5 Tips for Dive Trips With Nondivers

Thomas Burns
If someone in your family doesn’t dive (perish the thought), here’s how to keep them happy while you’re blowing bubbles.
In a perfect world, all of our friends and family would be just as obsessed with diving as we are, and all of our vacations would be spent diving on exotic liveaboards. But in reality, we have wonderful people in our lives who just don’t dig diving. So when it comes to vacations, you must make some compromises to ensure that you get the bottom time you need while indulging your loved ones’ vacation dreams. To help you plan a trip that makes everyone happy, here are five tips for planning a vacation fit for nondivers:
1. PICK A SPOT WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
While a coral-fringed atoll, where there’s nothing to do but dive, sounds like a dream to a scuba junkie, it’s a boring spot for those who prefer to spend their time on land. Pick a destination that makes everybody happy. If your nondiving travel partners love shopping, consider a cosmopolitan destination like Grand Cayman; if topside adventure is their thing, consider a mountainous island escape like Hawaii.
2. ESTABLISH DIVE TIMES
When you plan a trip with nondivers, you can’t just schedule every waking moment on the boat. Talk to the dive center to decide the best times to dive — morning trips usually offer the best conditions — then work out a schedule with your nondivers ahead of time so you have plenty of time to hang out together when you’re not blowing bubbles.
3. TAKE MULTISPORT DIVE TRIPS
Instead of booking your dives on small inflatable dive boats headed for remote, open-ocean dive sites, look instead for catamaran charters and island cruises that allow you to go diving while your nondiving companions get the chance to snorkel, sunbathe, sightsee, or enjoy a boat drink and the onboard entertainment.
4. PLAN A BEACH DIVING DAY
If you’re vacationing in a spot with good beach diving, load the rental car with scuba tanks along with beach towels and a picnic lunch so the nondiving crew can enjoy some beach time while you explore the nearby reef. You can even get them involved by showing them how to set up the gear, asking them to be your surface support, or diving in a shallow spot where they can snorkel overhead.
5. GIVE THEM A TASTE OF SCUBA DIVING
If your nondiving travel buddies seem interested in the sport, check with your resort or dive center about PADI’s Discover Scuba Diving classes. Many tropical dive operations offer the pool session for free, so your family or friends can get a commitment-free glimpse of why you love diving. With any luck, they’ll catch the scuba bug and become your new dive buddies.