This is just a few thoughts about people who love sport diving moving out of the sport field.
Sport diving can be a wonderful experience. One can go to a destination of their choice, select the type of conditions they feel comfortable in, pick an operation of their choice, dive with whom they choose, suit up at their leisure, and enjoy an outing with equipment you feel is the best for you. About the only thing that gets people upset on a regular basis is the chosen operation limiting bottom time.
So you say to yourself; SELF, I love diving so much that I want to spend the majority of my living waking moments underwater. Now SELF, I know that I can’t afford to keep shelling out all this money to do what I want to. So SELF, let’s get a job diving that will pay me to do what I love to do and a job won’t keep getting in the way because it is my job.
Sooo, you check into occupations in the sport field and find a very limited line of jobs that will support you let alone a family.
The next thing you check into is the Military or Commercial fields.
WOW! Look at all that fancy gear that they will pay you to wear while I’m enjoying being underwater. If I’m one of the lucky ones I can do Saturation Diving and be under pressure for weeks at a time. Dive deep and see all kinds of neat sea creatures. Or I’ll just become a SEAL and dive all over the world in these exotic locations.
At this point pick up about a 3-pound sledgehammer and smack yourself right between the eyes. If it doesn’t get your attention repeat the blows until reality sinks in.
The reality of diving outside of Sport Diving world is not what the majority of divers think it is. It is not the glamorous thing some think it is.
That nice clear, warm water, exotic location, with friends surrounding you sharing your joy of the dive will change slightly. I mean slightly, like in, a zero vis, near frozen septic tank with some job foreman yelling at you to hurry up because your sorry *** is costing the company to much money.
Ok, I did go from one extreme to another. But in the real world it is closer to the last half of the above paragraph than the first half.
Some people stick it out and last for many many years while others, the majority, will hang it up and never again enjoy the world of diving they once loved so much.
In the real world careers are short lived. Diving outside of sport takes one heck of a toll on your body and you get real old real fast.
You may spend a lot of time, years, paying your dues being a near minimum wage topside worker/tender before you can start diving. Even then the money is not what it used to be. Then add the fact that you will most likely have to spend many thousands of dollars on gear and maintain it out of your pocket.
There is a lot to look into. But the only advice I can give you is look into it very hard before you take the leap. Jumping into it without all the facts could ruin a career as well as one’s love for diving.
Last, stay single.
Gary D.
Sport diving can be a wonderful experience. One can go to a destination of their choice, select the type of conditions they feel comfortable in, pick an operation of their choice, dive with whom they choose, suit up at their leisure, and enjoy an outing with equipment you feel is the best for you. About the only thing that gets people upset on a regular basis is the chosen operation limiting bottom time.
So you say to yourself; SELF, I love diving so much that I want to spend the majority of my living waking moments underwater. Now SELF, I know that I can’t afford to keep shelling out all this money to do what I want to. So SELF, let’s get a job diving that will pay me to do what I love to do and a job won’t keep getting in the way because it is my job.
Sooo, you check into occupations in the sport field and find a very limited line of jobs that will support you let alone a family.
The next thing you check into is the Military or Commercial fields.
WOW! Look at all that fancy gear that they will pay you to wear while I’m enjoying being underwater. If I’m one of the lucky ones I can do Saturation Diving and be under pressure for weeks at a time. Dive deep and see all kinds of neat sea creatures. Or I’ll just become a SEAL and dive all over the world in these exotic locations.
At this point pick up about a 3-pound sledgehammer and smack yourself right between the eyes. If it doesn’t get your attention repeat the blows until reality sinks in.
The reality of diving outside of Sport Diving world is not what the majority of divers think it is. It is not the glamorous thing some think it is.
That nice clear, warm water, exotic location, with friends surrounding you sharing your joy of the dive will change slightly. I mean slightly, like in, a zero vis, near frozen septic tank with some job foreman yelling at you to hurry up because your sorry *** is costing the company to much money.
Ok, I did go from one extreme to another. But in the real world it is closer to the last half of the above paragraph than the first half.
Some people stick it out and last for many many years while others, the majority, will hang it up and never again enjoy the world of diving they once loved so much.
In the real world careers are short lived. Diving outside of sport takes one heck of a toll on your body and you get real old real fast.
You may spend a lot of time, years, paying your dues being a near minimum wage topside worker/tender before you can start diving. Even then the money is not what it used to be. Then add the fact that you will most likely have to spend many thousands of dollars on gear and maintain it out of your pocket.
There is a lot to look into. But the only advice I can give you is look into it very hard before you take the leap. Jumping into it without all the facts could ruin a career as well as one’s love for diving.
Last, stay single.
Gary D.
