Why do you dive New England?

[oldflounder]

How do you create a poll on this board? At the bottom of the new thread page it gives me the option to post a poll but how is it done? I have done a search for threads on why the locals dive around here and how often they do but I can't seem to get an answer - it keeps ignoring me. Can someone point those threads out to me. If there aren't any I would like to create a poll on the subject.
What kind of items would make up that poll: i.e. where the diver [D] resides/where the D goes to dive/how often/age/gender/reason for diving there/how long does the D take to get there/how far from home is the most the D will travel normally/what does the D spend for an average day's dive - vehicle gas, tolls, food, air fills, babysitter, etc. I am not talking about where you would go once a year for a special trip locally. I would like to know where the locals go diving and how often.
For example, I'm from SE NH and my usual haunts are Nubble, Portsmouth and Great Island. I only dive the ocean for now. I consider a local trip to be within a 1 hour drive. A one tank dive eats up at least 4-5 hours out of a day [travel time, gear on/off, dive time, hanging out at site relaxing, stop at store maybe.] I normally spend less than $20 on diving that day. I usually visit the LDS on the way up or back. What other suggestions would you have that you would like to see on a poll???

 

[spectrum]

Because I live here...

I love to dive and we have plenty to see. We all know the water won't be as warm and clear as in some other locations. That stuff in the water is nutrients that give us life forms that can't survive in warm clear water, it's all good. If it wasn't cold I wouldn't get to play with my snow blowers in the off season.

When we get to travel to milder water it's a treat. If that were all I had to look forward to my budget would tell me to find another sport/pastime. Leaving the desk at 5:00 on a workday and being UW by 6:15 is just a huge bonus and great way to end the day.

Like you, most of our diving is within an hour of home. I've managed to average 100 dives a year since starting in 2005 with over 90% in New England. Where we eat is the biggest cost factor. A tank or 2 is small money for the joy and we'd probably be driving someplace to do something so I don't even look at that expense.

If you venture out of the ocean into fresh water or to southern New England there is some delightfully mild summertime diving to enjoy.

I agree that a nice 1 or 2 tank outing can east up the better part of the day. It's good motivation to be productive in the dry hours.

Since my wife also dives and we're empty nesters it all works out pretty nice. Even if she's not up for a dive on a given day she understands my need. As for gear and all it sure goes easier when we're both pulling on the purse strings together! Just a few weeks ago she TOLD me to buy a few HP 100 cylinders I was eying!

As for poll, why bother? Real input beats sound bites.

Pete

 

[oldflounder]

I think I see how my thread title "Why do you dive New England" could be interpreted as a negative statement and as asking for a person to defend his reason for such. I'm sorry it came across that way. I love diving locally!! What I mean to say is - Why do you dive NE? - is it to be an underwater tourist, or an underwater beachcomber? Is it to get as much depth as possible? Is it to do boat dives? Wreck diving? Are you in it as a profession - instructor,search/rescue etc.? Are you interested in hunting or scalloping - lobsters? Do you enjoy photography mostly? Is it a personal challenge to learn to deal with a new environment? Exercise? To satisfy an explorers hunger? I am just curious what the reasoning was for getting certified and what people's interest is in being underwater. I am certainly not criticizing anyone for diving in NE. It just seems like a poll is a cut and dry way of putting down reasons without a lot of explanations if anyone had any interest in responding. Real input would be just as welcome. To answer my own question I think a poll might show that the majority of us are shore divers, stay less than 75' on most dives, don't spend much on dive day and dive within 1 hour of home. I base this on some of the things people write in local dive reports.

 

[Damselfish]

The interface for polls is a not quite obvious - you have to submit the thread with that option checked, then you get to add the poll after that. It does leave you wondering where you are supposed to make the poll. Might be too many reasons why people dive around here to get a useful set of options into a poll anyway.

Personally, I started diving here because a friend said "hey, want to do this with me?" and I always liked the water and snorkeling so I said sure why not. I didn't do much (ok, any) research into the whole thing, would have been much harder then anyway. (Then I got tired of heavy wetsuits and many other (to me) hassles of diving around around here, discovered warm water, and local diving faded away over a couple years.)

 

[Jeff Toorish]

If you can dive in New England, you can dive anywhere!

Jeff

 

[keithdiver]

I think I see how my thread title "Why do you dive New England" could be interpreted as a negative statement and as asking for a person to defend his reason for such. I'm sorry it came across that way. I love diving locally!! What I mean to say is - Why do you dive NE? - is it to be an underwater tourist, or an underwater beachcomber? Is it to get as much depth as possible? Is it to do boat dives? Wreck diving? Are you in it as a profession - instructor,search/rescue etc.? Are you interested in hunting or scalloping - lobsters? Do you enjoy photography mostly? Is it a personal challenge to learn to deal with a new environment? Exercise? To satisfy an explorers hunger? I am just curious what the reasoning was for getting certified and what people's interest is in being underwater. I am certainly not criticizing anyone for diving in NE. It just seems like a poll is a cut and dry way of putting down reasons without a lot of explanations if anyone had any interest in responding. Real input would be just as welcome. To answer my own question I think a poll might show that the majority of us are shore divers, stay less than 75' on most dives, don't spend much on dive day and dive within 1 hour of home. I base this on some of the things people write in local dive reports.

It is one of the best for cold waterdiving..:cool2:

 

[fencingfish]

Because New England wildlife and the cold water environment beat milder climates any day of the week! ...okay, I might be a little biased...

 

[keithdiver]

Because New England wildlife and the cold water environment beat milder climates any day of the week! ...okay, I might be a little biased...

I love that diving there, i got certified by Cape Ann Divers, and have had nothing but fun since i started diving there.

 

[Maine Diver]

I love diving pure and simple. Yes, it's cold water, but we have lots of great critters to look at. I live here. I have met some great dive friends in Maine and they encourage me and have welcomed me into their group. It gets me out of the house and the office. It relaxes me. Did I mention I love diving

 

[SkuaSeptember]

Because I've made some great friends and expect to make more. Because I see more critters on a one hour dive than on a 5 hour hike. Because it feeds my primal need to be a hunter-gatherer. Because the wrecks are facinating. And last but not least, because its home!