Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[RJP]

This is all real interesting. The question remains why more people aren't taking up scuba. Maybe it's because nobody can even agree on what should be required to scuba dive. Thousands of gear combinations, hundreds of places to dive with all kinds of conditions. As it is with all the discussions here on Scubaboard, there is no absolute answer to the question. Hell, you guys just spent a couple of hundred posts on what level of swimming skills one should have.

I just spent a week in Bonaire, striking up conversations with as many divers as possible. For most of these conversations I pretended I was a non-diver and asked the divers "why should I take up diving?"

I didn't get much of anything beyond "it's so cool... you'll love it."

People who love the sport can't adequately express why someone else should take it up. And there are not "hundreds of places to dive" but rather TENS OF THOUSANDS of places to dive - when you add up every shop, boat, resort, guide, instructor, etc... and they all have their own spin on the "why you should become a diver" story. So there's no consistent, compelling message hitting non-divers.

That is the reason. It's fairly simple.

It's not "the reason that EVERYONE isn't taking up diving" which would be a ridiculous goal. But a clear, compelling message would certainly go a long way towards getting "more" people to take up diving.

And to close the door on swimming skills... there are 319,000,000 people in the US. If we assume that 1/3rd have even rudimentary swim skills that's one-hundred million people with sufficient swim skills to become divers. Once all of THEM are certified we can look at addressing "lack of swim skills" as a reason there aren't more divers.

 

[dmoore19]

Kind of what I was getting at I suppose.

If the people who are the dive industry can't decide on even simple things, how can they as an industry, project a common direction. Better yet, IS there a common direction to go? IDK, I am not in marketing so I can't answer the question. I do know what it was for me, the desire came from something that didn't even occur in the same millennium.

I just spent a week in Bonaire, striking up conversations with as many divers as possible. For each one of these conversations I pretended I was a non-diver and asked the divers "why should I take up diving?"

I didn't get much of anything beyond "it's so cool... you'll love it."

People who love the sport can't adequately express why someone else should take it up. And there are not "hundreds of places to dive" but rather TENS OF THOUSANDS of places to dive - when you add up every shop, boat, resort, guide, instructor, etc... and they all have their own spin on the "why you should become a diver" story. So there's no consistent, compelling message hitting non-divers.

That is the reason. It's fairly simple.

It's not "the reason that EVERYONE isn't taking up diving" which would be a ridiculous goal. But a clear, compelling message would certainly go a long way towards getting "more" people to take up diving.

 

[drrich2]

The question remains why more people aren't taking up scuba.

Turn the question around. Nobody (except commercial divers) 'needs' to take up scuba diving. So for the vast majority, it's recreational.

So the question becomes what RJP basically put to divers...why should I (the non-diver) take up diving?

1.) It's fun? So are dozens of other recreational activities, many cheaper and/or more readily accessible for frequent indulgence.

2.) It's an active hobby? Nah, not compared to bicycling. I don't generally hear scuba pitched for aerobic exercise or as a weight-training activity to bulk up.

3.) You 'get out' to the 'outdoors.' Uh, yeah, like a few forms of hunting (e.g.: deer, squirrel, duck, turkey), hiking, nature & landscape photography, mountain biking, etc...

4.) You have an excuse to travel to exotic destinations. Yeah, we already have that; it's called a cruise ship. Oh, and you can enjoy the islands topside, not just go underwater near them.

5.) You get to see interesting wildlife. Yeah, we have zoos for that. Nature in the wild is different? Yeah, but couldn't we go on an African safari or other topside land-based excursion where we don't have a load of weird-looking cumbersome gear, 60 feet of water over our heads, and the knowledge we're fairly quickly running out of air...

6.) It's fun to feel weightless like you're flying. Yeah, a diver in full gear hardly looks weightless & unencumbered. Plus, don't we have sky-diving for this? And while feeling weightless and flying sounds fun, why not just swim? If you want it bad, maybe just free dive?

7.) Coral Reefs are beautiful! True. So are meadows with wildflowers, lush rainforests, etc...

For most any reason some of us can articulate as to why scuba diving is 'da bomb,' an objective non-diver 3rd party can readily articulate why some activity would be as least a viable alternative, and likely cheaper, more available locally, more practical to frequently indulge in, or some other competitive advantage.

My point is, for scuba to succeed in a much bigger way, you have to make the case that it's not just good, but better than the alternatives.

Richard.

 

[RJP]

I think you're highlight part of the problem, Rich. Diving really is NOT one thing. It's not even "the" thing. Think about it relative to the other sports that always draw comparisons.

Skiing - skiing is "the thing people do" in a singular endeavor
Golf - golf is "the thing people do" in a singular endeavor

Scuba - diving is merely "the way you get to where you need to be" in order to participate in a wide range of disparate endeavors (looking at fish, having an adventure, having a relaxing "get away/escape", hunting, wreck exploration, communing with nature, etc, etc) Those other endeavors are actually "the thing people do." In many respects scuba diving is merely an incidental part of something else. And that "something else" can vary widely from person to person.

Perhaps this is why participants can't adequately describe "what scuba diving is"?

PS - it doesn't have to be "better than the alternatives" but rather it needs to be "different that the alternatives." Done correctly, that means "there ARE NO alternatives."

 

[TMHeimer]

drrich2, All excellent points. To get more divers I agree you'd have to present scuba as a cut above the other activities. Is it? That depends solely on the individual and what he/she wants to get out of it. If it's fantastic exercise, scuba is far down the list. If it's my shell collecting, well what else am I gunna do (go back to snorkelling & beachcombing)? If my diving were solely limited to Nova Scotia -- with the usual dull Northern shells-- I may not be diving anymore myself.

dmoore19,
Regarding inability of the scuba hierarchy to agree on what should qualify one to dive-- I don't know. There have been the discussions on swimming requirements. But generally it's not rocket science and the skills are pretty much the same regardless of shop or agency. I don't think this is much of a factor as to how many people become divers.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I was just in my shop getting a couple fills and had a discussion with the owner as to how to grow scuba (was thinking along the lines of this thread).
His simple answer was, "PADI says snorkelling is the single biggest gateway activity that get's people into scuba".
I don't know if that response really means anything, but that's what they said, according to a PADI shop owner who's had the discussion with PADI brass.
I kind of tend to believe this since I've been on snorkelling/diving combo boats and had snorkellers come up wanting to know more about scuba and what's involved in getting started.

I kind of live my life and go by the philosophy of: If you do nothing you automatically failed. If you make a move, any move, then at least you have a chance of something happening. Then if you fail at least you tried.
The way I see it, nobody is doing anything.
So I guess we just keep on hoping and praying that someday some scuba god will sprinkle some fairy dust on our industry.

It ain't ever gonna happen, but whatever.
This thread is starting to circle, I'm outa here.

 

[dmoore19]

I think you missed my meaning.

It isn't a matter of skills, it is a matter of getting together and coming up with a common direction. My point was if you can't even decide on something as basic as skill level of a swimmer, how can the industry expect to agree on anything. Some of the discussion seem like people disagree......with themselves.

drrich2, All excellent points. To get more divers I agree you'd have to present scuba as a cut above the other activities. Is it? That depends solely on the individual and what he/she wants to get out of it. If it's fantastic exercise, scuba is far down the list. If it's my shell collecting, well what else am I gunna do (go back to snorkelling & beachcombing)? If my diving were solely limited to Nova Scotia -- with the usual dull Northern shells-- I may not be diving anymore myself.

dmoore19,
Regarding inability of the scuba hierarchy to agree on what should qualify one to dive-- I don't know. There have been the discussions on swimming requirements. But generally it's not rocket science and the skills are pretty much the same regardless of shop or agency. I don't think this is much of a factor as to how many people become divers.

 

[Akimbo]

I ask periodically myself why I continue to dive. It is expensive, a lot of physical labor, and isn't without risk. My conclusion: I continue to dive because I can actually experience a 3D wilderness by flying through it in slow motion. I think that is a reason I prefer a wetsuit over a drysuit, when I can stay warm enough, because I can feel the water more. I would like to come back as a sea lion... except maybe for the shark and Orca part.

 

[drrich2]

I was just in my shop getting a couple fills and had a discussion with the owner as to how to grow scuba (was thinking along the lines of this thread).
His simple answer was, "PADI says snorkelling is the single biggest gateway activity that get's people into scuba".
I don't know if that response really means anything, but that's what they said, according to a PADI shop owner who's had the discussion with PADI brass.

Interesting! I accept it as a given that recreational scuba diving is probably the biggest gateway activity to technical diving; perhaps we should promote snorkeling more? Perhaps scuba agencies should get into some sort of advanced snorkeling training/certification?

Richard.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Interesting! I accept it as a given that recreational scuba diving is probably the biggest gateway activity to technical diving; perhaps we should promote snorkeling more? Perhaps scuba agencies should get into some sort of advanced snorkeling training/certification?

Richard.

Well, I can tell you that before I was a scuba diver I was a freediver.
I was at Black Rock on Maui about 17 years ago snorkelling and freediving around when I saw scuba divers cruising along the bottom below me. I thought to myself "I need to do that". It made me jealous! So as soon as I got back I went down to the dive shop and signed up. It was as simple as that.

So maybe concentrate on snorkelling first since it's easy to get into, no lessons really, gear is cheap, the whole family can get involved, and make sure to have a few scuba divers below them waving.