Divers without Diving... How do you do it?

[AlmightyApkallu]

I thought of naming this thread "landlocked divers" but realized that even some coastal divers may not have good diving nearby.

I'm at a point in my life where I want to settle down some where, maybe buy a home (hopefully) and stay put. Part of me wants to return to my home town of Albuquerque, which I love but unfortunately there is not much to be said for diving there. The Blue Hole is about 2 hours away and is a fun dive but I imagine it gets boring after awhile. Sure, California is a flight away as is other destinations but unless I some how become wealthy how often can I really afford to travel? Maybe 2-3 times a year at best? I'm sure some people know of creative ways to cure the diving bug which is why I'm asking.

I know many people who love diving live in areas that are more than a day drive away. How do you do it?

Another part of me wants to move to Florida. I would be further away from family but I do like it there and the diving is phenomenal, not to mention you are a very cheap and fast flight away from many locations around the Caribbean and Mexico...

It's not just me either, me and my sweetheart both share this love and passion for diving together and have loved our diving adventure together so far, so it's more than just a thing for me.

How do you guys do it? Ye' landlocked divers and those far from the good stuff...

 

[OldPhotog]

If you live in the SouthEast (doesn't have to be Florida), Florida and the East Coast becomes a day's drive away. Okay, the Keys are two days' drive or one really looooooong day drive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

If you live in the SouthEast (doesn't have to be Florida), Florida and the East Coast becomes a day's drive away. Okay, the Keys are two days' drive or one really looooooong day drive.

Not to mention that from major cities like Nashville and Atlanta, most of the Caribbean is a mere 2-3 hour flight.

 

[GreggS]

I live in central NC and am less than 2 hours dive from 6 freshwater dive locations. We can be at the coast, where there is lots of diving to be done, in just 3 1/2 - 4 hours depending on just where we want to go. As someone else said, Florida is a days drive away. My wife and I dive practically every weekend from around the 1st of May until well into November.

 

[BoltSnap]

More than 2 hours drive from the ocean/sea suitable for diving, I won't live there. Not even a consideration!!

 

[drrich2]

I know many people who love diving live in areas that are more than a day drive away. How do you do it?

Various issues related to my job and having no real roots (except born in Pensacola) in Florida preclude a move there; should I be blessed to retire in a few years, it'd mean taking my wife away from her family and our daughter away from them, too. Likely not gonna do that. But Florida is where I'd look to as a 'diving residence.'

For now, there's a dive quarry in town, plus I try to get in about 2 trips per year. Even if I lived near a place with good diving, odds are I'd occasionally want to travel elsewhere for a different type.

What I hope to check into down the road, if retirement is as I hope, is the feasibility for renting a place longer, maybe 2 or 3 weeks, and packing a larger amount of diving into that (average travel costs over more weeks).

Southeastern Florida has a range of underwater topography types; Jupiter, Blue Heron Bridge, West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Fort Lauderdale (by the Sea for shore diving), Key Largo & on down the Keys...let's say you move there. A question only you can answer; about how many dives would you look to do at each one, per year, after you'd been there a couple of years & got past the 'honeymoon' phase of living there? Keeping in mind boat diving costs money...

If you took a month each year to rent in Florida for a dedicated dive vacation, how many of those dives could you get done, without moving to Florida?

I focus on Florida because as much as I liked California I'd miss warm water diving, and North Carolina I'd miss shallower reef diving.

I wonder how much 'dive tourism' to distant locales southeastern Florida residents engage in, compared to divers living elsewhere? Does Florida replace other diving, or supplement it?

Richard.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Move to the Seattle area and dive whenever you feel like it. One of the true pleasures of life is being able to decide on your way home from work at night that you feel like going diving this evening ... and an hour later you're down at the local mudhole gearing up for a dive ...

Sure, the water's cold ... but that's why God created the drysuit ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[FinnMom]

Life is a day-to-day thing. If you would be involved with family and friends back home almost daily and diving maybe once in 1-3 months, there's your answer. If you would dive every day or once a week/fortnight and see/socialize with family less frequently, there's your answer.
I would do what you want for your daily life. You can always move again later if that's what you want later.

 

[Marie13]

I don't consider myself landlocked when Lake Michigan is in my backyard, and Lakes Huron, Superior, and Erie are within a day's drive. I have two quarries within 90 minutes drive. I guess it all depends on the kind of diving you want. I happen to enjoy cold water diving and own a drysuit. Tropical places don't really float my boat.

 

[KevinNM]

Albuquerque isn't ideal for diving. Catalina island is a full days drive away, and the Texas coast is farther. Lake Havasu is few hours closer, but still not close. Blue Hole isn't ideal for anything other then training, but rock lake is a lot bigger. Unfortunately it has access issues, part of that is that the town of Santa Rosa is not run by people with a lot of vision.

I looked a little into moving to Orlando/Gainesville area, but never got a tech pass or found an appropriate job before I got told not to dive until issues are resolved, so we'll see.