Crossed over to scuba from another type of activity?

[Eric Sedletzky]

I got into it from fishing.
I started fishing from the rocks but continuously lost tons of gear so then moved up to a kayak to get out further. I needed a wetsuit to be safe out on the cold ocean on a kayak. Then saw abalone divers around me and on the beach with the prized red abalone and that made me want to get them. I figured I already had the suit so I went into the dive shop and got the rest of the gear and started abalone diving. A few years later I got into scuba...a natural progression.

 

[Doc]

"Crossover", in the marketing sense, has less to do with what "brought you to diving", more about the nexus commonality of ongoing current pursuits.

DEMA/PADI figured out there was a high nexus between divers and alpine skiers, as well as sail boaters. Times may have changed that, but our industry survival is also keyed to recognizing the activities which share such commonality.

 

[Z Gear]

Not exactly a crossover for me, but more like a very deep dive. I used to fly a hang glider and loved the freedom and joy of being thousands of feet up in the air. I had to give it up for a number of reasons about 25 yeears ago. Then four years ago started snorkelling, which led to getting OW certification last March. I wish I had done it a long time ago. I get the same kind of thrill and exhilaration from scuba as I did from hang gliding. I don't know if there is an element of being attracted to high risk sports...I'm terrified of rock climbing (which because of a physical disability I couldn't do now anyway) and I never tried sky diving, preferring to get into the sky and then stay there, but I loved skiing when I was young. I am also a nature lover...40 years of birding...so being able to explore and see another part of nature is compelling.

I don't know what its like to fly a hang glider but I can in vision the sensation from flying silently from my flying dreams. It reminds me of that feeling as when one is gliding silently with a current, admiring the reefs below.

It pretty obvious that snorkeling or free diving is the most common activity that leads many into scuba. But I was wondering what other activities indirectly lead one to be interested in scuba.

I have seen a couple of motorcycle enthusiasts on this board who scuba. Do you think there a common denominator in this activity that indirectly attracts you to scuba.

Frank G
Z GEAR - Z Gear Dive Mounts



Frank G

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

I went from surfing and paddle boarding to SCUBA. Then from SCUBA I got into kayaking as it was initially a good means to shore dive...but after a while I found myself just taking the yak out more and more and leaving the dive gear on the shore for some river and sound adventures(Yes, I still dive....ALOT).

 

[Skeptic14]

I've always been on the water, I grew up fishing oil rigs in the gulf. So boating and fishing was regular activities. After college I always "wanted to get certified" but it just never happened, career and other hobbies took over. Then I took a trip to Maui with my wife and we did a bunch of snorkeling and it was awesome. We saw some divers and both thought, "that's too much gear, it's way to convenient to just grab snorkel and fins and jump in."

Next thing you know we got certified and to me at least, it's amazing and I'm hooked. I'm sure I'll still take some days easy and snorkel but diving is awesome. Seeing wildlife, and underwater environments just feels adventurers, plus I just like being able to move in all three dimensions.

 

[drrich2]

I liked dinosaurs & reptiles as a kid, enjoyed finding & photographing reptiles in the wild, and liked predators in particular. Had some pets.

Scuba opened up the path to find neat 'monsters' - moray eels, barracuda, sharks, etc... And I'd liked scuba shows on t.v., & nature generally.

Richard.

 

[mikeycanuk]

Snorkeling. Wow eh?

My wife is a pilot and finds that quite a few divers we meet are also fellow pilots.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I would have to second the opinion that snorkeling is a gateway drug to scuba.
Then once people get a taste of scuba they start to slide down a slippery slope. Some people even get into the hard stuff like DIR, vintage, tech, and other hard core narcotics of the scuba world. Amazingly I never heard of "scuba rehab", but I'm sure a few wives would love it if there was one. I'll bet scuba has wrecked more than one marriage.

I don't know any of this for sure, I'm just sayin'.

 

[Centrals]

If I can still play badminton, football(soccer), high altitude trekking ie. young enough, scuba diving won't get a sniff.

 

[spectrum]

Skin Diving (Snorkeling) is the obvious gateway sport.

I have observed that former lifeguards easily become good confident divers. I run into many so there is probably a crossover happening there.

Pilots, skydivers, climbers and other adventure/adrenaline junkie types are common as divers.