why are there very few young divers?

[Peter69_56]

I was at a lake and walked into the water to go diving. Two women with a bunch of kids were sitting on the beach. As I walked by I heard their conversation:

"Oh, look! A scuba diver! I dated a scuba diver once. They're rich people with nothing better to do."

---------- Post added October 4th, 2013 at 04:57 PM ----------



Dat ain't nothing. I'll call all of your gear and raise you by one compressor, a Nitrox mixing stick, a bank of 4500 PSI Nitrox storage tanks, fill station with high-grade filtration, multiple gas analyzers, cylinder inspection lights and optical scopes, a tank tumbler, and all the tools required to maintain all of the above.

I think you cheated on me. Sneaking in the compressor has made me jealous, so now I am going to have to go buy one. See what you have done !!!!!!

 

[t4e]

you are as old as you feel...with that in mind i think there's more "young" divers out there than you think

most people in their 20's have other priorities, like partying and getting drunk lol
once you mature you start thinking of doing quality things in your life

 

[jord1990]

I'm 17 and recently started diving. (this august)
I would dive every day if it were up to me, but I can't really travel 20km on my bike 1 way with al my gear

 

[Quero]

I learned to dive together with my daughter, who is still a university student and has only a part-time job for income. She loves to dive, but doesn't have the time or the money to do it. She takes advantage of my own love of diving to get me to pay for dive trips for the two of us to dive together. I don't think her situation is unusual except in the fact that she does have a diving parent--most younger divers don't have that advantage, and therefore the parents are unlikely to pay for diving (though they might pay for other sorts of pricey and equipment-intensive activities they can enjoy with their young-adult kids, like skiing or golfing or sailing).

 

[KD8NPB]

Certified at 22, I'm 24 now and manage a dive shop.

 

[alecto]

Scuba is an expensive buddy sport that can be very time intensive without that time actually being in the activity. I don't need a buddy to go snowboarding, horseback riding, golfing, etc. As a 27 yo female, I'm going to be a bit particular on who I decide to buddy up with. We're going to a remote location where there may or may not be other people. Then there is scheduling a time that is good for both you and a buddy. Every year, I drive 2-3 hours to go snowboarding by myself at a local resort but I wouldn't go to the local shore 30 minutes away and dive alone.

Cost/activity ratio is a lot higher for scuba. A dive boat trip costs at least $120 not including gear and let's not forgot a tip. I have to be at the boat at 6 or 7 am and I wont be home until 6 pm. 3 dives maybe 2.5 hrs of bottom time if I'm lucky and throwing up for about an hour due to sea sickness. Compare that to a day golfing, I can wake up whenever, hit the golf course at 2 or 3 pm. Walk 18 holes and be done by 8 (LA courses are overcrowded). That costs about $25 not including equipment and no one to tip. I have about $700 worth of golf equipment that will last forever and requires no maintenance. I just bought $1500 of scuba equipment that will require yearly or bi yearly maintenance but should last a long time. Oh I forgot, when I get home after scuba diving, that's another 30-1hr washing heavy gear when I'm dead tired vs wiping grass off 12 clubs takes 5-10min.

Scuba involves a lot of work for the amount of time of play

 

[spectrum]

The number of divers out and about has always been a very intangible thing. For the most part local diving is done in small groups or solo at common and obscure spots and they come and go. For that matter in many cases you'd be hard pressed to detect them while they are down for the dive. In areas which diving I think many mode divers come and go than you would realize. Also being the concientious bunch that we are we dont leave much evidence of our visits.

 

[lostcajun]

For me. 1) I had never met anyone who is a diver when I was in my 20s and 30s. So no one to talk with me, encourage me and let me know that diving was a real option. 2) By the time I was in my late 20s and 30s I was working hard to provide for my family, (my precious wife and four children). So any thought of an potentially expensive hobby was just not an option. It was only after our kids were launched that my wife and I started thinking of learning a new skill and attempting a new adventure. We both thoroughly love diving now, and think about diving regarding the various trips we make. Had I been exposed to a diving community in my early 20s I probably would have been certified then...

 

[gcarter]

I learned to dive together with my daughter, who is still a university student and has only a part-time job for income. She loves to dive, but doesn't have the time or the money to do it. She takes advantage of my own love of diving to get me to pay for dive trips for the two of us to dive together. I don't think her situation is unusual except in the fact that she does have a diving parent--most younger divers don't have that advantage, and therefore the parents are unlikely to pay for diving (though they might pay for other sorts of pricey and equipment-intensive activities they can enjoy with their young-adult kids, like skiing or golfing or sailing).

That's me and my son. But we do ski together in the winter as well.

 

[Bill Parker]

Lack of money is the main reason They are super healthy and have plenty
of time. NAFTA, China being allowed to join the WTO, H1-B visas, etc
limited their income prospects.