Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[GLOCKSCUBAG!RL]

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!

Whoa, will you be my other dive buddy? That sounds incredible, all the dives you have experienced, yet heart-stopping at the same time... Those potential experiences are the reasons I dive. Watching shark week on the television just makes me anxious to go out and experience something not a lot of people experience! It's just so beautiful under the ocean and it truly is a whole new world under there!

 

[Diving Dubai]

I appreciate this forum is very US Centric thus most people's opinions are too. Perhaps my experiences which I consider pretty standard may add some more light.

As a resident of the UK I could learn with BSAC and pretty much meant that my OW would be done in a quarry - not appealing for me. My G/F at the time had been to the Red Sea for a girls week and learnt there. Later that year we went to Egypt (El Gouna) where I did my OW.

I booked online and all my gear was rented - free for the OW course but a small fee for the following dives.

Back on dry land (and no longer with the G/F - no fault of diving) I joined my local BSAC club - more for the social side, I borrowed some gear occasionally for some pool nights but wasn't in a position - nor of the mindset to dive in the UK.

A vacation trip was planned for the following year with diving in mind - but the airline went bust at the last mint and I couldn't reschedule - work and life got in the way of a further dive trip for 3 years. On a extended work trip I found time to do my AoW - then no more diving for 3 years (work and life and no vacations to dive resorts) before begin lucky enough to move to Dubai where I joined a club to meet people and gain a social network primarily and got into diving once again - generally every weekend - given that the lifestyle here allows that.

I am always surprised at the amount of people I've met who have an OW or AoW cert some dive on every vacation they take - once every 2 years

I like the BSAC club idea as it provides a social scene (I accept the UK is smaller then the US) so it isn't really driven by LDS - but disappointed that it seems the case that in the US you are expected to buy some gear before you try.

I would surmise that the majority of new divers learn on vacation as it's an opportunity some keep it up diving on each vacation - perhaps investing in gear - although also happy to rent as they can't justify ownership. Others get new life interests, their partners, buddies, change in family or job which means they have different opportunities/interests or less disposable income. The very few become dedicated divers, making the effort to continue.

 

[Insta-Gator]

SCUBA diving sucks. Y'all get out of my pool. There's nothing to see on that reef out there. Just fish. Go home and do something that will make you pee you pants.




I feel better already.




Supply and demand will set the price point for diving. It will also determine how many players stay in the industry. If enough drop out, the remaining players may be able to price service/product at a profitable point.

 

[billt4sf]

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!

Reminds me a bit of how folks react to observing the stars. "Why stay up? I can see it on TV and it's in color, too!"

This is the type whose idea of a great vacation is a cruise where you don't even have to get off the boat! (Sorry if I offended any cruisers out there).

- Bill

 

[RJP]

Whoa, will you be my other dive buddy?

"You had me at Glock..."

 

[Wookie]

"You had me at Glock..."

I have a well armed boat for you guys....

 

[Mike]

Still like to be pointed to the statistics that show how diving is dying off.

After reading all this an all the conjecture, hasn't anyone simply acknowledged that the United States and many parts of the world have been in the 2nd biggest recession/depression for the last 5 years and all travel related activities have been on a decline?

 

[RJP]

After reading all this an all the conjecture, hasn't anyone simply acknowledged that the United States and many parts of the world have been in the 2nd biggest recession/depression for the last 5 years and all travel related activities have been on a decline?

Yup. Repeatedly.

So, does that mean that the industry should just wait until things get better?

"Hope" isn't a strategy.

 

[Leadking]

I owned a manufacturing and distribution company selling tanks and weights. It was the largest in the world. When I sold the company, I could show growth of over 30% a year! but I knew diving was dying even then (2007) By tracking key components, I could track the decline. The growth came from adding new products into the distribution side of the company. My old company is a shadow of what it was. I loved my job, I love diving and the people in the sport, but am glad I'm out of the business.

---------- Post added January 1st, 2014 at 12:31 PM ----------

As a group, the dive industry will not do anything to revive the sport. For years I have watched new dive stores come into stagnant and saturated markets and thrive because of new ideas and enthusiasm. Battles will be won, but I think the war will be lost.

 

[boulderjohn]

Whether diving is dying off or not, some other leisure activities certainly are, at least in the U.S.

I play golf, and there has been a huge decrease in that area over the past decade. I have read reports of drops in rounds played at between 15-20%. Golf was booming a decade ago, and they were building new courses as fast as they could. Now that the numbers have dropped, many of those courses are closing.

I used to play tennis. It was a real effort then to get a court. Signs were posted at many of the public courts telling players to limit play to an hour. If you wanted to get in your hour, you went early and sat there patiently waiting your turn. Since then, the number of people living in my city has grown dramatically, but I do not believe they have added a single court. If you ant to play tennis, you can safely go whenever you want and play as long as you want.

It was the same thing with volleyball. I was a competitive doubles player and a 6-man player. Again, we had to await our turns on the outdoor courts. Now I rarely see them being used.

Perhaps if there is a decline in scuba it is not the fault of scuba but a part of a general trend in all such activities. While the decrease in golf could be tied to the poor economy, volleyball and tennis are nearly free.