... am I the only one who thought "Divorce" was the obvious answer? I mean, think of it... you can probably get all the dive gear and some ongoing "dive funds" from him from the settlement, if there are kids you can get rid of them with him... win, win!
(I really hope that ^^^ gets read with the comedic tone that was intended; so much can get lost through text when dealing with a stranger...)
Ha! Okay, 'trolling' aside... as another GTA person, I figured I'd throw in a couple of thoughts with respect to clubs in case you aren't already aware of them: the Etobicoke Underwater Club was a huge letdown for me when I joined them, although I met someone this year (their treasurer?) who claimed that they were being pretty active. Maybe they've changed? I don't think I managed to get even one dive with them while I was a member, and felt almost... shunned by the group at large. Unwelcome. Not fun. The Scarborough Underwater Club Inc has a pretty awesome acronym (SUCI) but also has frequent access to one of the 'good' pools (Pan AM, I believe?). I haven't really dealt with them directly, but one of the instructors I did my IE with is strongly affiliated with them, and she's good people. York Region Scuba is pretty active, and a pretty friendly group of people too. I think they all run trips - there are also some good trips that run out of the various dive shops around. Some of the 'local' trips to places like Brockville or Tobermory would give you access to diving and your husband access to places to explore and 'busy himself' while you do all the fun stuff.
As for additional training, clearly I'm the guy to go to for that. Ha! (Half-)sarcastic self promotion aside, there are some decent instructors around (even non-GUE ones!) so there's no reason why you couldn't get in most of those courses locally. I probably wouldn't suggest Cavern locally, but even I could train you in AOW, nitrox, or rescue. Wait... that makes it sound like I'm only a passable instructor... I'm actually pretty good, honest!
(Though it's a slight deviation from topic, I was quite flattered when one of my former students told me that she'd recommend others to me without hesitation... I must be doing something reasonably well? It's a pretty big compliment in my books.) AOW is a snap to teach, and pretty fun to do (and, if you get the right instructor, can be pretty rewarding too - though if you take it through the shop I did, it can also just be a disappointing waste of time)... nitrox is even easier to teach, though slightly less fun because it technically doesn't require actual diving. Though, actual diving COULD be arranged. Rescue, I'd just suggest trying to make sure you're in a class with a good number of people - it's far less fun and far less challenging with just one or two in it.
And our local GUE guy is pretty great, too, from all accounts - I'm actually meaning to take his course one of these days myself.
Depending on what part of the GTA you're in, I'd happily give you some (albeit probably biased) thoughts on different shops worth checking out... and a couple that I'd avoid at all costs. The ones I tend to associate have a bit more of an active customer base, too.
... but as for the husband? Yeah, I still think you should trade up for a newer model. Or, as others have suggested, you could try enticing him to experience the St. Lawrence drifts or the Tobermory wrecks, or the... Gulliver's Lake ear infections? Your call.
(I really hope that ^^^ gets read with the comedic tone that was intended; so much can get lost through text when dealing with a stranger...)
Ha! Okay, 'trolling' aside... as another GTA person, I figured I'd throw in a couple of thoughts with respect to clubs in case you aren't already aware of them: the Etobicoke Underwater Club was a huge letdown for me when I joined them, although I met someone this year (their treasurer?) who claimed that they were being pretty active. Maybe they've changed? I don't think I managed to get even one dive with them while I was a member, and felt almost... shunned by the group at large. Unwelcome. Not fun. The Scarborough Underwater Club Inc has a pretty awesome acronym (SUCI) but also has frequent access to one of the 'good' pools (Pan AM, I believe?). I haven't really dealt with them directly, but one of the instructors I did my IE with is strongly affiliated with them, and she's good people. York Region Scuba is pretty active, and a pretty friendly group of people too. I think they all run trips - there are also some good trips that run out of the various dive shops around. Some of the 'local' trips to places like Brockville or Tobermory would give you access to diving and your husband access to places to explore and 'busy himself' while you do all the fun stuff.
As for additional training, clearly I'm the guy to go to for that. Ha! (Half-)sarcastic self promotion aside, there are some decent instructors around (even non-GUE ones!) so there's no reason why you couldn't get in most of those courses locally. I probably wouldn't suggest Cavern locally, but even I could train you in AOW, nitrox, or rescue. Wait... that makes it sound like I'm only a passable instructor... I'm actually pretty good, honest!
(Though it's a slight deviation from topic, I was quite flattered when one of my former students told me that she'd recommend others to me without hesitation... I must be doing something reasonably well? It's a pretty big compliment in my books.) AOW is a snap to teach, and pretty fun to do (and, if you get the right instructor, can be pretty rewarding too - though if you take it through the shop I did, it can also just be a disappointing waste of time)... nitrox is even easier to teach, though slightly less fun because it technically doesn't require actual diving. Though, actual diving COULD be arranged. Rescue, I'd just suggest trying to make sure you're in a class with a good number of people - it's far less fun and far less challenging with just one or two in it.And our local GUE guy is pretty great, too, from all accounts - I'm actually meaning to take his course one of these days myself.
Depending on what part of the GTA you're in, I'd happily give you some (albeit probably biased) thoughts on different shops worth checking out... and a couple that I'd avoid at all costs. The ones I tend to associate have a bit more of an active customer base, too.
... but as for the husband? Yeah, I still think you should trade up for a newer model. Or, as others have suggested, you could try enticing him to experience the St. Lawrence drifts or the Tobermory wrecks, or the... Gulliver's Lake ear infections? Your call.
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