Setting up to fail?

Hey all. I live in th cold, rainy, murky northwest and have lived here all my life. I'm 31, and an avid diver in our greenish 50 degree waters. Recently I've had some pretty big changes in my life, and I am considering just selling everything I own and moving. Florida was one choice, or maybe Hawaii.... Calif. is just too expensive. I want to live someplace warm, with great diving. I have a class A cdl, so I figure I should be able to get a trucking job somewhere near a port city. I prefer construction driving, like dump trucks and stuff, but am open to whatever. My question is where the cost of living is lower, where the diving is better (I love wrecks!!!), and if I've completely lost my mind..... Any help would be great.

Florida for wrecks of course. A friend of mine just moved to the big island with a class A license and found work before he unpacked.

Moving here from San Diego....I would say it was cheaper in San Diego.

I can't imagine anywhere being MORE expensive than Hawaii.....although the Keys may give them a run for the money. If you love wrecks, Florida or even North Carolina might be great options.

Good luck with your venture, I hope it works out exactly the way you want.

If you can afford it, why not make a month long trip over here job hunting, diving and working part time. You can probably find a room to rent for about $1000 for the month and part time jobs are VERY easy to find (unemployment is around 3%) it is very expensive to live here, but folks that want to, find a way to make it happen.

btw - Hawaii is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, but if you can drive commercial vehicles (don't know the requirements for transferring that to another state) then you should be able to find decent work.

Cost of living is lower where jobs are fewer btw

Aloha, Tim

Main problem with moving there is the huge commitment it takes. Other spots in the US you can just throw your junk in a uhaul and down the road you go.

Florida has good wrecks. Here in Jacksonville we do have a substantial port. We like diving in the Keys (something of a drive to get there and back) though, that's for sure. It's kind of like a mini vacation each time we go. Might be able to find work here as well.

My father was in the Navy so we lived in San Diego and Honolulu...both are quite expensive. We moved to Jacksonville, Florida and he retired here. And, yes, Monroe County (the Keys) is quite expensive also!

Okay, where to start.....

Al Mialalphabet, by the big island, you mean Hawaii and not one of the keys right? Sorry for my geograpic ignorance... Hawaii is expensive, I know, so I am leaning towards Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas.

DiveMaven, thank you for your best wishes. I used to think that people that did crazy things like just up and leaving everything were slightly mad, but now I look back at all those people I've heard about and I think, "Man, I know what you mean..."

KidSpot, If it has tires, I can drive it. Shoot, if it has tracks, I can probably drive that too. Still, I don't know how much demand there is for trucking or land development in a place that is basically a port on all sides...... Still, it is confidence building to know that cdl jobs are available.

As far as the comitment, no biggie to me. I'm pretty basic; not too much in the way of "property" that I'd want to bring with me. Most stuff would probably go on craigslist cheap. I'm not really even sure this is gonna happen, but lately it has started making more and more sense to me. Who knows, maybe it's just a passing fever. Still, it's nice to indulge these thoughts a little bit and see where it takes me.

I spent 17 years in North Carolina only to move to Hawaii. Didn't like it there. But that is cause my entire family resides there. I would love to go back with out the bagage... Kinda of horrible to say, but you know what I mean.

I know of a few dive operators out of there but I will tell ya Diving out there aint cheap and its an all day thing. Its a good 20 miles out to the dive or what not. But the wrecks there... I have only seen pics but just amazing! Advanced diving and just incredible. I want to try it.

Carolinas are nice. You have the mountains which are easy to get to and have lots of cool stuff, the beachs are fun. My uncle is a truck driver for a company... cant really think of it right now. He does pretty good for himself. Only gone during the week, back by the weekend. Contrsuction in the area is BIG! Just depends on what type of place you want to live. I lived in the middle by Charlotte. Nice cause were in between the beach and Mountains. Hope this helps.

Well heck; welcome to Florida, need I say more.