I was a diving for 5 year before my wife got certified. Let me tell you, it's great to have a diver spouse to travel and dive with. And Debbie is a terrific diver. I never pushed her- she arrived at a point where she said she was ready. Don't press the issue, guide her gently, and whatever you do, stay away from her certification classes and dives, unless she asks you to join her. Trust me on this. Let it be her call if you are around or not. Don't volunteer help, but give it IF ASKED. ( Oh yea, here's a memo to jar546 - Thanks for the post. I was thinking what you were thinking. But you expressed it much more delicately that I might have. )
DivemasterDennis
This is an excellent post that bears repeating. Similar to other skill-based & potentially hazardous hobbies like shooting, motorcycle riding, etc., I believe it's usually better to not try to teach one's spouse/SO. There's a level of communication & intimacy that can make it hard for both sides to be objective. The student might feel criticized even with valid & needed critiques. By the same token, it's too tempting to try to be overprotective and avoid correction when needed or swoop in before the partner is able to learn from minor failures.
My wife isn't always thrilled when I give medical answers she doesn't like. It sometimes takes a real appointment with a "real doctor" to say the same things.
I'm getting back into diving, but with a non diving spouse. We had fun on a half-hour reef discovery dive last year. She is an amazing swimmer and loves to snorkel, but is unsure if she would like diving beyond the scope of that trip. I would love to do more nice rec dives with her, and she's interested in getting her OW ticket to dive together. If she likes it, that would be great. If she does the class and decides that diving isn't for her, then I won't bother her about it in the future.
Her biggest concern is the unknown. "What if I run out of air, or get lost, or eaten by a shark? What if you get eaten by a shark while lost and running out of air while I run out of air at the same time being eaten by a shark and can't find you?"
The biggest disservice I could do to her would be to tag along for her class. It could allow misplaced dependence on me, and I'm still a very novice diver. Confidence comes from knowing she can handle problems underwater, not thinking that I can fix everything. For that reason, we are planning to have her bypass the local shops and do her class privately with the instructor who taught my GUE primer last week. I have no doubt that he will adequately discuss gas planning and buddy skills for her.
She'll likely start diving in a BP/W from the get-go. I'll happily get her a pink anodized BP, pink wing, and pink webbing if she decides to keep diving together.
