What would you give up for diving?

[scottsax]

Besides time, money, good relations with your spouse, and most of your non-diving friends and family, what would you give up for diving?

I ask, because my entire life I have wanted to be a professional musician. I've been pretty successful at it, too. Played all over the world, toured with rock stars, yadda yadda yadda. But I find myself now, at 37 years old, working a great day job for a company I believe in that pays me enough to take trips to Bonaire and buy dive gear, and not getting as much satisfaction out of the gigs I'm doing.

Maybe it's because the band is consciously more commercial than most of the other bands I've been in, and maybe it's because we do a lot of weddings (with Bridezillas). And maybe it's more of a quality of life issue-that my time has become more valuable to me than money, and a full day spent in a hotel in a tuxedo is not worth the artistic or financial reward anymore.

And maybe, just maybe, playing music doesn't mean as much to me anymore. Since I started diving, I don't obsess about music-I obsess about scuba.... I think I might've finally made peace with the fact that I'll never be a rock star, and that's OK.... I'd rather finish out my life on a tropical island somewhere as a divemaster and lecherous expat.... I'll probably always play music-the sax is pretty portable, after all, but I'm starting to feel like I don't HAVE to play.

But I HAVE to dive.

Sorry I'm rambling, strange, nervous thoughts on a hot summer's day. I'm done now.

So-what would you give up?

[spatman]

i pretty much gave up my professional baseball career. well, as a fan anyway!

but seriously, sounds like you are going through a similar experience as i did when i left my position as a sound designer. scuba may be a new passion, but is it really replacing your love for the band? or would that have waned anyway?

let have a beer sometime and compare notes.

[scottsax]

The more I think about it, it's probably the passion for this band that's waning, not music in general. Although, my thirst to play gigs no longer matches my thirst for saltwater and neoprene. I think it's the quality of the musical experience that's becoming more important to me. Really fun gigs in clubs where I get to wear what I want and be as obnoxious as I want (which Penelope and Sheri can attest is considerable), and gigs where I get to play interesting music are more appealing to me than the same old same old wedding/corporate show.

Hmm...lots to think about. It's too damn hot.

[scottsax]

In diving-related news, a friend works for the City of Seattle, and they emailed him today looking for a diver to inspect and take pictures of some sort of outflow pipe in a seawall in 10 feet of water in Lake Washington. He's talking to the guy about what it would take for us to get the gig. I figure, if we get to do it, at least my gear will be rinsed!

[Joshua Smith]

In diving-related news, a friend works for the City of Seattle, and they emailed him today looking for a diver to inspect and take pictures of some sort of outflow pipe in a seawall in 10 feet of water in Lake Washington. He's talking to the guy about what it would take for us to get the gig. I figure, if we get to do it, at least my gear will be rinsed!

Ever dive Lake WA? You're gonna wanna rinse the gear anyway, trust me.

I would give up just about anything for diving, personally. But that's a loaded question with a lot of variables.

I would quit diving if my wife insisted- but she won't, and I think she knows that if she did, something important inside me would die, and then our marriage would, too.....so she doesn't. She just doesn't want to know too many details- especially depths.

I would quit my job, in order to keep diving- but it's an expensive hobby, at least the way I do it- and I need money to keep doing what I love, the way I want to do it.

I wouldn't comprimise my health, because I need to be healthy to keep doing it.

Other than that, I've sacrificed a LOT of time and money, which are 2 pretty damn important things to me.....

[Pez7378]

I would totally give up Heroi.........uh..............I like diving too.

[Joshua Smith]

I would totally give up Talking s*#t about Joe.........uh..............I like diving too.

[Grateful Diver]

In diving-related news, a friend works for the City of Seattle, and they emailed him today looking for a diver to inspect and take pictures of some sort of outflow pipe in a seawall in 10 feet of water in Lake Washington. He's talking to the guy about what it would take for us to get the gig. I figure, if we get to do it, at least my gear will be rinsed!

Hmmm ... as easy as that sounds, it's more a job for a commercial diver than a sport diver ... and those two types of diving are completely different.

There are insurance and liability issues that most sport divers aren't in a position to even think about.

I work for the City of Tacoma, and the department I work for is responsible for the maintenance of outfall pipes around the city. So I've been through that same issue before (e.g. Whaddya MEAN you paid $8000 to have that pipe inspected? I have friends that'll inspect it for one-tenth that much!) ... not to toss cold water on your dream, but I suspect if that proposal ever made it past your friend, his supervisor at some level is gonna decide the job goes to a commercial outfit that understands the protocols and regulations involved in such a dive (even in 10 feet of water).

To answer your original question ... mostly what I gave up for diving was the time to do the other things I used to love to do ... like sailing and skiing. I used to ski every week-end during ski season ... now I'm lucky to get out more than once or twice a year. And a few years back I tried getting back into sailing, but gave it up after a few months when I realized how many good diving opportunities I was passing up.

We just need more hours in a day and more days in a week ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Sheri]

The band seems to be in a pretty busy season right now, and that appears to be coinciding with a lot of your buddies getting out to dive before it starts raining again. To help supplement during this season of Bridezillas, would there be any way to alter your work schedule to allow for occasional earlier outs for evening dives? Or maybe 4 10s with one full day off during the week? Just a thought. I think there's room for your two passions to co-exist. Having been fortunate enough to see you both underwater and on-stage, I sincerely hope they will - in whatever form it takes.

My upcoming choice will be between money and me-time. And the answer is going to be giving up the money. Starting in October, its likely I will be asked to pull 3 weekends/month on call for work. (We'll see how long THAT lasts..) Time-and-a-half is a good thing. But on-call means I can't be underwater. That only leaves one weekend a month for diving, and that's become unacceptable to me. I make enough to get by on now, and although I do WANT more/better gear, that which I have (and have been lucky enough to borrow..) allows me to blow bubbles safely. So I can't complain too much. That's what credit cards are for.

Good luck with the struggle...

[cardiver]

My front door is 45 minutes from Crystal and I haven't been up on my board for three winters now. It's cruel that the best diving is during the winter months!

[LCF]

I think I might've finally made peace with the fact that I'll never be a rock star, and that's OK....

Funny; the same thing has happened to me with my riding, which was my passion and obsession for almost 20 years. Somehow, about the time I started diving, the intensity with which I rode dropped off -- which has actually made it more fun than it used to be. But I don't compete any more, and I don't ride as much as I used to, because it gets in the way of my diving . . .

[billandwende]

Well I cant even find my motorcycle keys. And just realized one of my kids still lives at home. I have a nice ARIMA that only gets wet when its raining. Id say Id give up plenty to dive but I may have done that already. Has any one seen my wife? If you do tell her I went diving.

[Fishstiq]

Well I cant even find my motorcycle keys. And just realized one of my kids still lives at home. I have a nice ARIMA that only gets wet when its raining. Id say Id give up plenty to dive but I may have done that already. Has any one seen my wife? If you do tell her I went diving.

where the hell are you diving that there's a trackhoe behind you in your picture? that's just wierd.....

[Nwbrewer]

Well I cant even find my motorcycle keys. And just realized one of my kids still lives at home. I have a nice ARIMA that only gets wet when its raining. Id say Id give up plenty to dive but I may have done that already. Has any one seen my wife? If you do tell her I went diving.

where the hell are you diving that there's a trackhoe behind you in your picture? that's just wierd.....

Fishstiq gave up on having friends who are nice to him...

[jeff98208]

i would give up my spare tire on my tracker to go diving, but not the van as the wife needs it for work. ](*,)