Waning SCUBA Participation

[J-Vo]

This subject has come up in passing on a few other threads lately and has been hanging out at the back of my mind. That said I had an epiphany about it while watching Blue Planet the other day.

When I was a kid I was enthralled with the water world. Sea Hunt, Cousteau, National Geographic, and many other shows would keep me riveted to the TV screen when I wasn’t out finding something to swim/dive in. When all the other kids wanted to swim in the pool, I was heading for open water. A major part of most of the shows available to me was that they featured people interacting with the under water world. While this didn’t necessarily accurately show animal behavior, it did give me a “hero figure” to aspire too. These (for me) where some of the most exciting things on TV because I could imagine myself in my “hero’s” place. Other shows did not give me this since of possibility. What video games where available to me at the time where not much more than digitized board games, so they where not even a factor. Now that I’m older (old?) I look forward as much to the challenge of executing the dive as much as what I will see.

Moving forward to the Blue Planet example. This series although beautifully filmed is typical of the modern ocean documentary in that it strives to remove all human elements. This is great for those of us that are already invested, but for myself as a child this would have removed even the thought that it was possible for a person to actually be at the location and experiencing it in person. Add in the excitement, constant sensory input, and immersion of modern television and video games. No wonder kids don’t dream of experiencing the underwater world for themselves. They have a television that shows it too them with better clarity than being there in person all the while with slow narration that inspires great bedtime listening. No offense to Sr. David Attenborough, but his narration of the series is mostly to draw nostalgia from the likes of my piers not to inspire the next generation.

What needs to happened to inspire a new generation of avid divers and sea lovers?

Should we make reality shows based on the "B" roll from these documentaries? Maybe even publishing it before the feature releases would create excitement for the original.

How about completely fictional undersea shows that are shot on location and push environmental responsibility?

I really do think the human element needs to be in place to inspire a passion for our natural world. Otherwise, all these alien environments may as well be on another planet.

Your thoughts please,

 

[TMHeimer]

Sea Hunt was just a LITTLE before my time, though as a youngster, I did enjoy the reruns shortly after the series ended. My older brother was diving in the 60s with all the Mike Nelson equipment.
We moved from out West to the East Coast 13 years ago and I got certified, because it now made sense. To be honest, I'm not concerned about new people entering scuba or what TV shows may inspire them. Selfish, perhaps.

 

[kelemvor]

This subject has come up in passing on a few other threads lately and has been hanging out at the back of my mind. That said I had an epiphany about it while watching Blue Planet the other day.

When I was a kid I was enthralled with the water world. Sea Hunt, Cousteau, National Geographic, and many other shows would keep me riveted to the TV screen when I wasn’t out finding something to swim/dive in. When all the other kids wanted to swim in the pool, I was heading for open water. A major part of most of the shows available to me was that they featured people interacting with the under water world. While this didn’t necessarily accurately show animal behavior, it did give me a “hero figure” to aspire too. These (for me) where some of the most exciting things on TV because I could imagine myself in my “hero’s” place. Other shows did not give me this as of possibility. What video games were available to me at the time were not much more than digitized board games, so they were not even a factor. Now that I’m older (old?) I look forward as much to the challenge of executing the dive as much as what I will see.

Moving forward to the Blue Planet example. This series although beautifully filmed is typical of the modern ocean documentary in that it strives to remove all human elements. This is great for those of us that are already invested, but for myself, as a child, this would have removed even the thought that it was possible for a person to actually be at the location and experiencing it in person. Add in the excitement, constant sensory input, and immersion of modern television and video games. No wonder kids don’t dream of experiencing the underwater world for themselves. They have a television that shows it to them with better clarity than being there in person all the while with slow narration that inspires great bedtime listening. No offense to Sr. David Attenborough, but his narration of the series is mostly to draw nostalgia from the likes of my peers not to inspire the next generation.

What needs to happened to inspire a new generation of avid divers and sea lovers?

Should we make reality shows based on the "B" roll from these documentaries? Maybe even publishing it before the feature releases would create excitement for the original.

How about completely fictional undersea shows that are shot on location and push environmental responsibility?

I really do think the human element needs to be in place to inspire a passion for our natural world. Otherwise, all these alien environments may as well be on another planet.

Your thoughts please,

There are a few current scuba related TV shows that do show actual diving. Though none are as revered as sea hunt, modern shows are more realistic. Scuba nation is one such show. Although I think that one's gone dowhnill over the years. They've always been an advertising platform but the longer the show runs the less it seems to focus on diving. I've seen episodes dedicated to selling rooms at particular resorts. That said, many of the episodes do show real diving.

It's worth noting that ScubaNation has been on TV for longer than Sea Hunt was.

 

[boulderjohn]

Sea Hunt was very much in my time, and I watched every episode when it was on. There were even Sea Hunt comic books, and I read them. I loved it. If you were to get some money to put on a new series of that ilk and put me in charge of it, though, I think I would have a bit of a struggle. There are only so many dramatic episodes that can involve action that occurs under water. In past threads about dive safety, I have joked that when diving first began, there were bad guys under water everywhere, with big knives used to cut your air hose, but thankfully Mike Nelson dispatched every one of them years ago, so the oceans are now safe.

I would resist adding bogus episodes in which the divers confront a bunch of ridiculously aggressive marine animals as well.

Consequently, I would have a lot of trouble coming up with enough plots to fill out a season.

 

[kelemvor]

Sea Hunt was very much in my time, and I watched every episode when it was on. There were even Sea Hunt comic books, and I read them. I loved it. If you were to get some money to put on a new series of that ilk and put me in charge of it, though, I think I would have a bit of a struggle. There are only so many dramatic episodes that can involve action that occurs under water. In past threads about dive safety, I have joked that when diving first began, there were bad guys under water everywhere, with big knives used to cut your air hose, but thankfully Mike Nelson dispatched every one of them years ago, so the oceans are now safe.

I would resist adding bogus episodes in which the divers confront a bunch of ridiculously aggressive marine animals as well.

Consequently, I would have a lot of trouble coming up with enough plots to fill out a season.

Today you could do one featuring a 3 way cage match with divers vs conservationist divers vs photographers. No idea what you'd do for episode 2, though.

 

[RyanT]

Great question @jvogt! First, I grew up watching the same shows with a similar mindset. Here's my 2 psi... I am not a fan of the Blue Planet et al. shows. As a biologist, my beef with them is that they focus on the sensationalism of predators catching and eating their prey. Indeed, this is interesting, but there is so much more to our living planet. I had not previously considered the lack of the human element in modern nature shows. Thinking back to the Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau and Wild Kingdom, I agree with you, I think the human element is an important missing component. Not that we should necessarily have "Jim wrestle an Anaconda" on film, but the human element could easily be incorporated in a way that is respectful of nature.

As for inspiring kids, the issue is more complex than just changing how the films are done. What we really need to do is get kids out in nature on a regular basis and give them unstructured play. Books have been written about this very problem. I've had the fortunate experience of growing up in the pre-digital world and spent huge amounts of time during my childhood swimming and snorkeling. Unfortunately, I don't see society making a big push to get kids off their screens and out into nature anytime soon.

 

[boulderjohn]

I think there is another problem is along the lines of what RyanT just posted. Those beautiful shots that shows like Blue Planet give us are not what divers see today. I first visited the Great Barrier Reef 16 years ago; what I saw when I went back two years ago was horrifying. I dived in the Bahamas, where I surveyed acre after acre of dead coral, with an occasional lionfish but not much else. I had thought that the reefs in south Florida were improving until recently. This year they look terrible, and I just learned that the area has suffered a three year bleaching event. I went to Bali last year with great anticipation, but the number of times we descended in a pile of garbage, like diving in a landfill, dampened that enthusiasm.

Once you get people in the water, you have to find a way to keep them coming back. If they are seeing what I am seeing today, I would have to think they would not see the value in it.

 

[Mark IV]

...... To be honest, I'm not concerned about new people entering scuba or what TV shows may inspire them. Selfish, perhaps.

Then consider that without fresh blood entering the sport, there eventually won't be enough profit incentive for companies to continue to develop and market the wide variety of quality products we currently enjoy, and maintain the high level of competition that currently helps keep prices relatively low.
I was recently speaking with a local dive shop owner, that's been doing this for decades, and he quoted some very troubling numbers, and is very concerned that this is a gradually dying industry/sport. Though he teaches at the college, the vast majority of his market is over 40, and he says he's about run out of wealthy older folks to tap into.

 

[aquacat8]

As kids we had the gift of boredom: TV was boring, grownups did not cater to us, they kicked us outside till dinnertime, and out there we were on our own to do all kinds of adventurous things that would make todays parents phone their lawyers. Today the virtual world of TV, games, and internet is now is dazzling, spectacular, overstimulating, while the real world is declining, abandoned, dying. Its like we're living in that Ray Bradbury story... The Velt I think it was called, where the children disappeared into their TV walled bedroom. TV shows like Blue Planet can also raise expectations beyond what most people's real diving can be like. It does make a huge difference that kids know "nature" is in trouble, something to feel guilty about, and it's sad, whereas in Cousteau's time it was tantalizingly unexplored, a strange new world, holding untold promise.

 

[aquacat8]

A lot of what I feel about diving is nostalgia actually... I know I am diving the end of the Holocene.