There you are… you’re traveling for business or visiting your relatives; walking down a boardwalk… and then it hits you… ‘I could be diving!’

How often do you take the opportunity to go SCUBA diving when you are traveling for other reasons? Do you avoid packing your gear if you’re not going on a ‘dive trip’ simply because you’d only get one or two dives in anyway?

I know I have. I’ve been to California and the northeast plenty of times to get some dives in but left my gear at home. Why?

Here are 5 reasons divers lose dive opportunities!

• It’s too much to carry.
• That’s not the point of this trip.
• The airlines charge too much for checked bags.
• What if I carry it all on my trip and can’t dive?
• I would only get a dive or two in anyway.

Now, let’s talk about strategies overcome these excuses and make every trip a ‘dive trip’!

Are you like me? Do you use every moment that you’re not diving thinking about diving?

It’s too much to carry…

I completely understand this. Especially since I fall into the ‘travel like you own the dive shop’ approach.

Doesn’t every diver carry a spare dive computer, booties and o-rings for everyone on the boat?

As it turns out… no they don’t.

What to do…? Pare it Down

If you’re going to travel for business but may have the opportunity to dive; pare down your kit. I mean really pare it down. You may have to buy something at the shop where you travel, or rent that last piece from the operator but you’d be diving!

That’s not the point of this trip…

Uh… so?

Seriously, I understand this one and it’s difficult for me to wrap my head around the possibility of diving as a ‘side show’. But how many dives have I missed because I just didn’t take a little time to plan ahead when traveling?

What to do…? Take it Easy

It’s okay if diving isn’t the point of a trip. Take less gear and ride the current of your travels. If you can take an opportunity to dive… great! If it doesn’t happen… just be cool with that too.

The airlines charge too much for checked bags…

Yes… yes they do. So then the plan is to stick it to the man by not diving? I’m not certain, but I don’t think our collective SCUBA martyrdom has made a huge impact on the airline industry.

What to do…? Fly Southwest or Get Over It

Southwest Airlines still (at the time of this writing) allows free checked bags. Plus they’re cool! So there you go. Fly Southwest or pay the fee. Diving is worth it!

What if I carry it all on my trip and can’t dive…?

My principle job is as a business manager and my education is in operations management so inefficiency cuts me to the core. It’s not in my nature to pack and carry my SCUBA gear and accept the possibility of not diving.

What to do…? Be prepared… because Coulda is better than Shoulda

I don’t know about you but I would much rather say ‘I coulda gone diving if the opportunity had been available.’ than ‘I shoulda brought my gear because that would have been a great dive!’

I would only get a dive or two in anyway…

That’s the little, lazy voice inside of me that just doesn’t want to do a little work.

Lame lame lame lame lame!

The best dives I’ve ever been on were only one dive. You can never know what experience awaits you when you make your descent.

So…

• Pare down your kit
• Take it easy
• Fly Southwest or pay the fee
• Be prepared
• Any dive might be that dive!

 

Please share comments below about your experiences and tips for diving in destinations of opportunity!

SKuba Steve

‘The surface interval’s over… get out there and dive!’

© 2014 Stephen Krausse. All rights reserved.