Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[TMHeimer]

Due to my location, the only times I dived with my original instructor was once when I assisted her OW course and once at a group event she happened to be at. In fact, I have rarely dived with anyone on shop staff and only a few times years ago at events the shop set up. Yet I continued to dive my usual once weekly here or when down South. The social aspect is nice, but I think you still have to basically just want to continue diving.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Perhaps the motivation has some impact. I went to a few dive club meetings and talked to just about everyone and they all seemed to dive for varying reasons: Some for group identity, some to socialize, some seemed to do it to overcome fears, some for prestige, etc. I don't recall meeting anyone who does it because they love diving and being underwater. The only way I would no dive any more would be if I couldn't, such as locked up in a prison or something.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Please expound upon the "crappy equipment."

By crappy equipment, I mean leaking dry suits, crappy fins, ripped gloves, improperly maintained regulator assemblies (leaking slowly in one or more places), hoses that need to be replaced, low quality regs where stressed divers find it difficult to breath.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Let me be clear. A lot of students are all smiles on completing their certification. But the biggest smiles come when I dive with them later and everything clicks (all my students get one day of diving one on one). As many others on SB do, I teach in cold, dark waters, lots of silt. Though surprisingly, the past 2 weeks the visibility has been amazing (and this is typically peak plankton blooms). I know I'm doing something right in my classes as I get thank you cards. But I'm still looking on how to be a better instructor and make open water more fun. Equipment issues makes that more difficult, as being wet is no fun when you are supposed to be dry.

 

[LoudounFisher]

I'm new here after finishing my OW pool sessions over the weekend. I read through a bunch of this thread. This situation is hardly unique to scuba. My primary hobby is motorcycle racing. The same thing happens there. It comes down to money, time and family obligations.

People jump in all gung ho, doing every race they're eligible for, every weekend on the schedule. Spend tons of money on gear and bike modifications. Rack up a bunch of credit card debt, maybe win a couple trophies and then after two seasons you never see them again.

Maybe they go back to just doing track days or sell everything? I don't know. I've raced continually for the last 13 years. I only know a few others that have also done so.

 

[certified in 1976]

I'm new here after finishing my OW pool sessions over the weekend. I read through a bunch of this thread. This situation is hardly unique to scuba. My primary hobby is motorcycle racing. The same thing happens there. It comes down to money, time and family obligations.

People jump in all gung ho, doing every race they're eligible for, every weekend on the schedule. Spend tons of money on gear and bike modifications. Rack up a bunch of credit card debt, maybe win a couple trophies and then after two seasons you never see them again.

Maybe they go back to just doing track days or sell everything? I don't know. I've raced continually for the last 13 years. I only know a few others that have also done so.

In another life many years ago I raced sports cars at the club level. Racing is another one of those things you can make a small fortune in just as long as you start off with a very large fortune. At least scuba diving is for the most part still affordable to the masses. Racing costs are now out of this world.

 

[Shotmaster]

Because 80 million Millenials 18-35 spend 56 hours a week watching Tv, they are always using online on social media, they spend more time shopping than previous generations, and spend more time with friends and family, they actually go to the gym. As a whole, they just don't leave their urban environment. They claim to want to do adventurous stuff like travel, and dangerous things like extreme skiing, sky diving, and mountain climbing, but talk with the marketing crowd that work in those markets and the dollars spent on these claimed activities are missing. Clothes shopping, hi-tech gadgets, cooking, and other urban activities (in-door) are where you will find them. They are 25 percent of the population. We are not the only recreational activity affected by the lack their participation. I'm afraid if it takes more than five minutes to get trained, or you might lose your wireless umbilical cord, you won't see a lot if them coming. The marketing people who study them call them the Enigma Generation.

 

[TMHeimer]

Shotmaster, I tend to agree with all you say, as sometimes I find myself chuckling at some of the things I witness people doing and saying today (perhaps a case of Old Folks Disease?). However, I wonder what if any actual data has been collected that prove how 18-35s spend their time? Are they're surveys? We mustn't forget that a lot of people don't live in urban areas, and perhaps they are more active outside. But I would think they have as many "do-hickies" as I call them, that urban's do.

 

[Shotmaster]

They are driving the survey/marketing people insane trying to analyze them and their likes and habits. But they definitely have been raised indoors. We got locked outside until dinner time when I was growing up! But it was a lot safer then, and you didn't have both parents working or single Moms, either. Safer to keep them cooped up. They were shaped by their environment.

 

[TMHeimer]

Again agree. I believe they are driving the survey people crazy. As far as being outside all the time, I do think that would tend to be where you lived. We were far enough away from the nasty areas to be outside all the time as well. But I wouldn't want to have been outside a whole lot in downtown Yonkers NY in 1970.