How Can We Keep Divers Diving After Certification?

[Diver0001]

Every week I've posted my weekly "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" newspaper columns here on SB and the other ~360 of them are archived on my web site. Of course they are largely focused on SoCal kelp forests. Others who have expertise in different bioregions should do something similar to offer their expertise... I'm barely an expert in my own region after more than 40 years of diving here. To a large degree this effort needs to be regionalized or the examples wouldn't male a lot of sense.

Of course if an LDS or dive club is planning a trip to a distant destination, it would seem to serve a good purpose to bring in people who have great familiarity with those regions to "pre-lab" the trip for the divers.

Thanks for the reply.

I think one of the things about marine biology that makes it so difficult to remember is the nomenclature.

I got into diving because of my uncle who was a marine biologist and I dove a lot with him. He told me *all kinds* of things that I found (and find) really difficult to remember because I lack a basic framework to hang it up on and I can't even pronounce half of the words that marine biologists find completely obvious.

That's what makes learning even the most basic things such a chore. Taken individually, each article you read is interesting but I can't distill a framework out of all of the, what appear to me to be loose hanging details. I'm pretty sure I'd have to commit to a year of reading intelligently and voraciously in order to put the puzzle together even on the level of "Coles Notes".

Everyone has their own particular focus but reading articles from marine biologists is like hearing them describe this:

(fig 1. microscopic cross section of wood)

When in order to GET IT you really need them to tell you about this:

(fig 2. picture of a tree)

Maybe it's just me but I find it completely hopeless and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I just wish someone could write down in 10 for-the-layman written pages of information that encompasses everything you need to know as a diver....

R..

 

[Baracuda Smile]

With every Open Water graduation send them to +80F waters with 100' vis and tons of stuff to see like corals, sharks, turtles, whales, dolphins, and interesting topography. Who wouldn't be hooked?

 

[jaycanwk]

This thread is already upto three pages, so I'm kinda late to the party.

I agree with one of the points made earlier about location being a big factor. It's one thing to want to dive; it is another thing to have the opporitunity to. If you live far from divable locations, you are not going to dive much.

I'm fortunate to live in Southwestern Ontario. I can drive an hour or 2 in any direction from my house and have access to some of the best freshwater diving on the planet. Naturally, there is enough interest to support a rather high concentration of LDS's and dive clubs here so there are alot more people here I think that keep diving after certification.

While the quality of training may be a factor, I think those who really want to dive will take the initiative to better their skills after OW on thier own. It is the difference between "water people" and "non water people" I used to joke that I was abducted by alieans and they spliced fish genes into me lol.

I do not believe in the mantra of most cert. agencies that "everyone can dive"

Jason

 

[captain]

With every Open Water graduation send them to +80F waters with 100' vis and tons of stuff to see like corals, sharks, turtles, whales, dolphins, and interesting topography. Who wouldn't be hooked?

That's part of the problem, they get spoiled and then don't consider or look for other closer locations closer to home where they can dive more often and cheaper.
I blame the LDS for this. They don't educate divers on what is local, all they care about is booking a $3000 trip to wherever.

Case in point. There is great diving south of New Orleans at the oil rigs off the Louisiana coast but no local shops operate a boat or organize trips other than to exotic tropical places.

 

[lowviz]

That's part of the problem, they get spoiled and then don't consider or look for other closer locations closer to home where they can dive more often and cheaper. .......

They're starting to get it around here (NJ/NY). Saturday afternoon $25 intro dives. Yes, on the ocean, in a real dive boat, to a real (sometimes reefed) wreck.

Keep at it!

 

[Garth]

This is a good topic.
OP posted yesterday. Today, only 24 hours later 115 posts.
I like to dive but if I had to tell someone why it would be a long conversation. There is though a reason why i would strap on expensive gear and suit to go into a 45-50 degree quarry. I don't think anyone can teach that reason or even persuade someone to do it for money.
Some love it, some don't.
(although, i will be sitting in the woods of upstate PA in 5 degree weather with a gun waiting for a deer to pass by late next month. Make no mistake - i don't like being cold, yet i still have fun)

 

[TSandM]

It really surprised me, after I got certified, how many people I ran into who had at one time gotten certified. Many of them never did a SINGLE dive after class. Some of those people had actually enjoyed their class, and still never went diving.

I think a huge hurdle is having someone else to dive with. When I finished my class, I of course had my husband (but that didn't work very well) but no idea at all of how one might otherwise find buddies. My husband, when he finishes his students, gives them a list of local dive clubs and links to our local scuba bulletin board (which is full of active divers) and to ScubaBoard. This at least gives them a place to start. I also give all of his students with whom I have worked my card, and tell them I am happy to go diving with new divers. (Nobody has taken me up on this yet -- what does that say about me? )

Gear is another issue. Renting the entire gear setup for a day of diving here runs close to $100. $100 a day is a steep price for something if you are going to do it very often. And if you don't do it very often, it slips from your mind as something you WANT to do. I was lucky enough to have the money to buy my basic gear at the end of my class, and I am quite sure that made a big difference in how much diving I did, because it was so easy to decide to go.

Finding the fun in local diving is another issue, I think. I remember some time back, somebody posting about how boring the local lake or quarry is, and Mike Ferrara posted that he was there at the same time and had a great dive, because he knew where the freshwater fish hung out, and he went there and hung out with them and watched their behavior. I know people in Canada who have a blast at the local quarry, because they "bring their own fun", as HBDiveGirl would put it. Diving for them is a social event, even IN the water.

I think the post Bill opened this thread with is also a good point. Diving is more fun if you understand what you are looking at. That's why diving wrecks doesn't generally excite me -- I don't know much about ships, and it all looks like rusted metal to me. On the other hand, I took a SUPERB Marine ID class from a fellow at our LDS, and learned about the critters of Puget Sound, where they live, what they eat, how they reproduce . . . and that class has added value and interest to every dive I have since done.

But I also believe that just getting in the water will not always be enough for most people. When I came on SB, there was an article on the home page entitled something like, "When blowing bubbles isn't enough any more". The thesis was that most people will need to find something to KEEP them diving, whether that's getting into underwater photography, traveling to exotic destinations, becoming a DM or instructor, or getting involved with organizations like REEF. I deal with this by setting the bar higher and higher -- I keep taking more difficult classes, and then banging my head against the wall trying to pass them

I don't know how to solve the cost issues, but I do know that horseback riding, which is every bit as expensive, is a growing sport, so people find ways to afford things they really want to do. If instructors turn out divers who are comfortable in the water, provide them with resources that make it easy to find buddies, show them by example that you can have fun diving in almost any setting, and provide them with information about meaningful activities they can pursue while diving, it might help. And if more instructors dove for fun, and shared that with their students, that might help, too!

 

[boulderjohn]

Later, I find out that my LDS actually has a dive club.

I am very much in favor of the idea of a club, but there may be a reason we don't have more. Before I describe it, let me state clearly that I am not a lawyer and am only passing along information I heard from others.

There may be a reason that LDS's do not sponsor clubs more often than they do.

Earlier this year I did a dive in Cozumel with the president and secretary of a very large California dive club. They were on their club's annual trip, and they were with me doing a particularly challenging site while the rest of the club was off on other sites.

They explained to me that their very active club used to be associated with an LDS, but they had had to disband it and start over again from scratch because the LDS had been advised by its attorney to sever its relationship with the club. It was not that the club was doing anything wrong. It was that there was a fear that something might go wrong and draw the LDS into a legal entanglement even though they had no real control over the club itself.

I saw precisely the same thing when I worked for a school district. The district did not have hockey among its sports, but there was a local youth club league. Some of the clubs took the names of the nearest high schools and wore uniforms that looked much like those school's uniforms for other sports. Those clubs wanted to be recognized in the school yearbook, newspaper, etc., but the district's lawyers said absolutely not. Schools were not allowed to do anything, including mentioning games in the school daily announcements, that even implied a connection to the clubs.

The wisdom was born out when a brutal fight erupted at one of the games, spurred on by a hot headed coach who taunted the crowd and flipped them off after the fight. The parents of injured players tried to sue the school, but they were unable to show that the school had any connection to the club, and thus the lawsuit failed.

If clubs are to be formed (and, again, I support the idea), they may have to be formed by someone totally independent of an LDS.

 

[lowviz]

.............. If instructors turn out divers who are comfortable in the water, provide them with resources that make it easy to find buddies, show them by example that you can have fun diving in almost any setting, and provide them with information about meaningful activities they can pursue while diving, it might help. And if more instructors dove for fun, and shared that with their students, that might help, too!

When I started diving, everything was unfamiliar and a bit of a chore. There was a lot of important gear to worry about. Forgetting something usually meant no dive. I was slow and inefficient, it took a long time to get ready. Once in the water, I was focussed on the mechanics of diving. Out of the water, the work began again. Mind you, I'm doing this surrounded by 'real' divers.

I wasn't diving in some vacation spot that would eclipse all the little nuisances, this was all for some quarry time. I can remember feeling relieved when a weekend was called due to thunderstorms.

It's raining here now. Diving tomorrow, hope it's still raining. -love to roll over and watch the sheets of rain on the surface. Probably have the place to ourselves. If not, will probably know most of those that show up, including the fish. Either way, can't wait. Rather be in the ocean, but still can't wait.

What changed?

Me. New divers need mentors and understanding boat captains who are willing to invest a bit of themselves to keep the sport healthy. Some new divers may require support and encouragement to progress through a 'less fun' period. To what end?

Diving literally does open up a whole new world on a very personal level. Topside you have the mountains, beaches, desert, plains, etc. Below you have lakes, rivers, quarries, the ocean, caves, etc. You have beach people who couldn't care less about a mountain, and you have cavers who couldn't care less about a wreck. Where is the problem in that?

I know that I could explain this to a serious hiker or climber. Getting stressed, so you throw your gear into the car without a second thought, things are already just fine. -not at all like your first hike or climb.

So what makes a highly dependent diver a casual independent diver? It has to be a positive for the individual. This is an internal thing, not everyone should dive. The individual needs more than a bit of support to get through some trying times just so that s/he can see if diving is really for them. Many, many get stalled in the process and just drop out. All of us can help, I try to remember this when I see a newbie struggling to keep up. Try to find out what interests them and gently lead them in that direction. At the very least, don't make them more uncomfortable.

Help keep the sport fun for others.

 

[RJP]

If clubs are to be formed (and, again, I support the idea), they may have to be formed by someone totally independent of an LDS.

And on the other end of the spectrum, there's really no reason for an LDS to have a club per se. My LDS doesn't have one, but they have two big tents at the local quarry every weekend from Easter through Thanksgiving if you want to come up for a class or just go diving. They charter one of several local boat charters on weekends, and sponsor probably 7-10 trips a year. (St Lawrence, No. Carolina, Caribbean, Pacific, Ice Diving, Cave Diving, Tech Trips, etc) Beyond that, a great many customers of the shop get together on their own and go diving locally or travel around the world together. All without "a club" to bother with. They simply get people diving, and it works.