Age Distribution of SB Members

What age group are you in?

  • 0-9

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • 10-19

    Votes: 2 0.4%
  • 20-29

    Votes: 39 8.2%
  • 30-39

    Votes: 87 18.4%
  • 40-49

    Votes: 95 20.0%
  • 50-59

    Votes: 126 26.6%
  • 60-69

    Votes: 95 20.0%
  • 70-79

    Votes: 28 5.9%
  • 80-89

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • 90-99

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    474

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As a millennial (by the article linked, not self-identification) and to maybe get this thread back on track: I first dove in Australia in 2006, Sydney, Byron Bay, and then Exmouth/Broome. I was hooked, In the 6 months in between circumnavigating the country in a wicked van for work, I "logged" 132 hours of dive time.

Then the time/money paradox hit me, I either had the time and couldn't sensibly spend the money on scuba, or had the time and didn't have the money to (squander on) scuba. The last four years I've finally found myself in a position where I can get back to diving. I'm currently teaching my friends 13 year old daughter how to dive (in association with a LDS), and never been happier.

This poll/thread finally made me stop lurking and post; I love scuba: being a scuba diver in the real world grants you an immediate in to social circles filled with amazing people. This board... well the internet has mucked that up.
 
As a millennial (by the article linked, not self-identification) and to maybe get this thread back on track: I first dove in Australia in 2006, Sydney, Byron Bay, and then Exmouth/Broome. I was hooked, In the 6 months in between circumnavigating the country in a wicked van for work, I "logged" 132 hours of dive time.

Then the time/money paradox hit me, I either had the time and couldn't sensibly spend the money on scuba, or had the time and didn't have the money to (squander on) scuba. The last four years I've finally found myself in a position where I can get back to diving. I'm currently teaching my friends 13 year old daughter how to dive (in association with a LDS), and never been happier.

This poll/thread finally made me stop lurking and post; I love scuba: being a scuba diver in the real world grants you an immediate in to social circles filled with amazing people. This board... well the internet has mucked that up.
Thanks for this input! And how do you self-identify (which is far more important than some arbitrary set of dates)?
Your "money or time" dilemma is completely understandable, and quite typical, and I think is probably the reason for the poll being a bit short on the 20-29 category...that plus those folks (being newer) have not yet discovered SB. The poll is, after all, only representative of those who belong the SB, and see the poll, and choose to post. it is a terrible survey of the age-distribution of scuba divers in general.
 
And how do you self-identify (which is far more important than some arbitrary set of dates)?
I definitely feel more akin to the Gen X, but also I rail against such blanket categorizations outside of research papers. It's too slippery a slope to begin labelling another generation as the "other"...
Your "money or time" dilemma is completely understandable, and quite typical, and I think is probably the reason for the poll being a bit short on the 20-29 category...that plus those folks (being newer) have not yet discovered SB. The poll is, after all, only representative of those who belong the SB, and see the poll, and choose to post. it is a terrible survey of the age-distribution of scuba divers in general.
I've been lurking here since about 2007; finally registered an account a year or two ago, but have never posted till this thread. The poll is interesting, but yes, it indicates far more about the population of active Basic Scuba Discussion readers than anything else...
 
I definitely feel more akin to the Gen X, but also I rail against such blanket categorizations outside of research papers. It's too slippery a slope to begin labelling another generation as the "other"...

I've been lurking here since about 2007; finally registered an account a year or two ago, but have never posted till this thread. The poll is interesting, but yes, it indicates far more about the population of active Basic Scuba Discussion readers than anything else...
Are you on the year-boundary, or near to it, for Millennial and Gen-X? That boundary is given as 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, which indicates the fuzziness of such a "boundary." After all, it is not really about when you were born, it is about what are the defining events and technologies in your formative years? So a late Millennial can certainly have had many defining life-experiences in the Gen-X realm, just as a an early Gen-X might have some major Millennial experiences.

I suspect it is more than just the Basic Scuba Discussion readers.....most folks seem to have their devices set up to see "new posts" from across all the threads, not just to jump into one forum. Which forum a particular thread is in is about as arbitrary and which generation someone is in...
 
i just turned 33 a few weeks ago. did OW from 28-29 as course ran over my birthday.
 
I joined SB in '07 at age 53 but now am 66 next month and in the group with the most votes. I'm a little surprised this group leads. But considering the amount of free time us retirees have I guess it makes sense. It's probably not indicative of the general age of all divers.

available time is probably a big factor and disposable income would be the biggest one i think. most 20 year olds wanna go get drunk not drop 5,10,15,20,30 grand on dive gear
most divers locally here i would say are in the late 30s to mid 50s with a handful younger and older
 
available time is probably a big factor and disposable income would be the biggest one i think. most 20 year olds wanna go get drunk not drop 5,10,15,20,30 grand on dive gear
Huh? That’s just silly - what kind of dive gear are you talking about that would even cost 5 grand for a beginning diver (or even a more experienced diver)?

You don’t have to spend anything even remotely close to that! Lots of folks rent most gear aside from mask and fins (and some even rent those).
 
Huh? That’s just silly - what kind of dive gear are you talking about that would even cost 5 grand for a beginning diver (or even a more experienced diver)?

You don’t have to spend anything even remotely close to that! Lots of folks rent most gear aside from mask and fins (and some even rent those).

well i live in canada so everything is drastically more expensive. heres some local prices
but for starters my stuff i bought out during and out of OW
regs 700
drysuit 2000
dry gloves and undergarment 1000
geo 2 500
fins with SS straps 250
tanks 5-700 each i bought a couple
mask 80
hood 100
BCD 900
weights 100
boots 130

open water and drysuit courses and certs 600-800

i don't know anyone that dives regularly and doesn't have all their own gear.
 
most 20 year olds wanna go get drunk not drop 5,10,15,20,30 grand on dive gear

That's tech diver money. Almost nobody in recreational diving needs to spend that much, with the exception of a couple of big-ticket items (as mentioned above).
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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