Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[dmoore19]

The BC has helped to improve safety I think.

I have a MK25/A700. The second is metal and I know that the metal has cured my problems with dry mouth. In 1965 dollars it would be around $100. I hardly touch the adjustments on the second.

I don't think the cost of the equipment is a deterrent. If you really want to dive a lot of shops have very good equipment to rent for relatively cheap.


For the purpose of this thread I think we are dealing with a different generation of people that are into instant gratification. My bet is that most of the younger people who are the future of diving as we know it are more inclined to do a Discover Scuba than go into the sport knowing that there is 6 weekends of training to reach the the goal of certification. There has to be some sort of connection to make them want more. I don't pretend to know what that is. I am in the 60 YO range and don't understand a lot of what the milenials want.

Yes that's true, things are better as far as quality in things like masks. Regs, not much difference in quality or reliability but ease of breathing and fancy adjustments, yes. Some say that older metal regs were mpore durable and better made.
Fins, well the jet fin is from 1965. Other styles of someof these fins, definitly more expensive but highly subjective if they are any better.
BC, not applicable - there were no BC's then.
Wetsuits, the material was better then but not necessarily the fit/cut of the suit.

One thing I do know is people have on a lot more crap on these days just to do a simple shore dive, whereas then they were very minimalistic and minimal means less $ spent on extra stuff.
But on the flip side, they couldn't do the deeper stuff as well or as safe then as now, so the new technological advances come into their own in that application.


Just for the entry level person wanting to get into diving the gear these days overwhelms people.
Maybe that's a reason some younger people have taken up freediving instead?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The BC has helped to improve safety I think.

I have a MK25/A700. The second is metal and I know that the metal has cured my problems with dry mouth. In 1965 dollars it would be around $100. I hardly touch the adjustments on the second.

I don't think the cost of the equipment is a deterrent. If you really want to dive a lot of shops have very good equipment to rent for relatively cheap.


For the purpose of this thread I think we are dealing with a different generation of people that are into instant gratification. My bet is that most of the younger people who are the future of diving as we know it are more inclined to do a Discover Scuba than go into the sport knowing that there is 6 weekends of training to reach the the goal of certification. There has to be some sort of connection to make them want more. I don't pretend to know what that is. I am in the 60 YO range and don't understand a lot of what the milenials want.

Yeah, I think diving the way we know it (or knew it) has fallen out of fashion for one reason or another. I don't know if there is a way to get it back, or if it really matters?
I with you brother on not understanding this generation. When they can sit back to back in a room texting each other to communicate when they're right there and not saying a word, that's where they lose me.
Go sit in a mall sometime and people watch. Pick out how many you see who are sickly looking and fat who waddle around or are borderline obese (or morbidly obese). No wonder they have no desire to do anything!

 

[Doomnova]

Yeah, I think diving the way we know it (or knew it) has fallen out of fashion for one reason or another. I don't know if there is a way to get it back, or if it really matters?
I with you brother on not understanding this generation. When they can sit back to back in a room texting each other to communicate when they're right there and not saying a word, that's where they lose me.
Go sit in a mall sometime and people watch. Pick out how many you see who are sickly looking and fat who waddle around or are borderline obese (or morbidly obese). No wonder they have no desire to do anything!

I'm with you guys. I'm part of this generation and I don't understand it. Much of what they do makes my head hurt. I like to go for lunch/super/coffee and not listen to phones beep like mad. Also holding a conversation with them of any substance is almost impossible. Getting most of them out to do anything that doesn't require a herd of them at once is like trying to pry a chipmunk from a nut....

 

[serpentara]

I with you brother on not understanding this generation. When they can sit back to back in a room texting each other to communicate when they're right there and not saying a word, that's where they lose me.
Go sit in a mall sometime and people watch. Pick out how many you see who are sickly looking and fat who waddle around or are borderline obese (or morbidly obese). No wonder they have no desire to do anything!

Heh not to turn this into a generational debate, but preconceived notions like that don't help. After all its new technology that leads people to be antisocial. http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/4/9/1365516559788/1955-train-006.jpg

As for the weight issue, its all of America. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/29373/title/Animals-are-getting-fatter--too/

 

[00wabbit]

Heh not to turn this into a generational debate, but preconceived notions like that don't help. After all its new technology that leads people to be antisocial. http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/4/9/1365516559788/1955-train-006.jpg

As for the weight issue, its all of America. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/29373/title/Animals-are-getting-fatter--too/

I always like to remind them who raised this generation!

 

[dmoore19]

True, but I my parents didn't understand me. Life goes on..............

I always like to remind them who raised this generation!

 

[dallaskincaid]

I haven't read through this entire thread so please don't crucify me if I'm bringing up redundant points. (I know you will anyways! hehe)

I regret not renting more equipment before I bought my own gear. I'm on my 3rd BC (finally settled on a wing, which I love), second set of fins, and 3rd dive computer and I'm just now at about 100 dives. It would have been much more cost effective to just rent the initial gear from the dive shop and figure out what I liked best. In my case, I was pressured from a friend who thought you NEEDED to do it this way because that's how his experience went with getting certified.

It's an expensive sport, no doubt and I think that keeps people with families away from it. I was nearly 40 before I decided to start diving and I deeply regret not doing it sooner in life.

 

[Wildwillie]

I grew up watching Sea Hunt on TV--thought it looked exciting. Bought a used tank when I was 17, snuck into a quarry and went diving. Did that until I went into the service. After about 46 years I decided to get back into it. Got certified 2 years ago and learned all kinds of neat stuff that will keep me from killing myself. Ha! For me, a trip to the Carribean is still on my bucket list. I would like to experience vis more than 20 feet.

Maybe a TV show like Sea Hunt--in color--will spark more interest. I've tried getting my grandkids involved--even took them to a discover scuba session at the LDS--but it's hard to get them away from the video games.

 

[pocky21]

Hard to believe this thread is still ongoing.

People don't take up scuba diving because they just don't want to dive. They have better things to do. Yes, better things than diving.

If you want more people in the sport, you could try handcuffing them and dragging them in the water at gunpoint...but that might not end well either.

 

[Lost down under]

Divers don't smile enough, we can be a deadly serious bunch (sometimes for good reasons but not always).

With out causing offence (not that I care but on today's world it seems to apologies beforehand) I think the sport has an image problem in cooler climates where if you stray too far from the equator you find that most divers are middle aged men with plenty of cash to 'progress' rapidly through the sport. I don't think that demographic is a problem I just think we have it covered and need to market local diving to other demographics and more importantly retain them.

I find the instant gratification argument holds true for this 'middle aged' demographic also, they tend to progress rapidly through certifications and move quickly on to big ticket items like rebreathers. Whilst in my experience younger (committed) divers usually take a more 'organic' development path as they are restrained by associate costs. Again I don't think this is a problem the question we need to ask ourselves is how to we manage this disparity.

Before anyone fires back the usual "you cant generalise" rubbish, I am aware of what I've done.

P.S I was friends with a vacation diver... once. Also if I've come across as an idiot I've been told I no longer have a place to go at 9am every morning so may be a tad bitter today!