Diving interrupted? What's your story?

[DivemasterDennis]

May 1, 2013, diagnosed with stage 4 cancer- in my lungs, liver, lymph nodes and some bones. Given 8 months to live. I am still here. Planning a trip in November. Get in the pool in between trips. I'll interrupt my diving when I can no longer breathe. PS- I just turned 63. I am not cancer free, but am doing quite well at the moment.
DivemasterDennis

 

[rhwestfall]

Certified (YMCA) in 1988 in college, and dabbled a bit, but not much as school was in the way, and lack of funds or buddies killed it. Joined the working world, met local divers, and did a bunch of local diving in the middle 90's. Met my wife to be, and she decided to become a diver too. Honeymoon was to a tropical diving destination, and we dove a bunch locally for a number of years. Birth of our child after 5 years of marriage signaled the commencement of a 8 year surface interval. Caught the bug, and I'm back at it again for the last 6 years. Wife dabbles a bit again too diving a few times a year "locally". Daughter will be certified this summer/fall, and we may again go to a warm water destination....

 

[emoreira]

I did my first ever Discover Scuba Dive in 1990. I was very excited after that experience and wanted to do the scuba course. Work problems, my first child and higher priority matters made me forget about scuba until 2007 when I did my second DSD. This time, time and money were by my side and I could complete my OWD course that same year several months afterwards.
Now I'm just finishing my OWDI course.

 

[diver 85]

No interruptions here----both diving since '85..........In fact, wife & I & oldest child (age 14 then) got certified together..... Each kid afterward got certified when they both turned 12 YO.....Everyone went on trips, they just happened to be all dive trips .....Wound up buying a beach house on Roatan in '94-----kept it for 14 years & now the wife & I(only) do all dive (stuff) vacations......EXCEPT------daughter & SIL came with us to Rangiroa last year--great TRIP too...

 

[Bert van den Berg]

I once went for six weeks without diving. Had surgery and my GP doctor was a diver. Couldn't convince him I was OK to dive at three weeks and he made me stay out of the water for the entire six weeks!

 

[CT-Rich]

Certified in 1980 at age 16. Used my lawn money to buy gear. Struggled to get cash together for boats charters, etc. took an AI course in college married, but wife didn't take to diving. I did a lot of free diving for almost 20 years.

When I got divorced I went back at it. Shooting for twenty-five dive a year. I got my daughter certified this year. She's gotten in about ten. I made her pay for part of training and gear. Every Sunday, 5 hours of driving and two tanks. Love to get some proper weekends, but work doesn't permit that....

Still struggling to get money for diving....

 

[northernone]

I was the interruption for my mom's diving... 30 year surface interval until last summer. She's back at it and still a solid diver. Good fun getting to introducing her to a BCD.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[billt4sf]

I had a bit of a break from diving from '75 (I still have the card, we practiced buddy breathing!) until '07. Now we're living in Bali -- guess why.

 

[HaleyF]

I did my open water course in high school in 1993 in Vancouver which was cold and horrible in the used and ill fitting wetsuits. I love ocean sports, but never really continued on with it. Went to college in Toronto which isn't exactly a hot spot for diving and took up sailing which ate all my poor college student money. Fast forward 20 years and several fridged north eastern cities later I was sent to Singapore for work. Sailing was too pricey here so I got back into diving and re-took the OW cert. I don't think I technically had to, but so much had changed! Best part was finding there are apps to do all the calculations and you don't have to use that chart anymore.

Now I dive constantly.

 

[Bob DBF]

Started in '62 and dove quite a bit till '65. My diving was on and off while I was in the USN, as I was at sea and moving around so I got in dives when I could. After I got out, I returned to regular diving, and finally was OW certified in 1980. Other than a couple of minor health related issues, the doc wanted to make sure I didn't pick up an infection, that kept me out for a few months, I've been diving continually.

As for the ups and downs in life and raising a kid, sometimes I had to use some well used and ratty gear, including a wetsuit that looked like Swiss cheese. We used to camp on the North Coast of CA a lot, and one of my favorite pictures was my then three year old sleeping on some tanks.

Diving is my Zen moment, and I have made a priority of diving, regardless of the vagaries of life, from the first day I went under water. I feel lucky that I'm still diving and will be for the foreseeable future.


Bob
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I love diving, I didn't say I was good at it.