Diving with your sighnificant other

[JDostal]

My girlfriend and I met diving...and still do dive together.

We are always partners when we dive in a group. I'm the more intense diver of the two of us - I do it a LOT more than her and have taken my training further. She is AOW/Wreck, and I'm in my internship portion of my Divemaster course. Diving is a passion in my life while she is more of a fair water diver I'll dive in a 20 ft deep mud puddle of a lake just to get an hour of bottom time while she would prefer to hold off on the wrecks and that sort of thing.

We dive very well together - we communicate very well and have a lot of fun diving and goofing around with each other at shallow depths.

I do notice though, that I feel VERY protective of her underwater. I know that she doesn't have some of the experience that I have...and, unfortunately, she doesn't have quite the gear I would like her to have (I wish I had more to buy her a few better things...but) and I always keep an eye on her. We had a regulator fail on her once and I took care of her. Brought to the surface while on my spare regulator, safety stops, etc...

I love diving with her - it's a blast!! I don't so much as feel scared as I do very protective....I don't know what I would do if I lost her and I take care of her accordingly.

 

[Bluefish]

Well put Omicron!

 

[tinman694]

Both my wife and I dive--she got OW cert several years before I did...and we have continued together through many advanced level courses. The anxiety on the first few dives with your significant other is understandable...I know I had it! We have worked through many difficult situations--now we both part are rescue divers for the local FD--I usually would be the one going down and she would tender (she doesn't really like muck diving in the river truth be told)--In this situation, both of us have the best idea as to how we will react-- and I feel much more comfortable with her on the line rather than someone else!
I just make sure to be extra nice to her and remember those anniversaries and birthdays!...or else....

 

[JDostal]

Bluefish once bubbled...
Well put Omicron!

Thanks

Plus, now that we bought a house together, I REALLY don't know what I'd do without her - how the heck would I make the mortgage payments???

 

[Cudabait]

I had been diving for years when I married. Wife periodically expressed mild interest. I did not push. Last year she got certified, now has about 60 dives. (I have 1500+) She is now AOW. She dives with other buddies also, which is good for her. I do not "mother" her with gear set up, etc. I do a thorough buddy check with her and I expect her to do it when diving with others.

So far she is very cognizant of her limitations and plans her profiles accordingly. There are things she likes and things she dislikes. This we understand. I was doing things in the underwater world, when we married, at a skill level that she will probably never attain.

She is a fun person to be with, fun to dive with, so..........what we do is she decides the profiles we do together and I enjoy the hell out of them!!! Take pictures, sight see, etc.

So I guess my fun is her having fun. Dive safe everyone!!!

 

[Brian Gilpin]

Concern over family safety led me to do dm training recently. I pretty much have to fulfill that role anyway so I thought I might as well know what I am doing. Now my wife also seems a bit more eager to dive more. Warm water with good viz of course.