Why Couples Training (Sometimes) Sucks - Full Version

[D_Fresh]

This hit close to home. The 1st time I went diving was a discovery dive. It was my gf’s bday and I took her to San Andres (Colombia) and as an added “gift” we did a Discovery Dive.

She definitely agreed to this just for me because she knew I really wanted to. She’s very claustrophobic so she had a real hard time in the pool session but she pushed thru it. When it came time for the ocean the instructor said that we’d be with him and one other girl (who later turned out to be his daughter) so it would be 4 of us.

Well there were multiple groups diving off that boat so it was a bit chaotic but I was the first to get in from my group. Sine I was the first one in I didn’t see my gf panic at 3-5m and rip off her stuff and head back to the surface. She later told me that while descending she had a change of heart and the instructor was insisting so she panicked and stripped off her reg.

I was waiting by myself at the bottom and wondering why I was alone but eventual the instructor came down with the other girl who I thought was my gf and I thought there must have been a last minute change and that the other girl went off with another group.

Well several minutes into the dive I grabbed my “gf’s” butt and later I realized that wasn’t her. As soon as we resurfaced I apologized profusely and she said no worries and in fact she asked me if I wanted to join her at the pool.

Now she won’t even pretend to even consider trying again and she doesn’t even want to snorkel.

Aww, that's one hell of a story, and I'm sorry that she did not end up following through. But, I'm sure it's a story that you both will remember for the rest of your lives, and it's an entertaining story nonetheless. To this day has she ever had a change of opinion regarding diving? (And, are you still together? not that it really matters, but you know, we're divers 'n' shtuff...) Either way, thanks for sharing. It's a good story, and we wish you the best.

 

[Kimela]

Here I was, thinking it would be AWESOME to have couples who are having problems in their relationships learn to dive together! I was thinking how it would help to build trust, self-confidence, and communication skills, etc. But this seems to paint a different picture ...

Diving has helped my husband and I build a stronger connection. The shared 'private' vocabulary (yes, I know you all know the terminology, but folks who don't dive, don't); appreciation for the skills - buoyancy, photography, finning, maintaining gear (btw, I always get dinged for not taking better care of my gear!). We have fun planning, diving, recapping the trips - and gosh, reliving the memories over the years. "Remember when you jumped off the Juliet (loooong drop) and for some reason you started your giant stride with your hand on your mask and reg, and before you hit the water you took your hand away? And I had to go retrieve your mask?" (it was hubby who was doing the jumping!). And "remember the time you accidentally ate some soup with conch in it - and you're allergic - and then we did that night dive?" (I'm allergic and my stomach went on overdrive). Oh ... the stories ... I love diving.

 

[Jafo19D]

Aww, that's one hell of a story, and I'm sorry that she did not end up following through. But, I'm sure it's a story that you both will remember for the rest of your lives, and it's an entertaining story nonetheless. To this day has she ever had a change of opinion regarding diving? (And, are you still together? not that it really matters, but you know, we're divers 'n' shtuff...) Either way, thanks for sharing. It's a good story, and we wish you the best.

Sometimes when she sees the videos she says she’s love to be able to do that with me but it’s just imposible. One time the elevator got stuck for a few seconds and she panicked. Unfortunately it just isn’t for her

 

[Angelo Farina]

After being trained separately, I and my wife did more than one thousands dives together.
We both became CMAS instructors and we managed to work in holidays resorts (Club Vacanze) for 5 years.
We shared the best moments of our lifes during those fantastic 5 years.
After coming back to "normal life" we had two sons.
We started bringing them in the pool at 6 months. In the sea at one year, and they had their first small scuba tank at 2 years.
Diving with our sons and training them was another wonderful thing we made together.
Definitely I think that, for a couple, sharing the same passions is a great thing.
I was very lucky, as my wife shared with me the passion for a number of outdoor activities: diving, boating, water ski, alpine ski, mountain climbing, offroad motorbikes, mountain bike, canyoning, even hunting (we did stop this quite early, killing animals is not so fun. We understood that hunting was just an excuse for making our dogs happy).

 

[Pressurehead]

I remember when my wife did a scuba diving course, I was teaching scuba and running a charter boat at the time and thought "like teaching your wife to drive a car 'don't do it', let someone else do it".
She found an Instructor [from another agency from the one I taught]. I went along to the pool and OW sessions [he did not mind], it was interesting to watch how others teach or don't [I was an Instructor trainer at the time, did not tell him that], I would have failed him, my wife 'passed' her course, and after more pool sessions and dives with my Divemaster she became an OW diver who could dive.
The other agency: No names, no court martial.