Diver Attrition

[eckybay]

When I got certified, the owner of my LDS made a comment about how there's people that get certified and then never even bother to come back in to pick up the card. I took my classes with my sister. I get the feeling that if I wasn't asking here to go diving every once in a while and she didn't have her own gear, she probably would be in the group that didn't dive much after certification. And she seems to really enjoy it. Like others have mentioned, it easy to make excuses not to dive - cost, no time, need to travel to a dive site. If you enjoy it enough, you overcome these excuses.

 

[labaum]

I still remember being surprised when I heard how many people take the OW class, pass, and then never even go back to pick up their C card.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

This really came to light for me when I attended a Meet and Greet with SB divers. I was the old man in the bunch by a wide margin. Most of the divers there were young (oldest may have been 35) and single.

I'm flattered ... and almost 42 now! Still consider myself young, but a few years past 35.

However, you do make a valid point about "live happening" for many young divers. I waited until later. Does that mean that life has already happened? :11: Oh my gosh ... I hope not! I like to think that the fun has just begun. :14:

 

[altitudemike]

I started diving about a year ago & have logged over 100 dives because of my LDS. It's all about the excitement. I have 8 buddies who are certified now & we dive every wednesday & friday. If people had acess to a great dive buddy list through their LDS like I am fortunate enough to have. The drop out rate would be far less. My LDS also has a full calander of fun weekends. The DS says they make great money by organizing these events. i.e. (underwater pumpkin carving contest for halloween).

 

[Barracuda2]

I'm flattered ... and almost 42 now! Still consider myself young, but a few years past 35.

However, you do make a valid point about "live happening" for many young divers. I waited until later. Does that mean that life has already happened? :11: Oh my gosh ... I hope not! I like to think that the fun has just begun. :14:

Jim, never would have took you for 42---now if you start doing a lot of salt water dives, you'll even be more preserved. Salt is a preservation ya' know.

 

[Reggae Joe]

I had 4 people (including myself) in my OW class, and their levels of engagement/fun with scuba varied. I'd been wanting to do it for years, and even now, almost 11 years later, it's still as fun as the first time I took a breath underwater. Kim, my old dive buddy, enjoyed it too, but last I heard from her, she hadn't been diving in years, more due to family circumstance and work.

The other two, Todd and Jen, varied. Todd seemed to enjoy it, but never made his OW dives that I saw. Jen's level of interest seemed to wane with each class, and I'm willing to bet that she probably never finished her certification.

I'm lucky in that I've got a lovely, awesome girlfriend that goes diving with me every weekend, and we deal with a LDS that, while they obviously want to help their own needs, encourages people to dive as often as they can. Like AltitudeMike, ours has fun dives every weekend, and we've enjoyed meeting other divers when we can.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

The dropout rate is high, no doubt about that. Teaching at a university means the students will go through the class and get their cards but probably won't be able to afford to dive again for years due to both lack of equipment (they can use university gear on university fun dives though) and having to work on weekends to pay for school/book/gas/etc. Sometimes your real life just gets in the way no matter how badly you want to do something. One thing we have noticed is that the divers who certified in the worst conditions (December in Ohio for example) are the ones who dive the most and stay with the sport the longest.

I point all my divers to Scubaboard because it's a great place to find buddies

Ahem, Barracuda2 I ain't no spring chicken (37 IS older than your 35 estimate) and my husband is pushing 50 and has been diving 26 years. Even he had a short hiatus when his job had him on the road quite a bit, we met when he got back into the sport.

Our current crop of students is interested in having monthly dives put together so my instructor and I are going to try to accomodate them. Maybe we've finally got the divers we need to start rebuilding our little dive group. All I know is that when I run trips, even really inexpensive ones, I can't get people to go. We have a Tobermory trip set up right now and there are 3 of us signed up, me, my husband and Notsoken. I did a certification trip to Florida for $75 plus entry fees/air fills, you provide your own transportation. We stayed at my friend's house so there was no hotel bill plus they fed us; only 3 people joined my husband and I on that trip. "It's too expensive." and "I can't get off work." were the reasons I heard.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[ClayJar]

I did a certification trip to Florida for $75 plus entry fees/air fills, you provide your own transportation. We stayed at my friend's house so there was no hotel bill plus they fed us; only 3 people joined my husband and I on that trip. "It's too expensive." and "I can't get off work." were the reasons I heard.

Hmm... if you do one again, do I have to actually drive all the way to Ohio to get in on it, or can I just meet you guys there?

The price of gas (and gas, actually) has significantly impacted my bottom line this summer, but if I *had* to cut back, I'd do some braille diving in our local Wonka rivers. Diving in chocolate (sometimes chocolate milk) water isn't quite Cozumel, but I've been smitten enough to think *any* bottom time is better than the alternative. Then again, most of the certified inactive divers I know are of the opinion that if it's not at least as good as that one time down in that one place on that one vacation, they don't want to go.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Hmm... if you do one again, do I have to actually drive all the way to Ohio to get in on it, or can I just meet you guys there?

Careful what you wish for, you might find yourself in testosterone laden cave country with a woman in a rabbit-ear hood You don't have to drive to Ohio, that's the consolation for being seen with me
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[kidspot]

There were 4 of us in my OW class - I invited the other 3 to go diving regularly (I even provide the gear/tank) but only got each of them out for a dive 1-2x each shortly after the class and not for over a year now despite ocassional invitations. I guess I got the "bug" bad