| I have come across many people who dealt with this | | | | dedicated). |
| dilemma. As scuba diving is one of those activities | | | | Do you love the pastime or the person? |
| that demand a lot of time and money, a keen | | | | Camilla was a twenty-something woman, highly |
| enthusiast is going to devote his/her holidays and | | | | educated. While taking a year-long break from her |
| spare time to this pursuit. To a non-diver, a diver's | | | | career doing volunteer work in Central America, she |
| commitments to his/her sport may seem odd or | | | | met Mark, a man who had made his career as a |
| obsessive. | | | | diving instructor and business owner. Naturally, his |
| Put straight, a non-diver just doesn't get it. Why | | | | world revolved around scuba diving and Camilla |
| would someone spend their weekends going to a | | | | wanted to get into this world. She learned to dive |
| quarry or mudflat to get cold and risk an ear | | | | and her relationship with Mark flourished. Six months |
| infection? Then there are the vacations, dishing out | | | | later, Camilla and Mark bought a small resort where |
| for over-weight airline luggage and scheduling all your | | | | she was consigned to working the shop accounts. |
| activities around diving. | | | | She became disillusioned quickly and less than a year |
| The question for the non-diving partner: Should you | | | | after opening the shop, demanded out. |
| get into the sport to have common ground with your | | | | There are happy accounts. Ron was indifferent after |
| diving partner? | | | | his girlfriend Jade learned to dive while vacationing |
| Love means never having to say "I'd rather go to | | | | with her mother. She really got into diving and was |
| the mountains this year" | | | | spending many Saturdays visiting the stone quarry |
| A scenario I've seen a lot of these during my time | | | | near their home in England. To Ron, this sounded a |
| involves a person signing on to an Open Water | | | | complete waste of time and money until he saw a |
| course with the "encouragement" of a partner. Sad | | | | TV documentary on wreck diving in Micronesia. Two |
| to say, a majority of these are women. The student | | | | weeks later, he was certified and was looking |
| is unenthusiastic from the beginning. S/he just goes | | | | forward to their first dive holiday together. Few |
| through the most basic requirements of the course | | | | years later, they are married and spend their holidays |
| and can't wait for the training day to end. S/he won't | | | | diving all over the world. |
| dive much after certification. | | | | Ron got into diving because he was besotted with |
| Another common scenario (and again, typically a | | | | the idea of diving NOT because he was besotted by |
| woman): a partner in a relationship wishes to dive | | | | his partner. Lucky for him now, his partner shares his |
| because his/her partner is a keen diver. The living | | | | pastime. |
| vicariously principle is at work here. S/he may not | | | | Just DO IT but do it for the right reasons |
| really have thought of what scuba diving entails but is | | | | Think about it hard if you're thinking of taking up |
| convinced that it'll be wonderful spending weekends | | | | diving. Is it YOUR initiative, your interest? And this |
| or holidays together. | | | | applies to many other activities, not just scuba diving. |
| Yes it's nice to have a common interest but is it | | | | As for divers, do you really want a reluctant dive |
| really your thing? This is worth asking because scuba | | | | buddy? Do you think your partner is going to like a |
| diving can require commitments on funds and time | | | | pastime just because you do? Like any activity, the |
| and have a bearing on holiday choices (and even | | | | enthusiasts often suffer from tunnel vision. Really, |
| have a bearing on where to live for the most | | | | some things and some people are best left at home. |