Do you dive locally?

[Keith & Sharon]

We have limited diving in Orlando, so I like to vacation way up North most weekends in cave country or way down South with the natives in Pompano and Ft. Lauderdale.

What are we calling local?:mooner:

If local is the state, then I'm covered 90%.

 

[Hoomi]

There really isn't any "local diving" here in Tucson. We don't have a lake or quarry that sees any diving action within about 100 miles, and our LDS typically does their students' cert dives down in the Sea of Cortez, about a 5 or 6 hour drive from here.

The Phoenix area shops run some dive trips to a lake north of Phoenix (IIRC on the location), but in our year and a half of diving, I've never seen a Tucson shop advertising a comparable trip to a "domestic" location.

That said, so far all of our diving has been arranged through our local shop, save for my one failed attempt at kelp diving in California last year. We really do prefer to support our LDS as much as possible, as we not only like having a local shop, they've also always taken good care of us.

 

[themagni]

I am fortunate to live in one of the best places to live in the world.

(FTFY)

How's that Sea Tux working out? I'm planning on a trip to Lantsville this summer and get fitted for one. All the people I've seen lately have had trilams so I haven't seen anyone to ask.

 

[Diver Tim]

100% local so far... Oahu makes it easy!

 

[vladimir]

Of my ~750 total dives, about 50 of them were local, back when local meant New York, Maryland, or Pennsylvania. Depending on where you make the cutoff, I did some local dives while I lived in Singapore, but I think they stop being local when you have to present your passport. I have not done a local dive in 10 years.

 

[Blue982]

While it would be useful to know what variety of divers are customers at LDSs, the numbers are probably skewed because the divers taking this poll belong to scubaboard. Though I may be mistaken, I believe divers that frequent scubaboard are divers who would do not dive exclusively while on vacation.

 

[diverrex]

Though I may be mistaken, I believe divers that frequent scubaboard are divers who would do not dive exclusively while on vacation.

I'd also think this is quite true, though a lot of vacation divers post in the travel forums.

I'm about 125 dives local and 105 vacation dives. I did 31 vacation dives on two trips last year, that's probably about 7 - 9 months (3-4 dives a month) of local diving for me so it's not too hard for me to keep it about 50/50. I'd like to do more local diving but work has a way of interfering with that, and I need to work to keep those vacation divies coming. It's a catch 22, the more I work the more I can vacation dive but the less I can local dive.

 

[vladimir]

I believe divers that frequent scubaboard are divers who would do not dive exclusively while on vacation.

Yes, as the OP acknowledged, Scubaboarders are probably more avid than the general diving population and more apt to dive locally. There is probably a second sampling bias in that those who do dive locally are more inclined to vote in the poll--it does seem to be a point of pride for many. I, on the other hand, am proud to proclaim myself a vacation-only warm-water diver.

 

[alijtaylor]

When I lived in Wellington (NZ) I was about 2/3 local (cool water, low viz) and 1/3 vacation. Now that I live in the Solomon Islands and vacation back in Wellington it is about 99% local - or if you consider weekend trips to other Solomon sites vacations - 80% local 20% vacation.

Alison

 

[mafiajoe]

80/85% of my diving is local.But I live by the sea and most dive sites are litterally a 5min.drive from home.Lucky me