Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[boulderjohn]

I think chivalry meets feminism is a perfect storm for emasculation. My dad would tell my mother he was going hunting. I tell my girlfriend I'm going diving.

Over time, more households have jointly earned income; stands to reason in some the women have a stronger say in how that income is spent. It's one thing to say I'm going hunting; it's another to say I'm dropping $1,000 for airfare, $1,500 for a single hotel room & dive package at Buddy Dive, another $500 in baggage & miscellaneous expenses like food, and will be back from Bonaire in a week. And that's all 'our' money. See ya then!

Exactly.

My wife and I worked hard throughout our adult lives in a joint venture called marriage. With children to raise and retirement to plan for, we could not just go off and spend money wherever and whenever we wanted. Little day to day expenses were one thing; big expenses that impacted our budget were another. Neither she nor I would think of going off and making a major expenditure without discussing it first and coming to an agreement.

When I started diving, we discussed what was affordable and what was not. The early years of my diving were very much impacted by financial decisions, and yes, my wife had a lot to do with it. It was not, though, that she had veto power over me and more than I had veto power over her. It was a mutual understanding of our need to be prudent with our finances.

We are both retired now, and our children are grown and have no need for our financial support. We are by no means wealthy, but we can breathe much easier in our finances. We are both free to use our money more independently. She spends money on her activities as she wishes without consulting me, but she stays within reason. I spend money on diving as I wish without consulting her, staying within reason. The difference has nothing to do with a change in attitude; it has to do with a change in our financial situation.

Most of all, joint decision making in marriage has nothing to do with emasculation. It is a recognition that I have no more right to make decisions that have a major impact on our lives than she does. It is a matter of mutual respect and cooperation. If you want to return to the days when men ruled the roost with submissive wives doing what they were told, and if you can find a partner who is OK with it, be my guest. As for me, I am perfectly happy my wife and I lived our lives as we did.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Doesn't make sense that wives cause the decline. Wives were around when scuba started to take off in the '80s. That would mean the industry grew for a while and then started to decline because of wives? Did wives change during those decades?

That's why scuba took off during the 80's, because wives did get into it and it bacame more of a family activity.
That was the reason for changing training to what it is now instead of 7 weeks of class, harrassment, push ups, 400 yd swims before each class started, etc. They had to do something, diving was at a stand still and the only types that were doing it were young type A males and very few females.
If they didn't get wives and kids into it there would be very few dedicated dive resorts and liveaboards around the world now.

 

[TMHeimer]

That's why scuba took off during the 80's, because wives did get into it and it bacame more of a family activity.
That was the reason for changing training to what it is now instead of 7 weeks of class, harrassment, push ups, 400 yd swims before each class started, etc. They had to do something, diving was at a stand still and the only types that were doing it were young type A males and very few females.
If they didn't get wives and kids into it there would be very few dedicated dive resorts and liveaboards around the world now.

Makes sense. Still doesn't explain why wives would then turn around (late '90s?) and started telling husbands they can't dive/buy equipment, etc. I think more females dive now than ever (so they say). So why would wives now be a reason the industry is declining (with fewer people starting diving, etc.)?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Makes sense. Still doesn't explain why wives would then turn around (late '90s?) and started telling husbands they can't dive/buy equipment, etc. I think more females dive now than ever (so they say). So why would wives now be a reason the industry is declining (with fewer people starting diving, etc.)?

Why? because they're wives.
As long as they get to go, preferably a warm water destination with umbrellas drinks and beautiful sunsets, everything would be fine. The problem starts when we decide to do some local diving in cold water or a mud hole and they don't like that type of diving. Then they get pissy because they are stuck cleaning the house on a Saturday while we are out "having fun" diving locally, even though they have no desire to go. If they can't have fun then they don't want us to have fun.
In some ways I'm kind of lucky that I have a non diving wife. It means I don't have to buy two of everything and reduce my level of diving to suit her, and of course the jealousy factor if I'm out diving and she's not. But I still get crap for going out diving. That will never change.

I actually think wives have very little to do with the decline overall. I think it's more that diving has just run it's course from something almost unheard of in the 50's, to the steady growth in popularity through the 60's and 70's, then the boom in the 80's and 90's (which was the beginning of the end) , to now with nowhere else to go and no new people who are interested.
I don't even think it's about the cost, people just don't think about it. It's just not part of the current social trend.

The only thing I see, and it's probably a limited geographical trend, is freedive spearfishing. Young people down in Southern California are getting into freedive spearfishing, and up north here they are getting into freedive abalone diving to a lesser degree, but none the less it is growing and not declining. It's almost like the new surfing or wakeboarding.
This phenomenon wouldn't be so true in a land locked area since it requires being around an ocean.

 

[mjrob]

I think aliens have as much to do with the habits of divers as wives do. I mean, I do know a lot of husbands and wives (and their kids) who dive together. And I see non-diving spouses enjoying umbrella drinks, local culture, shopping, reading, etc. and not accosting the diving spouse when they return from a dive...or dive trip. If that's the tenor of your relationship, diving may be the least of your issues.

Oh, except that, if you dive with (or without, depending on your individual situation) your wife, you will certainly die.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Scuba diving was actually in decline in the 80's as far as its popularity, but there were a greater number of participants due to the economic boom with more people having extra income and time. It was declining locally while dive travel increased in popularity. One of the top BoDs at PADI admitted to us at PDIC HQ during DEMA in the late 80's that he didn't own any gear except mask, fins, snorkel and wetsuit and just rented gear when traveling. He didn't do any local diving in CA.

A lot of luxury sports were booming in the 80's because of a better economy, but the golden age of diving was already in the rearview mirror in many ways. Today, we have a host of factors. Wives are just the most recent obstacle of interest on my radar screen.

 

[boulderjohn]

Then they get pissy because they are stuck cleaning the house on a Saturday while we are out "having fun" diving locally, even though they have no desire to go. If they can't have fun then they don't want us to have fun.
In some ways I'm kind of lucky that I have a non diving wife. It means I don't have to buy two of everything and reduce my level of diving to suit her, and of course the jealousy factor if I'm out diving and she's not. But I still get crap for going out diving. That will never change.

Wow!

This certainly does not describe my wife or my marriage. I think you should be careful about assuming all marriages are like yours. I have rewritten this post about 10 times in an attempt to put this nicely, but all I can say is I can't believe you are writing this in a public forum.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Some people just tell it like they see it. I have known couples who enjoyed what John describes and I've known men in the position that Eric describes.

 

[boulderjohn]

Some people just tell it like they see it. I have known couples who enjoyed what John describes and I've known men in the position that Eric describes.

Then why are you and Eric using terms that assume all wives (and all marriages) are the same?

 

[TMHeimer]

I think I agree with Eric S. in that diving may just be not part of today's social trend. Re the wives thing, I would think couples doing tropical trips and husbands diving local mudholes was probably the same 30 years ago as it is now.