How many dives is "a lot" in a year?

[BluewaterSail]

I think it depends...

If you have a limited dive season, or can dive 12 months a year
If you are close enough to a dive site to go after work, or you have to drive many hours each way.
If conditions "locally" are always what you would consider divable, or you have to wait for mother nature to calm down sometimes


In a particular geography, wouldn't normal, alot or a little be relative to the above factors?

 

[cbrich]

Since I don't log dives because I can find better stuff to do with my time than log dives, I can't tell you exactly how many I do a year. The only thing I can tell you is the number of dives my computer tells me, bought it in February of 2010, and it's at 423 dives. When I did a 10 day dive vacation at Sipidan Water Village, my computer logged 52 dives, and the shortest dive was 62 minutes, the majority were 70+ minutes long.

The number of dives can be misleading IMHO, because some folks might only get 15 minutes on an AL80 while others can get 60+ minutes.

For me instead of the number of dives, I go by how many hours of bottom time per year. I would say 40 hours/year is good, anything more is better.

Bob, you are one lucky person, to live soo close to a diving spot. If I lived 5 minutes away from a dive spot, I would be diving everyday too.

---------- Post added ----------

If I remember correctly, PADI defines an "active diver" as someone who does more than 12 dives a year.

WOW, really???

 

[SnorkelLA]

My best year I get in about 50, low as 5 some years. Problem is I wasn't diving year-round like I am now

 

[nolatom]

I have about 190 dives in 13 years. So that's about 14 a year average. And I think my least is around 6, largest around 25.

I think I'm a rarity, meaning "seldom but steady", try not to let 6 dry months elapse in order to stay current. Most divers dive more than I do, or not at all. So I don't think there are many divers who do say less than 10 a year without going to zero. Most of them probably do it for a year or two then for whatever reason, stop.

 

[chs8084]

I manage to get in an average of 30 or so dives a year-- wish it could be more.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

It also depends upon where you live. I live in Colorado. During the summer I get in 25 to 30 dives during training and certification weekends, and Debbie and I usually get 2 dive trips in per year, sometimes more (4 is our record: Florida, Fiji, Cozumel and Hawaii all in one year- a GREAT YEAR) sometimes less (but always at least one). If I get 50 dives in during a calendar year at this point in my life, it's a pretty good year. That does not count about 100 hours of pool time. If I lived in Florida or the Carolinas or Hawaii, even California, I'd get in more- at least twice as many, for sure.
The important thing is to be an active diver, whether that is 25 dives a year or 200. And sorry, cbrich, but I think everyone should log their dives. Lots of personal data can be accumulated that is of great use, including time per dive and total hours under water, which I do agree is an important stat as well.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I love diving, and I live within 15-30 minutes of many great dive sites and an excellent dive shop. Thus, I try to dive a couple times or more a week (with two dives each 'dive trip'). Often it's less because sometimes my schedule and a buddy's don't coincide OR I have a ton of work. I've had around 140 dives in the past 9 months, which is considered a lot.

Also I feel that if I don't dive for a month or so, my skills might get rusty. I've had periods of a few weeks where I haven't dove, and the first dive after often feels slightly strange.

 

[Tigerman]

Considering I live in the inland with a 2-hr drive to the closest "reliable" fill station and coastline Im kinda screwed with regards to diving after work.
I do live right next to a large lake however, but then theres the air fills and of course the 4-6 months every year my local lake is frozen over so my local diving is more "keeping the skills fresh" (in more than one meaning of the word) than anything else.
I have gotten as little as 1 a month on average some years. This year I predict atleast 55 considering I already have two weeks booked in the red sea on each end of the summer..

 

[TMHeimer]

The most I've managed to do so far was last year-58. Looking ahead I think I'll do about 68 this year. As stated, location is a big factor. Easy to get to shore dives for me means 4-5 sites--not too interesting, so sometimes I dive just for the sake of doing it. In good weather I try for once weekly, colder weather maybe every 2 weeks. Then I get 15-20 dives down South on the Gulf of Mex. as a "snowbird". Maybe a charter or 2 as they are more expensive down there. And 10-12 in the NY area each summer when I'm down there 7 weeks. You do what you can. If we're home all winter up here it's once in a while diving wet from my basement just because. Am hoping to get some DMing in the Fall, which would increase my numbers some.

 

[supergaijin]

If I judge by the divers I see most regularly (in tourist destinations), I'd say over 15 a year would be a lot.

Many divers get the bug, but then the bug gets squashed by kids, mortgages, working up the ladder etc. and then they find a different hobby which doesn't require as much dedication to do regularly.