Looking back at 2015 and goals for 2016

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

As I am looking back at 2015, the year was not bad at all. Did my Essentials of Tec course, Rescue course and now doing Divemaster program while reading Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures manuals. Also filmed my documentary on sharks in North Carolina. Did a Bonaire trip and ended the season with Roatan trip. Flooded my DSLR camera, presently getting it replaced through insurance.

As 2016 approaches, I am looking to finish my DM and put my first year in assisting classes as a DM. Also looking to get my Adv nitrox and Deco followed by my first Deco dives. I have not decided whether my first Deco dives would be NC or Great Lakes. If anyone has other suggestions then SHOOT! Also planning to skip international air-travel next year and spend the whole year diving locally. Places I plan to hit are as follows:

1. Great Lakes (somewhere) where I can reach in one days drive from DC, finish two days of diving and drive back on Monday. Suggestions welcome.
2. Maryland wrecks. Marine Electric and USS Blenny is on my list but don't know if weather would cooperate.
3. Cape Ann and Gloucester MA for a weekend of shore diving in April. I need to do underwater photography at 3 04 best sites that Cape Ann has to offer so local divers there, let me know what you suggest. If anyone would love to join me then that would be awesome.
4. Passamaquoddy Bay in Maine. There is a thread already which is a couple of years old. Id like to hit this place in 2016 and may start a thread to recruit those who are interested.

So what are your goals for 2016 and where do they over lap with mine above? What can we do together? :bounce2:

 

[TMHeimer]

2015 was pretty good. I'm at 76 dives for the year and may get to 79 (either way, a record for me). It's hard to keep interest up when you just dive the same old close sites to drive to, but what the hey. In Jan.-- March we were on Dauphin I., AL, where the shore diving is about as good as the mud in Mississippi (going back to Biloxi in Feb.-March--my wife does the casino thing, so it's more dive drives to AL & the FL panhandle). Did the usual 7 weeks in NYC area in summer with the usual somewhat crappy shore dives, mainly in CT. Reached dive #500 in March (Perdido Pass, AL) and my 10th anniv. of OW cert. in Nov. DMd 3 OW courses which went fine. Highlight of the year was the only charter I took--out of Pensacola, where I found two Horse Conchs for the collection on a barge at 50'.
2016 will be my 5th year assisting with classes, and perhaps my last at turning 62 beforehand. We'll see. Otherwise, same old same old.
Sinbad, If you're at Passamaquoddy and want to pop over to the Halifax area let me know. There is a good shore dive at Birchy Head where you can get to 100'.

 

[Neilwood]

Well my goals for 2015 were to get qualified which I did.

Goals for 2016 - not set in stone as I'm still thinking about what I want to do in diving but probably from the following:
1) Do the basic Nitrox course.
2) Do AOW
3) Increase my dive total to 50 (or more hopefully 100)
4) Have no major issues to dent my confidence
5) Finish buying my basic kit out - still need an undersuit for the drysuit, fins (need to take a UK 13 drysuit boot), torch, knife, gloves, hood and various clips/fittings. Hopefully people might have taken hints from me and provided either money or my "wishlist" items.
6) HAVE FUN - thought it was worth emphasising!

 

[rhwestfall]

2015.... well.....

Scheduling conflicts in the team prevented completing my DECO cert (though we did a few nice deco dives). Gee, darn, I have to dive some more with my instructor..... With that not being finalized, it put a hold on tri-mix implementation. All classwork is done, and its dive, dive, dive to complete.

Did manage a family trip to Tobermory and Jamaica, but never made the Thousand Islands annual excursion.

2016 -

looks like its fairly cut and dry..... finish tech.

also need to get my daughter certified. She was a trooper with snorkeling over us in 80' of 45 degree water while we were on a wreck below her...

 

[Diver0001]

2015 was an OK year. The only thing I missed was my usual trip to Egypt. I usually go there once a year with my buddy and spend a week in total-relaxation mode.

This year we decided to give it a pass because even though I'm the LAST person to be afraid to travel, and we had both been there many time before, we both felt that the situation at this time was too unpredictable.

We did do a lot of dives on the home-front, though. I think I did at least 50 'technical' dives this year. That's more than we normally do.

 

[scubadada]

2015 was a great year for me, 164 dives, hit 1,000 dives, hit 1,000 hours, did the Spree wreck trek in the Florida Keys with my son.

I have high expectations for 2016. I'll be back in SE Florida in early January, have 2 weeks in the Red Sea in late Spring, need to figure out how to dive with my wife and daughter this year, in addition to my son.

Good diving, Craig

 

[Storker]

2015 was OK-ish. For different reasons I dived less than half as much as I had planned. Got nitrox certified. Wanted to take Fundies, but couldn't fit it into my calendar and the next class planned around here was canceled due to too few participants.

Next year I'm hoping to get a lot more time in the water. Diving will probably be domestic, no international trips on the horizon.
If it fits with my calendar, I'll probably sign up for a Rescue course, and I'm keeping my eyes open for another Fundies course within reasonable distance. I don't see myself taking more PADI courses after Rescue, but if I get a chance at taking CMAS3*, I might consider that as a follow-up.

 

[Searcaigh]

105 dives YTD, so more than doubled my plans for 52 dives helped of course by a return trip to North Sulawesi (34 dives) last July, few dives in Oman but mainly here in UAE, so most dives I have done in a year since I left Jeddah in 1997, in fact the last few years I have been averaging 80 dives per year, so this year is extraordinary.

Logged my 1400th dive too so my target for 2016 is to hit 1500 dives.

Did my Normoxic Trimix course and have quite a few dives in excess of 50M logged this year too.

Spent a small fortune this year also, not least on trimix, but also another set of doubles, another reg dedicated for O2 for one of my stages, couple of new strobes, SS reel with 60M of line, double bladder wing, Fourth Element 3mm and 5mm wetsuits, and lots of small stuff including several kilos (seems like) of SS double enders.

Next year I plan to visit Subic Bay in Philippines and Sri Lanka to satisfy my lust for rust

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

2015 was a pretty good year. Over 240 dives to date ... will hit 250 by the end of the year, no problem. Visited two new places ... Fiji and Kona. Had some amazing encounters with big animals ... sharks in Fiji, mantas in Kona, and stellar sea lions closer to home in Neah Bay. Taught 16 classes this year ... mostly skills workshops, which is what I prefer teaching. Made some new dive buddies. Mentored a few new divers. Spent some memorable times out on Vancouver Island with friends. Lost a lot of weight (65 lbs) and ended up having to buy a new drysuit.

2016 is lining up to be another good year. In February, for my birthday, I'll be heading up to Hornby Island (BC) to dive with the sea lions. In June I'll be on the ScubaBoard trip to the Philippines ... my first trip to there. In August will be going back to the Red Sea ... the trip this time is planned to go further south than my last one, so it'll be to some places I haven't been before. I plan to retire from teaching (this will be my third attempt at retirement, so we'll see) and spend more time pursuing photography and some other underwater projects.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[edwants2dive]

My main goal for 2015 was to get certified which I did in Jamaica. In addition to that I met or will meet the following accomplishments also.
1) Did my enriched air (Nitrox) course.
2) Did a dive against debris in a local quarry which was also my first muck dive.
3) Do AOW which is scheduled for Pompano the week between Christmas and New Year’s ( I will finish January 1 but I am counting that for 2015).


Goals for 2016 -
1) Gain more confidence as a diver and learn better buoyancy control.
2) Dive as many of the local/close freshwater sites as I can.
3) Do at least one or two night dives I want to experience dark diving in open water before I decide if Wreck or Cave penetration is for me.
4) Increase my dive total to somewhere between 60 and 100 (maybe more if I can get away with it).
5) Dive in Bonaire (My LDS is taking a trip there in July and I have already paid the deposit so this is going to happen).
6) Have a blast doing all of this and hope 2016 gets me ready to start rescue and above.