The Future of Diving

[Moogyboy]

Personally I'm nonplussed by the whole tech-diving phenomenon, and whether it constitutes someone being more "real" a diver than another. "Better" maybe, or "more experienced," but more "real," whatever that means? To be fair, though, the consumer-diving thing does seem pretty shallow (no pun intended). I still can't shake the image of Skin Diver style diving as a glamourous pastime for smug yuppies to brag about to their friends.

What I see is a lot of bragging on both sides.

Afaic you either dive or you don't. That's all there is to it. There's no need for elitism or snobbery on either side, imo...if someone's a subpar diver, we should try to help them become better divers rather than make fun of them or their gear. Some of us could learn a thing or two from the ham radio community, who are an incredibly supportive and inclusive bunch who don't hold newbies or casual hams in contempt. For us, though...well, no casual diver is gonna want to have anything to go advanced if the guys and gals in black bp/w's are sneering at them. Maybe that exclusivity is subconsciously part of it, which would be sad.

Perhaps I've betrayed a bit of prejudice on my part, but that's just because I'm not a techie. Sorry. I'll let the main discussion continue now.

cheers

Billy S.

 

[Bob3]

Currently the dive industry (and the economy) in the US is in a slump; Several of the big distributors (ScubaPro, US Divers ...) are not even bothering to show up at DEMA this year.
The release of the currently classified [******] to the sport market will no doubt be delayed by the current political climate, but when that happens, expect the dive industry to do a head stand.

 

[pt40fathoms]

Diving is a "recreational" activity. We call it a sport, but in reality, for over 90 percent of divers it is anything but a sport. People take up diving to explore and have fun in a recreational setting and atmosphere. As long as people travel and want to experience something new, exciting, and different, diving will not only survive but grow. The industry is changing to meet the needs of the "recreational" diver, both in the type of equipment being introduced and in how people are prepared to realize the fulfillment of their desire to explore. It is this second point, how people are prepared or trained, that has come under scorn by some in the diving community. Some training agencies have separated the certifications into smaller more specialized courses and sub-courses. Providing what is required to aid the new diving student into diving, without having them study decompression theory and be capable of assembling gear at the bottom of a pool on a single breath, in some foolish notion that this is better in some way. If the newly certified diver wishes to explore deeper and longer, those same training agencies offer the appropriate education to achieve this. Some of those who scorn this approach feel that if you have not been trained the way they were in the good old days, you are being cheated and are most surely going to kill yourself. What self-righteous exclusionary bunk! Those opinions may appeal to a very small group who want the sand box all to themselves, and hate to see anyone else having fun. But they are in the minority thank goodness.

Diving is growing as a recreational activity and training agencies that are in the forefront and proactive in meeting the needs of new divers will also grow. But there will be a cost. If the training agencies do not stress conservation and protection of the underwater environment in their training, the very sand box we play in will be ruined. One of the ways it must do this is to combine conservation and preservation with skills training. This can be as simple as increasing the focus on buoyancy control. Thankfully this is happening but more can and should be done.

I hope this answers the broader question of where I think the diving industry is going and its future.