New diver--good places to live? Also horses!

[Haleye97]

Hi!
I'm Haley and I am new to the underwater world, but I have fallen in love! I held back the tears as we left Maui today. I am not certified, but did 4 beach dives off Ka'anapali Beach in West Maui. I had an amazing dive master who helped me realize how much I love the underwater world! I plan to begin my certification in Ohio and complete it with him in Maui next summer.

I am going into my junior year of high school in August and should be considering some possible college and career options. I do want to move to a beach eventually. Unfortunately, right now Maui is way out of the picture because even if I could move there, it would be too expensive to keep my horse there. She goes where I go, so I need to make sure there is a suitable barn nearby or even keep her with me at home in the future. If I go into marine biology, I will probably end up moving halfway through college or so. So what are the best scuba beaches to dive at and live at in the U.S. (mainland)? If any one also has horses and dives, give me your insight on financial sides of both and how you make it work. I'll make a new thread on my other questions! I tend to worry a lot so I just want to see what everyone thinks and assure myself that tere are places to dive other than Maui for now.

 

[Colliam7]

Haley,

Great post. Your enthusiasm comes through loud and clear.

A couple of thoughts in the context of diving and horses. I am a horse person as well (but I do not live near the 'beach', rather I drive to the coast for charters.

One state that comes immediately to mind is FL. It is very much a horse state, certainly the central part of the state is, and there is a lot of diving. And, there are good universities, which I presume have programs ion Marine Biology. The challenge is, if you live near the coast, you live in a more expensive area, you live in a more urbanized area, and you might find that keeping a horse nearby is a financial challenge.

One issue to face - there isn't all that much 'beach' diving along the coastal areas in the continental US, at least not along the East Coast. The CA members may hopefully jump in and disagree about the West Coast. There is some beach diving, though, just not a lot.

Here in NC, we have several universities (e.g. UNC-Wilmington, with good marine science curricula, you have access to great coastal (not necessarily beach) diving, and there are places to board a horse nearby that may not be all that expensive.

I live in the central part of the state, board horses 5 minutes from our house (and one of my daughters actually lives in a barn apartment there, dive inland quarries (which actually have a lot to offer) and drive a couple of hours to the coast to dive.

The bottom line, I wouldn't a) count on finding Hawaii-like beach diving, nor b) let keeping a horse severely limit where I might live.

One other point, about finances: My personal bias is that horses are very expensive, diving is very expensive and the combination of the two consigns the rider / diver to a spartan existence. That is not necessarily a bad thing, just a reality. How do I make it work - a good full-time job. Maybe not what you want to hear, but . . .

it would be too expensive to keep my horse there. She goes where I go, so I need to make sure there is a suitable barn nearby or even keep her with me at home in the future. If I go into marine biology, I will probably end up moving halfway through college or so. So what are the best scuba beaches to dive at and live at in the U.S. (mainland)? If any one also has horses and dives, give me your insight on financial sides of both and how you make it work.

 

[oldschoolto]

The first place that come to mind is middle / southern "RURAL" Florida... Good schools close by... Good diving close by.... Having a horse is not a big deal....

Good luck with your dreams....

Jim...

 

[drrich2]

I am going into my junior year of high school in August and should be considering some possible college and career options. I do want to move to a beach eventually.

Advance warning: I'm blunt and cynical. My intentions are good and intended to be helpful. The way you perceive my input, given where you are in life and your perspective, may be less than positive.

1.) As Colliam7 pointed out, you've got 2 expensive hobbies. And you're planning for a time when you're going to college. Unless you are from a quite affluent family with parents paying the bills, I question the likelihood of the horse going with you somewhere. In fact, I wonder what the odds are you'll be able to keep it. My family has pets we regard as our 4-legged children, so I am not insensitive to the issue, but college and career are great long term importance to your quality of life, and your spouse & children's in the future. If you compromise that over where you can keep a horse, it could cost you bit in the long term.

2.) I suspect that # of young people expressing an interest in Marine Biology outnumbers actual Marine Biologists by thousands to one. And from what I understand it's not an affluent lifestyle. Plus, as Life goes on, you may learn turning something you love into a job (e.g.: professional diving) can sour it for you; individuals may vary. And the actual job is often far different from what people anticipate. Do a forum search for 'Marine Biologist' and read some of the old threads on it as a career objective. Because you're young, many people will shy away from killing your enthusiasm.

3.) Beachfront, or anywhere near, a beach is apt to be prime real estate and very expensive. I'm a college-educated professional in my 40's and if someone told me I had to buy a 'typical family suburban home' very close to a nice beach in Florida, I'd blanch and scramble to get to Realtor.com and find out how much it would cost. And if it weren't hugely expensive, I'd want to know why not - frequent flooding, hurricane's whipping boy, etc...?

4.) Nice beaches and good shore diving don't often hang out together. Yes, it's not unknown - Curacao in the Caribbean is often cited for this. And some of the California shore divers can tell you what's out there. Unfortunately, California is a state where a number of areas are known to be very expensive.

5.) Colleges often charge out-of-state tuition. Sometimes they may have agreements with adjacent states and I guess could wave it if so inclined. But I think your options for where to move & what college to attend may be more limited than you anticipate.

6.) Your best bet for keeping the horse nearby is going to a local college, so the horse stays where it is and you can come visit. If you find a college option that tends to those 2 issues, trying to triangulate another to also provide a nearby beach and scuba diving (especially ocean shore diving, if that's what you have in mind) and affordable for a college student paying for a horse's upkeep...

No.

Unless you've got access to drastically more funding than the typical college student. And be mindful that the current state of student loan debt has become a financially crippling nightmare for many underemployed or unemployed people, so planning an expensive lifestyle for your college years may be unwise.

If you find an arrangement that meets your criteria & works out for you, please post back in a few years and tell us about it. It would make an interesting story!

Richard.

 

[oldschoolto]

DREAM CRUSHERS....... Haley, You can do " ANYTHING " if you want it bad enough..... Just keep your eye on the ball.....

Jim...

 

[3D diver]

FWIW:

I took a SCUBA certification class while in college & it was great fun.

There is lots of great shore diving in California, but it's a bit colder and darker than Hawaii. (I have friends with horses too)

Hold on to that enthusiasm, SCUBA diving can be a fun, life long, hobby. If you want to do it, you'll find a way. Maybe there's a dive club where you live that can introduce you to local diving and instruction options and feed your interest?

---------- Post added July 27th, 2013 at 08:23 AM ----------

Well said, Jim.

 

[DanLW]

As others have pointed out, diving and horses are two expensive hobbies. So if you can't afford to move near the ocean, don't discount freshwater diving as an option if the ideal location is too expensive. Many people do enjoy diving lakes and quarries. That way you can keep diving, and later on in life you may be able to find a job around your ideal location. So if there is a college you want to attend which seems landlocked, do a search on dive shops and dive locations in the area. Call them up and see if the local diving is any good. That way once you are able to move to a location close to the ocean, you won't have to start diving from scratch.

 

[beaverdivers]

Anything is possible. You might have to get your horse into SCUBA!

 

[minno]

as others have pointed out taking your horse with you may be cost prohibitive, a friend of mine feels much the way you do about horses and she goes to stables and helps out in exchange for riding privileges, something like that might work for you, I've yet to see a a stable where there was nothing that needed doing.

Stay Safe

minno

just an afterthought, maybe look into breath hold diving, it's a bit less expensive than scuba, no idea if it's a s fun or rewarding though.

 

[Haleye97]

Richard does have some very good points. I didn't know how expensive scuba was. It's disappointing. Not keeping my horse is not an option. She is like my baby. Yes, it would make my scuba diving dream easier, but it is absolutely not an option. I only have one life to live and I want to achieve all my dreams. I just don't know how this is going to happen. At this point, I'm upset and disappointed.