WOW, this thread generated some GREAT discussion, so first, thanks to all of you for the thoughtful replies.
OK, when I posted this, I was thinking about folks who live on the east coast, generally within about 100 miles of the ocean. Needless to say, if you live in Oklahoma, ocean diving is a major investment for you. Obviously, it's more than just a weekend jaunt and that wasn't what I was thinking of. By all means, if I lived in the central United States, I'd dive quarries all the time too.
Second, please don't think that I'm saying quarry diving is second rate. By no means am I suggesting that. My "local" quarry -
Lake Rawlings - is actually a pretty cool place. Likewise for Dutch Springs and other "scuba parks." The operators at these locations have developed attractions, both underwater and above water, geared toward the entire family. I'm really surprised that one of them hasn't incorporated a KOA campground into their properties yet, blending the best of below and above. Ginnie Springs in Florida is close to this model, but not quite.
OK, from the comments:
Yep, I tried diving Hatteras on Saturday and Sunday after I posted this thread and as one poster noted, I was blown out. The hot air over the east coast caused strong wind blowing south to north and that's all it takes for almost all of North Carolina. Everyone from Wilmington north sat on the beach. Instead, I re-routed back to Virginia Beach, got a seat on a private boat, and was diving 40 miles offshore Sunday morning. The Hatteras dives would have cost me $170 each (we were going to the E. M. Clark, a rather long trip), the Virginia Beach dive cost me $60 in shared fuel money.
OK, no argument that ocean diving is harder for scheduling students, dives, etc., but SORRY, that don't cut it. When you certify someone "Open Water" it means that you, as an instructor, are saying the student is capable of diving in ANY open water environment without "special" rules (i.e., ice, cave, deep, etc.). I've seen too many newly "certified" divers come to boats I run on only to have bad experiences. They just aren't prepared. Unfortunately, almost to a diver, they tell me they took both Open Water and Advanced from the same shop or instructor and did all their dives in quarries. They also tell me that the shop or instructor convinced them they were "prepared" for the ocean, but that they should "start slow and go easy" with ocean dives. Right.
When I teach diving, I separate "training" and "certification" dives. Training dives are for developing skills. Confined water settings - like quarries - are perfect for this. For my Advanced course, students do at least two (2) days of confined water skill dives for at least six (6) dives. Some need more. When they are ready, they move to ocean certification dives. With me, that's two (2) days of boat diving with four (4) dives. We do skill development in the quarry. We use it in the ocean. Google BSAC (or
click here and
here) to see how they do it if you'd like some comparison. Personally, I'd separate "Open Water" and "Advanced" certifications into two groups - "confined" and "ocean." That way, everyone could be accommodated.
Obviously, cost is a big factor in diving. But, here's the thing. People put more money into gear than the dives they need it for. What's the point of a high end, two gas, decompression capable Nitrox computer if all your dives are 60 FT or less? I understand the "cool" factor - I've been marketed too - but when the cost of my equipment exceeds my ability to use it regularly - as it was intended - then it's really not about diving. It's about keeping up with the Joneses. More money than sense.
That said, ocean diving can be affordable if you know how to manage it. Set a season diving budget. Include ocean and quarry dives. Consider beach and shore dives as well. Lots of rivers have great artifact sites if you ask local dive shops. If you decide to go boat diving, use social networks like this one. Check out dive operators before booking. KNOW their cancellation, bad weather and refund policies. Many dive operators on the east coast (not Florida) will let you stay on the boat the night before the dive if you ask. Shops and boats in North Carolina have "diver hostels" where you get a dormitory style bed and bathroom facility for about $30 a night. I've met some of the nicest people from all over the world
staying with Olympus in Morehead City. Specialized dive travel operators like
singledivers.com put this all together in short weekend packages and even pair you with a buddy after you complete an extensive survey about likes and dislikes, experience, etc. Kamala, aka "Wreck Wench," even analyzes successful weather history for the dive location and will only book trips when the chance of getting blown out is less. So maybe you only get one or two weekends of ocean diving in a season, and the rest confined water. OK, that's good for me!
To REALLY dive cheap, you can unlock the VAST potential of Scuba Board and contact people in the regional forums for local diving. The guy I dived with last Sunday has his own boat. He looks for people to go diving with him and share fuel expenses. Sure, it can be an adventure, but hey - it's WRECK diving, LOL. I talk with people on Scuba Board from all parts of the country, and even Europe, all of the time. Some end up staying at my house when we dive a weekend offshore. I usually spend about 20 minutes reading their posting history to get a good idea about who they are and another 10 minutes on the phone with them. So far, I've never been disappointed. In fact, all of the guys (and ladies) I dive with regularly now, I've met on Scuba Board. Other social networking sites for diving have similar features as well.
In closing this post, please let me say this. I've been diving the Atlantic for about 30 years. When I started, our area had several dive boats, with lots of choices, most of which that were filled with excited divers every weekend. Sure, when I was young I couldn't afford going every weekend. Many of my dives were wrecks on North Carolina beaches that most people don't even know exist anymore. For example, LST-471 is about 500 yards north of Rodanthe Fishing Pier and 100 yards out. Any of you that dive North Carolina beaches ever dive it? Probably not. I've watched as the local dive shops shifted from boats to quarries and started to care more about numbers than actually diving. Meanwhile, areas in Florida with large diving and fishing communities started receiving Federal funding for artificial shipwrecks that improved both sports. With few exceptions, this funding passed the east coast by after the 1970s. Now, we are lucky to even be considered for such,
the new ship (USS Radford) being put down off Maryland, the obvious exception. Meanwhile, quarries are chock full of divers every weekend while the ocean is forgotten.
A famous scientist (and I forget who) was once asked if he thought life existed elsewhere in the universe. Smiling at the reporter he replied, "well, it's a terrible waste of space if it doesn't."
Do yourself a favor. Go diving in the ocean.
Thanks for reading....