Waning SCUBA Participation

[Marie13]

Just to clarify, DRIS has an unlimited season pass for $1500 or lifetime for $10K for its boats on both Lake Michigan (2 boats - both 6 packs) and its new 16 person Lake Huron boat. Only 5 available per year, I believe. And I got 1 of the 5 for this year.

But yes, it’s a small market, and frankly, a lot of people seem to be scared off by cold(er) water. It’s really not that bad. But I also think they are a number of people who just don’t want to push themselves to get past whatever fears they may have and try diving all. I’ve urged a lot of people to do a pool Discover Scuba and not one person locally (that I know of) has done it.

 

[KevinNM]

It could be like bowling in the 50s and 60s.

My dad used to work for Brunswick. Bowling alleys were always partially a real-estate play. You parked a large, cheap building on a big piece of low-cost land on the edge of town and used the fees to cover the mortgage, then cash out in 20 years when the land around is all developed. These days that is what self-storage businesses are mostly about.

But everything is cyclic. Sports and hobbies wax and wane over time.

 

[aquacat8]

I disagee about the swimming lessons. As incomprehensible as it is to us, many people are not comfortable in the water. When I was a kid there was a big public pool on the edge of Lake Ontario ( which had a closed beach due to pollution—that had been the previous generation’s public pool)—most of the Moms in town used that pool as a cheap baby sitter. A huge shallow pool full of Marco Polloing kids, and a deep pool with a high diving board and a viewing area for hot teenage display behaviors. I can almost still taste the French fries from the food stand. It was epic. We ALL could swim. Nowadays... well let’s just say if I were dating again it would include a swim test.

 

[Midwesterndvr]

It’s off topic but bowling still exists although not to the level it was in the 60s.
Maybe it did exist more as a real estate/ business model, we have the large Brunswick building in downtown Chicago from 1965. It’s now the cook count government building and I’m sure Brunswick had more responsible leadership.

 

[Midwesterndvr]

Just to clarify, DRIS has an unlimited season pass for $1500 or lifetime for $10K for its boats on both Lake Michigan (2 boats - both 6 packs) and its new 16 person Lake Huron boat. Only 5 available per year, I believe. And I got 1 of the 5 for this year.

But yes, it’s a small market, and frankly, a lot of people seem to be scared off by cold(er) water. It’s really not that bad. But I also think they are a number of people who just don’t want to push themselves to get past whatever fears they may have and try diving all. I’ve urged a lot of people to do a pool Discover Scuba and not one person locally (that I know of) has done it.

1500 for an unlimited season pass, what if the boat is full do you get priority booking?

 

[60plus]

Other sports I am involved in tend to run in cycles. I think there are more activity sport options than there used to be.
Does the film Jaws put people off - it and its sequels are still shown regularly on TV. Also there is a program called River Monsters (also deals with sea creatures) that has people being killed or mutilated by various fish or aquatic mammals. When I tell people I have taken up diving, there are two frequent questions:
1) Aren't you scared of drowning / what if your air runs out?
2) What if you get eaten by a shark?

Perhaps we need a program like Jacque Cousteau again to set the record straight.

About a year ago the authorities could no longer afford to run our local swimming pool so the bulldozed the surrounding wall and soil into it.

 

[TMHeimer]

60plus, Some good points, but it's been 43 years since Jaws (I) came out.

 

[60plus]

I watched jaws (1) at the cinema in January 1976. My friend jumped so much when the severed head rolled into view in the hole in the boat he kicked the person sitting in front, who also jumped so much they did not notice being kicked.
Jaws 3 The Revenge was on TV again tonight!

 

[aquacat8]

Knock knock, who’s there? Landshark.

 

[TMHeimer]

I watched jaws (1) at the cinema in January 1976. My friend jumped so much when the severed head rolled into view in the hole in the boat he kicked the person sitting in front, who also jumped so much they did not notice being kicked.
Jaws 3 The Revenge was on TV again tonight!

A year or so after the first Jaws I was at the place in Mass. where Jaws chomped off the end of the dock where they hung the slab of meat. The locals I talked to thought that was really funny. Like "No shark gunna do that".