What do you see happening with the sport of diving?

[drrich2]

seriously when hen my wife chose her previous edit dive comp, she got the same as mine except she had a pink strap.

i have to be careful here. My wife is a great diver, more dives than me, she had a wing and a doc before we met. But she doesn't give a damn about the detail of the gear, apart from does it work and does it look nice. The technicalities of equipment don't interest her. That's not an anti women comment, it's the way she is wired. To her scuba gear is there to allow her to get underwater and get freedom away from the corporate world. Whereas to some they are wired towards the other extreme where diving is almost just a reason to put their gear together

While it's a tangent, it's pertinent to the overall topic, and what you posted here speaks to it. Quite awhile back, I was reading one of those articles about women & tech. (e.g.: computers & related personal technology ownership & usage). There are people bothered by the lower percentage of women involved in some elements of tech. (e.g.: gaming), so the issue of what motivates women where tech. is concerned gets discussed.

In a nutshell, the article pitched the idea that while many men seem to enjoy tech. for its own sake (e.g.: how many gigahertz the processor is, how much RAM and storage it's got, whether there's an SSD drive in it, etc...), women tend to view & value tech. that offers a solution to some problem/need they have. Which reminds me of some of what RJP's been telling us in threads discussing marketing & motivating people.

Remember when the iPad originally came out? The tech. people were asking how fast is the processor? Apple was like 'Just hold it and try it.' But how much memory does it have? 'Just hold it and try it.' The techies were doggedly trying to get technical specifications; Apple was selling an experience.

We talk a lot about gear. Is there a 'scuba experience' that's not getting marketed?

Richard.

 

[NAM001]

RX7
Most people have not been as fortunate as I have been over the years to be able to afford compressors and O2 generation atop of training classes for inspection and O2 work. Even now, since I am married to a working wife ,,, the income tax costs alone will shut down half of my diving. Granted we all have to live with our decisions, Especially the ones we freely choose, So many others are having to live with decisions forced on them.

KWS,

When I returned to central MO from MI, and it became clear that nitrox (and tri-mix) would probably never be offered around here, I spec-ed out what E&E would be required to blend my own. I was prepared to pull the trigger on the necessary equipment purchases (against the advice of knowledgeable friends who believed I wouldn't run a Rix SA-6 often enough to keep it healthy) when I learned I was going to be a father in a few months, and so ultimately didn't. (I no longer do the types of dives that benefit much from nitrox, so everything turned out for the better after all.)

The resolve you describe in your post is exactly what comes to mind when I say divers will find some way to dive.

But, so far as the scuba "industry" and its considerations for growth and profits and ROI and their implications on what will happen to recreational scuba diving in the future, I maintain that we recreational scuba divers have very little to lose. We will continue to be able to source whatever we require and/or desire, regardless. We might be a little inconvenienced, worse case, but we will continue diving—those of use who are determined to, that is. And this leads back to my second post in this thread. My tacit message was/is that this thread doesn't belong in the Basic Scuba forum, but would be more appropriate in one of the business/industry-oriented forums.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[cannon fodder]

The industry has an incredibly high drop out rate after certification. Rather than trying to get more people to take scuba classes, does it make sense to try to reduce the drop out rate? Would better training generate better longevity and enthusiasm in the diving public?

I have 2 certifications and 3 specialties from 4 different shops in the area. The only one I have taken 2 classes from is the one that arranges bus trips to the local quarry and does dive travel, also done 2 with them. Living in New York, I don't own a car, the dive shop owner gave me a ride up to the Thousand Islands for one trip. That is how you keep people diving, by making it as accessible as possible.

Why bother with gear or training for more macho style dives, when the problem is getting to dive in the first place. Anybody can jump on a bike or get classes on the bunny hill at a ski resort. When you can do the same thing with diving. Easily join a group going to the bunny dive at the local mud puddle, that would make it easier to retain newly certified divers.

 

[RJP]

The industry has an incredibly high drop out rate after certification. Rather than trying to get more people to take scuba classes, does it make sense to try to reduce the drop out rate?

The effort/cost involved would be huge, and even with that the impact would be exceedingly small. The issue is that a great many people come to the sport intending to only "try it once" or "check it off the bucket list" anyway. Makes zero sense to try to convince them to stay. Add to that the simple fact that diving actually ISN'T for everyone... but the only way to actually find out whether or not "diving is for you" is to get certified. If it's NOT for you, no amount of convincing is going to keep you.

As I always point out, the majority of heart attack, cancer, and HIV patients stop taking their meds within 12 months of diagnosis. If we can't get people to stick with medicines that will keep them alive... why do we think we can get them to stick with scuba diving?

That being said, it might be possible to identify a small portion of those that drop out who drop out for a reason that can actually be identified, addressed and overcome through a cost efficient program. But to try to tackle the general problem of diver retention as if it were one, monolithic issue is ill-advised.

Would better training generate better longevity and enthusiasm in the diving public?

There is no shortage of poorly trained divers out there, and more coming every day. Improving training should be done as a matter of course FROM A TRAINING PERSPECTIVE (and perhaps some subset of this small subset is one of the targeted groups I mentioned above) but that's probably not going to have a detectable effect in terms of participation rate.


The number 1 thing that can be done to improve retention rate is to take a more thoughtful approach to the initial acquisition of divers; a single-minded, cohesive "brand promise" that is not only compelling but is actually paid off by the experience that new divers have will have the greatest impact on retention.

"Attract the right people in the first place, deliver what they expect" - pretty much the only thing ever shown to improve repeat consumption OF ANYTHING. PS - it's also the cheapest and easiest approach to implement


RECOMMENDED READING:

Single-Minded Messaging: What's the Point?

Adventures In Scuba Marketing

Strategic Marketing Lessons From Paradise

 

[Z Gear]

The industry has an incredibly high drop out rate after certification. Rather than trying to get more people to take scuba classes, does it make sense to try to reduce the drop out rate? Would better training generate better longevity and enthusiasm in the diving public?

Very good point. If this is the case why do you think some of the reasons for the high drop rate. Why are people losing interest, after getting their cert?

It can't be related to cost, so why is this happening?

 

[Diving Dubai]

Like any hobby there are different groups of people.

Two Extremes:

There are some that are dedicated, own their own gear, support their LDS etc and go diving in their local conditions. More than likely they want to improve their skills and such like - worry about getting Rec rather than a tech pass in fundies. Because of life commitments they don't get to travel afar with diving.


Then there are the people who don't give a stuff about GUE (probably never heard of them, and don't own their own gear other than perhaps a mask and dive computer. They are more than happy following a guide in fantastic locations - as long as they can get an hour out of their cylinder and have enough skills in their buoyancy and trim to enjoy the dive they are happy. They go on a dive vacation once perhaps twice a year. These people have less than 150 dives max AOW certified but maybe just OW, yet have dived, the Red sea, Thailand, Sipadan, Komodo Raja Ampat etc. They have seen Hammer heads, Oceanic Mantas and Whalesharks, they have lots of Go Pro footage of their dives, certainly not as great as a better camera but better than none. They don't give a stuff about their LDS it doesn't concern them because where ever they want to dive there are operators.

One group will have pride in their ability to carry out S & valve drills, have exacting finning techniques and be able to hold buoyancy within 600mm (1') while deploying a DSMB. The other will have a gained fantastic memories and experiences.


One group will be applauded by members of a online forum the other held with ridicule.

One group will care, the other won't.

 

[RJP]

It can't be related to cost, so why is this happening?

Why not? It surely is, for some. What can be done to keep them from dropping out?

 

[rx7diver]

But anyone who want to try to turn scuba into an activity that has "mass appeal" is on a fool's errand.

Hmmm. Remember the "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" and "Good things happen on a Honda" campaigns?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1CuZRPM0Aw&list=PL158C73F075ACB197&index=2

 

[RJP]

Hmmm. Remember the "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" and "Good things happen on a Honda" campaigns?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1CuZRPM0Aw&list=PL158C73F075ACB197&index=2

This is the first mention/sight of it I've ever encountered.

Not sure if that was your point, or not.

 

[going2aussie]

I dive. I love diving. I have a ton of respect for people who are really good at it. It's not a sport though.