Why do so many lose interest in diving?

[Doc]

At least with skiing, after you drive two hrs, you get to spend all day on the slopes, with a large percentage of it actually....

And then...you get to take the ski boots off and put on happy feet.You seem to have a point, there. But, arguably you have issues with your points of reference...just think how happy you'd be if you lived two hours from some "real" skiing.

 

[archer1960]

But at least the gear is uncomfortable and you look funny.

LOL! You forgot expensive...

 

[Neilwood]

I think it is a number of things:
1) Diving is relatively hard work - even for a boat dive, putting on a wetsuit isn't the easiest thing possible and lugging tanks/regs/BCD/fins/mask etc all add up.
2) Skills that make Scuba fun take practise to develop
3) Underwater can be a scary place if something goes wrong
4) Cost - the kit isn't cheap to buy or maintain
5) Cost - courses and skill development don't come cheap
6) Boredom threshold - some people like being underwater for the sake of it while others need to continually see or do new things. Once they have seen a (state name of fish here) or a certain type of reef they get bored.
7) Innate skill or lack of it - some people take to diving quickly whereas others might be put off by the time taken to learn and be comfortable in the water. It can take a lot of patience from both student and instructor to get the basic skills in place.

It is pretty much the same with all hobbies/pastimes - I started to learn guitar but after starting out as very enthusiastic, bought 2 guitars (electric with an amp and acoustic) I realised I didn't have the time or inclination to spend the time required to be good at it so they are sitting there gathering dust at the moment. I know quite a few people who have full sets of golf clubs but haven't played in years.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The drop out rate of diving is high because diving was/is marketed and sold to a large group group of people that are not necessarily water type people. The problem with statistics is they take the whole group and analyze the activity as a whole.
There are hard core dedicated people who have been diving for a long time and dedicated people who are new, but both are dedicated.
These small numbers get lost in the mix when someone does an overall statistics report as says diving is dying.
Not to me it's not.

The people who do drop out of diving or never really start may do so because:

They were talked into it but it's not really their cup of tea.
They can't afford or don't want to pay the prices for the gear.
Scuba looks too gear intensive and overwhelming.
They're scared of sharks.
They're not comfortable in the water.
They're scared of the ocean.
They don't know anybody who dives therefor can't find buddies so they never dive and lose interest.
The big excitement of their first experiences fades and diving becomes boring.
They get married, start families and don't have time or money.
They are more goal challenge oriented than enjoyment of activity oriented, and see diving as another challenge to conquer. Once they have gone up through the ranks of all the recreational classes they might get into to tech classes and go up from there. Once they reach their goals they're done and move on to the next challenge. I call these "peakers". We gave them that name from when I used to hike with my dad and climb peaks. There were always the ones that would run to the top just to get to the top then 30 seconds later leave. We'd hike up there and sit to take in the view sometimes for hours... Kind of seeing the forest for the trees. With scuba diving the "peakers" get hot and heavy into the sport, spend a ton of money on gear, many times it's some sort of tech venture, then a few years later they sell everything and move on. I know several of these types. Part of it is they can't go back and just do regular single tank fun dives without feeling like they failed or took a hit to their ego, so they quit.
This dumps a lot of gear on the used market for pennies on the dollar.

And then there are the long term dedicated people that aren't numerous enough and don't spend enough money to really support the industry, so in essence we really need the "dabblers" and the "peakers" to support the industry with their revolving door of participation.
We just watch them come and go and wave to them as they go by, and say thanks.

 

[covediver]

drop out rate for divers was something we talked about around the dive shop where I worked in Socal in 1980s; my hypothesis would be based on the lamentations I have heard over the years...
1) bucket list --people want to try it like parasailing or sky diving; then never do it again.
2) lack of a buddy to dive with. even in a club setting lots of people don't want to dive with people they don't know. I never had problems finding people who would hike or ski with me though at a club.
3) logistics of getting the gear (if you don't have your own), getting to the site, and getting the gear back.
4) attitude of other divers--no one, especially neophytes, want to look bad in public. just look at the judgmental statements that permeate discussions. no one ever criticized my choice of skis or what I wore on the slopes.

I have never heard that the training is too hard/too soft (maybe too long) except from veteran divers who think the people getting certified today have it way too easy because they did not have to do push ups wearing a scuba tank and wetsuit. In 30 years of diving, that is not a skill that I have found

 

[Russoft]

Just as long as there remains a steady supply of cheap, barely used, second hand equipment on Craigslist, I'm not too concerned about diver dropout. I think many on here have pointed out the many reasons why it happens.

I personally dropped out of diving for 7 years: Busy university student (undergrad then grad school). No extra money. No buddy.

Now I have a real job, and money, and a wife buddy. When kids come along, I can't guarantee I'll still be diving, at least for the first few years. Then diving may resume again with a daughter buddy or son buddy.

 

[rhwestfall]

When kids come along, I can't guarantee I'll still be diving, at least for the first few years. Then diving may resume again with a daughter buddy or son buddy.

Having a kid had me on an 8 year SI.... now approaching the "I have a new dive buddy" phase....


(only been to a warm water destination twice, one week when I first got certified in 1988, and one week for my honeymoon 18 years ago. Its all cold water diving for me)

 

[jarrow]

drop out rate for divers was something we talked about around the dive shop where I worked in Socal in 1980s; my hypothesis would be based on the lamentations I have heard over the years...
1) bucket list --people want to try it like parasailing or sky diving; then never do it again.
2) lack of a buddy to dive with. even in a club setting lots of people don't want to dive with people they don't know. I never had problems finding people who would hike or ski with me though at a club.
3) logistics of getting the gear (if you don't have your own), getting to the site, and getting the gear back.
4) attitude of other divers--no one, especially neophytes, want to look bad in public. just look at the judgmental statements that permeate discussions. no one ever criticized my choice of skis or what I wore on the slopes.

I have never heard that the training is too hard/too soft (maybe too long) except from veteran divers who think the people getting certified today have it way too easy because they did not have to do push ups wearing a scuba tank and wetsuit. In 30 years of diving, that is not a skill that I have found

#2 is why I'm currently on the fence now. I'm new, goes through lots of air hence short dive times and trying to find someone to dive with at a similar level because I'm always the first to go through my air. Wife not interested in learning. :depressed: Friends that took classes with me decided it is too cold in the NE an only want to warm water vacation dive.

 

[Russoft]

#2 is why I'm currently on the fence now. I'm new, goes through lots of air hence short dive times and trying to find someone to dive with at a similar level because I'm always the first to go through my air. Wife not interested in learning. :depressed: Friends that took classes with me decided it is too cold in the NE an only want to warm water vacation dive.

SB is a great way to connect with people (I've already done so, though I'm not in need of a buddy currently)! Also check in with your LDS, they often host fun dives (around here at least) and will pair less experienced divers with more experienced divers so the new divers learn the area.

As for air consumption: stay shallow? Granted, I'm not on the ocean so I'm in a different situation. Below about 40 ft, it's quite cold and murky. The fish hang out in shallower water anyway so I have little motivation to go deep. A typical AL80 lasts me over an hour and I don't exactly sip air.

 

[drbill]

I know some get certified just so they can dive at a destination they plan to go to soon, and then lose interest when they come back home.

I've been on SCUBA for 53 years now. The main reason I haven't lost interest over the years (in fact my interest has actually increased) is that, as a marine biologist, I'm focused on learning as much about the ecosystems I dive in and there is always something new to observe and learn about. Those who retain a strong interest in something that requires diving (such as the critters, historical wrecks, etc) have reasons to continue. Those who just learn to dive to experience the feeling, but have no specific interest probably don't last as long.

Of course to "spice up" my diving and keep that interest fresh, I travel to exotic dive destinations to learn about new ecosystems and how they function.