Suggestion Travel with non diving spouses

[Big Dan K]

What about adding a forum for travel with non divers? I meet a lot of other divers who are in my predicament. Our ability to do reef diving trips requires keeping the non diving spouse happy. We must find destinations and hotels our spouse likes, dive in the morning, and be back in time for lunch and afternoons/evenings with the spouse. I learn a lot sharing tips and reviews of various destinations with other divers who share my handicap

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

my wife finally caught on to the dive trip disguised as a family vacation stunt i've been pulling for years. So now I'm going to Thailand with no diving to pay for my past transgressions.

Worth it, though.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Just show your wife this post........ and when she hears that she is a handicap, then you'll have all the time in the world for diving whenever you want to!

But seriously....... that's what I love about shore diving Bonaire. Easy to accommodate schedules because there is no schedule.

 

[Marie13]

Guess referring to the wife as a handicap is just another version of ball and chain.

 

[Big Dan K]

Now, now…. A ball and chain would drown you if you went diving, my wife only asks that I not make her eat lunch alone. It is a handicap in that it limits my ability to do certain dives. But a wife who still wants to spend time with me after almost 30 years of marriage is a very good thing

 

[boulderjohn]

I am going to echo those who find fault with viewing a non-diving wife as a handicap. I have been in this situation for 2.5 decades, and we enjoy planning trips together to make sure each of us can have a great time. The fact that my wife is an avid snorkeler helps. When I certified two old friends a while ago, it added an interesting complexity in that we now plan for 3 divers and a snorkeler, but we have so far managed to have great vacations of that ilk in the Yucatan, Australia, Bali, Palau, Roatan, and Cozumel. We are currently working with a travel agent specializing in dive travel who helped with several of those trips as we look forward to a couple weeks in Fiji.

Two of those last mentioned trips included liveaboards, and we carefully chose liveaboards that went to sites that included snorkeling options. That is more possible than you might think. My wife and I did a liveaboard on the great barrier reef about 20 years ago, and I believe she was in the water more than I was.

Our view of marriage is that both parties recognize the individual needs of the other and seek compromises that keep each happy. If you both have that attitude, trip planning is not all that hard.

 

[Big Dan K]

my wife finally caught on to the dive trip disguised a family vacation stunt i've been pulling for years. So now I'm going to Thailand with no diving to pay for my past transgressions.

Worth it, though.

Cozumel this month is going to cost me a trip to Paris next year. At least there is no ocean in Paris. Thailand without diving would be tough. Have you tried offering a “spa day” and the promise of some cool cuttlefish videos in exchange for a dive day?

 

[lexvil]

If I travel with my wife she is also traveling with a non diving spouse, not worth the trouble it causes.

 

[dflaher]

I'm in the same boat LOL. It just seems like the prime dive destinations are not always exactly spouse-friendly, and vice versa. Especially those needing a liveaboard.

 

[boulderjohn]

I'm in the same boat LOL. It just seems like the prime dive destinations are not always exactly spouse-friendly, and vice versa. Especially those needing a liveaboard.

I have gone on several liveaboard tips without my wife because there would be no good snorkeling. My wife does many things that she loves to do that don't include me because I have no interest in them. We each recognize and honor the interests of the other.