How Can We Keep Divers Diving After Certification?

[fobturbo]

Just to chime in on what others are saying, I do believe that reaching out to newly certified divers is a big step so that they can get comfortable and always have people to dive with whenever they want.

I got certified in '06, through the encouragement of one of my friends that had recently moved into the area that dives. I did not know anyone else that dove at the time and went into the OW class not knowing anyone else. My instructor kept the class very fun and I did enjoy the class, despite having to put ~30lbs of lead on my non existant hips, not being a very strong swimmer (I had no problems passing the swim test though), squeezing into a 7mm farmer john wetsuit, and getting cold on the training dives waiting for my turn on the line to do the drill. After I got my OW certification, I dove on 2 other occasions and then stopped. My buddy that I was planning to dive with was busy with work and had to travel. This left me with no other person to dive with. My neighbors knew that I was certified and were interested so I suggested that they go to the same LDS. They enjoyed the experience, but did not like diving in cold water. About a year later, I run into my OW instructor and find out that he's offering an special AOW where I could get my nitrox and drysuit specialty at once. I try to convince my neighbors to take the class with me, but they balk. I take the class anyways and have a good time. Later, I find out that my LDS actually has a dive club. I think this is the only fault I can find with my instructor--not telling me back when I did my OW with him. The club has been the main reason that I have kept diving. Yes I was a member on SB, but more of a lurker. For me, the initial thing to get me more comfortable diving with strangers was meeting some of them in person first. Now, I don't mind meeting up with strangers I've never dove before for a dive.

I'm also looking to trying and do some warm water diving for a change (always dove in CA so far). As well as take my skills to the next level and looking into DM/Tech diving/both.

The intro into SCUBA is a great idea, and is how my neighbors got interested. My LDS has a nice indoor heated pool that it conducts this program at.

 

[Papa_Bear]

That is exactly what I am saying! The dive club mad the difference whether you dived or where just going let you gear rot! This is exactly what I am saying! Combine you current experience with a reasonable priced warm water trip and keep you challenged in your diving and you will get more and better training and the Adventure will continue!

I feel it is important to get to people while the iron is hot! I tell people in California that a drysuit or Custom wet suit is the most important purchase, because it your comfortable you will dive! You will keep your gear up where it would otherwise rot in the corner of the garage!

You are an important part of the puzzle and you need to be encouraged to continue!

 

[rednose83]

You need to tell your OW instructor that he didn't do his job, because if you're not comfortable "going alone" he didn't.

I feel that he did do his job. I don't have a hard time at all with any of the skills and I could dive both of the sites that my OW dives were at alone (well with a buddy) no problem. The problem is that 1 site is $55 pp per day, that adds up fast when it's me and my husband. The other site is over 2 hours away and also $20pp per day so it adds up fast as well. There's a few local shore dives I'd like to try out but don't feel comfortable with these dives alone as I wasn't certified (or have never dove) in the gulf.

 

[Slonda828]

I feel that he did do his job. I don't have a hard time at all with any of the skills and I could dive both of the sites that my OW dives were at alone (well with a buddy) no problem. The problem is that 1 site is $55 pp per day, that adds up fast when it's me and my husband. The other site is over 2 hours away and also $20pp per day so it adds up fast as well. There's a few local shore dives I'd like to try out but don't feel comfortable with these dives alone as I wasn't certified (or have never dove) in the gulf.

Well my friend, that is what you have us for. Where in Florida do you want to shore dive? Depending on how far away you are I may even be able to help you out personally. I may even bring the SO so that the four of us can go.

 

[rednose83]

Well my friend, that is what you have us for. Where in Florida do you want to shore dive? Depending on how far away you are I may even be able to help you out personally. I may even bring the SO so that the four of us can go.

We are in New Port Richey (by Tampa) so quite the haul from you! We've stopped at your rest area though a few times going to NC.

We wanted to try out Spanish Rocks/Sugar Barge which are shore dives off of Anna Maria Island.

Right now, we are looking at diving some of the springs that are farther north from here. We just signed up for AOW.

 

[Papa_Bear]

From my perspective a scuba show wouldn't have helped retain people. It might be useful for getting people exposed to the sport but nothing for retention.

As for "heroes": I generally ignore the big names of a group. Seriously why should I care what soandso is doing? Especially the ones that puff themselves up with media attention.

The more mud you throw the more will stick! As far a s real Heroes they never pick themselves, we pick them! Dr. Bill would never pick himself and that is what helps make him a candidate! It is what he has done to educate and expose the underwater world.

There is a Captain on the Southeast coast named Gene Flipse who has done great things with whales, there are a number of Boat Captains I would nominate, Howard and Michelle Hall, Chuck Nicklin, Rod Klein, and other filmers and photographers that would make the short list. There is Tim O'leary tech instructor for NAUI, or Bill Renaker of Cave excursions, Orolwski great caver who has been written about! All these people would never nominate themselves and that is part of why they would be good ones!

In addition there are public safety divers around the country and world who would be on the list! The regional development to recognize those local heroes is important!

If your motivated to dive your not the problem, it is the young and the ones who are on the edge and need a reason to get up early on a weekend and truck their equipment miles to join up with a buddy or club to go look at the pretty fish or bring home dinner! We need to do something, because noting is a crappy option!

 

[mikemill]

The more mud you throw the more will stick!

But the question posed wasn't how to get more divers but "How can we keep divers diving after certification". You are trying to use new diver influx to solve a retention problem.

As far a s real Heroes they never pick themselves, we pick them! Dr. Bill would never pick himself and that is what helps make him a candidate! It is what he has done to educate and expose the underwater world.

The ones that are gonna be "big names" to those not in a field are not the modest ones.

There is a Captain on the Southeast coast named Gene Flipse who has done great things with whales, there are a number of Boat Captains I would nominate, Howard and Michelle Hall, Chuck Nicklin, Rod Klein, and other filmers and photographers that would make the short list. There is Tim O'leary tech instructor for NAUI, or Bill Renaker of Cave excursions, Orolwski great caver who has been written about! All these people would never nominate themselves and that is part of why they would be good ones!

And why would a new diver give a rat's butt about any of them?

Awesome pictures got me interested in photography but does nothing to keep me interested.

In addition there are public safety divers around the country and world who would be on the list! The regional development to recognize those local heroes is important!

Again cultivating heroes only helps in bring in people not in retention.

If your motivated to dive your not the problem, it is the young and the ones who are on the edge and need a reason to get up early on a weekend and truck their equipment miles to join up with a buddy or club to go look at the pretty fish or bring home dinner! We need to do something, because noting is a crappy option!

As I said earlier I spent 9 years away from diving. I was wanting to dive that entire time. There were a few hurdles that kept me from doing so. Once I found how to remove the major hurtles (the 3 hour dive is still a hurtle) I went diving more.


Remember the issue here (as in this thread) is retention, not new divers. Establishing and publicizing networks is gonna be the biggest help. There is a meetup group here that does newbie divers every month or so. They also do more advance dive every month. This is the type of network that is needed. It allows the new diver who is still uncomfortable to dive with more experienced people and gain the confidence and comfort they want. It allows divers new to an area to easily meetup with other divers.

Dive clubs can be useful but a simple network of supportive divers will do just as well in today's society. The problem is getting the networks setup and the information about them out there. If my LDS had a giant "Dive Buddies/Club/etc" with information about that meetup group, Scuba Board, etc I would be on year 2, 3, or even more of my return to diving.

 

[Papa_Bear]

I think motivation is endividual and a more visibale reminder in your everyday life does help retain those who know they will not attain anything if they don't emulate their heroes! Getting someone envolved takes motovation, sometimes it is the local instructor who is the hereos or the head of the dive club? You have to stimulate and motovate to retain those who can easly chose to spend their money and time doing something else. Clubs can make it more of a family outing so the old "I stopped to have kids" isn't used! But there has to be motovation to get of their duffs and do it!

 

[DaleC]

Speaking of clubs here's a post I made on our SB regional sub forum a while ago. Currently it is a great place for new divers to access dives and buddies. I spent a frustrating year unsuccessfully looking for buddies in the traditional way until I actually took the bull by the horns and started organising the buddy list myself (not the only one of course but I stopped sitting back and waiting for the buddies to appear).

Here's a little background on the local club/s (from my perspective).

A couple of years ago There was a buddy board at Langley Diving but it didn't get much use. Somehow out of that (or word of mouth) a group of about four of us got together because we were mid week divers. We had a pretty active little email group going and this grew as more divers joined in. Some members were active on SB so by word of mouth some others from there joined the board. Then the Langley dive club started and many of the midweek divers joined it.

At the same time a member of the Langley club was also checking out the Chilliwack dive club (an older club that actually meets in Abbotsford) and some of us eventually joined that club too. As we began having SB dive meets we also began to realise that many board members lived close to one another or visited the same shops/knew the same people.

So, at any get together you can usually find members of SB, the LDC and the CDC (or all three). We seem to be an amorphous blob that meets here and there in different configurations. I like it because you always meet different people and new divers can usually find someone they jibe with.

I wouldn't expect the clubs to be a hotbed of diving (at the moment) but new blood has a way of motivating more action. Most of the dives happen unofficially. The membership can range from totally new divers to old timers who don't get out much (and everything in between). And of course there are the egos and the politics (which I try to either avoid or manage to stir up). Clubs can seem a little constraining at times if you are a free spirit but they do offer a context in which to meet other divers.

Manfred (LDC) has stepped up and committed to Thursday evening dives and Michel (CDC) organizes some nice Vancouver Island charters (Campbell river in November). Manfred was also talking about doing the Sask. in Nov. as well but no details yet.

The LDC is more or less shop affiliated and the CDC is not.
Last time I checked LDC membership was $40 and CDC was $25
Tomorrow, if you want the BBQ bring $15 otherwise just $5 (for the charity). Don't worry about the membership fees.

PS. John and Randy are cowboys - I am not

 

[DiveNav]

.....Obviously we need to maintain a level of excitement in diving, and make each successive diving a learning experience, to keep people "down under." How do we do that?....

Hi FAMOUS Dr. Bill
I will be at the park tomorrow. Let's get together.

Back to the original question ....

We need to look at the motivations

In my case it was "envy" ....
Back in 1999, my son and my daughter got certified at their High School ... I saw them having fun, go diving on day trips to Catalina and even going to exotic places such as Bonaire.
So I decided to get certified too .... so I could go with them.

Guess what ... as soon as I got MY certification, they got bored and did stop diving :depressed:

And I was left alone, certified, with gear, time & money .... but no one to dive with.
Oh well ..... I dove back into work

Why did I stop diving? No one to dive with !

Fast forward 5 years .... I was at the mall with my wife .... needed to buy some running shoes ..... went into Sport Chalet (sorry) ..... saw the Scuba department .... started to chat with the manager .... he gave me ......... a list of LOCAL DIVE CLUBS !!!

The rest is history ... AOW, Various Specialties, Rescue Diver, Master Scuba Diver, Dive Master, Instructor, DiveNav .....

Oh ... guess what ... tomorrow (wake up 4:00AM) I am going diving ... WITH MY SON ... that re-started diving because of me (and because I certified his friends and now we are all diving together)

So, what should we do to keep divers diving?

Maybe we should all have the goal to become Instructors so we can pass on our love for the Ocean to the ones close to us?

Alberto