I recall an article or post I read a couple of years ago that discussed the decline of diving amonst millenials...it postulated that it is not really in decline but is pushing the industry to transform in a way that the industry is not comfortable based on the current paradigm. It spoke about how diving is gear intensive which is then becomes space intensive. Millenials, it mentioned typically are living in smaller apartments in urban areas, they lack the space to store gobs of diving equipment, mountain bikes, or whatever other recreational activity. The average new diver will conduct only a few dives a year at most, the overhead on equipment and the space to store that equipment is not very cost effective to someone who only wants to dive occasionally and in warmer/clearer waters. The idea of diving in cold, murky waters is very appealing and lacks the rewards that many new divers are looking for. The adage of diving in s****y conditions will make you a better diver when the conditions are better is only good for those who really care. The article points out that the mentality of millenials is that they are looking for "experiences"...not life long certifications. They want to be able to say "been there, done that!" regardless of whether their experience is profound or not. With discovery diving programs there is less of a need for open water training. In addition, with 2 day certifications where one can blitz through e-learning on there own and just hop in the water on vacation to get certified, it often leaves one wondering why one would pay more and devote more time to the certification process. The idea that one can scuba dive one weekend and sky dive the next without any commitment to gear is growing mentality. And the whole gear issue is another thing that has been tackled in many threads on SB....look how many people have invested in equipment, look at how many shops push their students to purchase equipment up front before know what they really want/need. I have seen students buy equipment because they see their instructor uses that particular piece of gear...it is common for new divers in our club to purchase the same computer as the instructor who certified them because "it must be good if the instructor is using it"...not realizing that the instructor is only using that computer because he doesn't plan to replace it until it fails and is not using it because it is still considered good or not. Purchasing a regulator set that the average person will use maybe 10 times in their first year and then maybe 2-3 times the second year and then it needs a full overhaul at nearly 50 %-75% of the price of new is not a cost solution for young urbanites....then as their frequency of diving declines further, the cost to maintain their "life support" equipment does go away as it will need/should be serviced before using even if it was stored and unused during the period of non-use. Investing in a form fitting wetsuit that may not fit in a couple years time due to weight loss or more likely gain adds to the equation of whether it is worth it. The cost of owning a tank is rediculous unless one is diving on a regular basis...and in the US/Canada where a visual inspection is mandatory every year instead of at the halfway point between hydros like in Europe is just another financial barrier to aquiring and owning gear. The question often comes up: "where will people go to fill their tanks if all the shop's close?" ...I did some diving along the cost of the netherlands....it was common to find a trailer or small building with a coin operated fill station....there is no reason why some enterprising individuals could not take advantage of that paradigm and set up shop on the weekends at popular dive sites. There has been a rise in freelance mobile bicycle repair providers at trail heads and along rail to trail intersections/parking lots...why not something similar for SCUBA? Bicycle co-ops where one can pay to use the shop and ask for help have cropped up all around urban centers...there is little voodoo in overhauling and adjusting a regulator...perhaps this is model that should/could be explored. The reality is that shops tend to not want to invest in stocking products that don't have high turnover and the stuff does have high turnover is typically the stuff that most new divers don't really need but shops are more than happy to take their hard earned cash...when the new diver eventually discovers this they lose respect for the shop and the industry in general. The idea of a shop ordering stuff they refust to stock is failed approach to a s***y business model....this approach is parly to blame for decimating the brick and mortar cycling industry....many find there is little value in taking the time to drive to a shop only to find they don't have what they need/want and the shop is recommending they order it for them only for the customer to have to drive home and then drive back to pick the product up when it eventually arrives at the shop...it is often found to be more time and cost effective to just order off the internet and have it delivered in 24-48 hours...sometimes even less. In the cycling industry this has led to brick and mortar shops being used to try stuff on that will eventually be purchase on line...but then you have sites like Zappos where you can buy 2 or 3 sizes, have it shipped to you in very little time, and then return the items that don't fit at little to no additional cost. It is often cited that the benefit of a bicycle shop or a dive shop is the "relationship"...that is a bucket that only holds water as long as the people on the other side of the counter are appealing to develop that relationship with...great shops with great folks like DRIS are few and far between...and the only reason to develop a relationship is if you are going to participate avidly in the activity...I get great customer service from DRIS and I don't have a personal relationship with them...I don't even live on the same continent...same is true of DGX. Companies like Deep 6 Gear are pushing for changes in the industry by offering parts kits and making it easy to send the gear you purchase from them back to them for service if desired...they are also making it attainable to learn how to service gear oneself...why do I need to put up with often times dodgy customer service, or folks that don't know much about the products they are selling or the products the customer wants to buy that they don't carry? The idea that "tech diving" is increasingly becoming part of the recreational diver training continuum promotes the idea of knowing ones equipment and being prepared to service it in order to deal with and/or prevent equipment casualties and failures. The current dive shop business model is failing and needs overhauling....what the future looks like is unclear at the present moment but as market costs go up and folks become tighter with the expendable portion of their income, if there is no change in the industry it is predictable that more and more shops will be closing their doors.
-Z
I like everything you wrote above, I think all the points are valid. I think the recession really permanently changed a lot of stuff, along with the added popularity to shop more online for deals.
But prior to the internet there was Leisure Pro’s thick catalog. So mail order for great deals was there before.
As far as where to get air fills. There used to be a guy up on our coast that had a mobile air fill trailer. He got old and decided not to do it anymore, but he had a good little gig going on the weekends for a while. The problem was his filtration wasn’t the best and a lot of moisture got in the tanks. He complained that business was on a slow steady decline over the years and this was way before the recession hit. There were just less divers going out to the coast, whereas years prior there seemed to be a thriving dive scene with many classes making up the bulk of his business. All that went away. So he didn't have the money to keep up his compressor up and so he Called it quits.
But I think there are other places that something like this could still work, just not where he was doing it.
If the dive shops dried up then there would be more demand for portable air fill operations. I could also see coop dive clubs that require an annual or monthly membership that let you fill your tanks and hang out in the clubhouse. Somebody of course would have to be in charge, but with some structure it could be done.
My buddy actually has a large commercial air compressor in his garage that came out of a failed dive shop back in 2010. He completely rebuilt it and even pumps nitrox through a mixing stick. It provides super clean air because he’s a fanatic about keeping it in tip top shape.
I also have access to a couple fire departments. My brother is the chief at one dept. up on the coast, and I have access to another one.
Wetsuits might be the other thing. Random of the rack wetsuits kind of need to be tried on in person. But there is the whole world of custom built wetsuits, so that pretty much bypassed the LDS with OTR suits. I don’t think custom suit builders are going anywhere.
I think if all the local dive shops dried up the real divers would still find a way to get what they need to keep diving. It’s the dabblers and conveinience/vacation divers that would not have a local source for classes gear and trips.
