Just had our first child, time to sell my gear?

[BoltSnap]

When my son was 2 years old my wife insisted I go with my cave diving buddies to Akumal for a two week trip laying new cave line.

After all of that, I am ready to send you anywhere you want for a whole month!!

 

[Antient Marriner]

Hey Ho- "Watboy" I have an answer based on Experience. I was single when I began diving. As soon as I gained a wife, I lost a sport. She did not dive, nor even swim much.
Some say 'Save you gear'! Do Not Do It. I stored mine for more than 04 decades, and what the rodents did not ruin, is completely out of date.
My advice, and Mine Alone--- sell the gear, enjoy the child at lest till it becomes a teenage, and beyond. When the kid [s} are out of the house and fly on their own; THEN take the wife and thee; go buy the Newest and Best, re train if needed- and 'swim out gently into that Good Night".
What is the philosophy" "To everything there is a Season and time to every purpose under heaven'

 

[BoltSnap]

Hey Ho- "Watboy" I have an answer based on Experience. I was single when I began diving. As soon as I gained a wife, I lost a sport. She did not dive, nor even swim much.
Some say 'Save you gear'! Do Not Do It. I stored mine for more than 04 decades, and what the rodents did not ruin, is completely out of date.
My advice, and Mine Alone--- sell the gear, enjoy the child at lest till it becomes a teenage, and beyond. When the kid [s} are out of the house and fly on their own; THEN take the wife and thee; go buy the Newest and Best, re train if needed- and 'swim out gently into that Good Night".
What is the philosophy" "To everything there is a Season and time to every purpose under heaven'

This is so morbid, you make marriage and parenthood feel like a coffin that traps you alive to suffocate you to death. So when you are married you just die and become a robot and give your life up? This is a formula for a failed life and miserable existence and total waste of life. A parent needs some time off and time to grow and enjoy their life and recharge. The enjoyment and excitement of a recreational activity such as scuba diving will serve as a tool to share activities and quality time for the family and add a totally positive dimension to life. There needs to be balance and efficiency in time and proper planning in life and especially married life.

I did not "die" when I got married, I simply shared my life with others who are very close to me and we grow together not die together.

 

[Ben_3]

Find a babysitter once the kid grows a few months. Diving could become you and your wife’s relaxing time.

 

[Marie13]

So I'm 45 and just had my first child, beautiful baby girl. With the way the world is right now, I'm not sure when I can go diving again. Maybe everyone will be on rebreathers and people can take anti DCI pills by then, who knows. What to do w my gear? Only dove once in the last year with it. I don't think I could get much value selling it, the most recent gear is still a 4 year old Shearwater w 300 dives on it. The rest, Mk17 regs, halcyons backplate wing and SMBs, are all 10+ years with 1k dives on it. Just seems a waste to just have it sit in storage for years and years...
Oh, the I can still go diving... my wife is my dive buddy, and she's made it very clear I cannot dive without her. We've seen couples on liveaboards take turns diving while the other takes care of the baby. But she won't dive without me, and she won't let me dive alone out of this new paranoia that I won't surface and leave her a single mom.

Who said you’d be diving alone. Find a dive buddy for you and one for the wife. Go diving separately. The other watches the kid(s).

Don’t sell the gear.

 

[Marie13]

Hey Ho- "Watboy" I have an answer based on Experience. I was single when I began diving. As soon as I gained a wife, I lost a sport. She did not dive, nor even swim much.
Some say 'Save you gear'! Do Not Do It. I stored mine for more than 04 decades, and what the rodents did not ruin, is completely out of date.
My advice, and Mine Alone--- sell the gear, enjoy the child at lest till it becomes a teenage, and beyond. When the kid [s} are out of the house and fly on their own; THEN take the wife and thee; go buy the Newest and Best, re train if needed- and 'swim out gently into that Good Night".
What is the philosophy" "To everything there is a Season and time to every purpose under heaven'

Sounds like you would have been better off staying single. Giving up something you enjoy because you’re married? Nope.

 

[admikar]

Who said you’d be diving alone. Find a dive buddy for you and one for the wife. Go diving separately. The other watches the kid(s).

Don’t sell the gear.

While I agree with you, re-read his post. His wife is not letting him dive without her. Not about diving alone, but diving with not her.

 

[Wibble]

Sell the twinset. You'll get OK money for it if it's in test. Replace that when you go diving again -- but you might get a rebreather when you restart (which requires banking cylinders...)

Enjoy life

 

[hedonist222]

Is "time to sell my gear" code for "time for adoption" ?

Jokes aside - I am akin to Scuba Lawyer.
I put in the time (genuinely) with family and then make some time for myself and wifey has no qualms.

 

[Angelo Farina]

When we had our first son, we changed entirely our approach to diving, but definitely we did NOT quit.
At the time both I and my wife were professional instructors since many years, working several months each year in nice resorts in Mediterranean islands in summer and in Maldives in winter.
It was a nice life for a young couple. Having a son definitely changed everything, and we reversed to a more normal life.
Diving went back just to an occasional hobby, not a profession.
But we started diving WITH OUR SON very soon: at 6 months we were already bringing him in a warm swimming pool, where he learned to be submerged and to swim to the surface for breathing. At one year, he was already able to swim alone with small inflatables on his arms, whilst he was not able yet to walk...
And without inflatables he was diving easily to the bottom of the pool, catching small toys, and the resurfacing for breathing. At 11 months we went on holidays in Sardinia, bring scuba equipment and a Zodiac, and so we started him also to marine environment. He was so happy diving from the Zodiac, we had continuously to be aware because, if not controlled, he was climbing and jumping into the water!
He had his first air tank, in the pool, at 18 months, and around 3 years he made his first true dive in the sea (from the beach). At 5 years he was already diving with us from the Zodiac, and reaching depths of 7-8 meters with his small 5-liters tank.
At 7 years we started introducing him into caverns, and at 10 years in caves. In the meanwhile we had another son, and both were diving with us. In my life, the best diving experiences has been diving with my sons...
Conclusion: I cannot think how having a son one could stop diving. Having a son is the beginning of a very nice period of your life, during which you will introduce him or her to diving, and you will spend a very nice time diving together...
Of course, the fact that both me and my wife were instructors made this easy, My wife, in particular, is an instructor specialised in small babies. But nowadays these diving courses for babies are available in many towns, and instructors with the same skills of my wife are available, for parents who do not possess these capabilities.
So just look around, and start your new diving experience with your son.
I do not recommend starting before 6 months, albeit in some of these courses, they allow babies since 3 months. 6 months is the proper age for introducing your son to free diving, and 18 months is the minimum age for starting using an open-circuit scuba system. Do not wait beyond 3 years, indeed. Some things are better learnt when the baby is very small, so they become fully instinctive (as exhaling when ascending). If you do not start scuba diving before 3 years, then you will have to wait until the baby is at least 8-10 years old.