Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[boulderjohn]

I was a very avid skier until a knee replacement limited my ability to participate.

I started skiing when I was in my early 20s. I got a used pair of skis, boots, and poles for nothing from someone who didn't want them any more. I put on clothing I already owned and went to a ski area with my girl friend, who was an avid skier. She showed me the basics. Total cost = one lift ticket. Over the first years of our relationship, my girlfriend/wife and I did a lot of skiing for very little more than that. As a graduate student, I joined the university ski club and got discount lift tickets. The most expensive ones were at Vail--$11 per day. That was a splurge, though. We normally skied the slopes with the $6-$7 lift tickets. During those years we introduced a lot of people to skiing--for the price of a lift ticket and ski rentals. We gradually increased our financial investment, especially when it came time for our children to ski. I even took professional lessons several times, especially when I started racing. Lift tickets are certainly more expensive today, but equipment rental prices are very cheap, and you still don't need to have professional lessons.

Years later, with a vacation to a tropical resort looming, I looked into scuba certification. I saw that each half day of diving would cost me about as much as a full day ski lift ticket. I saw that rental prices would add to the cost. I saw how expensive certification was. I talked it over with my wife for quite a while before we decided we could afford it.

My eldest son remains a committed skier, and he has gotten his wife into the sport. He does not want to get involved with scuba. Even though his certification would be free with me as the instructor, he says he can't afford it.

 

[RJP]

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....

By region, by year 2005 for PADI, SDI, SSI



Q1 2005- Q1 2014...

 

[rhwestfall]

interesting...."recession" impacts? Discretionary spending on the decline? What is the travel statistics to the various "dive destination" locations?

 

[RJP]

interesting...."recession" impacts? Discretionary spending on the decline? What is the travel statistics to the various "dive destination" locations?

There's obviously some recession impact. Too hard to tease out travel to dive places. Largely because they ALL over-report so that their destination looks attractive vs declining.

But, skiing for instance is flat for new skiiers year over year for the last decade. So they are drawing the same number of new skiiers per year as diving is declining.

Skiing - in the US anyway - is also trending UP in terms of "annual visit-days/skiier" over the same time period. As is spend/skiier/year. So attracting new ones, they are skiing more, and spending more.

 

[rhwestfall]

The "challenge" I see in SCUBA is the "$/minute". Tie up a whole day, travel, charter, equipment, food, etc., for a two tank - say 20 minutes each for a no-deco deep(er) dive..... the "bang for the buck" is pretty extreme....

We had a dive this past summer (just two of us on a private boat) - Almost a 2 hour boat ride (boat gets 1 mile/gallon), got out there, got in, and the vis was literally 2' (dive was 110'). Lost the wreck, found it, and thumbed the dive. Packed up, and went home. Wouldn't even think of 2 dives that day. What was the cost of that? WOW!!!!

Even a good day of two dives is fuel (truck), food, charter, tips, etc. for less than an hour of water time...... that all adds up...... big time

There is a whole bunch of other activities that might yield a "better" (beauty in the eye of the beholder) return on the dollar spent...

One has to be really "into it" for SCUBA

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I think from a preparation and breakdown/clean up perspective - skiing (or any sport not involving salt water) vs diving - diving is more work. My son who started at an earlier age than I did is already moaning about the cleanup aspect. He skis and dives - he is telling me he is missing the diving but not the clean up. He is on the ski team in HS and to him there is a lot less prep and breakdown - sure you need to wipe down your skis and boots but that is minimal compared to diving...

So - for all those folks that hate clean up - can we find some gear that would be no fuss cleanup? No hosing down, no hanging up to dry and no storing issues with the gear?
Then you would have no reason not to dive - Nothing To Clean Up!

 

[Kairoos]

I think from a preparation and breakdown/clean up perspective - skiing (or any sport not involving salt water) vs diving - diving is more work. My son who started at an earlier age than I did is already moaning about the cleanup aspect. He skis and dives - he is telling me he is missing the diving but not the clean up. He is on the ski team in HS and to him there is a lot less prep and breakdown - sure you need to wipe down your skis and boots but that is minimal compared to diving...

So - for all those folks that hate clean up - can we find some gear that would be no fuss cleanup? No hosing down, no hanging up to dry and no storing issues with the gear?
Then you would have no reason not to dive - Nothing To Clean Up!

I don't think the clean up is that bad to be honest, give everything a rinse and store it away! It would be nice to not have to do any of that when you're done, especially when it's cold, but most hobbies have some maintenance involved. I don't think 5-10 minutes of rinsing and checking over your equipment is a big deal. At least not if you enjoy the activity!

 

[RJP]

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.

The "radical" or "extreme" part of some other sports is there for sure... and gets all the press.

But give some consideration to HOW that was possible... and what else came from THAT.

The changes in surfboard design have made "radical" moves possible because the surfer has far greater control than in the past...

As a surfer, I can tell you that my timid 16-year old daughter is a far better surfer now than I ever was. Because the radically improved boards that make THIS possible...

Also make THIS possible...

The improvements in surfing "gear" has significantly changed the sport by making it - at the same time - more fun, easier, and more accessible to a larger population.


Skiing is the same thing. The evolution of skis (and bindings, and boots, and clothing) of the past 50 years may seem negligible to a non-skiier. But every skiier knows that today's gear is radically different than it was even 15-20 years ago. The skis I learned on in the 80's were long, straight, heavy, and had no rocker. You needed to be GOOD and STRONG to ski well. (Hell, you had to be good and strong just to safely effect a turn half the time.) I would submit that skiing on the skis we used way back when was far more "extreme" than it is today. All of skiing used to be about getting from the top of the mountain to the bottom without killing yourself. Today's skis are radically different. And so is today's skiing.

Sure, today's lighter, shaped skis make "radical" moves like THIS possible...

But the "radical" evolution in ski gear also makes THIS possible...

Surfing and skiing used to be the exclusive domain of highly athletic and extraordinarily coordinated people. Now they are available - and fun - for the masses.

The simple fact of the matter is that the experience and breadth of appeal of surfing and skiing has dramatically changed - several times - over the last 4-5 decades.

The experience of scuba diving has not.

 

[Wookie]

I think from a preparation and breakdown/clean up perspective - skiing (or any sport not involving salt water) vs diving - diving is more work. My son who started at an earlier age than I did is already moaning about the cleanup aspect. He skis and dives - he is telling me he is missing the diving but not the clean up. He is on the ski team in HS and to him there is a lot less prep and breakdown - sure you need to wipe down your skis and boots but that is minimal compared to diving...

So - for all those folks that hate clean up - can we find some gear that would be no fuss cleanup? No hosing down, no hanging up to dry and no storing issues with the gear?
Then you would have no reason not to dive - Nothing To Clean Up!

I haven't rinsed a piece of gear in probably 10 years. Even at the end of the season. The stuff is designed to work in salt water, yanno.

 

[rhwestfall]

I have skied on all those designs, and couldn't agree more.....

even golf is easier with the development of the "stroke correction" heads vs. the past when everyone used "blades" (that now, only a pro dares).