Does‘ diving’ apply exclusively to the time we spend underwater, or should we adopt a broader definition, asks Yo-Han Cha
YO-HANCHA
Yo-Han’ s buddy, BSAC member Stuart Duncan
Bottom Time v Good Times
Does‘ diving’ apply exclusively to the time we spend underwater, or should we adopt a broader definition, asks Yo-Han Cha
After watching Matt Weston win gold in the skeleton at the Winter Olympics, I was listening to one of his post-race interviews on the radio and something he said stuck out for me. He said that they only spent up to two and a half hours per year actually competing. This is because those who compete in skeleton usually take less than a minute to complete their runs.
This got me thinking – as most things do – about scuba diving. Although our sport is far removed from hurtling headfirst down an ice track at 80mph, in terms of the actual amount of time spent underwater versus the total amount of time on a dive trip, there are certain parallels.
Some of us are fortunate enough to live near dive sites, however most of us do not. We devote a lot of time getting to our coastal town of choice for a couple of dives a day, with each dive( for recreational divers like me) lasting around 45 minutes.
So, every time that I have driven multiple hours to go diving, my travel time usually far exceeds the amount of time that I spend underwater. And if I’ m staying somewhere for the weekend, then as total percentage of the time away, the scuba diving part is definitely smaller [ a ratio of 8:1 by my reckoning – Editor ].
So, is it worth it? I think it is, because a dive trip isn’ t just about the time spent underwater. To elaborate – the Ocean Diver trainees who stay with our club tend to be those who join us on a dive trip. Whether it’ s a full week or a weekend, this time together bonds those who come along. Whether it’ s because we’ re all moaning about an early start, or re-running the day’ s events over an evening meal, it’ s the perfect atmosphere for forging new friendships, or reinforcing
“ A dive trip isn’ t just about the time spent underwater”
existing bonds. The underwater experience sits at the heart of it all, but the diving experience is really the whole package.
Even those who join club trips but don’ t go diving can’ t help but get drawn in. My fiancée, Claire, who is yet to be convinced about UK diving, joined myself and Reading BSAC on a week in Falmouth last year. She was a bit concerned about how it would go, seeing as we would all go diving in the morning and not be back until the afternoon.
In the end, Claire had a great time exploring Cornwall on land while we explored it underwater. The good times she enjoyed with the club when we all got back has led them to‘ joke’ about only putting up with me in order for Claire to remain part of the group! �
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