how many people are certified?

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JackSpearo

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what percent of Americans are scuba certified?

what percent worldwide?

thanks

Jack

(can't find this info anywhere)
 
Interesting question Captain Jack...quick google research found the following 'stats':

1) "Scuba diving is a popular watersport; so popular that over one million people become certified scuba divers worldwide every year."

2) "But for many boaters this world only skims the surface. Some 55,000 Boat U.S. members are among the 3 million Americans who are certified scuba divers. Once I you get a glimpse of what's down there, they say, your perspective of the "real" world is forever changed."

A previous SB thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/archive/index.php/t-116034.html

Seems like there is around 2-4 million certified divers in the US, current population around 300 million? So prob hovering around 1%.

I wonder if the 1% is high among the world's larger countries or is it high due to Americans having more income dedicated to hobbies? I'd imagine percentages would be higher in small places like the Cayman Islands or Bonaire, etc.

Look fwd to hearing some other people's responses to this.

Cheers.

-J.-
 
How about this?

http://www.nysgextension.org/underwater/underwfiles/scubareport2.html

"Recreational scuba diving is a rapidly growing component of the marine recreation and tourism industry. In 1991, Fishman reported that there were more than 4 million certified Scuba divers in the United States, and the number of divers was expected to increase worldwide by at least 10 million during the 1990s. By 1997, however, a consumer study commissioned by the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association found that at least 16 million Americans consider themselves to be active divers. This estimate was based on a Gallup Organization survey of more than 800 people in all 50 states. Even more astounding was that an additional 75 million Americans wanted to know more about diving, implying that 45 percent of the American population were either active Scuba divers or interested in the sport. Another study of 1,200 U.S. adults conducted by the Travel Industry Association of America determined that snorkeling/Scuba diving was second only to white water rafting as the most popular outdoor sport, based on number of trips taken in the last five years (PADI, 1998)."
 
I have friends who have been certified years ago by the YMCA who are not current divers. I am sure there are equal number of certified divers who dive as certified divers who don't dive anymore.
 
JackSpearo:
what percent of Americans are scuba certified? what percent worldwide? thanks Jack (can't find this info anywhere)

JackSpearoL: Do not know the WW stats. In the US about 1/100th of the general population are certified each year-220k-300k.
 
mdb:
JackSpearoL: Do not know the WW stats. Here in the US about 1/10th of the general population are certified each year-220k-300k.

Not sure I understand the math. Maybe a typo?
1/10 of 1 percent perhaps?
With a US population approaching around 300 million,
300k would be 1/1000 of the total or around 1/10 of %1.

--- bill
 
I live on an island (and, yes... for those who have to ask it IS surrounded completely by water). I am amazed at the relatively low number of people who are certified and active divers, especially since it is a sort of minor diving Mecca. However, most of the audience for my local cable TV show on diving and marine life consists of non-divers who are interested in the subject but don't actively pursue it themselves. Fine with me... they are the ones I wanted to reach.

Wow, potentially up to 16 million certified divers in the US and I still can't find a "permanent" dive buddy of the female persuasion.
 
bperrybap:
Not sure I understand the math. Maybe a typo?
1/10 of 1 percent perhaps?
With a US population approaching around 300 million,
300k would be 1/1000 of the total or around 1/10 of %1.

--- bill

bill: Yep, a typo, now corrected, 300k- new certs per annum. With such a great sport, a pretty sad #
 
JackSpearo:
(can't find this info anywhere)

You can't find it anywhere because no one knows. All stats of this nature are invented.
 
Walter has is it right - the 300k number seems high, since overall recreational scuba growth is stagnant in every other measure.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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