When One Gives Up Diving

[in_cavediver]

I work to dive.... am I a bad person?

Yes, but I can help. Start by boxing all of your dive equipment up and sending it to me.........

I could so easily use it. My Wife is following me into different levels of technical training and we always seem short equipment. (who'd thought 7 regs and 11 tanks aren't enough for 2 divers!)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

When I was 40, I was a ski instructor. Then I met a woman who didn't ski. I asked her if she wanted to learn how to ski and she said "OK" ... so I took her up with me every week-end and bought her a lesson package. She became a pretty good skier.

We got married.

When I was 49, I became a diver. She wasn't much of a water person, but I asked her if she wanted to learn how to dive and she said "OK" ... so I signed her up for scuba lessons. She became a pretty good diver.

When I was 52 we talked about finding another hobby ... I asked her if she wanted to learn paragliding. She said "No ... you turned me into a snowball, then you turned me into a fish, you're not turning me into a bird".

I miss her a lot ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[amascuba]

Most folks who dive aren't divers. Diving is something they do from time to time. They like it, but they aren't all that excited about it. It's easy to give up or merely forget about.

Some are short time divers. They love diving, but their only diving activity is sightseeing. Before too long, they get bored and drop out.

Others are divers. Diving is their lifestyle. They define themselves as divers. They don't say, "I'm an attorney" or "an accountant" or whatever they do to put food on the table, they say, "I'm a diver." These people have many different diving activities, they sightsee, they take photographs, they hunt for fish and/or bugs, they explore wrecks or caves, they conduct fish counts, they participate in clean ups, they collect fossils, they collect artifacts, they dive for the pure joy of it. They may go through periods of inactivity because of a lack of funds or because kids must take a higher priority, but even when they aren't diving, they are divers, they return to diving as soon and as often as possible.

I definitely agree with this. I've been diving for two years and one of the questions that I get asked most is; "How much have you spent on diving?" and my typical answer is well between training, gear, traveling, hotels, food, etc, etc I've spent ......... and their like #$%^&**^! You could have bought a new car for that. I typically just say. I could have, but my truck get's me from point a to point b, I have no car payments, and it's just not a priority to get a new car.

 

[Meng_Tze]

Yes, but I can help. Start by boxing all of your dive equipment up and sending it to me.........

NOOOO if this is the way to cure me..... I will stay BAD:devil_2:

Seriously though, my wife is not a diver. Has no interest and gets short breath just thinking about breathing under water. But my oldest son is already talking about being a diver. He so badly wants to dive... he is 6. He is doomed......

I told him to get a job and start saving because I know where this road goes.

 

[tankboygreg]

I gave up diving for nearly 25 years but I never gave up being a diver. I always considered myself a diver and knew I would return to it. In fact I always told myself I would start diving again when I was in my 40s when I would probably be able to afford to travel to tropical destinations. So here I am diving again.

I grew up diving and I worked in a dive shop, so why did I give it up? I had new goals. and new interests and not a whole lot of money. I went away to college. I started pursuing a career. I became interested in other things like backpacking which evolved to rock climbing and mountain climbing. I still climb.

My wife doesn't participate in diving or climbing. In fact she would prefer I didn't do either one. She has to live with it if she wants to be married to me. I have to moderate the amount of time I spend in either activity if I want to be married to her. It works for me.

However, just sightseeing is not enough to keep me diving. Travel and photography is what keeps it interesting for me.

 

[Guba]

First, Matt P, boy are you in trouble! Not with the first two things, but that third one is a dive killer if ever you saw one.
You see, I wanted to dive from the moment I saw Lloyd Bridges in "Sea Hunt"...I was about six. Back then, diving was exotic and terribly far away (from Northern Texas). I watched every episode of Jaques Costeau in my teen years. Graduated HS, then discovered the love of my life (the human one). Then came marriage and the kids...and that was that for about the next twenty years. Let me tell you, my friend, kids can be the black hole of your time, sucking up every spare nanosecond and leaving you exhausted, broke, and pining to fulfill your dream to get underwater. (By the way, I don't regret that at all...my kids are the second, third and fourth loves of my life.) But then, on a trip to Mexico to celebrate one of my kid's graduation, I took a "resort course". There, at 45 feet, I discovered a new love of my life. At the tender age of 43 I was reborn to a new world, and I haven't slowed down on that yet. It doesn't matter that my wife doesn't dive (she loves the beach, complete with a hammock, drink and something to read) and that's okay. I've steadily built a network of friends who dive and I've introduced quite a few to the sport. So having a SO who doesn't dive isn't the end of the world. BUT it does take cooperation, patience, and a willingness to compromise to keep a happy home life around your hobby. Just try not to be selfish.

 

[Hank49]

Most folks who dive aren't divers. Diving is something they do from time to time. They like it, but they aren't all that excited about it. It's easy to give up or merely forget about.

Some are short time divers. They love diving, but their only diving activity is sightseeing. Before too long, they get bored and drop out.

Others are divers. Diving is their lifestyle. They define themselves as divers. They don't say, "I'm an attorney" or "an accountant" or whatever they do to put food on the table, they say, "I'm a diver." These people have many different diving activities, they sightsee, they take photographs, they hunt for fish and/or bugs, they explore wrecks or caves, they conduct fish counts, they participate in clean ups, they collect fossils, they collect artifacts, they dive for the pure joy of it. They may go through periods of inactivity because of a lack of funds or because kids must take a higher priority, but even when they aren't diving, they are divers, they return to diving as soon and as often as possible.

I pretty much agree with this but in my case it's a bit broader. I would just substitute the word "dive" and "diver" with "the ocean" and "waterman". I love diving but I love surfing, free spearing, fishing, just taking the boat out into the open sea swells, body surfing, growing marine organisms....sitting and looking at waves.... That is in my blood...not just diving.

 

[Cudabait]

Thanks, Walter......

My identity crisis, with all those years of confusion, is finally over....I just realized I'm a diver!!

Regards,

 

[mobster75]

I wouldn't waste my time with a woman who told me "Either the diving or me".. Anyone who can't respect my few hobbies (especially when its obvious they bring me lots of happiness and its good exercise) isn't respecting me. I would have no problem reciprocating and supporting a hobby my GF wanted to do that wasn't for me (like say, horseback riding).

Luckily, my GF likes that I have hobbies that make me happy.. Although, I know at times she's sick of hearing about scuba diving but as I'm diving every weekend now, theres always a story to tell. Heh. She did admit she'd like to try a Discover Scuba in a pool just to see - even though she says she has no great urge to get into scuba. Thats fine. Neither did I until I did that first Discover dive on a lark cuz my roommate in the Bahamas asked me to go with him - and WHAM!

But anyways, it's all about respect. I refuse to deal with anyone that can't or won't respect my choices.

 

[jbisjim]

I miss her a lot ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Cheers Grateful Diver
jbisjim raises glass.