Why do divers quit?

[vladimir]

Unlike many SBers, it seems, I don't fret over divers quitting the sport. I wish more would quit and fewer would take it up. Once I could sleep in a hut steps away from the best shore diving in the world on Sipadan Island. The island is off-limits now; too many divers want to dive there, and they were destroying the place.

 

[Stu S.]

Some folks take the training so they can dive on one tropical vacation, with no intention of diving thereafter.

And, I know people that had trouble clearing their ears, and diving was no fun. Packed their gear, jumped off the boat, and could not go down.

Kid stuff put my diving on hold for years. Too many things to do, and less money for recreation. At dive sites and boats, you see young divers, old divers like me, but not as many in-between. I believe that's called a bi-modal distribution. The cause of that may be parenthood.

I want to thank my Florida friends for pestering me back into diving. My daughter developed an interest, and it is a great thing we do together.

 

[ScubaTexan]

I've had to curtail my diving severely in the last couple of years because, frankly, I don't have the money to devote to it anymore. When I do get back to a financially stable position, I will dive much more often again. Until then, however, other financial responsibilities must come first.

 

[Gombessa]

Unlike many SBers, it seems, I don't fret over divers quitting the sport. I wish more would quit and fewer would take it up. Once I could sleep in a hut steps away from the best shore diving in the world on Sipadan Island. The island is off-limits now; too many divers want to dive there, and they were destroying the place.

Some of us just have some natural curiosity. But certainly overcrowding is a problem in a number of popular dive locations, and I imagine that's something in which very few of us can really claim to be part of the solution than the problem.

 

[Sas]

The main things holding back the amount of diving I do are:

-Work obligations: I have to work Mon - Fri so that rules out five days of diving

-Cost - I can only afford one boat trip a week, but have discovered some great shore diving spots so that is less of an issue these days. The cold has been an issue as well and I have only just been able to afford a drysuit, so could only do two dives a day over the last few months, will be aiming for three a day when my drysuit arrives

-Lack of buddies: This was a real issue for me when I first got my OW. I was hanging to get back in the water but it wasn't til a month later than the club ran another DM lead trip. Then I showed up on boats a few times for instabuddies but just going on boat trips is REAL expensive but it is difficult to organise shore diving without a prearranged buddy. Anyway, I met my regular buddy on a drift course in late April and I have been diving every weekend except one since then. But yea, I imagine if I did not have a regular buddy I would have to cut down on my diving significantly.

As far as quitting goes, well I really hope I never have to quit. I doubt it would be voluntary....

Edit: Oops I posted this before I finished.

Anyway, I know a few people who have quit diving and the main reason is they are just not that into it. There is a lot of effort behind going out for a dive where I live - long travel time, it's cold, there are rough seas, strong currents, poor viz, etc, and for some people that outweighs the benefits.

 

[Tigerman]

I know that what pose the biggest "threat" to my diving is the fact that theres no dive shops around here so it can take me a few hours to even drive back and forth to a place that can give me an air fill. However I work a schedule that allow me to do this, so I get atleast a couple of dives in every month, plus whenever I go to places where I can dive, I cease the opportunity of course.
For those who are not as fortunate as myself with their work schedules and having families i guess both time and money as well as family would be three factors..

 

[InTheDrink]

I know a couple of divers that stopped before they ever really got started because of a bad experience where their guide brought them on a dive they should never have been on; left to their own devices in a raging current on a DSD etc.

I wouldn't be surprised if lots of people decide to give it up after a near miss, think risk is not worth it etc.

 

[stairman]

I was certified in 84.Lack of money ment used ,minimal gear.Two dive buddies were the same way.Dived like crazy for two summers.Buddys took up fishing and old nagging wives.Sold my cheap gear.Fast forward to 2002.Did some horse trading for somemore used gear.Took a trip to the keys for AOW diver.Making alot better money and make friends with dive shop.Evencially replace everything to set up for cavern.Take cavern class.Get the cave bug.Take cave classes.Buy doubles etc.Stage bottle can be my buddy if noone else can go.Problem solved!

 

[tomboyy]

There are lots of different reasons.

Life can get in the way. When my children were young, I had very little time for anything other than family issues. From 1992 through 1997, I only made 35 dives. That would be a heavy month for me before or after. Life gets in the way of life.

Some folks just don't like diving all that much. It was on their list of things to do, they checked it off.
I suspect one of the biggest reasons people quit is the low quality of their training. They never really felt comfortable and confident in their abilities.

I agree on that. Although I like diving alot... I'm not all about diving every free second I have. I have a family, I like to hunt, I have a job, I like to go out for alittle target practice, I like to do alot of things.

When I took a CPROX1st and AED class this week, we had to say our name and tell alittle bit about our selfs. Well at the end of the class this guy looks at me like I had the plague and says "I can't believe you've been certified for 5 years and only have 26 dives"

Besides that, the lack of a buddy... and here I mean friend, not just someone I could dive with once in awhile. Keeps my dive numbers low. It would be sweet to have a good friend of mine get certifed.... tried ... none of them will

Tom

 

[Curtis96]

My friend lost her brother in an mountain climbing accident. He was the one that got the whole family into diving. I don't think they have gone diving in the three yrs since his death. this however, isn't the norm.