Okay, Bob, now you're just being cruel to all of us who have some serious traveling to do to get to an ocean and even require a day trip just to get underwater! I'm positively green with envy.
To answer the original question... For me, when I'm experiencing those long "dry spells", it's a comfort to be able to come here and at least be able to carry on a conversation about diving.
I don't think the OP meant to imply this, but are there actually SB'ers who feel that participants in these threads need to "earn" the right to participate and contribute ideas by having "enough" dives, years of experience, or training? I sure hope not, because I doubt if I'd ever be able to "measure up" to those kinds of expectations, yet I certainly enjoy participating in the exchanges here. Granted, I try to make sure anything I post reflects only my opinion or are the results of whatever limited experience I might have. I strive not to project any kind of "machoism" and I certainly hope my posts don't come across that way. This is a great place to learn and even laugh, and I would hate to see any efforts made to curb that kind of free exhange, even from the inexperienced (such as me).