Ever been this frustrated?

[DiverDurf]

I'm was certified in Dec '08 and only have 10 dives since then, so I'm still brand new. What I have consistently seen is a lack of finding dive buddies in this sport, and quite frankly it's starting to wane my enthusiasm overall. I'm an easy going guy and have absolutely loved learning to dive; so much so that my former instructor has accompanied me on three dive trips as a dive buddy. But, he's till an instructor and is called to teach new diver classes as they come which is obviously expected.

There have now been three separate weekends that I've had to cancel dives because I cannot for the life of me find a dive buddy to come along. This may not seem like much, but I have invited no less than 12-15 people to dive on each of those three weekends; but there is always something going on that precludes them from tagging along. Is it really this darn hard to find divers that enjoy diving as much as us newbies? I now understand why my LDS has a posting board for divers looking for buddies. I just went through the same thing for "this" coming weekend which will make four weekend dive plans totally shot to heck. I must say, it's a real bummer being a new diver that got certified alone with no pre-planning for dive buddies.

Okay, my little personal rant is over..........now off to my LDS to call everyone on that dive buddy board, lol!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Have you posted about your intended dives here on the board? There are a LOT of Florida divers here and somebody should be available if you give a little notice. BTW, I'll be in the High Springs area March 23-27 for some weekday diving. It's supposed to be a set of check-out dives but so far no students have signed up so it's looking like a staff trip. If you're available you're welcome to join us
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[ScubaSteve]

It is difficult for sure. Schedules always conflict but once you get a dive buddy that you mesh with, you will find that most of the time schedules will get adjusted so you can dive. How far are you willing to drive to dive? Driving a couple hours each way might open up new opportunities for buddies. I am surprised that you would have those problems in Florida. Has the SB Buddy Matrix been of no help to you? I do understand but do not give up. You will get attached to a bunch of divers and you will have lots of buddy's available. You could also talk some of your friends into getting certified (even though today may not be the time where a lot of people choose to invest in diving). Also, if you book a charter, they will usually be able to pair you up with someone so that you can get beneath the surface.

No matter what, hang in there.

 

[dkktsunami]

Just sign up for a dive trip on a commercial dive boat - DM will find dive buddies for you and in some cases will dive with you. Tell dive op in advance that you are a new diver and will need a bud.

 

[Cornboy_99]

Howdy,

I'm brand new too (October 2008). I've had similar problems, although I've made a couple of new friends. I'm in South Carolina, and I'm hoping as the weather warms up these guys will dive in our lake and the Savanna river every weekend. Also, and best of all, my wife has decided to give it a go. She's signed up for the first spring class at our LDS. She did some snorkeling on a recent cruise to Belize and Roatan and fell in love with what she saw. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she digs SCUBA as well.

Cheers,
Doug

 

[Sas]

Yea it can be tough to find buddies. I found this problem in the first few months I started diving. I basically just showed up at club dives for a random buddy or I booked on a charter - where they pair you up on the boat if you show up buddy-less. In the end I met a regular buddy through a drift diving course, so whilst the course overall was not that useful it did find me a buddy! We dive together most weekends and I have another buddy I dive with for midweek night dives from a dive club I am in. Often other people join us as well.

I have a group of people I know now and can buddy up with, mainly met them through dive clubs - they are a good place to find buddies if you are not already in one. I've also met buddies through here, a local diving forum and local Facebook groups. You kinda have to put yourself out there and dive with heaps of random strangers at first from Facebook or whatever, you get to know people that way and a bunch of them turn out to suit your diving style and it becomes a regular thing. I am going on holidays in March with quite a few people I met through Scubaboard so it often works out really well!

Good luck~~

 

[Sinbad the Diver]

I was worried about that too being one of those married with a wife that doesn't dive types. But when diving season started last year I posted in the local area thread, as Ber recomended, that I was an inexperienced diver looking to dive with someone who could mentor, etc. Two days later, got a response and dove with him a few times, met a few people in a class, dove with them, etc. Seems to be a great resource.

 

[Garrobo]

Go to a dive shop which puts a DM in the water with you. It's usually cheap and there will probably be other divers in a small group who would be willing to split the cost.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

It can be a problem, but recognize that the problem exists in part only because you are new. It's temporary. Keep diving for a year or so and by then you will have met enough kindred spirits that you will form some diving relationships.

(And by the way, good diving buddies can become very close relationships in your life. Like most close relationships in your life, it can take some looking to find the right guys/women.)

As the others have said, some of the better ways to find buddies are (a) keep on taking classes - eventually you will run across a like-minded diver in a class; and (b) sign up for charter ops as a single diver. Tell the op you are new and single. They will pair you up. (You may not appreciate the diver you're paired up with, but there will be other divers on the boat to get to know. Take some wet notes to get names, emails, whatever.) Other options include dive shows, local events planned by dive retailers, dive vacations, and getting involved with local efforts to clean up waterways, beaches, or other local community issues.

Obviously, one of your best options is ScubaBoard, and I encourage you to join the local forum here on the board and try to find local area divers with plans via the board.

Hang in there. Its tough breaking into anything new, but it is rewarding along the way.

Enjoy the journey.

Doc

 

[oly5050user]

sign up for an advance class or a speciality course.Meet people there and network..join a dive club..get a friend that does not dive into activity..talk diving up at social gatherings..These are all different ways to connect with people to dive with.