Hi
@baggins_69
I've told this story before.
I've been a swimmer my whole life and was first certified in So California in 1970, On the other hand, my wife did not learn to swim until she was in high school and had not snorkeled until we went to Isla Mujeres on our honeymoon in 1980
Jump ahead 17 years. I got recertified with my son, when he turned 12 in 1997. My wife and daughter watched us have fun diving for 5 years. When my daughter turned 12, she asked my wife to get certified with her. Though she had no real inclination to become a diver, she reluctantly agreed. She had a relatively tough time with certification, mainly due to some inordinate fears, like having her mask knocked off and the mask clearing skill. She successfully finished OW but had little confidence and residual fears.
After a few years of good diving in Grand Cayman, we discovered Bonaire. It turned out one of her other fears was descending without being able to see the bottom. Bonaire was perfect, swimming over the shallows before hitting the wall and descending deeper. She was also more relaxed when we were able to dive at our own pace without others in the group. Over several years, her confidence improved considerably, skills were never really the problem. Her fears decreased considerably and her enjoyment of diving improved significantly. We have had great trips to other Caribbean locations and Florida. My wife now asks me when our next dive trip is. She has 450 dives, many more to come.
Acknowledge your wife's concerns and figure out ways to constructively deal with them, never dismiss them. Choose activities that help your wife develop confidence and skills, even if perhaps these would not be your first choices. Don't push her to do your dives, you can always do them yourself. Being able to dive with your wife is the biggest reward. Nothing beats the smile on my wife's face after a good dive