Covid's impact on your diving ...

[Neilwood]

I find it practical for my own training to have done the TDI solo. It means that I can train in the lake whenever I want.

Hope you can get your issues sorted soon.

So do I. Can't see the restrictions fully opening up until after Xmas (I am in a level 3 area in Scotland so restrictions are pretty tight).

 

[Chavodel8en]

Just to change things up a bit ... after the hard shut downs of March-June, when Monterey Co. was not welcoming outsiders (so Zero diving for me), since July, I have actually doubled my diving.

It was always hard for me to find a free weekend day to dive. Pre-COVID, I went about one weekend morning of diving per month.

Pre-COVID, driving down to Monterey/Carmel on a weekday morning was a HUGE PITA. Now the traffic has thinned.

And I have 2 furlough days per month (tightening budget in response to COVID), so weekday diving is open to me. Plus, other interests that took my time (twice weekly hoops) are no longer happening,

So, since July I am averaging two mornings dives per month, mostly weekdays. Twice as much as before.

I am fortunate that local diving is available to me. I wouldnt be surprised if a hard shutdown happened again soon, although my shore diving is done socially distant, and I see no reason it should be shut down.

I am feening for warm water however. Dont know when that can happen again

 

[scubadada]

Two weeks in Bonaire for me and my wife in April were cancelled, not rescheduled yet

A week in Malpelo for me in June was cancelled, rescheduled for July 2021

I haven't tried to schedule any diving outside the US for the rest of the year. I made it down to Florida in February and March, pre-Covid. I only got in 12 dives as seas were up. I didn't dive for 90 days from March until early June. I have been lucky to get down to my home in Florida three times, June, July, and September. I'm going to try to get back down to Florida once or twice more before the end of the year. There has been a long streak of high seas this fall. I am lucky to have gotten in 81 dives so far, if I'm lucky,, I will get up to 100. I have done over 200 dives/year for the last 4 years

I'm trying to be optimistic that 2021 will be better. Reschedule our trip to Bonaire, make my trip to Malpelo, easier trips to Florida. I'm toying with trying to get Belize this winter.

Best of luck to everyone, good diving

 

[Storker]

Too cold prior to COVID

Too thin undersuit, rather.

Me, I don't have in-house buddies, and I try to socially distance. I've gotten one dive in since the lockdown in mid-March. That was during summer, when there were few new cases around here (and crappy summer vis). Got a few in before the lockdown and the spring bloom, though.

 

[elgoog]

Most of the decisions that are limiting my diving are by choice - I have very low risk tolerance right now due to family members being in high risk groups.

- Didn't have any trips planned but would have likely gone on a cave diving trip in April and another around now which are "canceled"
- Tech 1 was scheduled for June and was canceled
- No local boat dives, even with the reduced capacity on them this is not something I'm comfortable doing
- Only shore diving at Pt Lobos (which is limiting the number of divers in the park). It was also closed for a while because of the fires.

Net result = 6 month gap from Feb to Aug, 3 dives since then

 

[Lorenzoid]

How has Covid impacted your diving or your diving business?
. . .
I also considered getting into Cave diving earlier than my intended schedule because while boat charters get canceled, caves stay there.

Although my wife and I rarely plan our dive trips more than a few months in advance, it was especially fortuitous that when the lockdown came in March we had not planned any of our typical tropical dive trips for 2020. Rather, we had already scheduled a Fundies tech evaluation and Cave 1 class for the spring. Those got rescheduled a couple of times, but cave class is now just weeks away! As your comment implies, cave diving (and even cave dive training) can be done quite socially distant, especially in sparsely populated north FL. People say boat diving can be, too, but I'm not so sure about the fun of walking around on deck wearing a sea spray-sodden mask as I inch past other divers. Anyway, the cave route was our savior this year. We're patiently awaiting international dive travel--Mexico, etc.--in the post-vaccine era.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Had both of my planned trips to the Red Sea canceled due to covid travel restrictions.

Other than that, not much has changed.

I live very close to the beach and have my own gear so I just go with friends when ever the conditions allow it.

 

[Hethen57]

Had a dive trip cancelled over summer due to airlines, but lots of local diving...at least 2-3 weekends per month from Catalina to Monterey, plus an amazing trip to Cozumel.. the place was so empty we even dove the cruise ship piers once just to say we did. Still hopeful for Bonaire in January, but we will see. I attribute all this diving to the fact that there is almost nothing on my weekend social calendar that interferes with diving like there used to be and we have a great group of die hard local divers that are willing to go out anytime.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Most of the decisions that are limiting my diving are by choice - I have very low risk tolerance right now due to family members being in high risk groups.

Same here,

I care for an elderly parent, so my general comfort-level has been pretty low. I had plans in-place for a big 7-week trip back around May/June/July timeframe, but everything got canceled.

Kinda feel like I have been mentally sitting on the sofa ever since...

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Got a few trips in to the lake/quarry. That’s it for this year. Bit of a letdown. I was hoping to get a trip in to FL and NC, but decided to stay local.

I’ll be very busy for the next several months, so I doubt I’ll be doing much diving for at least the first half of 2021. Hopefully I can bank up a few bucks and some leave and do something cool later in the year.