Finances and Tec Diving

[Doc Harry]

Once I went solo diving at my local reservoir. I had my doubles and deco cylinders. I passed two ladies on the beach, and I heard one of them make a comment.

"Hey look! A scuba diver. Once I had a boyfriend who was a scuba diver.

"Scuba diving is for rich people who have nothing better to do."

 

[Wibble]

With everything included for technical diving, it's a fraction of the cost of owning a sailing boat. Mine used to cost me the same as a new rebreather every year!

Miss her terribly, but the feeling of getting off a dive boat at the end of the day and knowing you owe nothing to the boat completely mitigates the loss.

And when I finally can't do my technical diving, I'll flog all the kit and... buy another sailing boat.


Just seen my mum and stepdad today. They popped round to ours as they're off on a three week sailing trip tomorrow with their friends, all with boats. They're in their nineties and most of their friends have been retired for years. Bless 'em. My stepdad said how it makes him feel allive, giving him something to look forwards to.

 

[sprockjohnson]

I'm on the "hide the amount spent from the wife" plan so I buy as much as I can used, service the gear myself, and generally make it a habit to do a lot of research and learn the skills on my own rather than formal instruction. Takes longer and probably isn't as good but it works for non-complex tec(ish) dives and achieves the same end result.

 

[rjgiddings]

Finances and Technical Diving - should not be in the same sentence. Or even the same zip code.

 

[formernuke]

Finances and Technical Diving - should not be in the same sentence. Or even the same zip code.

Unless the term f%_$ed is in there.

 

[Kay Dee]

With everything included for technical diving, it's a fraction of the cost of owning a sailing boat. Mine used to cost me the same as a new rebreather every year!

Well, as you obviously know, a boat (sail or otherwise) is simply a hole in the water that you pour money into.

But a sailboat certainly gives you a lot of freedom (if actually used).

 

[boulderjohn]

A couple of weeks ago, I was in my motel room near our dive site while divers in our group were outside getting ready for the next day's diving. One of them came to my door and showed me a DIN plug with a pressure release valve and asked me if it was mine. It was. He said some of the others said it could not be mine, because I would not be willing to spend that much money on a DIN plug. Apparently I have a reputation for being a bit cost conscious.

It did not occur to those joking about my cheapness that they were filling their tanks out of my dedicated scuba van, using my $7,000 booster, my $600 fill whip, my $800 trimix analyzer, and other related gear, none of which they had to buy themselves because I supply it. They were getting the helium and oxygen out of the supply bottles I brought. I do charge them roughly my cost for that, though.

Well, we all look for ways to save money. For me, I buy the things I have to buy, and I look for other ways to save a dollar here and a dollar there.

 

[broncobowsher]

Boats may be expensive, but (tech) dive gear has an extremely high cash density. That is cash for volume of gear. The value of the gear I have in the water with me is more than the value of several of my first vehicles, combined. One dive computer costs more than a couple of my last laptops, combined.

 

[Gone for diving]

A couple of weeks ago, I was in my motel room near our dive site while divers in our group were outside getting ready for the next day's diving. One of them came to my door and showed me a DIN plug with a pressure release valve and asked me if it was mine. It was. He said some of the others said it could not be mine, because I would not be willing to spend that much money on a DIN plug. Apparently I have a reputation for being a bit cost conscious.

It did not occur to those joking about my cheapness that they were filling their tanks out of my dedicated scuba van, using my $7,000 booster, my $600 fill whip, my $800 trimix analyzer, and other related gear, none of which they had to buy themselves because I supply it. They were getting the helium and oxygen out of the supply bottles I brought. I do charge them roughly my cost for that, though.

Well, we all look for ways to save money. For me, I buy the things I have to buy, and I look for other ways to save a dollar here and a dollar there.

It's to bad that being cheap is so expensive.

 

[Guille G]

A hard working wife and no kids really helps. Especially when we both use each other’s stupid spending habits to validate our own…

We may never be millionaires, but we do have fun! And gear!