why are there very few young divers?

[mangoconchile]

ive been reading alot of scubaboards and have noticed that most divers seem to be in there late 30s and up. i also read some other threads regarding diver fatalities and most people involved seem to be 50+ and up. one diver in the socal forums was 67 and had to have his son pull out the body. there was another guy in my class who was probably the same age who didnt complete the course as he got rolled the first time entering a beach dive. the second dive he tried it he was successful but he was breathing heavily before even getting in the water due to the weight of the gear.


where are the younger divers? im talking late 20s and under. my guess is due to the high initial cost of certification+gear most people cant afford it.

 

[DevonDiver]

They're all in Thailand..

 

[Jim Lapenta]

initial cert costs are not that high. there are too many distractions and certain entities have made diving so accessible to dang near anyone that it is not as cool. It used to be a challenge and an adventure. Now with so much of it geared towards producing underwater tourists as opposed to underwater adventurers the appeal is not there for the younger crowd.

 

[mbalmr]

I'm 28, and in Michigan!

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Young divers dive.

They don't talk online about diving with old people.

 

[meagicano]

I'm 29. I got certified at 25. It's a pricy sport for sure - if I didn't dive I wouldn't own a car, for example. I think the costs can be prohibitively high for people who are still trying to find good jobs.

 

[phoenix31tt]

in my neck of the woods it's mainly because of costs...

also parents not being knowledgeable and assume diving means the bends so they wont readily pay for scuba lessons...

 

[spectrum]

Just about any measure you can find does show a bias towards the baby boomers and we're not getting any younger. For us Scuba was a really cool emerging sport as we grew up regardless of when we pursued the activity. Sea Hunt, Jacques Cousteau and many feature movies teased us with adventures beyond our wildest dreams. Us geezers are starting to enjoy some discretionary income and can cash in on the dream.

Early on there were certainly costs but the gear was less, simpler and I'll venture as a percentage of income the threshold was lower for young folks. Many young people today are struggling to get into a home of their own, let alone take up diving. Heck many have a hard time getting out of their parent's house even into an apartment!

We do see younger divers in our dive club. For many it just becomes a cool ting to try long the way. With so many htings competing for time and attention true immersion in diving just won't happen for most. They are often content with a few warm water dives while vacationing.

 

[drrich2]

ive been reading alot of scubaboards and have noticed that most divers seem to be in there late 30s and up.

Most people who can afford to invest thousands in training, gear & periodic tropical vacations (which is what a lot of people who think about scuba diving envision, and be mindful many people don't live near the ocean), are probably in their 30's & upward. Scuba diving is also one of those lesser known sports. Someone who doesn't live near the ocean might not think he/she would dive enough to make the pursuit worthwhile, or imagine it'd be very costly.

i also read some other threads regarding diver fatalities and most people involved seem to be 50+ and up.

In modern societies, I believe most people who die are 50+. So that, at least, doesn't say much about the dive industry/hobbyist.

Richard.

 

[WhiteSands]

Probably because diving is such an expensive hobby.