Yes I Believe the dabblers are in the great majority.
I also want to make it clear that calling them dabblers was not mean’t to be derogatory. I just used the term because I can’t think of a better or more appropriate term to use.
I believe they are actually the people who are holding up the industry and sport at this time.
I also believe that in conjunction with the above statement, they are more of the revolving door syndrome types that give it up after a few years simply because of expense and logistics than the person who dives local for years and years and finds enjoyment doing the same local dives in the same spots year after year on a surfers budget.
The local diver pretty much becomes the dove shop dead beat not spending a lot of money but one who likes to hang out and talk about diving a lot and making dive shop owners crazy.
Whereas the dabblers come in, take a bunch of classes, buy a bunch of gear, go on a few trips and move on. The dive shop then needs to find more of these people to continue the revenue stream. It’s kind of a Ponzy scheme in a way. The local diver dead beats sure ‘ain’t payin the bills.
Does the health of the tropical reef that they just payed good money to fly to to see have anything to do with it? maybe, but I think it’s a combo of everything that adds up to them losing interest.
The local might dive a lot but they are also a terrible revenue stream.
It’s the great Irony!
