Thank you for allowing me to join your group. My husband Tony and I are retired disabled military divers. We learned to dive in Virginia where we now live. We had the awesome chance to dive in Bonaire during the 10th annual Wounded Warrior Week. It was fantastic. We look forward to retiring wherever diving is best to live. Hoping for suggestions that are military retire friendly. We are both now PADI Rescue Certified Divers looking to grow in experience and meeting fellow divers!
Hello to all from a disabled retired Army Vet!
- Thread starter Tanya Michelle Bailey
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Welcome to ScubaBoard. I too am a veteran with a disability and for me diving offers that relief of constant back pain.
Wow where to retire...there are so many places but Florida seems to stand out to me right now. Plenty of good local diving year round, quick flight to Caribbean, and plenty of military installations for retiree support.
Happy Bubbles,
Michael
Wow where to retire...there are so many places but Florida seems to stand out to me right now. Plenty of good local diving year round, quick flight to Caribbean, and plenty of military installations for retiree support.
Happy Bubbles,
Michael
Hi Tanya, welcome to the world of Scuba Board diving. Australia is a dive friendly place to consider retirement and diving.
I have the diving part down pat but not the retirement part yet (just allows for more diving)
I have the diving part down pat but not the retirement part yet (just allows for more diving)
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There's excellent diving in Hawaii also. And a VA hospital on Oahu. Expensive to live but you could shore dive there and save some money. Maybe even live on Maui. On a non-emergency basis you can also fly between most of the islands pretty quickly and extremely reasonably mid-week if you needed to go to Oahu for care. We've actually gone sightseeing on Oahu from Maui the same day and back - flights go until pretty late at night.
If the VA allows you to use outside providers, Grand Cayman is currently making a big push for medical tourism. Some large Indian healthcare provider just opened Health City there. Cayman Islands Doctors, Hospitals & Health Services It's another extremely expensive place to live. Some shore diving - in some areas on the NW side there's diving off your condo property. Most of the known sites have an operator on-site for tanks but if you follow some of the locals posts in our forum here there's often references to unknown places you can get in also. Just know that a lot of the shoreline is ironshore except for Seven Mile Beach where the reef is too far out. Several of the dive operators on the nw side provide docks and even stairs for access.
Since you liked Bonaire - another possible option is Curacao. Very similar diving but a lot more infrastructure - and availability of goods since the container port for the area is there. Most of what ends up on Bonaire goes thru there first. They're supposed to have the best hospital in the region also - and a recompression chamber if needed. There are houses/condos on or adjoining named dive sites also. And almost as many shore dives as Bonaire - a critical difference being that most are off beaches instead of over ironshore.
I recall seeing a VA medical center sign in San Juan, PR also once. The better diving there though is at either end of the island. I personally couldn't live in San Juan, it's crowded, a major cruise port and the traffic was terrible. Supposed to be kind of murky diving also a lot of the time. Also I think I read the entire country either did or almost went bankrupt recently.
If the VA allows you to use outside providers, Grand Cayman is currently making a big push for medical tourism. Some large Indian healthcare provider just opened Health City there. Cayman Islands Doctors, Hospitals & Health Services It's another extremely expensive place to live. Some shore diving - in some areas on the NW side there's diving off your condo property. Most of the known sites have an operator on-site for tanks but if you follow some of the locals posts in our forum here there's often references to unknown places you can get in also. Just know that a lot of the shoreline is ironshore except for Seven Mile Beach where the reef is too far out. Several of the dive operators on the nw side provide docks and even stairs for access.
Since you liked Bonaire - another possible option is Curacao. Very similar diving but a lot more infrastructure - and availability of goods since the container port for the area is there. Most of what ends up on Bonaire goes thru there first. They're supposed to have the best hospital in the region also - and a recompression chamber if needed. There are houses/condos on or adjoining named dive sites also. And almost as many shore dives as Bonaire - a critical difference being that most are off beaches instead of over ironshore.
I recall seeing a VA medical center sign in San Juan, PR also once. The better diving there though is at either end of the island. I personally couldn't live in San Juan, it's crowded, a major cruise port and the traffic was terrible. Supposed to be kind of murky diving also a lot of the time. Also I think I read the entire country either did or almost went bankrupt recently.
OP
Flordia sounds pretty nice but not sure where. Island living would be my dream but I may be limited as to a CONUS location. I have a possible charity willing to help with building a home anywhere in US or territory. Flordia would be better to see my future grandkids also. Expecting first in Feb. I am ready to leave here because it was where we were stationed. There is good places to dive but not super nice by far as compared to what I hear of Flordia. Putting my house up for sale soon so maybe I can buy a condo until I go through the process of charity. With us both retired disabled we do have constant income. I just want to know if Flordia is best then maybe Hollywood Fl or SE coast ? I want to be able to buddy up with a welcoming group there! Wounded warrior project is in Jacksonville and I hear if you live near there they have more dive ops. Until military lived whole life in NC. Now 10 years in VA. No idea where I will end up but I know if there are dive spots and divers it will be friendly. Thank you all! So where in Flordia.
Tanya,
When you say retired are you retired military or "Retired-retired"?
I live on Kwajalein on a US Army Garrison; as a vet you and your other could possible get a job out here. We can shore dive 24 hr and take Army recreational boats out four days a week. As an instructor I do about 350-400 dives a year, but most people do 150-200 per year.
Michael
When you say retired are you retired military or "Retired-retired"?
I live on Kwajalein on a US Army Garrison; as a vet you and your other could possible get a job out here. We can shore dive 24 hr and take Army recreational boats out four days a week. As an instructor I do about 350-400 dives a year, but most people do 150-200 per year.
Michael
Now that's a job I could do in a heart beat
I took a big pay cut to come here...and I would do it all over again. :d
Welcome to SB! Did you do your cert at Lake Phoenix? I've heard the new management is doing amazing things to that place. Have you checked out SUDS yet? It's an amazing organization.
kariebell098
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hello tanya michelle bailey welcome to the forum
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