Question How old are you and how long certified? Poll- please take part!

[rye_a]

As others have pointed out, this poll is more representative of the participation on scubaboard, not the overall participation in general diving.
I must admit, I’m a little relieved. If this poll was true of the whole world of diving it wouldn’t be long before it died completely.

True. My three kids (14, 16, 18) are all certified and dive with me and my wife, but definitely aren’t active here.

 

[Litefoot]

All the current trend data shows a very aging population of scuba participants. While immediately not problematic, it has some long term consequences obviously. Given the rising costs and stagnant wages that face millennials and Gen Z, coupled with housing crisis, scuba isn’t an attractive activity for many. High initial cost, highly gear intensive, moderate to high on going costs, and needing storage area for said gear all sort of conspire against the sport.



Message board just aren’t popular with the younger generations. Newer social media platforms way out paces message board usage. It’s not a figuring out, but an active avoidance of. Also you hear SB having a salty and hive mind reputation on the social media they do use, and it’s no small wonder few make the jump over. Go look at Reddit’s scuba subreddit, same thread/poll 1,300 votes and a MUCH younger demographic (probably overly representing younger divers honestly). Forums are where their parents and grandparents socialize online, so they go elsewhere. Looking at the ages in two polls this lines up pretty well.


Obviously the above answers are generalizations and you can find individual counter examples but looking at the generations as whole is more what matters.

Source: MBA digital product marketing class I just wrapped up lol, and did a side project on scuba.

Edit: 37, certified in 2012, ~400 dives (two major surgeries really put a damper on my diving for

Congratulations on your recent certifications! You're spot on about the crushing financial challenges on that generation, but I also see a lot of of millenials (including my children) riding $8K+ carbon fiber mountain bikes. And they'll readily fly with their bikes to places like Whistler and Moab. I speculate that television, especially in the 1960's, created a generation of kids with wide-eyed wonder and curiosity about the undersea world that will never be duplicated.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Congratulations on your recent certifications! You're spot on about the crushing financial challenges on that generation, but I also see a lot of of millenials (including my children) riding $8K+ carbon fiber mountain bikes. And they'll readily fly with their bikes to places like Whistler and Moab. I speculate that television, especially in the 1960's, created a generation of kids with wide-eyed wonder and curiosity about the undersea world that will never be duplicated.

Scuba diving doesn’t need to be crushingly expensive if you know how to piece together gear creatively and economically. Unfortunately, information on the finer points of gear streamlining and finding used gear deals is scarce. The dive industry has done a great job at brainwashing the public into thinking they have to spend a ton of money to be safe and to enjoy the sport.
And yes, back in the early days diving was new and there was a lot of mystique about what was underwater. Diving shows brought this into the living rooms of the world. Only the most adventurous sportsmen ventured under the waves, it was full of danger and you had to be brave to do it. This captured the imagination of the public and youth in general. We don’t have that today, it’s all been discovered and the mystery is gone.

 

[scubadada]

...it’s all been discovered and the mystery is gone.

Every dive is a new adventure for me. No matter how many times I've dived a site, every dive brings new discoveries and surprise things to see.

Last July 11, I did two tanks with my friend @Johnoly off of Starfish in Boynton Beach. I have dived both ot these sites, outside reef at Clubhouse and inside reef at Briny Breezes, many, many times. On the first dive we saw a beautiful, large Great Hammerhead Shark, only the 4th I've seen on the reef in Boynton. On the second dive, we dropped right on a huge, gorgeous Eagle Ray, just the second I've seen on the reef in Boynton. Trip Report - Back in Florida, 2022 #3

Go down, swim around, you never know what you are going to see

 

[drl]

65, certified 19 years, 860-some-odd dives

 

[azstinger11]

Scuba diving doesn’t need to be crushingly expensive if you know how to piece together gear creatively and economically. Unfortunately, information on the finer points of gear streamlining and finding used gear deals is scarce. The dive industry has done a great job at brainwashing the public into thinking they have to spend a ton of money to be safe and to enjoy the sport.
And yes, back in the early days diving was new and there was a lot of mystique about what was underwater. Diving shows brought this into the living rooms of the world. Only the most adventurous sportsmen ventured under the waves, it was full of danger and you had to be brave to do it. This captured the imagination of the public and youth in general. We don’t have that today, it’s all been discovered and the mystery is gone.

With all the IP rehashing Hollywood has been doing lately im sort of surprised we haven’t seen a SeaHunt reboot. Also would love to see more NUMA/Dirk Pitt shows/movies.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

With all the IP rehashing Hollywood has been doing lately im sort of surprised we haven’t seen a SeaHunt reboot. Also would love to see more NUMA/Dirk Pitt shows/movies.

A modernized high adventure version of Sea Hunt would be awesome!! All the crap going on with China, Russia, and the Cartels they could have a field day writing eposodes!
They did it with Hawaii 5-O and Magnum, I don’t see why they couldn’t do something with SH.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Looks like 50’s and 60’s group has combined into 50-69 with equal numbers.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

A modernized high adventure version of Sea Hunt would be awesome!! All the crap going on with China, Russia, and the Cartels they could have a field day writing eposodes!
They did it with Hawaii 5-O and Magnum, I don’t see why they couldn’t do something with SH.

I've run the idea of a SH reboot by a number of studio execs over the past 25 years. I've gotten a lot of blank stares back. One fairly high mucky muck said that if I got the investors together and fronted the $ for the pilot, and actually made the pilot, he would be happy to try and fit it in his schedule to view it and then maybe run it up the chain of command if it had production value. Argh!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I've run the idea of a SH reboot by a number of studio execs over the past 25 years. I've gotten a lot of blank stares back. One fairly high mucky muck said that if I got the investors together and fronted the $ for the pilot, and actually made the pilot, he would be happy to try and fit it in his schedule to view it and then maybe run it up the chain of command if it had production value. Argh!

This could be another good thread, we should start a separate thread for this.
I don’t want to hijack my own thread any more than I already have.