Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[daniel1948]

Do we really want more people to take up scuba diving? Crowded boats, crowded reefs... The scuba industry benefits from more divers, but do divers benefit from more divers? I'll welcome anyone who wants to dive, but I won't try to convince people that they ought to dive.

(I like freediving too. I like the freedom from equipment and ease of freediving. I also like scuba because I can stay down longer. I like freediving because it's more physical and active, and scuba because it's more relaxed. Both are fun. Just not on the same day. Variety, they say, is the spice of life.)

But I'm just a recreational vacation diver, and diving is only one of several recreations I enjoy. Hiking in the mountains is actually higher on my list of activities I love. Variety.

 

[boulderjohn]

Do we really want more people to take up scuba diving? Crowded boats, crowded reefs... The scuba industry benefits from more divers, but do divers benefit from more divers? I'll welcome anyone who wants to dive, but I won't try to convince people that they ought to dive.

Crowded dive boats are not the norm everywhere, and in many cases divers do indeed benefit from the presence of more divers.

I have been on four different dive vacations over the years to tropical resorts in which I intended to dive every day but had to take at least one day off (and sometimes more) because there were not enough divers signed up for the boat to run.

I used to use an operator in Cozumel who would not go to the more advanced sites unless I could scare up at least 3 other divers to fill out a boat to that site.

I go to South Florida for a month or two every winter, and every winter dives are canceled the morning of the dives because not enough divers had signed up. This past February this happened to me 5 times.

Two years ago I was in the Pensacola region of Florida and Alabama for a week in early March, with the hope of getting in a few dives during that time. I did not get in one dive. Most of the operators routinely close that time of the year because of a lack of divers. The ones that were open would not go out because I would have been the only one. One of the shops that was open because they offered other activities as well acted like I was out of my mind for wanting to dive then. Did I realize that the water temperatures were only in the mid to high 60s? Yes, I did. He apparently did not realize that those temperatures were about 5 degrees warmer than what I usually dived in and much, much warmer than many thousands of divers ever dive in.

So, yes, I would like to see more divers. More divers means more dives for me.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Do we really want more people to take up scuba diving? Crowded boats, crowded reefs... The scuba industry benefits from more divers, but do divers benefit from more divers? I'll welcome anyone who wants to dive, but I won't try to convince people that they ought to dive.

(I like freediving too. I like the freedom from equipment and ease of freediving. I also like scuba because I can stay down longer. I like freediving because it's more physical and active, and scuba because it's more relaxed. Both are fun. Just not on the same day. Variety, they say, is the spice of life.)

But I'm just a recreational vacation diver, and diving is only one of several recreations I enjoy. Hiking in the mountains is actually higher on my list of activities I love. Variety.

Like John said below your post, the industry could use more divers to smooth out flow and keep things full and operating.
One thing I don't think the sport needs is more marginally trained or bad divers, as long as the new divers are well trained and serious about it I think it would be a good thing.
What the industry doesn't need IMO is another spike in participation by the "new sport of the week" people, and then a drop off when they move on. That's why I say "serious and dedicated" divers.
I think training should perhaps be a little more thorough and then the people getting into it would automatically be more dedicated because they will have a bigger investment in time and money.
It would help prevent damage to the reefs too.

 

[RJP]

I think training should perhaps be a little more thorough and then the people getting into it would automatically be more dedicated because they will have a bigger investment in time and money.

While I agree with the necessity of more thorough training being provided by those who are not providing thorough training currently, your supposition that doing so will "automatically" ensure that new divers are more dedicated is patently absurd. In particular, the idea that this dedication will be somehow borne of the "bigger investment in time and money." This greater investment is far more likely to dissuade a greater proportion of potential new divers - dedicated or not - from ever getting certified in the first place.

 

[cerich]

While I agree with the necessity of more thorough training being provided by those who are not providing thorough training currently, your supposition that doing so will "automatically" ensure that new divers are more dedicated is patently absurd. In particular, the idea that this dedication will be somehow borne of the "bigger investment in time and money." This greater investment is far more likely to dissuade a greater proportion of potential new divers - dedicated or not - from ever getting certified in the first place.

Agree, when scuba classes started to be made available with much less time commitment than in the past during the late 80's very early 90's participation boomed.

Now do I think some not quantified % of divers don't stick with it that otherwise would if they got better quality training? Yes, is it huge? Meh...maybe double the number of people who stick with it, which is dismal anyhow. Would that help the industry, you bet. But, I'm only guessing based on my gut.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

While I agree with the necessity of more thorough training being provided by those who are not providing thorough training currently, your supposition that doing so will "automatically" ensure that new divers are more dedicated is patently absurd. In particular, the idea that this dedication will be somehow borne of the "bigger investment in time and money." This greater investment is far more likely to dissuade a greater proportion of potential new divers - dedicated or not - from ever getting certified in the first place.

I think you're wrong.
When people work for something they appreciate it more and it has more value.
Thanks anyway for your opinion.

 

[dmoore19]

We aren't talking about keeping someone diving, you are talking about them starting to dive. 2 different things.

 

[OMANDIVER]

I think the BSAC model is interesting in this context. It has endured, established in the 1950s, provides good quality low cost training and a group of buddies to dive with. Instructors are for the most part club members ie not having to earn a living and look to give something back to a sport they love. It's not a burn and churn model and may have a better chance of keeping people in the sport for longer. How many varieties of BCD do you need?

 

[TMHeimer]

Crowded dive boats are not the norm everywhere, and in many cases divers do indeed benefit from the presence of more divers.

I have been on four different dive vacations over the years to tropical resorts in which I intended to dive every day but had to take at least one day off (and sometimes more) because there were not enough divers signed up for the boat to run.

I used to use an operator in Cozumel who would not go to the more advanced sites unless I could scare up at least 3 other divers to fill out a boat to that site.

I go to South Florida for a month or two every winter, and every winter dives are canceled the morning of the dives because not enough divers had signed up. This past February this happened to me 5 times.

Two years ago I was in the Pensacola region of Florida and Alabama for a week in early March, with the hope of getting in a few dives during that time. I did not get in one dive. Most of the operators routinely close that time of the year because of a lack of divers. The ones that were open would not go out because I would have been the only one. One of the shops that was open because they offered other activities as well acted like I was out of my mind for wanting to dive then. Did I realize that the water temperatures were only in the mid to high 60s? Yes, I did. He apparently did not realize that those temperatures were about 5 degrees warmer than what I usually dived in and much, much warmer than many thousands of divers ever dive in.

So, yes, I would like to see more divers. More divers means more dives for me.

As far as the panhandle goes, the 60s water temps. of March are just WAY too cold for the locals--even for some of the instructors (and I have yet to meet another geezer snowbird like me who dives in lieu of golf or shuffleboard). Locals or those close by from "In There" can dive 9 months of the year comfortably, so why dive in Jan.-March (The avg. Jan./Feb. Gulf temp. is 55-57). It's a problem I have always had and another reason I wind up diving solo shore dives down there.

 

[RJP]

I think you're wrong.
When people work for something they appreciate it more and it has more value.
Thanks anyway for your opinion.

Possibly... for the far smaller proportion of people who are not turned away by the higher price and more difficult class. This fundamental "price elasticity of demand" concept is taught the very first day of any economics course. As price goes up, demand goes down.

This curve will become even worse for scuba if you add "more thorough training" into the mix, as a consumer will consider the value of both their money AND their time as comprising the "price" of getting certified.