Thanks!". Big mistake, but I had a family/job/mortgage and all that stuff, so not that much time to dive anyway. Then in 2008 I asked my wife if she wanted to dive and she said "Sure" so we signed up for classes, went through together, and now we are loving it.

It still amazes me how much gear you can buy and how much equipment and variety there is nowadays. I kind of miss making some of my own stuff, though.

 

[BradnerBoy]

I was certified in '83 as a 17 y/o and dove a lot in the lakes where I lived, and while on family vacations to Florida, etc. A friend got into a College commercial diving course and he and I started a small "salvage" company finding lost watches, boat motors and cool stuff that cottagers paid well for....then I met "the" girl.

Fast forward a more than few years; I graduated, moved across the country, got married, had two kids and by the time it was all said and done, it added up to about a 15 year surface interval, with the odd Hawaiian vacation and dive or two thrown in for good measure.

My son is now 14. He's been certified for two years, has just over 100 dives and we love every second of being underwater together. I long ago lost my original logs, so when he got certified, we both started at dive #1.

As much as I missed diving during my extended SI, having a son as a built-in (and kick-ass, I might add) dive buddy, makes up for lost time.

It's great to be back.

 

[The Blue Whale]

After about 5000 dives moved about 500 miles from the ocean and the doctors told me I have ... Sarcoidosis probably from breathing contaminated air during diving. Then a few years later, i got cancer... now I'm planning to finish off my life with another 5000 dives !!! Let's get diving!

 

[Hank49]

I did my first dives in 1980 with Jack Randall. I never realized at the time what a great opportunity that was. He helped me hook up the gear, asked me if I was ready, and we went down in Hanauma Bay. No instruction whatsoever. It was pretty cool but at the time I was really getting into surfing so I didn't dive again until 1994 when I got certified in the Philippines....because there was no surf where I was.
I guess I'm on kind of a hiatus now because I hardly scuba these days either, unless my anchor gets stuck or a fish drags my spear and floatline into a deep hole. I've never taken a hiatus from the water though.

 

[Randynfla]

I took a six year break, due to just plain burn out. Too many classes and students over a ten year period, now I am refreshed and ready to get wet again. This time no classes, just enjoyment dives for me.

 

[Phossilman]

I was certified in '73 in Miami, did a lot of diving for 7 years and then move to central Texas due to work, sold my gear. A few years ago I returned to live in Florida and one day I saw my neighbor washing down his gear, thats all it took to get me going again.

 

[JFolkes]

I was originally certified in 1986 with what amounted to an island certification in Spain. Managed to get a few dives in over the next 20 years but had lots of problems getting my certification recognized. Finally decided a few years ago to get recertified with PADI. Have been actively diving and loving it since.

John