I haven't read every single response so I apologize if I'm repeating somebody's earlier post.
Scuba diving isn't a new sport. Everybody on earth I think probably knows what scuba diving already is.
Why isn't it more popular?
I think it's fairly complex and there are a number of reasons, and not one answer.
1. Not everybody is the swimming person or water type. They don't visualize see themselves getting the enjoyment out of it like some do. Can they swim, yes, do they like to get in the water and recreate, yes, do they want to put their heads under for prolonged periods of time, not always.
2. People like to snorkel (warm tropical waters on vacation) but diving is one step beyond what they are comfortable doing.
3. They may not live in an area that scuba is a culture. In those areas scuba divers are a rarer breed and must really want to do it (inland areas away from the ocean).
4. Diving seems threatening and too dangerous. They hear of people dying.
5. The price of training and gear. The people I see and associate with on a daily basis (friends) who might want to try scuba some day are put off by the initial training costs and gear costs just to get started.
6. It just doesn't seem like an action sport that will give them the rush they are looking for.
7. They are scared of the unknown (sharks in my area) and many other evil things lurking waiting to get them.
I talk to many people when I'm out in the field doing my job. The guys I know, most are into wakeboarding, snowboarding, hunting, dirt bikes, harley's, show cars and car shows, and other various activities like salmon fishing, fly fishing, other fishing. Most are blue collar types, journeymen in various trades, weldors, truck drivers, auto body men and mechanics, carpenters, construction workers. These guys make a decent living. They're also tough and in shape most of them, they are the outdoors type. The perfect candidates for our sport. They could easily afford to take up scuba. The biggest answer I get when I ask them if they ever thought about scuba or freediving for abs (In my area) is, hell no! not me, way too dangerous. Or, I'm scared of the ocean.
So I don't know if scuba will ever be a big sport.
Maybe it's possible that it was over promoted from it's original natural percentage and what we're seeing is a natural retraction to what it normally would be with the people that are truelly interested in doing it.
In the 60's it slowly grew and then boomed because it was so new and exiting.
But now it's almost like a been-there-done-that activity and no one really gives it much thought anymore.
I really don't know if TV shows or movies would actually get people to walk into shops and sign up. They might be entertained by a show or movie but I think it would probably stop there.
The ones that want to do it don't need to be prodded. The ones doing it will always do it.
Most of the ones that try it because of some outside pressure are also the biggest drop out group. Dive shops need to realize that they can't depend on and run a business based on dabblers.
The industry as a whole needs to realize it can't survive long term on dabblers. All dabblers will do is buy once then flood the market with used gear a few years later for pennies on the dollar. This will hurt the indusrty worse in the long run because they will adjust to a spike in sales then when it backs off they will have a deficit in income while having a bigger machine to feed..
I don't dislike dabblers, they are only people trying the sport to see if they like it. Some will stick and most won't. I wish more would stick around but we have no control over that.
I don't want to see dive shops and charters go away. But the quick sale to a less than enthusiastic customer base by arm twisting and trick sales doesn't do anybody any good - except for that one sale. I just don't think trying to artificially support an industry with temporary supporters is a very good long term survival strategy.
I don't know what the answer is. We may see a further decline until it reaches a steady base supported by the here-to-stay dedicated diver.
Who survives and who goes out fighting over the scraps of leftovers may also be dictated by business policies of dive shops and manufacturers. There will be a further thinning, that is almost certain.
