What is the fundamental reason that prevents scuba diving from becoming popular?

[Wibble]

I dived in Scapa Flow in May where the water temp is 9 degrees and one person had a wetsuit. He restricted his dives to under 40 mins and would rush to get changed (larger live aboard). We’d be doing 90 mins without problems.

Wetsuits can be used. Drysuits should be used.

 

[TMHeimer]

I dived in Scapa Flow in May where the water temp is 9 degrees and one person had a wetsuit. He restricted his dives to under 40 mins and would rush to get changed (larger live aboard). We’d be doing 90 mins without problems.

Wetsuits can be used. Drysuits should be used.

Yeah that water up there is quite cold. My grandparents were from Sanday, Orkney, where I recall a few chilly swims 30 years ago. Scapa Flow can get quite rough too as I've heard.
Most of my "old guy" dives are under 40 minutes anyway, even with water temps approaching 70F (22C).

 

[Rick Brant]

Why would anyone who is not in the business want the sport to grow? More divers does not help anyone. Access issues, damage to coral, facilities loading, taking of, well, just about everything it seems -- there is no good argument for more divers IMO. As a backpacker of many years, many of the places I have been are now virtually impossible to get permits for. I definitely don't want to see that in the ocean. Fewer divers is what I would like to see (or not see!) personally.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Why would anyone who is not in the business want the sport to grow? More divers does not help anyone. Access issues, damage to coral, facilities loading, taking of, well, just about everything it seems -- there is no good argument for more divers IMO. As a backpacker of many years, many of the places I have been are now virtually impossible to get permits for. I definitely don't want to see that in the ocean. Fewer divers is what I would like to see (or not see!) personally.

I guess it's a paradox, but if diving were to become more popular, there might be greater incentive for conservation, coral restoration, junk removal, etc. More divers might mean more ocean given protected marine park status.

 

[Hoag]

Why would anyone who is not in the business want the sport to grow? More divers does not help anyone. Access issues, damage to coral, facilities loading, taking of, well, just about everything it seems -- there is no good argument for more divers IMO. As a backpacker of many years, many of the places I have been are now virtually impossible to get permits for. I definitely don't want to see that in the ocean. Fewer divers is what I would like to see (or not see!) personally.

You have some very valid points. One of my other hobbies is photography. I try to do at least one trip per year dedicated to landscape photography.

There is one location known as the "Mesa Arch" that has become quite famous. The first time I went there, the "common wisdom" was to get there about 30 minutes before sunrise so that you aren't rushed as you set up. The last time I was there, I arrived more than 2 hours before sunrise and there were already people there and set up. (We spent those 2 hours shooting the Milky Way.) About 20 minutes before sunrise, 2 tour buses unloaded about 100 tourists who were pushing and shoving to try to get the shot. The Mesa Arch has gone from a spot known to Landscape Photographers to a "must shoot" location for anyone with a smart phone and an Instagram account.

The image of the Mesa Arch at sunrise with the glowing red-orange sand stone with a sunstar has become an iconic photo.
In the roughly 10 years that I have been going there, it has gone from 1 or 2 photographers to well over 100 on any given day.

The recent popularity of this location has put increased pressure on the trail to it. Where it was once a location treasured by photographers hoping to capture its unique beauty, the increased traffic has resulted in litter being strewn everywhere.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . . The Mesa Arch has gone from a spot known to Landscape Photographers to a "must shoot" location for anyone with a smart phone and an Instagram account. . . .

Maybe the inherent hurdles in scuba--the gear, the training, booking a trip, etc.--actually help keep the sport in balance with the capacity for it. Imagine if all it took to scuba dive was a smartphone.

 

[Jake 10]

Maybe the inherent hurdles in scuba--the gear, the training, booking a trip, etc.--actually help keep the sport in balance with the capacity for it. Imagine if all it took to scuba dive was a smartphone.

agree !

 

[boulderjohn]

Why would anyone who is not in the business want the sport to grow? More divers does not help anyone.

My wild guess is that over the last 2+ decades, I have had perhaps 40 scheduled dives canceled because not enough divers had signed up for the dive to meet the minimum number of customers for the boat to go out.

As a tech instructor wanting to schedule boat trips out to suitable dive sites for tech training dives, I have to have a minimum number of people on the boat to have the trip go. That means the scheduled trip has to attract enough additional divers. If it does not, I have the choice of not going at all or paying the boat fees for the divers who are not there.

If there are not enough divers to support a dive operation at a site that needs one for diving, then you don't get to dive.

 

[CT-Rich]

Why would anyone who is not in the business want the sport to grow? More divers does not help anyone. Access issues, damage to coral, facilities loading, taking of, well, just about everything it seems -- there is no good argument for more divers IMO. As a backpacker of many years, many of the places I have been are now virtually impossible to get permits for. I definitely don't want to see that in the ocean. Fewer divers is what I would like to see (or not see!) personally.

Before recreational scuba, ocean dumping was common. What ever you dropped was gone forever. Part of the reason is gone is because JYC and others, went and saw the effects of open sewers and garbage barges.

Ecotourism has created the awareness that the marine environment is being degraded and the political will to do something about it. Marine sanctuaries exist because people saw the need. If you look at location like Grand Cayman. The fishing economy has been almost completely replaced by tourism, helping protect the reef ecosystem for the future. While divers will have a negative impact, their travel dollars provide jobs that might otherwise contribute to over fishing etc.The popularity of Mesa Arch is a double edged sword. It’s popularity helps create and protect the National Park System.

 

[DBPacific]

Before recreational scuba, ocean dumping was common. What ever you dropped was gone forever. Part of the reason is gone is because JYC and others, went and saw the effects of open sewers and garbage barges.

Ecotourism has created the awareness that the marine environment is being degraded and the political will to do something about it. Marine sanctuaries exist because people saw the need. If you look at location like Grand Cayman. The fishing economy has been almost completely replaced by tourism, helping protect the reef ecosystem for the future. While divers will have a negative impact, their travel dollars provide jobs that might otherwise contribute to over fishing etc.The popularity of Mesa Arch is a double edged sword. It’s popularity helps create and protect the National Park System.

Tourism isn't necessarily good though. You get places that are so heavily dependent on tourism that they ignore or cover up the state of the environment because it might impact business if they imposed conservation restrictions or paused operations to clean up (looking at you Australia). Even in parks, sure they get funding from tourism but it isn't enough to keep things clean and maintained when hordes of tourists show up