Posted by JRM on December 11, 2000 at 12:49:12:
In Reply to: Um, we do have beaches... posted by Tanya on December 11, 2000 at 12:05:45:
I believe I included that in my assessment. Being stuck a minimum 150 miles from the nearest beach, that's a goodly chunk of change. But even so, beach diving is still expensive.
Make 200 dives on $2000 worth of gear, and it's still $10 per. Air is $4 per dive. A four dive day is $56 bucks, sans transportation, lodging, parking, tank rentals (should you do so), food, etc. And I figure at $5 per hour, it costs about $50 in my time alone cleaning that Monastary gravel out of my gear and myself. That stuff ends up in places I didn't know I had places :-)
Heck, the boat charter is probably the cheapest part. And I love beach diving, but my wife doesn't share my enthusiasm.
It's just my opinion that people who engage in the sport of diving are inherently wealthy, whether they choose to admit it or not :-)
JRM
-- Be glad. Imagine the conditions of our oceans if no-one had to make an investment to enjoy diving them.