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

[El Diablo]

This was on PAdi's Blog only a month ago but that page no longer exists

From PADI's own blog site https://blog.padi.com/how-deep-can-you-scuba-dive-maximum-depth/

Recreational Depth Limits​

The maximum depth for recreational diving is 40m/130ft.*


Open Water Divers are trained to dive to a maximum depth of 18m/60ft, while Advanced open water divers can explore deeper, to a maximum of 40m/130ft.

Can Open Water Divers dive deeper than 18m/60tf?​

Frankly, yes. There is no scuba police out there to stop you




Read what Tursiops wrote on this....

Question - Night Diving - requirements, insurance coverage, WRSTC

How does AOW certify you for night dives? Two PADI's ways; 1. It was one of the three core dives in PADI AOW certification many yrs ago. 2. As one of three specialty dives of choice. I have no idea if the card indicates the choices! Other agency might include night dive in their AOW training.

scubaboard.com

You are confusing the Recreational Dive limits that are indeed 40m with the OWD Certification that is 18m.

And of course there's no Scuba Police and that's why many idiots drown...

ps. Responding to your quote: If evolution works, why so many idiots?
Blame it on the corner rubber protectors that parents use to protect their little geniuses

 

[Blackcrusader]

You are confusing the Recreational Dive limits that are indeed 40m with the OWD Certification that is 18m.

Nope I was not confused. As I wrote PADI had on their blog an OW diver can dive deeper than 18m. Seems they removed that now.

As for my signature... well I'm still here lol.

 

[El Diablo]

Nope I was not confused. As I wrote PADI had on their blog an OW diver can dive deeper than 18m. Seems they removed that now.

As for my signature... well I'm still here lol.

Again, PADI CERTIFIES OWDs up to 18m AND the Recreational DIve limit is 40m.
If they removed it from their Blog, perhaps they followed some legal advise to avoid any possible law suits in case of an accident (speculation).
What a diver decides to do after getting his certification is his problem. PADI teaches him to be relatively 'safe' up to 18m depth. There's a difference between 3ATM and 5ATM in chemistry and effects on human physiology as well as air consumption, narcosis, bends, etc.

In the official PADI website, for OWD it is written:

With Your Instructor​

Practice using scuba gear in a pool (or pool-like environment) until you're comfortable. PADI training includes practice "mini dives" to help you build confidence in your new abilities before making four dives in open water.

• Prerequisites: Able to swim; medically fit for diving
• Total time commitment: 4-7 days
• Minimum age: 10 years or older
• Depth: expect shallow dives (12m/40ft), the maximum allowed depth is 18m/60ft

and AOWD:

With Your Instructor​

The course includes five dives: a deep dive below 18m/60f, a navigation dive, and three specialty dives. Gain experience, build confidence and discover your diving abilities.

• Prerequisites: Open Water Diver/Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification)
• Total time commitment: 2-3 days
• Minimum age: 12 years or older
• Depth: The maximum depth depends on your age, but maximum depth is up to 30 metres/100 feet

 

[Belzelbub]

Go read padi's own blog. They even write a diver with an OW can dive deeper than 60 feet there is nothing stopping them. Instructors also like to sell courses and many have new divers do OW and AOW in 5 days. They sell the AOW so the diver can " go deeper" it's not like they had any extra experience

I understand this. 60' is the recommended limit only. Other posters were arguing that it was a hard line, and that the OW certification was only to 60'. My comment was around what I overheard in a dive shop recently.

 

[Belzelbub]

In the official PADI website, for OWD it is written:

With Your Instructor​

Practice using scuba gear in a pool (or pool-like environment) until you're comfortable. PADI training includes practice "mini dives" to help you build confidence in your new abilities before making four dives in open water.

• Prerequisites: Able to swim; medically fit for diving
• Total time commitment: 4-7 days
• Minimum age: 10 years or older
• Depth: expect shallow dives (12m/40ft), the maximum allowed depth is 18m/60ft

and AOWD:

​

With Your Instructor​

The course includes five dives: a deep dive below 18m/60f, a navigation dive, and three specialty dives. Gain experience, build confidence and discover your diving abilities.

• Prerequisites: Open Water Diver/Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification)
• Total time commitment: 2-3 days
• Minimum age: 12 years or older
• Depth: The maximum depth depends on your age, but maximum depth is up to 30 metres/100 feet

The above reads to me as training depth, not necessarily certification depth. PADI seems to be a bit vague, perhaps intentionally.

SSI on the other hand uses 18M/60ft Training Depth for OW, 40M/130ft Max Training Depth for their Deep course.

Training depth indicates what can be expected on the checkout/training dives. Not necessarily what the diver is certified for.

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. PADI will not revoke your certification if you dive to 62' after OW. What really matters is if you use a dive Op. They may require an "Advanced" designation for some dives. If you don't use dive ops, then you are free to dive how you wish.

 

[Stoo]

Money. Bottom line. It ain't a poor man's sport.

Yup... This and competition with other activities for their leisure dollars.

And related... access to good diving areas. Travel is costly in terms of time and money (and lately, COVID).

 

[Angelo Farina]

I don't know of anyone who got narced by going to 30m depth. Not saying not possible just none that I know of.

I got narced at 27m. It was a dark, cold alpine lake (where I never dive, I prefer sea with clear water).
It was during my first "open water" diving instructor examination (CMAS), in 1979. Not a big narcosis, but with a very marked "bad mood" effect.
In the sea, I usually get narced only below 50m (in air), but there the mood is much more happy and pleasant, as with a good pair of super-alcoholic drinks...

 

[Marie13]

I got narced at 27m. It was a dark, cold alpine lake (where I never dive, I prefer sea with clear water).
It was during my first "open water" diving instructor examination (CMAS), in 1979. Not a big narcosis, but with a very marked "bad mood" effect.
In the sea, I usually get narced only below 50m (in air), but there the mood is much more happy and pleasant, as with a good pair of super-alcoholic drinks...

There is a reason I refer to being dark narced (cold water, low viz = gloom, doom, fear) as “mean drunk” and being narced in the tropics as “happy drunk” (from what I’ve read as I don’t dive tropical). Helps the non-divers grasp the concept.

 

[Angelo Farina]

There is a reason I refer to being dark narced (cold water, low viz = gloom, doom, fear) as “mean drunk” and being narced in the tropics as “happy drunk” (from what I’ve read as I don’t dive tropical). Helps the non-divers grasp the concept.

That is...
However, I did never got narced in tropical waters. Water temperature definitely has effect for me in getting narced. I had the biggest hits when diving deep here in the Mediterranean, in places lake Portofino, Isola di Montecristo, Isola del Giglio or Isola d'Elba. Here the water, below the thermocline, is usually quite cold (14-18 °C). In these conditions, around 48-50m I start to become narced, but usually there is a lot of light, you can even see the boat above you through 50m of crystal-clear water, so the mood is excellent...
At Maldives I did dive down to 60m (when it was still allowed), but there is no thermocline, the water is around 30°C even at large depth, so I did never get any significant narcotic effect.

 

[pauldw]

It seems like every time a thread like this starts up, the comments are always the same. It’s too expensive, no it’s not. It’s too expensive, no it’s not. Until the thread starts wandering off topic, and then dies. Always people just guessing.

If we want to know why people don’t take up diving, perhaps we should just ask them! The PADI survey mentioned in this thread apparently just looked at the characteristics of people who do dive. PADI, or perhaps students somewhere, could survey the population as a whole about whether they’re divers, and if not, why? Then we’d know.