I've always had a fascination with Scuba but never went through with it primarily because of the perception that it's not a sport inclusive for people of color.
Welcome. ScubaBoard has a diverse membership international membership and various groups. Many people have avatars that don't display themselves, so often we don't know what 'color' somebody is. And 'race' doesn't mean quite the same thing in different parts of the world (just as many Americans aren't conversant in British social class matters).
Your point reminded me of something I heard a couple of people talk about many years ago; their perception not as many black people swam. I had no idea, but decided
maybe that was a 'thing.' I've seen it mentioned online since then, and a little quick Googling after your post turned this up:
BBC News: Why Don't Black Americans Swim? (
Warning: article from 2010, so a lot may've changed in 12 years). Some excerpts:
"But according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fatal drowning rate of African-American children aged five-14 is three times that of white children.
A recent study sponsored by USA Swimming uncovered equally stark statistics.
Just under 70% of African-American children surveyed said they had no or low ability to swim. Low ability merely meant they were able to splash around in the shallow end. A further 12% said they could swim but had "taught themselves"."
"The study found 58% of Hispanic children had no or low swimming ability. For white children, the figure was only 42%.
"It is an epidemic that is almost going unnoticed," says Sue Anderson, director of programmes and services at USA Swimming."
I've read elsewhere there's a history of systemic racism whereby with desegregation public pools were often shut down to avoid compliance. My experience growing up mostly in a rural area was (in my area; I don't know how broadly this pattern applies) seeing blacks clustered in a mid-size city nearby, but very few in the markedly rural areas. If you live in the country, there are farm ponds, and fishing trips to lakes and rivers are common, so I imagine the desirability of being able to swim is greater.
If blacks are under-represented in swimming, I'm
guessing they may be under-represented in water sports more broadly, including scuba diving. That said, I see there's a
National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) - just learned they exist and not familiar with them.
Like you, I chose an avatar that's 'me.' Got certified in '06; recently crossed the 500 dive mark. I haven't seen a lot of black divers, but enough variety that we're accustomed to diversity. Many recreational scuba divers go on traveling dive vacations, so we're used to meeting people from different groups. In all my trips, I don't recall overhearing anyone make racist statements against blacks.
You might stumble across a 'bad apple' most anywhere, I suppose, but I think you'll find the recreational dive community a good place to be.
