Helping my wife get diving.

[Imagesetter]

Well, my wife says I have to take dancing lessons before she agrees to diving.

I just have to accept my wife will never dive.

In truth, she is afraid of the water. She did agree to try one of these days. (I will not presure her) but I will have NOTHING to do with her training. I will go and support her, be a beast of burden, but will not help with instruction unless asked. She will need a individual instructor instead of a class.

My son on the other hand (currently 6 years old) has no choice but to take up diving.

As already mentioned, give your wife an out and/or work out more training at a more comfortable pace. It is not a race who learns the skill first. I have seen (what I consider) safer divers who took longer to learn skills than those who have these skills come naturally.

 

[BrianV]

Find a new instructor. Our OW dive class had a female member who basically gave up. Our instructor took probably an extra hour to get her comfortable. A good instructor can make any situation comfortable. Definitely find a new instructor that can help out with your wife. Also be supportive but don't go overboard, and don't instruct her, just listen and support her.

Good luck, you definitely want her into the sport, it makes for awesome vacations. My co-workers wife doesn't dive and she juts sits on the boat bored as hell; forget that.

 

[austin.takahashi]

After Open Water was released, I thought I'd never try diving. A few years later, and here I am at scubaboard. Let time pass by, and maybe she'd begin to think about diving again. Also, try to find a new instructor that will really take time in teaching her.

 

[TSandM]

Oh, sorry I didn't see this earlier. Your wife may get some moral support and a few laughs out of reading the journal of my open water class (link in my sig line). I was a horrible student and class wasn't really fun. It's five years later, and I'm nearing 1000 dives and I'm cave and tech certified. A bad beginning doesn't mean a bad ending!

 

[Herk_Man]

Four years later and she's still standing on the edge of the ocean?

 

[nelsonrl]

My wife was afraid of the water, but strangely enough liked to snorkle. I had approached her about 10 years ago to take up diving. She said - absolutely not. A few years we were in a dive shop buying new snorkles and masks and the owner started talking about how most shark attacks were directed to surfers, snorklers, rarely divers. So, my wife who was afraid of even a picture of a shark signed us up for certification classes. I never pushed her to do this at all.


Our group class was ok, but she needed some personal attention so when the rest of the class went to there open water sessions, we stayed behind and took a couple of private lessons to get a couple of the skills down a little better. No harm, no foul - now certified.

Remember that shark fear? Our first boat dive, we were swimming through an overhang/rock formation and guess what came out to meet us? Two sharks - her only comment was WOW - THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.

Three years later, she is asking me on a regular basis - where do we go next for a dive?

Moral of the story - as others have said - don't push it, if its meant to happen, it will happen, but as most things in marriage, it will happen on her schedule!

Did I say how proud I am of my wife?

 

[spectrum]

Good advice is timeless and bound to benefit lurkers. In case nobody noticed this is a 2006 thread. The OP has either given it up or could be an instructor by now.

 

[Herk_Man]

My wife was afraid of the water, but strangely enough liked to snorkle. I had approached her about 10 years ago to take up diving. She said - absolutely not. A few years we were in a dive shop buying new snorkles and masks and the owner started talking about how most shark attacks were directed to surfers, snorklers, rarely divers. So, my wife who was afraid of even a picture of a shark signed us up for certification classes. I never pushed her to do this at all.


Our group class was ok, but she needed some personal attention so when the rest of the class went to there open water sessions, we stayed behind and took a couple of private lessons to get a couple of the skills down a little better. No harm, no foul - now certified.

Remember that shark fear? Our first boat dive, we were swimming through an overhang/rock formation and guess what came out to meet us? Two sharks - her only comment was WOW - THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.

Three years later, she is asking me on a regular basis - where do we go next for a dive?

Moral of the story - as others have said - don't push it, if its meant to happen, it will happen, but as most things in marriage, it will happen on her schedule!

Did I say how proud I am of my wife?

That is really cool! I hope at least one tentative future diver reads that and makes the decision to go do it!

 

[momliz]

yup, old thread but useful - what helped me was to dive in warm water with great vis, not our crappy pool, where I cannot descend, or our quarry, cold with no vis. Get to the Caribbean, or your warm fabulous destination of choice, and try diving there. Get a referral, so you/she/he can complete their certification there. Go off season, get a package or whatever to make it more affordable. On my first dive in Belize after completing OW classes here, I was flabbergasted - so this is what it's all about!! and now I'm hooked!