Most people like to discuss SCUBA diving but won't take the time out of "hectic and time strained" lifestyles to join a dive club. One of the things I've heard about really enjoying SCUBA diving is that you need to relax. It's really sad that people can't find the time to organize dives and local get-togethers and perhaps show others what it really means to enjoy a sport. Instead people argue and complain about Dive schools (the great PADI vs. NAUI vs. SSI etc.) and why the other person's gear sux. YET everyone it seems has forgoten what it was like when we first dove.
I remember the first real dive I ever did. I skin dove when I was a kid much like others out there. Only a few seconds to even see the reefs and then you raced to the surface to catch some more air. Straping on that tank and cumbersome gear felt akward on the boat. I remember falling on my butt a few times trying to get a bottle of water out of the ice chest on the way to the site. But as soon as I got into the water I was home. When you SCUBA dive you gluide and are relaxed, as opposed to skin diving where I had to drop to the depth then race against my lungs.
Diving so far has been the best thing that has ever happened to me (I pray that my girlfriend isn't reading this). I've seen people spend 6 figures on SCUBA diving and then get bored and quit. Diving isn'meant to be an extreme adrenaline sport that generation next craves. Recreational SCUBA diving is meant to be just like chilling out in a hammock, a smooth motion with your body and you move while watching the clouds go by. We will see things that people who have never strapped on a tank dream about. Pictures and video just serve as a reminder to us, we've seen that fish gluide underwater, the shrimp scurry over the coral and the beauty of what a living ecosystem that natural is free from human beings looks like.
People online have complained about buying dive gear and then finding out that it wasn't right for them when it was too late and the wallet was lighter, because they listened to the advice of paid professionals who tried the gear when it was still brand new and hadn't broken in yet. (Sorry for the rant there folks).
We as divers will see things that no one has seen before. We should share our experiences with others and bring our knowledge so others can enjoy diving more.
Dive clubs are a great idea if people will just get together and actually support diving. I'd hate to be considering SCUBA diving with other activities and see that people aren't as social as other sports and recreations. Diving is expensive but compared to what I've spent in the past on other activities like backpacking, hunting, competitive shootin and fishing...I've only spent a small percentage in comparison (that's why I'm trying to find multiple uses for something). I've heard from several non-diving friends that people who SCUBA dive must be snooty and rich. Then they look at my jeep. LOL
Sorry for wasting people's time if they take nothing from this thread.
We all should support the LDS and I feel they should support dive clubs. How could they loose money? If I was new to diving and heard that dive shop supported the club that seemed so great to me, I'd atleast get my air fills from them as well as accesories I needed time to time.
