Obsessed with scuba. It's all I can think of now. Whether standing in front of my class teaching or like last night hanging at the wife's Christmas Party. I'm constantly trying to figure out how to turn the subject to scuba diving. I want to talk about the gear, the water, and the experience in general. I'm constantly trying to get my buddies (what few I really call friends) into it. I'm lucky, I was able to get one of my best friends into diving, but he is on the other side of the state and we don't dive enough. I really wish my son would get his grades up so I could justify getting him certified. 
I don't know what happened, I was certified back in '82 while stationed in Italy, and went dormant for several years, bought a complete set of gear from a co-worker back around '96 and dove off and on locally, but this just this year I've really dove a lot for me. Maybe 50-60 dives. Middle TN is not known as a dive mecca you know. I guess this focus is normal since my job is really sucking (teachers are getting hammered right now), I hope to get way more dives this year (you will learn how in later threads), and a natural coping technique is to find other things besides teaching that make me happy. I'd like to become an instructor since I have the teaching skill set in place, but I know that I'll never make a living locally as an instructor and moving the family to the coast for this ain't happening. Though it would be nice to actually have an LDS with good prices, and decent customer service in the area. But anyway, as we say in the South, "I'm ate up with scuba". I'm even going to join the local rescue squad doing dive recovery just so I can have an excuse to dive.
Also reading "Shadow Divers", talk about feeding the obsession!
I'm actually thinking about selling some guns to feed the obsession. If you knew me before, this would really shock you.
Has anyone else had this happen? Were you able to turn it into something productive? Is there a support group where they don't eat their own?
Mitch

I don't know what happened, I was certified back in '82 while stationed in Italy, and went dormant for several years, bought a complete set of gear from a co-worker back around '96 and dove off and on locally, but this just this year I've really dove a lot for me. Maybe 50-60 dives. Middle TN is not known as a dive mecca you know. I guess this focus is normal since my job is really sucking (teachers are getting hammered right now), I hope to get way more dives this year (you will learn how in later threads), and a natural coping technique is to find other things besides teaching that make me happy. I'd like to become an instructor since I have the teaching skill set in place, but I know that I'll never make a living locally as an instructor and moving the family to the coast for this ain't happening. Though it would be nice to actually have an LDS with good prices, and decent customer service in the area. But anyway, as we say in the South, "I'm ate up with scuba". I'm even going to join the local rescue squad doing dive recovery just so I can have an excuse to dive.
Also reading "Shadow Divers", talk about feeding the obsession!
I'm actually thinking about selling some guns to feed the obsession. If you knew me before, this would really shock you.
Has anyone else had this happen? Were you able to turn it into something productive? Is there a support group where they don't eat their own?

Mitch