Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[mmmbelows]

Well the new scuba diving generation would be the millenials. So anaylize them for your answers

 

[dlofting]

There needs to be a reason for someone to take up any activity or sport. We (my wife and I) decided to scuba dive because we like the critters. I can watch fish until "the cows come home". It's also something that we can continue to do as we age.....or so we hope. We also do backcountry hiking/camping, canyoneering, paddling,climbing and scrambling/mountaineering. Scuba diving is the sport we expect to continue with the longest. That said, it requires more money, time and access to specific environments than anything else we do. Some people aren't in the same position as us....they have less time and money, but they do have the physical ability to choose activities that we can no longer do.....so they pick hiking, or camping, or climbing, or whatevever.......

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Actually, I find that diving locally is pretty cost effective for me. The drive out to the coast, maybe $15 in gas, parking is free, airfills for two tanks $12, some lunch - have to eat anyway. The time cost is more of a thing than the cash cost. Most people would not be happy with two local shoredives in cold water with mediocre vis, it would be uncomfortable and more trouble than it's worth, but I love it. That's the difference.
I don't have the money to fly somewhere once or twice a year to dive in warm water, but most people wouldn't dive if they coudn't go to warm water.
I actualy prefer doing local dives. I've gotten used to it and can dive the way I want when I want. I hardly ever see anybody else diving on our coast, even at the most popular beaches. Freedivers yes, but not scuba divers.
If everyone was like me there would tons of local divers, but gear sales at the LDS's would be terrible

 

[TMHeimer]

Eric, You describe me as well. 2 cold shore dives out of the car, as little as possible spent on equipment and still be comfortable & safe. We do usually snowbird to the Gulf of Mex. though, so I guess that's cheating a bit.

 

[kr2y5]

I actually prefer doing local dives. I've gotten used to it and can dive the way I want when I want.

Me too. Taking out 1-2 weeks of life to get stuck somewhere you can do little other than diving is a pretty huge time commitment, and the pleasure on the 10th day is usually not quite the same as on the 1st. Diving tastes best for me when I go down to my garage in the morning, stare at my gear, look deep into my soul, and spontaneously decide to load the gear into the trunk of the car.

 

[Bob DBF]

The way I see it, if you don't dive local, you better have some money to travel or you won't be a diver at all.

If it wasn't for local diving I'd have found another hobby decades ago. Lucky for me I live in NorCal... Or was it luck?




Bob

 

[sheeper]

we have quite a population of local divers here on Florida's Treasure Coast. So access is not the issue. Still most frequent divers are older because:
1) they have more time. typically they have older kids so are not caught up with child based activities
2) they are often more settled in the jobs/careers or are retired
3) they have some money saved
4) they have their own gear accumulated over years
5) they learned to dive 20-40 years ago and are coming back after kids, jobs, etc
6) it's easy to dive here in Florida. Drive an hour to the dive boat, go home for a late lunch. go to work tomorrow. easy

this is what i see every week with our resident dive population. As for attracting younger dives, i'll save that for a later post

 

[boulderjohn]

The way I see it, if you don't dive local, you better have some money to travel or you won't be a diver at all.

If it wasn't for local diving I'd have found another hobby decades ago. Lucky for me I live in NorCal... Or was it luck?

Colorado's official state motto is "We're just a plane flight away from great diving!"

OK, that's a joke, but the local diving here is really, really bad, and very little of it is done other than instruction. Yet, Colorado has had among the highest number of divers per capita in the nation for years.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Colorado's official state motto is "We're just a plane flight away from great diving!"

OK, that's a joke, but the local diving here is really, really bad, and very little of it is done other than instruction. Yet, Colorado has had among the highest number of divers per capita in the nation for years.

So instead of the dive population being .05% of the overall population like other places, Colorado is up to .08%?
I'll bet of you look at the overall diving population in Colorado it's still very low.

You guys must have a really low cost of living and a lot of high paying jobs for people to be able to afford all that travel, because it sure isn't that way in California!

 

[archer1960]

So instead of the dive population being .05% of the overall population like other places, Colorado is up to .08%?
I'll bet of you look at the overall diving population in Colorado it's still very low.

You guys must have a really low cost of living and a lot of high paying jobs for people to be able to afford all that travel, because it sure isn't that way in California!

I think CO has a very high proportion of people who are interested in ANY kind of outdoor activities, compared to most other states. I've never lived there, but have both long-time friends and relatives who do, and have vacationed there many times.