WtF: The Decline in Scuba Participation

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Thanks for the info, I didn't know. But I still do not get your system; it's competitive in a useless way, and it is an obstacle for social mobility. As @wetb4igetinthewater said, 8 countries in Europe offer zero-to-very-low fees. Even other countries offer very low fees compared to US for top tier university (I used to pay 2k€ per year at POLIMI, mechanical engineering, which is ranked 15th in the world at that time by QS, 6th in Europe). Although there can be performance requirement to be admitted, they are not so high - almost anyone has a possibility.

Anyway, put in this way it is so much OT but it's an interesting topic - if you want we can continue on PM.

However, if you consider that young people have to face problems for getting educated, plus problems to find a job with a decent salary, plus they cannot buy a house, plus scuba equipment is expensive - well, it is not OT anymore, in a way...

It is on topic. Minimum wage has NOT followed inflation or the cost of living or tuition. When I was in university (1989 - 1994), it was possible (some of my roommates did it) to work 20 hours per week and get by with paying for tuition and room/board. There's just no way to do that today without amassing a lot of debt. As diving locally requires a car, that's another hurdle. The compartments (ahem apartments) I see being built these days in parts of Seattle just don't make storage possible.

Diving just isn't as easy when starting out today as it was for me when I finished university in the mid 90s.

I'm gen X. In the US, my generation and previous generations, have screwed over millennials and gen Z in the US with letting a system go unchecked. And I have absolutely no practical suggestions on how to address this.

This isn't a rant, but my observation, and it is relevant to people getting into diving. There are many sports that people can do at relatively low cost, though most activities, there is no limit to what one can spend.

 

[pauldw]

If you can get people diving locally, cost is much less of an issue.

Probably I was young and naive, but in my twenties I remember looking at Skin Diver magazine, and thinking it was very strange that all the diving was in far off places. I supposed that there were rich people who did that, but it literally didn't occur to me that this sort of thing was something being marketed at (among others) me. It just wasn't without the realm of possibilities to consider. I wanted to explore the ocean near my home, and perhaps any other interesting body of water wherever I was, and that's all that occurred to me. And all that was possible to do, and that only occasionally with rental gear.

 

[donhealy]

On all the liveaboards I've been on recently - the divers are mostly over the age of 40. And many of them over 60. All the boats that are running right now are full. I don't see the decline but maybe I'm not traveling in that circle. I do know my LDS's in San Diego say there is a noticeable decline in the classes and rental gear. So maybe there is something to the decline in the U.S.

How I got started is how a lot of folks got started 25-30 years ago. I had wanted to learn how to dive from the time I was 15 and do something less than 1% of the world's population could do. I wanted to visit an alien world with surreal life forms.

I finally got certified at age 35 as a present for finishing my MBA. I started diving when I didn't have any disposable cash and a liveaboard was a fantasy for me. I was busy raising a family and paying for the So. Cal. lifestyle. Rented all my gear for several years and found a way to take a day boat to Catalina or Anacapa Islands a few times a year. Most of the folks I knew who were divers were in the same situation.

Today, I have the disposable income. I have the time and the health to pursue a truly fascinating sport that lets me visit an alien world just minutes from my home or just a flight away. My wife has given up estimating how much my dive gear has cost, how much much my underwater photo gear has cost or why I need 8 different kinds of wetsuits. One thing she is very glad for is that I can share my time in that alien world with my son, son-in-law and soon to be one of my grandson's. a price can't be put on that opportunity.

This is a bit of a ramble (Sorry for that) but if you are lucky enough to find a sport that you love, you will find a way to do it. And maybe, even let some of your passion for the sport rub off on those you love!

 

[dead dog]

I'm gen X. In the US, my generation and previous generations, have screwed over millennials and gen Z in the US with letting a system go unchecked.

Yeah, blame it on your parents.

 

[lowwall]

I'm gen X. In the US, my generation and previous generations, have screwed over millennials and gen Z in the US with letting a system go unchecked.

Wait a minute. Gen X is too small and too late to have changed anything.

It's clearly all the boomers fault.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

How did I know people would be triggered?

 

[donhealy]

How did I know people would be triggered?

LOL. Passionate folks on a touchy subject evidently.

 

[diver0008]

I am 55. I am an enthusiastic scuba ambassador to anyone that I speak with for more than a few minutes. I show photos and videos, and describe with passion the utter beauty and tranquility. Generally, a common inquiry once I have made the sales pitch is the cost. A few hundred for training, a grand or more (easily) in gear, and after airline tickets and accommodations, you still have to pay for a boat and crew to get you into the water every day. More involved that plopping your butt on a sandy beach with a tasty beverage (or several). Any previous interest evaporates rather quickly with the economics known. This is niche and largely an activity for older people who have reached some financial stability in their lives, but still remain in good enough health to engage without anxiety, or those younger perhaps with a naturally adventurous spirit and a stable upbringing. The baby boom bubble is busting, and those in tow have a very different world in front of them. Younger people are living in far more uncertain and precarious times financially. Good on them for being cautious, those who are. Only time will tell, in the boomers' wake, having lived through good financial times, how able those ascending now will be to take the plunge. I suppose the relative price will have to drop to maintain participation, or remain high and rely on fewer.

 

[donhealy]

I am 55. I am an enthusiastic scuba ambassador to anyone that I speak with for more than a few minutes. I show photos and videos, and describe with passion the utter beauty and tranquility. Generally, a common inquiry once I have made the sales pitch is the cost. A few hundred for training, a grand or more (easily) in gear, and after airline tickets and accommodations, you still have to pay for a boat and crew to get you into the water every day. More involved that plopping your butt on a sandy beach with a tasty beverage (or several). Any previous interest evaporates rather quickly with the economics known. This is niche and largely an activity for older people who have reached some financial stability in their lives, but still remain in good enough health to engage without anxiety, or those younger perhaps with a naturally adventurous spirit and a stable upbringing. The baby boom bubble is busting, and those in tow have a very different world in front of them. Younger people are living in far more uncertain and precarious times financially. Good on them for being cautious, those who are. Only time will tell, in the boomers' wake, having lived through good financial times, how able those ascending now will be to take the plunge. I suppose the relative price will have to drop to maintain participation, or remain high and rely on fewer.

Hey Murky, who are you calling "Older"? I like to think of me as a "highly experienced diver" with my own awesome tool chest! You do have a point about the baby boom bubble busting and the different challenges facing those we leave in our wake though. On the other hand, it seems like no one has a problem with buying a $1000 I phone, there is some hope for spending habits and fine dive gear.

 

[AdivingBel]

I love diving. I've found diversification in my expectations to be key. If you put all your eggs in one basket you increase your possibility of disappointment... i.e. if it's just about the reefs, they seem to be in a downward cycle; if it's just about the wildlife, some places are fished out 'cause people are hungry; etc. etc.. I try to see the best of each dive/diving locale/diving environment...it's about the reef, the wildlife, the topography, diving (& dining) with friends, making new friends, local folks and their customs, a beautiful sunset from shore, being on a boat, sitting on deck at night with the big sky no light pollution and virtually no horizon counting satellites, etc. etc.. If none of that gets your juices (Work to Fun) flowing...well, wtf there's always golf.