Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[Lemuzzon]

Will simply buying a $5K bicycle allow you to compete alongside Lance Armstrong?

No, you would need to take steroids too.

But, in all seriousness, it is completely different than the diving experience - at least in my case. When I learned to bike, I was probably 5. I started with training wheels, then moved to my Dad holding on to the back of my seat. Gradually he started to let go more and more, first on grass, then on pavement. Eventually I got comfortable enough with it that I never needed him anymore.

With diving, I felt that I had rather intense training sessions, then it was like "okay, you're good to go now, bye". In the defense of the instructors, I was very skeptical of diving before I tried it. I've had a history of ear pressure problems, nausea and claustrophobia; which meant it took a lot for me to even try diving. To this day, I haven't logged more than 15 dives (sometimes I even wonder what I'm doing on Scubaboard), largely because I haven't gotten over my aforementioned issues.

To be honest, I don't LOVE diving. I happen to love to travel, mostly to tropical places, where diving is popular. I spent a month in the Philippines this year and managed to dive twice. The first, because I met a group of people who just got certified in Boracay and then asked me to join them. The second, because someone spotted a whale shark and I literally jumped up to find a shop who would take me out the next day. I feel that this is common with most people. They try it, but if they happen to do it after they're certified depends on all the stars aligning. They don't actively go out there and pursue getting more experience.

I used to teach skating lessons when I was in college. I asked to teach the adult classes, because I wasn't great with kids. I think 95% of my students were tourists or international students. They just wanted to try it because it's "the Canadian thing to do". They liked it - some more than others - but I guarantee that hardly any ever skated again. Why? Lack of access to facilities, the insane costs of gear, the fact that it's not common where they live...probably all reasons that can also be applied to the scuba industry.

 

[ImmaHyrdalisk]

I just think it's social changes at work and the focus on activities and entertainment are different. People are becoming more sedintary at a young age and are choosing to be land lubbers.

As a new-ish diver who has lived in SE Florida his whole life, this rings true for me. I never knew I was missing scuba diving until I hopped in the water and did it. And that took years of should I or shouldn't I, and motivating to pull the trigger - Laying down $400 of cert money before you've even tried an activity is asking a lot for many people.

I've also noticed in my area not a lot of folks actually get in the water, yet everyone seems to own a boat. Most water activities my friends take part in is drinking at the local sandbar and some fishing, but that's about it. Diving is demanding whether you're on scuba or especially freediving, and as a consequence I think more people tend to drift into the drinking and fishing camp.

 

[REVAN]

I just think it's social changes at work and the focus on activities and entertainment are different. People are becoming more sedintary at a young age and are choosing to be land lubbers.

I think technology and information has played a role in this social change. If someone wants to see the the cathedrals off shore from Lanai, it is a lot easier and cheaper to watch a YouTube video someone else shot and posted than to go do the dive yourself. It's not the same, but for many people, it may be good enough given all the barriers to actually doing the dive.

Look at the popularity of POV RC aircraft. You can get that first hand flying experience without the expense and headache of flying a real airplane. The same would probably happen with diving if it weren't so impossible to transmit RF through the water, or acoustic with enough bandwidth to handle real time HD video.

 

[Neilwood]

There is a general decline in physical activity in general with most sports I am aware of locally reporting declines in participant numbers.

What @REVAN says about technology is probably true - you want to dive Thistlegorm/Blue Hole etc, you can watch Youtube for free instead of paying $$$$ for a trip. That is enough for some people.

Whether that is down to people feeling time poor (hectic work life), financially poor (or feeling job insecurity), lack of motivation or general lethargy I don't know.

 

[EFX]

Revan you're right. Scuba has become an incredibly gear intensive, cumbersome, and expensive activity. It wasn't always this way, at one time the only difference between freediving and scuba was a simple tank strapped to your back with a double hose breathing loop attached to the tank valve. It was about as simple as it gets. Now there is more crap piled on a scuba diver in comparison to where they look like a christmas tree. However, I still somehow don't think this is the problem with new people getting in. They don't even know about gear yet because they haven't gotten that far. I just think it's social changes at work and the focus on activities and entertainment are different. People are becoming more sedintary at a young age and are choosing to be land lubbers blubbers.

There. Fixed it for you.

 

[EFX]

As a new-ish diver who has lived in SE Florida his whole life, this rings true for me. I never knew I was missing scuba diving until I hopped in the water and did it. And that took years of should I or shouldn't I, and motivating to pull the trigger - Laying down $400 of cert money before you've even tried an activity is asking a lot for many people.

It's what I said in a previous post -- cost.

I've also noticed in my area not a lot of folks actually get in the water, yet everyone seems to own a boat. Most water activities my friends take part in is drinking at the local sandbar and some fishing, but that's about it. Diving is demanding whether you're on scuba or especially freediving, and as a consequence I think more people tend to drift into the drinking and fishing camp.

....and the social aspect. They want their friends diving but it's hard enough getting one friend let alone multiple friends. You can't drink and dive.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

You can't drink and dive until after the dive is done.

Fixed it for you...

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
I've also noticed in my area not a lot of folks actually get in the water, yet everyone seems to own a boat. Most water activities my friends take part in is drinking at the local sandbar and some fishing, but that's about it. Diving is demanding whether you're on scuba or especially freediving, and as a consequence I think more people tend to drift into the drinking and fishing camp.

Maybe what's happening in diving reflects a kind of societal polarization. At one extreme, you have people gravitating to safe, entertaining activities, often involving high-tech electronic devices. At the other extreme, you have people gravitating to ever more extreme sporting and adventure activities, often using low-tech or minimalist gear. Between the extremes, you used to have activities that might be grouped under "hobbies" and "recreation," but such activities are not as popular as they were. Extreme activity or extreme sloth are what I see more of.

 

[TMHeimer]

Extreme activity or extreme sloth are what I see more of.

***************************

Maybe. Never thought of it that way.

 

[undrwater]

It wouldn't be extreme then, would it?