YO-HANCHA
Broken man
After a year of full-on diving , Yo-Han Cha has exhausted both himself and his bank account . Any regrets ?
When the wind starts to bite and nights start drawing in , I realise the jig ’ s up . Diving hasn ’ t come to an end , but I ’ ve finally gone on my last dive trip of the year , it ’ ll be just local day trips from now on . I can ’ t really complain though . Possibly fuelled by past lockdowns , I ’ ve tried to fill up every available weekend and holiday this year with diving , which has left me broke and exhausted !
What hasn ’ t helped my bank account is that despite moving down south , I seem to have dived more in Scotland than I have ever done previously , and petrol isn ’ t cheap these days . The south coast of England also features extensively in my logbook , and my week in the Isle of Man didn ’ t disappoint . I ’ ve loved all of it but diving has never been cheap . I ’ ve loved all my staycations this year but the lack of a campervan means that accommodation costs have been significant . And before you ask , I ’ m not buying a campervan any time soon !
If you also throw in replacing or repairing broken scuba diving and underwater camera equipment , the costs mount up . Then , to put the cherry on a costly cake , I decided that I had enough of wringing out my socks at the end of a dive and took the plunge and ordered a new drysuit . It ’ s not arrived yet , so I ’ ve got a few more damp dives to look forward to this year . So , when my manager asks why I ’ m doing so much overtime , it ’ s to cover my scuba diving bill ! I ’ m also exhausted . I ’ m happy to admit that I find diving tiring . There are some very energetic people out there who seem to think going for a hike after a day ’ s diving is perfectly normal thing to do . Jan Moore , it ’ s not normal ! Having a nap after a day ’ s diving is normal . Hillwalking is not ! Neither is going for a run . Try taking a nap , Andrew Boulton ; a nap , not a 5k run . It seems I go diving with some people who have far too much energy !
So , a day ’ s diving , coupled with the long drives back home , have led to me communicating with my team with grunts and tired mumbles on many a Monday morning . I ’ m not really a morning person , so I ’ m not sure if they ’ ve noticed the
“ I ’ m happy to admit that I find diving tiring ”
difference , but thank God for coffee and working from home , where I can take naps during the day without anyone noticing .
So , I ’ m now broke and exhausted . My car ’ s making some funny noises after this year ’ s mileage , which no doubt foretells future financial fun . But I have no regrets . The diving ’ s been phenomenal . When the diving ’ s been blown out , I ’ m in company of friends ; a day chewing the fat in a local café or pub isn ’ t a bad alternative . But on the most part , Mother Nature ’ s been very cooperative and I ’ ve had some amazing diving throughout this year .
I ’ ve also had fun doing a variety of diving at a variety of sites . Whether it be dive trips where I can focus on underwater photography or a club trip where I ’ m taking a diver in for his first UK sea dive , it ’ s been great . And just as important as the diving have been the opportunities to meet back up with old friends and make new ones . I ’ ve loved spending time with all of you , even when I ’ m napping . �
Memories of a summer dive on The Burroo reef , Isle of Man
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