Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[rhwestfall]

I just check the phone book for a bit of information. In this area (eastern end of the Great Lakes), there are 5 dive shops, and 8 ski shops.....

As I participate in both activities, I can say there are fewer shops (both activities), but I can't say it is declining numbers that did this. Costs necessary for operations have made it very challenging for survival if you follow the business models of "old time". Those surviving have made changes to their strategy. The demands of the consumer are different than before (want more selection, want it now, want it easier, etc.). I think it is more a Darwin thing (survival of the fittest) than anything else....

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Skiing is an action sport that is glamorized by the youth and easily visible by lookers on, and now video recorded via Go Pro which get posted all over social media. There is no shortage of visual stimuli, you see many references to snow sports on TV and in all sorts of visual media.
Even other board sports such as wake boarding, surfing, skim boarding, body boarding, and skate boarding get a lot of intended and uninteded attention. Some of these aren't cheap as was stated, especially skiing and wake boarding when you factor in all the costs.

Diving has none of these visual triggers as I see it. It is the invisible sport. It doesn't have the sexiness and glamour of a person doing aerobatics off a snow bank, wave, or wake.

 

[Kairoos]

I think people see scuba as more dangerous than skiing. Skiing is certainly easier to get into. I can call up a ski resort of my choice, based on where I want to travel to, and they'll help set up my lodging, set me up with an instructor, and provide all the rental gear I need. Scuba takes more research. There's tons of charter services and dive shops, and that can be overwhelming. Then there's tons of certifying agencies, different certifications, and it takes a minimum of a few days to get certified (and we know how everyone on SB feels about that). That means I can get certified locally, or while on vacation, which means I'm wasting my vacation time learning scuba skills or I'm spending whatever free time I have before the trip, doing certifications. I've never gone skiing but I bet the lessons are pretty simple to just get on the bunny slopes.

Scuba is so much less accessible. A ski resort requires infrastructure, just like a golf course does, but scuba doesn't. The only thing scuba has that's similar (and the common person will be up for) is to go to a large resort that offers a Discover Scuba course. I think people will be very apprehensive about planning a dive trip to say Cozumel when they have never dove before. They could get in the water and hate it instantly, freak out, and never want to dive again. That whole trip is ruined. The likelihood of that happening for say skiing is much less since it's a common land activity that's more understandable for someone who has not spent their life in the water.

Cost is obviously the other thing, it's not super expensive, but it's a good hunk of change to throw down for a hobby you might not enjoy, or have time to partake in often, either before of your location or because of how busy your daily life is.

 

[Hank49]

One thing different about scuba vs other water and action sports is, the other sports continue to develop and ….get more radical.

Surfers now get major air and still make the wave and continue riding. Amazing. Not to mention tow in surfing in unbelievably huge waves.
Skiiers….wow…I just saw a video on Facebook with these guys going to down an almost vertical wall through a 4 foot wide canyon on the side of a mountain.
Windsurfing evolved into wave riding, and now kite boarding.

Diving….??…we have easier breathing regulators now. Yes, there is cave diving and that is certainly a challenge. But recreational diving can't really push any limits….( or if you DO, don't post it on Scubaboard )
Diving today is pretty much like it was….in the 70s. No real advancements in technique, form or limits.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

One thing different about scuba vs other water and action sports is, the other sports continue to develop and ….get more radical.

Surfers now get major air and still make the wave and continue riding. Amazing. Not to mention tow in surfing in unbelievably huge waves.
Skiiers….wow…I just saw a video on Facebook with these guys going to down an almost vertical wall through a 4 foot wide canyon on the side of a mountain.
Windsurfing evolved into wave riding, and now kite boarding.

Diving….??…we have easier breathing regulators now. Yes, there is cave diving and that is certainly a challenge. But recreational diving can't really push any limits….( or if you DO, don't post it on Scubaboard )
Diving today is pretty much like it was….in the 70s. No real advancements in technique, form or limits.

And that's exactly why topside water sports and skiing continue to dazzle and thrill. They are growing in what you can actually do with them whereas scuba is the same old thing. I think this is why scuba has the drop out rate it does, because people get bored seeing the same stuff. Just the thrill of breathing underwater isn't enough, it might be at first but for many it wears off after the first few years and the sport goes no further.
The ONLY exception I see to this (at least around here) is when another activity is involved such as hunting or photography. Then scuba becomes just a tool to support another activity. Freedive spearfishing and abalone diving (Norcal) has more youth involved than scuba, but it's a small regional phenomenon.

 

[Kairoos]

One thing different about scuba vs other water and action sports is, the other sports continue to develop and ….get more radical.

Surfers now get major air and still make the wave and continue riding. Amazing. Not to mention tow in surfing in unbelievably huge waves.
Skiiers….wow…I just saw a video on Facebook with these guys going to down an almost vertical wall through a 4 foot wide canyon on the side of a mountain.
Windsurfing evolved into wave riding, and now kite boarding.

Diving….??…we have easier breathing regulators now. Yes, there is cave diving and that is certainly a challenge. But recreational diving can't really push any limits….( or if you DO, don't post it on Scubaboard )
Diving today is pretty much like it was….in the 70s. No real advancements in technique, form or limits.

For the thrill seekers they might see that as a disadvantage, but I guess it depends how extreme they are. Those type of people might be the ones that get into cave diving! For the majority of people that want a fun, relaxing, and unique sport, it's pretty good.

I wonder how skiing and scuba compare numbers wise. They both have the big barrier entry of location. I can't ski here in Florida, but I can scuba dive all year 'round. Whereas some land locked states you can ski for a good part of the year, or even all of it, but scuba isn't really as exciting there without the ocean.

 

[Hank49]

Maybe this has been said. I haven't read all the posts in this thread. But maybe scuba needs to target 40s and older folks. Like, put ads on the TV stations that still show the 70s and 80s sitcoms or other shows from that era.
I find it very relaxing and really enjoy a nice dive. It's more like a walk in the woods or park. And that generation has the money and time to do it.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I find it very relaxing and really enjoy a nice dive. It's more like a walk in the woods or park. And that generation has the money and time to do it.

Not sure where you live but I find it very easy to walk in the park - much more accessible (parking and entering the woods/parks) and I can take the dog and kids if they are bored...

Diving is not like a walk in the woods/park - I can't take the dog or the kids because they will not enjoy it and I will get push back - I and my son are the ones diving and in some areas the walk is not close to the water - steps, and parking lots are way off from the actual water... And with a good hot sun with humidity - I feel like I am sweating up a storm before I even get in the water...

You have to really want to dive when you put up with some local conditions...

 

[RJP]

Again, retention is the issue, IMHO.

It's "an issue" but probably not an opportunity. Diver attrition will always be relatively high. Why?

• The "bucket list" aspect of the sport for many people will never go away
• The only way to really find out if you like DIVING is to actually get certified and take it up
• The high percentage of wives/kids/girlfriends/boyfriends/husbands that come to the sport with low interest and high reluctance, but give it a try because someone else wants to dive

Add to that the very real - and entirely unavoidable - cost, logistics, time, and hassle factors.

Can retention be improved? Sure. Significantly? The industry is tilting at windmills on this one.

Customer retention is only a problem when you don't have enough have NEW customers. If there were lots of new divers... you'd hear very little about retention.

 

[rhwestfall]

Customer retention is only a problem when you don't have enough have NEW customers. If there were lots of new divers... you'd hear very little about retention.

yet classrooms seem full here.......

I'm sure the numbers are available... how many divers were certified by (pick an agency) in 1980, 1985, 1990, .... 2010, etc. Lets see that number....