Who are the people who dive ?

[Sam Miller III]

From a published article:

"...Who are the people who dive?"

It is reported that there are at least 8.5 million SCUBA divers in the U.S. and probably at least that many who regularly actively participate in snorkeling.

According to NAUI and PADI estimates, approximately 15 million people who some way participate in diving activities. That equates to about five to six percent of the total population are divers, or about one person in every 20 people will have participated or use the title "diver."

Approximately 70 percent are males and 30 percent are females, 60 percent of this group is married and 40 percent are single.

At least half have college degrees, 40 percent have some college and only 10 percent have attended or graduated from high school.

As might be expected, the greatest number of divers are between 25 and 45 years old, with the greatest concentration of 33 percent being between 35 and 45 years old. Followed by those over 45 with a 19 percent participation.

Diving is definitely a young person's activity.....

 

[paradicio]

You are only as old as you feel!

 

[gNats]

Approximately 70 percent are males and 30 percent are females, 60 percent of this group is married and 40 percent are single.

At least half have college degrees, 40 percent have some college and only 10 percent have attended or graduated from high school.

As might be expected, the greatest number of divers are between 25 and 45 years old, with the greatest concentration of 33 percent being between 35 and 45 years old. Followed by those over 45 with a 19 percent participation.

Diving is definitely a young person's activity.....

Yes, but notice the greatest concentration is between 35 and 45 yrs. It is this group of people who are established in the workforceand are most likely earning greater incomes. (What does that say about the cost of scuba?)

As more and more people are waiting to have children (upwards of 30-35 yo) I wonder how these numbers will fluctuate?

 

[runway1]

Interesting data but I find the 8.5 million hard to believe. Remember who published the data; They're interests are in promotion, so they want those numbers up high.

I work along the beach in socal in an industry that tends to have a very high education level (not being pretentious, just getting to a point). I live in Huntington Beach, dive Laguna Beach, Catalina, etc., regularly. I come across a segment of the population that would be peeeerrfect for diving; i.e. location, weather, means, awareness, etc. If 2.8% of America were regular divers (8.5 mil), I would say that should correspond to 4%-6% MINIMUM, maybe even 8%-10%, in my demographic. Well, not even close. In the big corp. I work for, maaaaybe 1%-2% dive - and these are the key targets for the sport.....like I said, live on the coast in beautiful socal, have a few extra bucks, etc.

Just guessing but IMO, for whatever that's worth, I would say 1/2 that is a more realistic number. I think they justify that number by saying... "8.5 million have been certified over the xx years.". Well, check ebay. You'll find an awful lot of folks with <20 dives selling all their equipment. Many more just have it stored in the garage.

I don't mean this as a negative, by any means. I'm just a realistic, engineer type, data hog who scrutinizes numbers very closely and find many of them way off base.

 

[fnfalman]

Well, it's different for me. I've found out that there are more certified divers in my company than I originally thought. They're not as "active" as myself and a few other guys, but they're certified and they dive sporadically.

 

[Teamcasa]

"...Who are the people who dive?"

Those of us that enjoy life and can afford it!

 

[TSandM]

I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers are correct, if you look at all the people who hold or have held C-cards. I was shocked when I learned to dive, to discover how many people I know have taken a scuba diving class. None of them, however, still dive. That's one of the saddest things about diving.

 

[diverrex]

There are four different groups:

1. Those that have never dived
2. Certified at some time but no longer dive
3. Vacation or sporadic divers
4. Active and regular divers

I don't doubt the 8.5 million number as the total of groups 2, 3 & 4, but I think group 4 is a small group, well less than 1% of population.

 

[NudeDiver]

If you got an OW card and made a few dives at some point in your life, does that make you a "diver" or merely someone "who has dived?"

I went skydiving once. I'd never refer to myself as "a skydiver".

 

[Rhone Man]

Diving is definitely a young person's activity.....

I haven't read the article, but two other commonly held beliefs (that I strongly suspect are true):

1. It is a very white sport.

2. It is a relatively affluent sport (I know this subject has been controversial in the past, but you still don't see people discussing new regulators in the welfare line).