What are your dive plans for 2010?

What are you going to spend your money on? Travel? Gear? Dive boats? Trying something new? Taking dive courses? Going somewhere different? Have a list of things you want to accomplish? How many dives will you do in 2010? Where will you dive? How much money will you spend on Scuba in 2010? I am not in the scuba business. I just think it would be interesting to hear what people are planning.

2010 for me and Peter is the "Year of the West Coast". We made a decision to try to focus our dive travel on the diving near us, not to save money (because it won't, really) but because we just haven't seen a lot of the diving that's available on the Pacific Coast. Things will be starting with a week up at Browning Pass Hideaway in March, where the walls are reportedly covered in color and life, and the viz tends to be excellent. I'm hoping to get down to Monterey in May, and maybe do a day or two on the North Coast, where I grew up -- it would be fun to dive the places I knew well from the land side as a child. In June, we are doing a 3 day liveaboard in the Channel Islands with 20 of our closest friends ) ). We did this trip last year, and it was fabulous, but I'm hoping for slightly warmer weather and better visibility this time.

In addition, there will be at least two cave diving trips, because I think that's the minimum one can do and stay safe with skills. Right now, I'm planning April in Mexico, and vaguely planning Thanksgiving with our friends as we have done the last two years. In December, Peter and I have to attend a non-diving related meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, so we'll probably try to tack a couple of days of cave diving onto the end of that trip, as well.

And that's 2010, just about scheduled out and it isn't even here yet!

I plan to focus on cold water diving and will start 2010 with a bang! Diving for a month (hopefully almost every day) in and around Monterey, California with a few trips down to Wreck Alley in San Diego and Catalina Island.

The upcomming GUE Fundies class in February is incredibly exciting! It will be an ambitious training goal if I can pass Fundies levels in 2010 and possibly do a retake of rescue in relation to cold water, drysuits and our environment.

After that it's weekend Monterey diving and a few trips down to So Cali for Anacapa/Catalina.

It appears I will have a 2-3 month stay in the Philippines/Indonesia over the summer for scuba research & non-stop diving which will start late May and run through August ;-).

Then it's back to the west coast and local Monterey diving with a few more small trips to warm waters of So California/So Flordia or perhaps other locations such as the Pacific Northwest to meet SB friends .

Not a bad plan ;-)!

Lee Taylor:

How much money will you spend on Scuba in 2010?

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Don't even go there!
How many dives?:it's usually around 100
Trips?:still don't know,maybe more than one.The wrecks in the gulf of Cagliari(Sardinia)are on my list as the wrecks in Malta.Maybe Dahab again?(I'm an affecionado).Tech diving in Pantelleria(Sicily)?......or it could be somewhere completely different.Nothing planned yet,but most probably at least one of the cited ones.

Thanks to all for the interesting information. I hope more people weigh in as time passes. It is very interesting to me how differently people view things and how varied the dive sites are.

I am hoping to spend around 5k in 2010 on diving, given we don't have another financial meltdown. I have always tried to focus on diving close to home first, and then work my way outwards. I will probably start out in the pool as I do every year, to get the gear sorted out. Then on to some 30ft local black water river diving for fossils. Then up the coast 1hr to Murrels Inlet to do a 60ft deep shipwreck that went down fully loaded. Then a local photo dive offshore Charleston SC (60-90ft) on a ledge or shipwreck. Then up to Willmington NC (3hr drive) for some offshore fossil hunting (100ft). Then down to Venice FL (west coast FL - 8hr drive) for some offshore fossil hunting (30ft). Next on the list, there are two shipwrecks in the Florida Keys that have my interest. One is the Duane. The other is the Baja California (went down fully loaded). Will hopefully dive both of them. Will try to mix in a couple of trips to the Carribean. Probably Exuma and Little Cayman.

The following is a link to some Little Cayman fun photos taken by a friend in 2009:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/gr...a+club-d174-photos+-+cayman+-+gary+finka.html

perhaps other locations such as the Pacific Northwest to meet SB friends .

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Yippee!

Lee Taylor:

Next on the list, there are two shipwrecks in the Florida Keys that have my interest. One is the Duane. The other is the Baja California (went down fully loaded). Will hopefully dive both of them.

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The Baja California isn't really in the Keys, she went down about 60 miles west of Naples. The only charter that I know of that goes there regularly is the Ultimate Getaway out of Ft. Myers.

Thank you Wookie. You are right. Thanks for the info on the dive shop to use.

Thanks Jeff. I respect all the different perspectives on sharks and diving. I see sharks on occasion but not sure I want to get into baited waters. I have seen, sand tigers, reef, nurse, bull, and tiger. I was alone on the bottom once with a large shark curiously hanging close to me and following me about. After some time it started creeping me out. I do find them interesting, but I know someone personally that lost a friend to a shark. I dove with this person for years before he told me this. He still river dives and has spent thousands upon thousands of hours underwater but he quit diving the ocean due to the incident. I don't feel large wild animals are as gentle as we make them out to be. I remember when I first started diving I was told they are just "puppy dogs".

Lee Taylor:

I am hoping to spend around 5k in 2010 on diving, given we don't have another financial meltdown. I have always tried to focus on diving close to home first, and then work my way outwards. I will probably start out in the pool as I do every year, to get the gear sorted out. Then on to some 30ft local black water river diving for fossils. Then up the coast 1hr to Murrels Inlet to do a 60ft deep shipwreck that went down fully loaded. Then a local photo dive offshore Charleston SC (60-90ft) on a ledge or shipwreck. Then up to Willmington NC (3hr drive) for some offshore fossil hunting (100ft). Then down to Venice FL (west coast FL - 8hr drive) for some offshore fossil hunting (30ft). Next on the list, there are two shipwrecks in the Florida Keys that have my interest. One is the Duane. The other is the Baja California (went down fully loaded). Will hopefully dive both of them. Will try to mix in a couple of trips to the Carribean. Probably Exuma and Little Cayman.

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You're gonna be busy!:cool3: