Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[Bohemian Coast Dive]

You seem to think my remarks were directed to you, well they're not. They are just a statement of fact. As far as your statement that 18-34 year old's are active participants, please back up that with information from a reliable source, like SFIA.
All, and I repeat ALL sporting activities are in decline. Youth softball, baseball, and football are in serious decline. Snowboarding is falling off a cliff. Sports Authority declared bankruptcy and Sports Chalet closed all their stores. I will close with the following from the March 8, 2016 Wall Street Journal;

The sporting goods industry is in a funk.

Less than a week after the Sports Authority Inc. filed for bankruptcy, rival Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. on Tuesday reported weak holiday results and offered a dim near-term outlook as it spends more to revamp stores and build up its website.

Meanwhile, one of the biggest makers of baseball bats and other sporting equipment slashed its profit forecast for the holiday quarter. Performance Sports Group Ltd., which makes Easton bats, Bauer ice skates and other equipment, blamed sudden shifts in demand.

Shares of Performance Sports fell 65% in trading Tuesday to $4.00, while shares of Dick’s edged higher, closing at $44.56.

“This is certainly a unique time in the industry. The competitive landscape is evolving, which is creating pressure for some and opportunities for others,” said Dicks’s Chief Executive Edward Stack.

You seem to think my remarks were directed to you, well they're not. They are just a statement of fact. As far as your statement that 18-34 year old's are active participants, please back up that with information from a reliable source, like SFIA.
All, and I repeat ALL sporting activities are in decline. Youth softball, baseball, and football are in serious decline. Snowboarding is falling off a cliff. Sports Authority declared bankruptcy and Sports Chalet closed all their stores. I will close with the following from the March 8, 2016 Wall Street Journal;

The sporting goods industry is in a funk.

Less than a week after the Sports Authority Inc. filed for bankruptcy, rival Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. on Tuesday reported weak holiday results and offered a dim near-term outlook as it spends more to revamp stores and build up its website.

Meanwhile, one of the biggest makers of baseball bats and other sporting equipment slashed its profit forecast for the holiday quarter. Performance Sports Group Ltd., which makes Easton bats, Bauer ice skates and other equipment, blamed sudden shifts in demand.

Shares of Performance Sports fell 65% in trading Tuesday to $4.00, while shares of Dick’s edged higher, closing at $44.56.

“This is certainly a unique time in the industry. The competitive landscape is evolving, which is creating pressure for some and opportunities for others,” said Dicks’s Chief Executive Edward Stack.

I never assumed anything was directed at me, though the "18-34" quote does seem to be a response to what I said- so briefly:

The funny thing about statistics is they can lead to any number of conclusions. Mine was an observation and not intended as hard scientific data. If we want to talk 'facts,' what I do know is that the current model of attracting new divers isn't getting it done- hence, the purpose of this thread. Generally speaking, I would stand behind every issue I mentioned 100%. Old ways die hard and, until the sport is marketed differently, nothing will change. We can go round and round about market analysis, statistics, etc...but my concern is getting people in the water and revitalizing the sport. A good place to start is by catering to college aged students and young professionals, as they are going to be the driving force keeping the industry alive within the next 10-20 years. Anyhow, great points- enjoy your day!

 

[undrwater]

Can I check Facebook while I dive?

Sorry.

 

[Bohemian Coast Dive]

Thanks, I'll continue to enjoy the beauty of reefs and small fishy things as well as the margs (not so much the beauty of who I'm sharing the margs with as they are old crusty divers...except my wife who is of course beautiful ). Millennials be damned whether they are the couch potatoes who can't be bothered or the base jumpers who aren't excited enough by strapping on weights & a tank and giant striding into an alien (deadly) environment. Onward into the deep... ok, not that deep.

This is golden! For the record, I love the simple pleasures of diving...the relaxation and beauty, the exotic locales, the good company, etc... You've got the right approach, my friend!

 

[drrich2]

It's not all or nothing. Most people who drive don't do Nascar racing. Most people on motorcycles aren't jumping a row of cars. i like viewing big predators when I dive; big green moray eels, great barracuda, goliath grouper and sand tiger sharks come to mind. But I don't want to be in serious danger. It's true in diving we don't encourage publicized envelope pushing. Cageless great white diving is more likely to elicit an 'Idiot!' than a 'Way cool, dude!'

One barrier to entry recently mentioned is getting it on the mental radar of potential 'recruits.' Think about other outdoor sports; how many people growing up know some people who deer hunt, ski, play golf or tennis, hike, water ski, bass fish, etc...? It's not hard to envision what it might be like to participate in, and afford, these things (if you don't insist on owning a bass boat & trailer, and a truck or SUV to pull it with or going hunting).

A lot of people live a lot farther from the ocean than they do places to conduct the above activities (except snow skiing). I wonder how many people who live 3 or 4 states inland often go to coastal areas for vacations?

For many people, scuba is kind of like deep sea fishing; sounds like it'd be neat to try if it were convenient, but somehow it never becomes convenient...

Richard.

 

[TMHeimer]

I probably posted many months ago that the shop where I used to DM had young people (18-34, and 34 is old) mostly in the OW courses I assisted. Maybe one or two out of a class of 10 say, over 40. Depends where you are I guess.

 

[EFX]

For those of you just getting into this (and other) threads who did not take a look a the market research that led to the thread, people looking for high adventure, risk, etc. are very much in the minority.

I think young people would choose technical diving (cave, deep, wreck) because it is high adventure and risky but there are three obstacles: money, time, and social. And these obstacles also extend somewhat to entry level scuba. To become a technical diver requires more money and time than young people have or want to expend. This is one reason why divers in general are older -- they have the time and money. The third reason is social. Young people want their friends in the activity because of the social engagement. Older people are more willing to make new friends because the primary goal is to enjoy the sport they are in, rather than just another activity to participate in with their circle of friends.

In the early days of scuba it was predominately younger people because of the higher risk and lower cost. The lower cost and less time it took (no long classes or even certs to get) got a lot of youngsters into the sport which made it more socially appealing (their friends were doing it).

 

[Bohemian Coast Dive]

It's not all or nothing. Most people who drive don't do Nascar racing. Most people on motorcycles aren't jumping a row of cars. i like viewing big predators when I dive; big green moray eels, great barracuda, goliath grouper and sand tiger sharks come to mind. But I don't want to be in serious danger. It's true in diving we don't encourage publicized envelope pushing. Cageless great white diving is more likely to elicit an 'Idiot!' than a 'Way cool, dude!'

One barrier to entry recently mentioned is getting it on the mental radar of potential 'recruits.' Think about other outdoor sports; how many people growing up know some people who deer hunt, ski, play golf or tennis, hike, water ski, bass fish, etc...? It's not hard to envision what it might be like to participate in, and afford, these things (if you don't insist on owning a bass boat & trailer, and a truck or SUV to pull it with or going hunting).

A lot of people live a lot farther from the ocean than they do places to conduct the above activities (except snow skiing). I wonder how many people who live 3 or 4 states inland often go to coastal areas for vacations?

For many people, scuba is kind of like deep sea fishing; sounds like it'd be neat to try if it were convenient, but somehow it never becomes convenient...

Richard.

Hey Richard,

I should probably get some work done instead of trolling the message board, but I've got one or two responses left in me! This is a very thoughtful post...well written and on point.

To clarify my position, I'm not trying to endorse envelope pushing. I understand that, for a variety of reasons, that is a terrible idea. Legalities, ethics, common sense, etc... Plus, I want everybody to have fun in a safe and controlled environment the best we can. I always abide by the most stringent safety rules when I dive also. Plus, I'm not trying to make it a contest- I actually hate that part about the current state of the industry.

What I'm endorsing is also a happy middle ground. I'm not looking for 'cowboy' divers- piss and vinegar, caution to the wind. Instead, we need to make diving 'sexy' again. How do you do that? Well, imho, you have to attract young divers. You have to attract female divers. You have to get a little diversity in the business. And how do you do that? Make it exciting and accessible for more people. And that's the million dollar question- how do we make it exciting and accessible? I'm not sure. What I do know though, is, Exciting doesn't necessarily mean dangerous; however, regardless of what is said, everybody who became divers to begin with sought adventure to some degree. That's why I do it. But also, I have a family, friends, and a life that I don't want cut short. Diving in Northern California primarily, we have serious risks that I try to minimize every time I get in the water; that said, I still think we could do a better job of promoting excitement and adventure without lowering safety standards or anything like that. Always insightful with your posts, take care my friend!

 

[soggybadger]

Hi folks. Just thought I'd comment on this. My partner got a two for one offer on a try dive session from a booze company. It was something we had always wanted to try so we went for it and now we are hooked. Our lds offered the training and never tried to sell us anything just lots of encouragement to just do it. When it came to buying our kit they even sourced some quality second hand gear for us. If we had not bought our own we could have rented everything we needed for £40 a time so we never felt pressured into making a purchase. We now have everything we need to dive including dry suits and tanks all serviced and have only spent about £1800 and that included ow aow wreck and dry suit cert. For both of us. Not crappy worn out gear but fairly new great condition top quality stuff. How cheap is that? You don't have to spend a fortune to dive at all. Just do it.

 

[soggybadger]

Hi folks. Just thought I'd comment on this. My partner got a two for one offer on a try dive session from a booze company. It was something we had always wanted to try so we went for it and now we are hooked. Our lds offered the training and never tried to sell us anything just lots of encouragement to just do it. When it came to buying our kit they even sourced some quality second hand gear for us. If we had not bought our own we could have rented everything we needed for £40 a time so we never felt pressured into making a purchase. We now have everything we need to dive including dry suits and tanks all serviced and have only spent about £1800 and that included ow aow wreck and dry suit cert. For both of us. Not crappy worn out gear but fairly new great condition top quality stuff. How cheap is that? You don't have to spend a fortune to dive at all. Just do it.

 

[soggybadger]

If you want more young people to get into scuba you need to show them it can be affordable. None of this glamorous red Sea bollocks thats right off the scale cost wise. My friends little girl has just started learning and she is twelve and her parents don't have much money but they have found that it can be affordable and now her school friends all want to try it. Most won't but some will and some may stick at it. Take the expensive latest gear rubbish out and make it affordable to youngsters who don't earn loads of cash and you will get them hooked