Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[dmoore19]

I don't have the exact numbers and am only working from what I have been told. Colorado has one of the highest percentage of divers in the US for a land locked state.

Diving here is terrible. We don't even have a school bus, we have to settle for a toilet and a grocery cart.

I wonder if it has to do with the shops here or if there is some other driver. The rant about dive shops on this website are monumental. Of the shops within 50 miles of me I have never walked into one and felt like I was being measured up for a scam. I have been asked by the guys working in the store I go to if I just came in to visit, they don't know of anything I need and don't try to sell me anything. I have been on some of their trips and very much enjoyed it. They not once tried to sell me any classes unless I specifically ask about it. The people on the trip are knowledgeable and I have yet to go on one that had any real problems develop. They are professionals. The prices I have paid have been comparable to the online prices I have seen. Any problems have been dealt with quickly and efficiently and without question.

While I am a vacation diver, the desire and need to dive continues. IMO diving supplies me with 2 things. 1. The wonders of what I can see while diving and 2. A reason to visit some of the places reserved for travelers far my seasoned than myself with a group of people I have often been around before.

I was 55 before I got certified. My income allows me to take some nice vacations. My wife is very understanding as a non-diver and we have taken to going on separate vacations. LOB allow me to get my dive fix and she gets to go and visit her son (my stepson)

I guess maybe the stars are aligned for me. If my wife didn't support me on my adventures I would probably not continue to dive.

I don't think there is one simple answer to the question. However from the way it looks a good share of the answer is an honest and capable Dive shop.

I do love it when people see the pics from my dive and shiver when they see the pics of sharks and then tell me I must be crazy.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

There are a lot of people terrified of diving, and I definitely get the impression that it is an "extreme sport" in society's eyes. I know people who ski off mountains, skydive solo, and kayak class V whitewater, and they would pretty much rather play Russian roulette than ever go 100 ft under the ocean. The sea scares the crap out of a lot of people. Maybe we can blame Jaws for most of that. 50% of the time I go shore diving at least one passerby stops and says something like, "You're crazy," or "badass, man." When I surfaced next to a father and son just standing in the shallows on the beach, the father said to me with horror and amazement, "You are too brave. Aren't you afraid of getting eaten by sharks?!"

And that's just recreational diving. Cave, ice, and tech diving are considered ballsy by everyone.

I think sharks are definitely one problem for a lot of people. That's one of the first questions I get asked when people learn that I dive, "Ever see any sharks?"
I also work with a lot of blue collar tradesmen who are the outdoor sportsman types who hunt and fish, camp, shoot guns, 4 wheel, ride Harley's, etc. They make decent money.
The perfect candidate you'd think to take up diving right? I ask them if they ever considered diving and the reply is "The ocean scares the crap out of me"
So, you're right on with that post.

 

[billt4sf]

1) High barriers to entry (cost and time):

a) to get started
b) to continue


2) A dearth of positive "optics" for diving, and plenty of negative ones (sharks, risks, caves).

I don't have numbers, but around here many people do take OW classes. It seems like fun, doesn't it? I believe that few continue, because even after you've plunked down money for the classes, guess what? Still more barriers if you want to continue: money for gear, and plenty of barriers on the cold water diving issue (or, alternatively, trips to the tropics).

On top of that, diving is best of you continue regularly. Once you stop -- here come those barriers again!

I have been in probably 20 shops, some I liked more than others, but I don't think I've experienced many of the negatives that others have mentioned. I tend to experience the dive shops as friendly people, willing to help. Sure, they sell stuff -- alot of it is not what I want. Too bad, they are nice people, I would like to buy from them.

- Bill

 

[pocky21]

If we spent half as much time actually giving people a reason to dive as we do arguing over arbitrary details, we might actually get somewhere.

"Staring at fish" or "feeling weightless" are not reasons, they're rationalizations of an irrational emotional state. A state that most people, not just the scuba industry, fail miserably at communicating. We identify ourselves as divers, yet we expect non-divers to somehow "get it" when we talk about what we do and why we do it....then we start pointing fingers at each other when they don't.

Point being - there doesn't seem to be anybody in a position of influence who's looking at the big picture and taking an outside perspective, we're too busy throwing each other under the bus.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If we spent half as much time actually giving people a reason to dive as we do arguing over arbitrary details, we might actually get somewhere.

"Staring at fish" or "feeling weightless" are not reasons, they're rationalizations of an irrational emotional state. A state that most people, not just the scuba industry, fail miserably at communicating. We identify ourselves as divers, yet we expect non-divers to somehow "get it" when we talk about what we do and why we do it....then we start pointing fingers at each other when they don't.

Point being - there doesn't seem to be anybody in a position of influence who's looking at the big picture and taking an outside perspective, we're too busy throwing each other under the bus.

This goes right back to my assertion that there is no primer or mechanism to implant the thought in peoples' minds.
Diving carries no mystery to people anymore. All the fronts have been explored and demystefied.
It has been "de-balled" and therefore doesn't contain much adrenaline potential.
Pretty fishes, anybody can do it, even a 10 year old, no drama, boring, no thank you, pass, next.

 

[RJP]

Diving carries no mystery to people anymore. All the fronts have been explored and demystefied.
It has been "de-balled" and therefore doesn't contain much adrenaline potential.

In fact, if you look at the flattening curve of scuba diving participation, it corresponds perfectly - and inversely - with the boom of the Discovery Channel and Shark Week, and Planet Earth PBS specials, etc. I've dived some of the most phenomenal dive sites on earth - Truk Lagoon, Galapagos, Cayman walls, Florida caves. I've been in the middle of packs of 400-500 hammerhead sharks. I've personally found china and portholes from torpedoed WWII wrecks off the coast of NJ, on a random Saturday afternoon. Hell, folks I've dived with found the Andrea Doria bell a few years ago - but as cool as those things are, the uninitiated can realistically get 3/4 of that buzz with a $399 high-def television they bought at Costco. With no training, no effort, no waking at 4am, no seasickness, no chance of getting blown out. Why go to all the increased effort for what is seen as marginal return?

I showed people at work video from some recent Bahamas dives. Sharks were bumping into me, an octopus went after my buddy, we swam through 100ft chimneys to die for. Everyone of those videos had me reliving memories - strike that... actual experiences - that are seared into my brain. People who have never dived said things like "that's pretty cool... but the lighting kinda sucks."

"Dude, did you see what just happened!?! That white tip ran right into my mask, grabbed my GoPro, and started to swim away... but I chased it down and wrestled my camera away from that shark's jaws!!!"

"Yeah. Cool story, bro. There was this one time... the same thing happened on this MythBusters episode..."

And you know what... they're right! My ability to describe what I've done, or show you videos, can never... ever... convey the reality of those situation compared to what the non-diver can see while flipping the channels on their TV at home.

Perhaps there's an insight there?

Watching something in hi-def is great... but it's no substitute for actually experiencing it yourself!

 

[Pullmyfinger]

There's nothing cool that really seems to influence people to want to dive.
I envy those guys that grew up on Sea Hunt episodes, along with the Original Cousteau series and starting diving during the growth of diving. How cool that must have been.

Waiting for the next weeks episode to air, the anticipation of that! I'm sure that all, tied into the growth of diving, that feeling of being part of something new and exciting, and then seeing it on tv, and feeling a part of that.

Now...everything is instant gratification....just get it all on you tube, or netflix.

I don't think there is anything that really locks into peoples minds that makes them want to get into diving. There isn't much that features diving....not in the way those old tv show did back in the day.

TV now is just dumb "reality" shown and talents shows.....boring.

 

[Nwcid]

............
Perhaps there's an insight there?

Watching something in hi-def is great... but it's no substitute for actually experiencing it yourself!

That (your whole post) might be true for some or even most people but much of this has pushed me to dive more. The more of this stuff I see on TV makes me want to go do it myself more. To me it is exposure to what is out there, things I want to see and try first hand.

 

[DCBC]

... 5.) The “Train(ing) Wreck” diver: ...two types of divers: A.) those who’s training/skills were deficient to the point of actually causing, or not allowing recognition and prevention of something BAD happening, (a runaway descent/ascent, OOA due to gas management, etc) that causes them to reject scuba diving, and B.) those who’s training/skills were not sufficient to allow the diver to have a really GOOD time, such that they don’t specifically “reject” diving… they simply don’t pursue it because it wasn’t fun or wasn’t worth it. (poor buoyancy skills, poor trim, poor propulsion techniques, etc – anything that reduces the enjoyment of diving that could have been obviated by better, yet still rudimentary training.) This group is possibly an opportunity, but obviously that requires intervention at the point of acquisition, more so than ex post facto remediation for optimal impact. Of course, improving training levels is a “win” in and of itself, so worth pursuing.

I’m particularly intrigued by the second group in Segment 5, those who’s training/skills didn’t cause a specifically BAD experience, but simply limited their enjoyment of diving to the point they stopped diving. The reason I’m intrigued, and the reason I say that these people are POSSIBLY an opportunity, is that there are a great many divers out there – we’ve all seen them – who are such obvious, terribly trained, abysmally skilled divers that they can’t possibly be enjoying themselves. Yet they clearly are! Lots of these folks do 100 dives a year, many of them have all the best gear, go to all the best dive locations, etc. As Bill points out, they are crashing into things, standing on the reef, bouncing off the bottom with tons of lead. They are bicycle kicking, flailing their arms, and sucking down an AL80 like it's a shot of vodka... but they are having a ball! So, there’s something else going on with the poorly trained/skilled diver who quits that makes them different than the poorly trained/skilled diver that sticks with it. This difference needs to be understood before we jump to “better training” as the complete solution.

I'm more interested "in those who’s training/skills were deficient to the point of actually causing, or not allowing recognition and prevention of something BAD happening, (a runaway descent/ascent, OOA due to gas management, etc) that causes them to reject scuba diving." Moreover, those divers who are certified to dive without a DM or Instructor and don't possess the confidence required to do so. Personally I've observed a general lack of confidence in new divers, when compared to divers who previously required a more comprehensive program before certification.

I am not suggesting that more inclusive training is the answer for all divers. There are those who only wish to dive with a Guide in clear warm water, once or twice a year and it would seem that the current program is marginally adequate for those hand-held situations. It does in my opinion lack the depth for someone who wishes to dive the North Atlantic in the winter unsupervised. Diving conditions and the dive site/situation are major factors for what training is adequate and the level of confidence / competence required for safety & enjoyment.

 

[Centrals]

1. Cost.
2. Bad publicity, scuba accident always resulting in serious injury or death.
3. The inherent danger of the sport.

---------- Post added January 1st, 2014 at 08:11 PM ----------

This goes right back to my assertion that there is no primer or mechanism to implant the thought in peoples' minds.
Diving carries no mystery to people anymore. All the fronts have been explored and demystefied.
It has been "de-balled" and therefore doesn't contain much adrenaline potential.
Pretty fishes, anybody can do it, even a 10 year old, no drama, boring, no thank you, pass, next.

Why don't you pick up diving and see with your own eyes?
I am glad I did and still enjoying it tremendously after nearly 17 yrs.