the Hermit
Registered
Hi...
Fifteen years ago I discivered scuba and it was the most awesome adventure I had ever had. It consumed me for ten years, eating up 90% of my disposable time and income. I loved it so much I took many courses to be the best diver possible. I pushed instructors to be hard on me and teach me all I could handle. I enjoyed it so much I spent every dime I could spare on visiting the most exotic, best-in-the-world locations I could find. I was an open water extremist, with some tech/penetration training and experience.
Then seven years ago it started to get much more difficult to find new fish species, much more rare to see big sharks and big fish schools, much harder to find unique experiences, and much more more likely I would be disappointed. So I sort of stopped diving. I didn't plan to stop - I just sort of dropped out of it - into the murk so to speak.
A few months ago the family invited me to Maui and that allowed the diving monster inside of me, to get lose again. I "want" to go diving again and it feels good.
I was forced to early retire a couple of years ago (54 yrs old but healthy), so I have lots of time and freedom, but, with a lot less income than I planned. Still its enough, with a little retirement $ thrown in, to let me make at least one "great" dive trip each year, for the forseeable future.
My very short list of two week trips include a return to Palau, another trip to the E. Fields (PNG), and an exploration of Kri Eco resort in the R. Ampats. I'm not much of a muck diver, and I don't want to bother with the camera, so many of the new age destinations don't ring my bells. Many places have been shark finned to near extinction, and coral bleaching totally sucks, so the possibilities are trimmed way down. And ten to fifteen thousand dollar budgets put the Galapagos, and boutique liveaboards out of my price range. I'm single (except for two dogs), I travel solo (and dive solo when approved), I four wheel (when the weathers good), and I spend most of my free time being a do-it-myself carpenter, gardener, and mechanic.
I felt a quick hello would be the friendly and mannerly thing to do... and this seems like enough...
Since my user name fits me well, I'll just return to my underwater cave now...
blue skies and great vis for you and yours... the Hermit
Fifteen years ago I discivered scuba and it was the most awesome adventure I had ever had. It consumed me for ten years, eating up 90% of my disposable time and income. I loved it so much I took many courses to be the best diver possible. I pushed instructors to be hard on me and teach me all I could handle. I enjoyed it so much I spent every dime I could spare on visiting the most exotic, best-in-the-world locations I could find. I was an open water extremist, with some tech/penetration training and experience.
Then seven years ago it started to get much more difficult to find new fish species, much more rare to see big sharks and big fish schools, much harder to find unique experiences, and much more more likely I would be disappointed. So I sort of stopped diving. I didn't plan to stop - I just sort of dropped out of it - into the murk so to speak.
A few months ago the family invited me to Maui and that allowed the diving monster inside of me, to get lose again. I "want" to go diving again and it feels good.
I was forced to early retire a couple of years ago (54 yrs old but healthy), so I have lots of time and freedom, but, with a lot less income than I planned. Still its enough, with a little retirement $ thrown in, to let me make at least one "great" dive trip each year, for the forseeable future.
My very short list of two week trips include a return to Palau, another trip to the E. Fields (PNG), and an exploration of Kri Eco resort in the R. Ampats. I'm not much of a muck diver, and I don't want to bother with the camera, so many of the new age destinations don't ring my bells. Many places have been shark finned to near extinction, and coral bleaching totally sucks, so the possibilities are trimmed way down. And ten to fifteen thousand dollar budgets put the Galapagos, and boutique liveaboards out of my price range. I'm single (except for two dogs), I travel solo (and dive solo when approved), I four wheel (when the weathers good), and I spend most of my free time being a do-it-myself carpenter, gardener, and mechanic.
I felt a quick hello would be the friendly and mannerly thing to do... and this seems like enough...
Since my user name fits me well, I'll just return to my underwater cave now...
blue skies and great vis for you and yours... the Hermit
Last edited:
