The Want

"Once you buy the gear, diving is cheap."

I have heard that statement sold to new divers, myself included, SO many times. To some extent it's true, but only if you dive air, dive from the shore, and don't have to travel too far. Most of us slightly more seasoned divers will appreciate that statement is mostly balls. The primary additional expense to a qualified scuba diver is the accompaniment of the dark passenger; 'The Want.'


This post is aimed to prepare a new scuba diver for The Want. No one is safe from it, but at least this article may allow you to understand the dark passenger you have invited into your home.

What is The Want?

The Want is an evil scuba demon that every diver faces on pay day, and fights an eternal battle with in between. 

The Want requires feeding on a regular basis, and even once fed it soon develops a new hunger; a thirst that cannot be quenched.

What does it need?

It needs scuba stuff. This may consist of gear, gas fills, holidays, or a dive. However, it's stable diet is scuba gear.

What type of gear, specifically, does it want?

Anything. It will devour everything scuba related, or anything that may be considered remotely beneficial to diving; this includes a new scuba wagon; so beware!

But i already have scuba gear; how can it still want?

It wants more. It wants new. The Want has no desire to use the same old scuba equipment for a long period of time. 

It is a manipulator, a puppet master, and you will feed its every desire. 

The Want will convince you the gear you currently own is inadequate, archaic, looks crappy, and MUST be replaced; immediately.

I have no money; how can i feed it?

The Want has no empathy for your financial burdens. It will convince you to sell 3 items of gear in order to buy one new shiny piece. It will allow you to borrow more than you earn, convince you that finance is "ok" and "everyone does it."

Any diver will recall owning other items related to a distant hobby or interest. No more; the want will have pawned all such items to feed the need, the addiction.

The king manipulator will also twist your thought patterns beyond all rational thinking. Any time you receive a bill for telephone, heating oil, car repairs etc, and it is less than you predicted; The Want will convince you there is excess money, have in fact saved money, and it should be used to purchase scuba gear at once.

How can i survive The Want?

Feed it.

There is nothing you can do. It demands you buy a shiny Shearwater Petrel, the beautifully crafted Hollis Stainless Steel Spool, the warmest undersuit money can buy, a dive light that will blot out the sun.


There is nothing you can do ... ever.

What has The Want has done to I Are Diver?

It has nearly bankrupted me for starters.



I have sold a faber twinset, added money to it, and bought a set of euro cylinders - purely to satisfy The Want and it's urge to look cool.

I use mostly Halcyon kit; its ludicrously priced, but i must have it all ... and it MUST match. Nothing else will do.






I almost sold my Scubapro regs to buy Halcyon regs - and they are the SAME design! It be madness.

Scubapro = Halcyon

What does it want at the moment?

Currently i am in the process of obtaining a new drysuit. I know, i know; i have a perfectly adequate, dry, Seaskin drysuit that will facilitate all my diving. The Want has convinced me it's a little tight, i need a pee valve, and perhaps it might break soon?

New drysuits for everyone!

It also wants a computer, but it tortures me with so many options that i cannot decide which one. My twitter friends will appreciate the pain i go through in my purchasing decisions (sorry Jay!) - i need to keep The Want happy don't I?

CONCLUSION

Perhaps this post will prepare new divers for the extortionate financial journey ahead, or ease the conscience of every diver that has just dropped a grand on a new dive computer. It may also be used to defend another credit card bill to a divers better half?


Those with a non diving spouse, count yourself lucky - we have TWO dark passengers in our house...

BUY SCUBA GEAR!

Safe diving folks...