Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[boulderjohn]

I think a better question might be: why do many people stop diving a few dives after the OW class? What can be improved in that transition?

Whenever I teach an OW class, I ask why the people are getting certified. At least half of them say because they are going on a vacation to an area that has scuba diving, and they wanted to give it a shot.

Whenever I do a refresher class for people who have not been diving for a long time, I ask a similar question. The two most common answers are 1) I originally got certified for a specific vacation, and now I am going on another similar vacation, and 2) We started a family and had no time until the children grew up.

For others, I think the primary reason can be tracked to instruction. A lot of people are trained to dive overweighted and on their knees. When they go to their vacation dive and struggle to swim comfortably while neutrally buoyant, something they never had to do before, they don't have a lot of fun. If they have fun, they will continue.

 

[Matt S.]

In my opinion, the scuba industry has a perception problem--it is out of sight, out of mind.

I was a prime target for the industry, and they could have snared me 10 years earlier than they did. I was interested in scuba and pretty fish, albeit in an idle, casual way. But, while I was interested, I was also deeply ignorant. I though learning scuba cost about as much as getting a pilot's license. I thought it was for daredevils, like skydiving or motorcycle racing. I also did not know I lived 30 minutes away from great shore diving sites. So, I just coasted on my misunderstandings for many years. It was easy to do, not knowing any divers, nor ever seeing any industry outreach materials.

Then, one day, I tried snuba while on a trip to Mexico. It was fun and it prompted me to do research into scuba... and here I am.

I feel like the industry needs to get this message out:

Learn Scuba Diving: It's not Deadly or Expensive*

Of course there is fine print...

* Scuba diving can become deadly and expensive.

But there is time to learn about that once you get 'em in the door.

Now, as to quality of instruction, that is a different topic.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I think a better question might be: why do many people stop diving a few dives after the OW class? What can be improved in that transition?

- Bill

My guess is that those are mainly the landlocked people who realize that the $500 cert course and start-up set of gear was only the tip of the iceberg, and if they want to actually go diving every trip will cost several times that amount in travel expenses and a week of vacation time away from work. Some good friends of mine are a couple who got certified two years ago, and so far they've managed to squeeze in two dive trips, the second of which was over a year ago. They say they have to budget their time and money on too many other things. I suspect that is a typical situation. At least for landlocked folks, diving at first seems like a good pastime to get into, but then the reality sets in that diving requires a big commitment of both time and money.

 

[dmoore19]

I believe it was you who started a thread questioning the desire to continue diving. You can correct me if I am wrong. Maybe you can give some insight into the question at hand.

I think a better question might be: why do many people stop diving a few dives after the OW class? What can be improved in that transition?

- Bill

 

[Peter Guy]

RJ -- Loved your post. Now a question aimed, primarily, at instructors in the tropical resorts -- Do you require your entry level students to buy/own their own Mask, Fins and Snorkel or do you just provide that as part of the training package?

As with many LDSs, my shop requires a potential student to plop down $500-600 to just to sit for the first lesson -- class fee, materials, Mask, Fins, Snorkel, Booties and Gloves -- on the other hand, it will charge only $50 to do a Discover Scuba session which is as long as the first OW session.

IF the up-front expense is a barrier to entry for a significant number of people (potential clients), then why what can be done to minimize that barrier? While it may be difficult to sell the gear before trying, IF the entry level experience is good, shouldn't it be easier to then convince the student to buy?

Just musing here -- I wonder what ARE the barriers to entry for becoming a scuba diver? Money and time are certainly two, but what others might there be?

 

[Hawkwood]

...

Just musing here -- I wonder what ARE the barriers to entry for becoming a scuba diver? Money and time are certainly two, but what others might there be?

Regarding the first part of your post, we do not require anything from students beyond the purchase of the lessons, which comes with the crew pack. Everything else is provided on the pool deck. Weekend class and pools are $229, all in.

For the OW portion they must have their own mask and fins as we stopped renting those.

Barriers? In our area, one big barrier it is the access to local diving, as well as the local diving conditions we encounter. It can be a turn-off to a lot of folks taking up diving here. Most do not say in the first night of class: "I'm taking this so that I can drive three hours to dive in our cold, silty lakes, to see the occasional trout or mountain whitefish". They are off to Mexico for a trip or somebody's wedding. We have to show them the light, so to speak.

That being said, we have fantastic air connections to any diving location around the planet.

Obviously it is not a barrier to everyone, since we have a huge, active, dive community in Calgary and area.

My son may be an example of what happens. He is a DM (not practicing), has his commercial diving ticket (no longer does so), and works as a heavy-duty mechanic. He dives with me on occasion, but very infrequently. His activities now revolve around what his current group of buddies do...they are all mechanics, welders, etc. and all their leisure revolves around dirt biking, quadding, and off-roading. That stuff fits his life style better than schlepping around with my buddies. When we do all go diving together, we all have a blast. It's just not what his priorities are.

 

[Wookie]

RJ -- Loved your post. Now a question aimed, primarily, at instructors in the tropical resorts -- Do you require your entry level students to buy/own their own Mask, Fins and Snorkel or do you just provide that as part of the training package?

As with many LDSs, my shop requires a potential student to plop down $500-600 to just to sit for the first lesson -- class fee, materials, Mask, Fins, Snorkel, Booties and Gloves -- on the other hand, it will charge only $50 to do a Discover Scuba session which is as long as the first OW session.

IF the up-front expense is a barrier to entry for a significant number of people (potential clients), then why what can be done to minimize that barrier? While it may be difficult to sell the gear before trying, IF the entry level experience is good, shouldn't it be easier to then convince the student to buy?

Just musing here -- I wonder what ARE the barriers to entry for becoming a scuba diver? Money and time are certainly two, but what others might there be?

I think that somewhere along the line, shop owners (correctly) felt that sized items like mask should be the student's own, to make mask skills more user friendly, if nothing else. When I was a resort instructor, most students who came to me from the USA had their own mask and fins. They also knew they were going to take the class, had contacted me beforehand, and had their books. Folks from the UK who had 2 weeks holiday did not come with mask and fins, used rental, and we certified them too.

We offered 8 slots for DSD every day. We certified 4 OW students a week. Our staff consisted of an instructor, a DM and a DM certified boat driver. I humped my butt as the instructor (8 DSD's a day plus OW class). Dive shops in the USA with owners and staff and gear and all that stuff would be well served to offer DS each evening. It was by offering free DSD's that we got so many OW students. And, their rental for gear was free, although we charged a pretty penny for class, it was $375 15 years ago.

Although rental gear should be included in class, like airlines, dive shops nickel and dime you for every add on. They can't raise their pricing, so they get you with increased profit for selling gear to make up for the loss leader, just like an airline. I can't tell you how much it irks me that I have to pay an extra $25 a segment to have a seat as wide as the one I had 5 years ago for the price of the ticket on United. Or ANOTHER $25 a segment for as much legroom.

It's what Americans want, though. They want to be nickle and dimed for each beer they drink on a liveaboard, they want to pay the extra $25 baggage fee to bring their cameras on a dive trip, and they want to pay an extra $100 for nitrox for the week. They want to pay $500 more than the trip is worth, so they can brag about getting a $300 discount. What they don't want to pay is rack rate, even if rack rate is a fair price. We've taught our consumers to ask for a discount.

 

[Hawkwood]

...
It's what Americans want, though. They want to be nickle and dimed for each beer they drink on a liveaboard, they want to pay the extra $25 baggage fee to bring their cameras on a dive trip, and they want to pay an extra $100 for nitrox for the week. They want to pay $500 more than the trip is worth, so they can brag about getting a $300 discount. What they don't want to pay is rack rate, even if rack rate is a fair price. We've taught our consumers to ask for a discount.

I really like that - so true. Not just American's though.

 

[Skittl1321]

Just musing here -- I wonder what ARE the barriers to entry for becoming a scuba diver? Money and time are certainly two, but what others might there be?

I think around here even knowing it is an option is a barrier. When we started taking lessons a lot of people said "you can do that in Iowa?" They didn't know diving options existed, or even classes to learn to dive somewhere else. Our LDS will even say the nearest diving is 1,000 miles to the south (jokingly, and then they'll tell you about the quarries or lakes). They will tell you the biggest expense of recreational diving is travel.

Health can be a barrier, and of course fear.

I think time is a big one- it was a 30 mile drive to the city where the dive shop is, and 100 miles to the nearest quarry to dive: so a significant commitment just in travel.

Cost is the huge one, especially by it's nature scuba diving is a buddy activity. The $560 for the OW class was a lot, but multiple it by 2 and it is really a lot. Same with the gear purchases- $80 fins, $20 boots, $70 mask, $100 wetsuit. Nothing ridiculous, but do it twice, it takes a lot out of a family budget.

We figured it was "worth it" because the certification was life-long. We can just pay for some refresher instruction when we are able to go on another dive trip. If it was a "5-year license" I don't think we would have bothered.

 

[80 Proof Divers]

As a former dive shop owner, I can state that part of the problem with continued diving activity for an individual diver is shared by training agencies and common business practices of far too many dive operators.

I operated two dive store locations for five years when I just got tired of the unacceptable income level and the requirements of the training agency (PADI) I was using at the time.

PADI informed me that my new diver acquisition was too low and would not grant the Five Star Rating I was pursuing. All of the other requirements were meet with no issue. I just needed to recruit more new divers even thou my continued education rate was off the the proverbial PADI charts. I understood this as my dive store would not be allowed a higher rating unless I conform to the common practice of teach a new diver then nickle and dime them until they simply gave up the sport.

My continued education rate was far exceeding that PADI anticipates for a dive store. Over 50% of the dive training students received 5 individual certifications. This was due to the fact that I believed that people should be trained to be good and safe divers. I viewed the course standards set by PADI as minimum guide lines, not as all inclusive to certification. For example, all of our students were required to demonstration good buoyancy control during the entire dive to reduce the damaging effects on the environment. Most training operators will certify a diver for doing the skills in the Instructor manual without any further skill training. In my opinion, their bosses (dive operator owners) are looking at the profit margin on an individual customer and trying to skin the sheep (Customer) of all their money when they need to look at a much bigger picture of long term business health.

I realize that the "3 Day Wonder" courses that several dive operators use do not produce diver of any quality. I have worked with far too many new divers that said "I didn't have to do that skill in my Open Water Diver course". I for one, have even filed formal complaints to those agencies that promote these short courses. The courses devalue the training and the entire, so call, dive industry.

Unfortunately, I do not have an answer to this deli-ma. I wish I did. For now, I am just aiming at doing my diving research and work at checking off the dives on my "Dive Site Bucket List". I will continue to hold the values I have learned as one of those "Old Divers" that had to go through SCUBA boot camp. I will continue to try to make a difference.

Indy at,
www.80ProofDivers.com