Scuba Storage

All righty then. You got the gear? And of course, then you got more gear. Then you bought some goodies that you didn't need but really wanted. Then you bought some duplicates incase something went bad, you wanted to be prepared. And of course, there are TWO divers in the house, not just one.

So then what? Build on an extra room for storage???

In the beginning, storage was a MAJOR problem for us so we had to limit what we bought. Then we got a bigger apartment and had a two car garage, so we felt unlimited.

Despite finally having a place to put everything, we struggled as we would pack to leave for diving. What to do with it all? We didn't need something so fancy as a nice big piece of luggage because we weren't flying and the stuff would sit wet in it.

So we opted for a PERFECT solution. We went and got a rubbermaid tote. The biggest they make. It has wheels on one end. And it holds EVERYTHING but our tanks - for two people! We can even throw our wet suits and wet swimming suits and towels in it and drive home in comfy dry warm clothes.

What's in our tote?

2 bc's

2 weight belts with weights

2 sets of fins (and of course he wears xl so they are super long)

2 regulators with octos

2 3mm wetsuits

2 pair of boots

2 pairs of gloves

2 sets of slates

2 inflatables (orange ones)

1 flashlight (long story - don't ask)

2 knives

1 repair kit (extra straps, flaps, velcro, tools, etc)

bag of ziploc baggies

1 spare air

1 tarp

Yep. It all fits. And while it is heavy when you have to lift it into the truck/car (like I do that, yeah right) I can easily roll it on the ground AND carry a lounge chair :)

It was one of the best things we ever bought for diving. And in the off season, it is sealed and stored in the garage all nice and neat, out of the way. So if you are having problems with storage, check into it.

Scuba Favorites

I have declared it Favorite Day on all my blogs. This one will be focused on diving.

Favorite animal to see in the water - manatees and trigger fish

Favorite time to dive - night time, of course. I love the disco effect in the ocean.

Favorite place to dive - easy - anywhere warm! But really, we love going to Jamaica to the all-inclusives. I don't know that the diving is spectacular but you just can't beat the price deals. All your diving and meals and drinks.

Favorite diving TV show - we used to LOVE the Aquanauts series where they went all over. I don't think it is still on and I don't know why.

Favorite piece of dive gear - I've been thinking about this long and hard. I would have to say it is my custom fit mouth piece for my regulator. I hate using anything else. It really saves my jaw. Although I am pretty partial to my mask and flap strap too. And I kinda like having my underwater camera, even though it isn't anything fancy.

Favorite dive buddy - HUBBY of course. I am so glad it is something we can share and do together.

Favorite scuba memory - my first night dive :)

SCUBA and the Economy

money photo courtesy of penywise morguefile.com
scuba gear photo - jdurham morguefile.com
For more FREE scuba photos, check out jdurham on morguefile.com


I have to admit. I am a bit worried about our sport and its continuation to grow. Scuba is a very expensive sport due to necessary equipment. With the depression (can I say that word?), people will not being looking to spend money for fun and enjoyment. And if they do, it will be much cheaper things, like movies, Wii, etc. But maybe I am wrong.

In the last few years, meaning 2 to 10 or whatever, the increase in the number of people who have learned to dive has grown A LOT. When we started diving, there weren't many people going out on the boats at our favorite resort (Couples).

A few years later, it was hard to get a spot on the boat sometimes. They had too many people taking their discovery dives to take certified divers. While inconvenient for us at times, it was great for the sport.

Now, as we are (yes still) getting ready to be divemasters, I WANT people to be knocking down the doors to learn to dive, because then I get to dive too! (not that I can't dive anyway, but it just gives more meaning to diving)

Our favorite resort doesn't seem to be fairing well in the current economy either. They are really pushing hard and have extremely low prices right now. But who can go? I'm worried that any minute the bank might close!

I guess those with lots of money will still be learning to scuba dive. But maybe not so many middle class like me anymore. Maybe I am wrong though. And I hope I am. Maybe a lot of people are making "learn to scuba dive" their new year's resolution!