How Can We Keep Divers Diving After Certification?

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drbill

The Lorax for the Kelp Forest
Scuba Legend
Rest in Peace
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They say the diving industry is in decline. I hope not. However, we have all heard the stories about the individual who gets OW SCUBA certified because they are taking a trip to some great dive location, but then they stop diving afterwards. Or the ones who take it up and just get "bored" in a few months.

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?

Today SCUBA certifications are largely based on skills and knowledge about diving techniques and equipment itself. For equipment junkies this may work. Tech divers enjoy improving their knowledge of techniques and practices well beyond the standard recreational diving certs. However, it is my opinion that for most people, learning about equipment and techniques and practicing skills is NOT what will keep them interested.

The reason I've not become bored of diving despite nearly 50 years is that I continue to learn new things (OK, so I'm a slow learner). I see new species, or observe new behaviors in species I'm already pretty familiar with despite having dived the same waters for 40 years now.

Specialty "classes" like naturalist just don't cut it. They are brief, superficial and occasionally poorly or inaccurately taught because SCUBA instructors are not trained marine biologists for the most part. They teach the fundamentals of SCUBA, but often are not equipped to expand the diver's knowledge of the marine ecosystems even in their own waters (I have seen so many make mistakes in identification and "facts").

IMHO one good way to keep divers diving, to keep them coming into retail shops for air fills and equipment, is to give them reasons to dive. REAL classes about the marine environment which bo beyond simple fish, invertebrate or algae ID would enhance the diver's understanding of what they are seeing underwater. I'm talking courses that last several sessions including topside presentations and diving.

Another focus might be for those who wish to hunt underwater. These classes would focus on fish and invertebrate identification (maybe algae ID for vegetarians?), local fish regulations, how to accurately estimate size underwater, etc.

Perhaps I'm just being a bit self-serving as my own efforts over the course of the last 40 years have been focused on marine education. However, I've met a number of divers who, after watching one of my videos, have commented on finally understanding what they were seeing underwater... or that they saw a certain behavior for the first time because they had been primed to look for it by watching one of my videos.
 
I don't have an answer Bill.. difficult to MAKE folks do stuff.

I know a LOT of folks that get certified, go someplace tropical, spend a week diving, and then get married, have kids, whatever, and never dive again.

I'm not sure that you can *MAKE* folks enjoy things like diving.

Keep in mind the odds are against us. Many people fear water, fear animals in the water, fear the ocean, get seasick on boats, have vertigo without references, the list goes on. So the candidate pool is narrow to begin with.

Diving is also NOT cheap. When I am unemployed destination diving is the first thing that gets cut.
 
How Can We Keep Divers Diving After Certification?

Stop ATTRACTING divers who are not likely to stay!

The whole "Learn to Dive Today" approach is doomed to attract tons of "been there, tried that, what's next?" types. Some will stay, but that's a random event essentially and there's very little that can be done to predict that or intervene. A high attrition rate seems like a problem that can be solved. But it's a trap. Diving is not for everyone, and a great many of those who leave diving early-on simply are not "divers." So maybe in the perfect world TWO out of ten people who start diving could be persuaded to stay. Still pretty crappy odds.

Seriously, smart marketers understand that the first step in "retention" is "acquisition." If you have $1 to spend on marketing, where can you get the greatest return...

  1. Bringing in a new diver who has only a 1 in 10 chance of staying with it?
  2. Trying to retain the 9 out of 10 new divers who move on?
  3. Attracting a new diver who has a high likelihood to keep diving?

Of course the smart money is on #3 because the dollars spent to acquire them are the SAME as acquiring diver #1; there's less need to spend "#2" dollars to retain them, and each diver #3 will spend as much as divers #1 and #2 combined.

Yeah, there's a little more work upfront to attract the right people - and I'm not saying that no effort should be put on retention - but for-sure the process begins with ACQUIRING the right folks.
 
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Dr. Bill -

I don't know how you would keep people interested in diving either as everyone dives for a variety of different reasons. I went from a vacation diver to a local diver and now wanna do caves which obviously is not for marine life. I like the challenge that the technical dives offer. I love the weightlessness of diving, the floating and soaring sensation.

Money and time are both huge factors that keeps a diver diving or keeps them out of diving. All this to say again, I don't have an answer, Dr. Bill.
 
I'm a n00b that was certified in March and never actually had any intent to go beyond OW, but due to the generosity and graciousness of our LDS (Padi guys), I've since completed AOW, Nitrox, Night and am in the process of DPV, Rescue and a couple of other certs as I'm well on my way to "Master Diver".

Yes, I fully realize that just because I have a c-crad that says that, that it isn't so, but for all intents and purposes, I wil be by the time I finish up these classes, because my ultimate goal is Tech.

The way in which our LDS strives to keep people diving, is to make certain that we have an opportunity to dive as much as humanly possible, for little to no costs other than our air fills, and they don't even care if we get them at the shop or at the marina where they keep their boat. Nearly every weekend, they take their dive boat out regardless of whether they have students or not. Not only is the boat free to get on, but these guys always provide lunch for everyone too... The only thing they ever do is place a tip jar and most of the time it is someone like myself that actually puts it out because the owners/instructors or DM's don't want anyone to feel obligated in any way shape or form, and they REFUSE to accept personal tips. The jar is only to assist with boat upkeep and fuel costs. Furthermore, 9 times out of 10 they don't even charge us for air through the shop!

They do however have rules on the boat which state that a diver may not over dive theior certs, so if the boat is out at night and you're not certified as a Night Diver, then you must remain onboard unless an instructor is present and willing to do an "Adventure Dive" or even more often that not they will put you through the requisite paces for the requirements of the class and slowly take you through the process if that's the manner you prefer. -- I personally went the traditional class route rather than the slower method.

These guys go out of their way to make diving as fun as possible, and are even going so far as to hold a drawing for an all expenses paid 5-day live aboard trip to the Bahamas + $300 spending money for anyone who completes Master Diver through their shop this year. They are not even requiring that all of the requisite PADI classes be taken through them, just that you complete the program through them.

For many of us that have taken a more active role as new divers that are obviously intrested in progressing further and further, they have even been known to provide many of us with in-store credit at a time where "credit" is a thing of the past... They are willing to tie up their own money for the benefit of us, so that we don't have to bite off such a huge chunk at a time!

They regularily have slide shows of trips in the shop after hours, and provide horderves and beverages to everyone that shows up to socialize.

I have just reently purchased a pair of scooters (not through them) which I'm keeping at their shop so that they may use them for their own purposes such as training more students and as a tool to keep others wanting to spend more and more time playing while blowing bubbles. I was interested in a speargun because a couple of my buddies spar, so the owner of the shop asked me what I wanted then handed it to me along with his personally preferred choice accessories then simply added it to my bill without ever asking for a dime at the time. When I made a payment a couple of weeks later, I saw that my bill was actually far less than what it should have been based upon the price tags in the store, so I asked him about it... He grinned and replied that he must have hit a key wrong, but that's it's too dificult to add back in the extra amount! ;-)

The first time I walked through the door of the shop last fall I felt as if I was somehow being screwed for whatever reason, but I couldn't possibly have been more wrong and out of line with my rationalization at the time. Being that I too am self employed in a very niche market that is diminishing at the moment, I look to the father and son that own our LDS as being true models of inspiration for how to do things right, because they are more focused on making friends that become divers and their own dive buddies than fleecing the public like so many others do!

-Tim
 
1. Weather

I suppose it's somewhat dependent upon the geographic area. For example, if you get certified in Canada, it requires more motivation to go diving in cold water, or to a location that doesn't offer something other than a low visibility rock quarry or lake (don't get me wrong I've had my fair share of both).

Today (it's still October and not cold yet) and this morning in Halifax it was 38 degrees F with 35 knots winds (wind chill of about 25 degrees F). Water temp is actually quite warm at 53 degrees F. Waves are 6 ft, dropping down to 3 ft later this evening. So, does anyone want to go for a dive???

Compare this with clear warm water that you have in some locations. There's definitely a difference.

2. Insufficient Training

Many divers are not sufficiently trained these days to go out diving on their own, without supervision and be competent to look after themselves and their buddy, while they gain experience. If the training was increased, this would correct some of these problems.

3. Divers are a Product of Today's Society

In this age of fast food, fast cars and fast women, people have the luxury of many choices. Do I go diving, go rock climbing or dirt biking? Bobby has to be picked-up at 5 p.m. from football practice, etc. etc. We live busy lives, we worry too much, spend too much and save too little. Diving is just another thing that's an option for most people.

4. Diving has become an Industry

Everyone wants to make a buck. Some people are coerced to spend money on diving equipment that they don't need and sometimes doesn't fit. Training is quick and when it comes time to dive, many new diver's have bad experiences. They go on to do other things.

Like you, I've been diving for 44 years and teaching for 37. Diving has changed over the years and not in all ways for the better. This goes to prove if there is something special and beautiful, just give it time; mankind will screw it up.
 
Tough question. I started considering diving when we moved to the ocean, as prior to that all we had were lakes, which held no interest for me. I grew up on the ocean, so it was a natural thing to consider. My only interest in diving was to be able to collect shells (GOOD, live specimens) in water too deep for my snorkelling. But after a while I got very interested in diving for diving's sake and got into the taking courses thing--currently doing DM course. Why my thinking changed is a mystery for the LDS's to solve. Shell collecting is still the big goal, though. I'm still not quite sure why I continue the studying, courses and general diving. Perhaps my added interest is that being retired for 13 years meant I had nothing else to do.....
 
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I think that diving is about different things for different people. Some people like the physical sensation of "weightlessness." Some people are into the gear, or the wildlife, or the learning. Still others are into the exploration aspect and some folks just want to have the experience. Something that PADI touts, and I think perhaps they have it right on this one, is that diving is a social endeavor (except for people like Dr. Bill who seem to be avowed solo divers...although I've seen hints on these boards that even he, perhaps, might sometimes enjoy a dive with others when not working; especially Asian women if possible...do I have that right?) I believe that most people are attracted to several of the above facets of diving (and that some are attracted to Asian women).
If there is, indeed, one single pancea to retaining certified divers, perhaps in is in our herd instinct; the social factor mentioned above. The good Dr.'s idea of more in-depth education and activites led by fully qualified presenters sounds like something I, for one, would be interested in. While I don't think it would turn scuba into a mainstream sport, God I hope not, it seems like something that would help to retain a bit more than the current 10% or so that stick with it.
I'll be heading home to California next year and am already investigating dive clubs, etc. For me, diving will be a much more fun and entertaining pursuit if I can do so with like-minded people. Since I'll be trading in my 3mm for a 7mm and later a dry suit, and knowing myself, I will certainly need a little more impetus to get into the "shark infested :wink:" waters of Central California. Further, as I am interested in wrecks (exploration/historical aspects?) I'm looking forward to, hopefully, meeting some cool people in a couple active wreck groups which I have found as a means to find mentorship. I'll dive no matter what, but I'm sure I'll dive more and have more fun if I can find some other weirdos like me to do it with.
With all the talk of foundering dive shops now-a-days, it seems that the large amount of additional effort that would be required by the shop to organize and maintain more than just a run-of-the-mill dive club (ie: offering a more comprehensive experience) would turn out to be well worth it for the shop, and to the industry as a whole.
The problems of immediate, fiduciary profitability which leads to the corner cutting alluded to by Dr. Bill, and the sheer breadth of the areas of interest that would need to be covered to attract and maintain the interest of the varied diving public lead me to believe that such an endeavor could only be expected by the truly dedicated.
I'm sure that such programs do exist and that a lot of you are doing a lot, above and beyond, purely from your love of diving. Such dedication, I think, is the key to keeping people involved.
 
What keeps divers coming back? This would be an interesting study to do. Other sports also ponder the same question.

Unlike snow skiing (which requires one to be somewhat healthy and have the necessary funds to participate), diving has a more rigid set of "rules" attached to the activity:

Most report vacation diving is done in a group. You can ski anywhere at a ski area without a guide.

Diving has inherent life threatening risks. Yes, skiing is cold, generally done at a high altitude, but does not require basic life support systems just to participate at the basic level.

Whatever the "hook" to bring divers back, the industry has to make it a common goal.
 
Alot of people enter a diver certification course for mostly:
1. on spur of the moment decisions
2. going on a tropical vacation where it is wouldn't be a vacation unless you actually did a dive
3. a friend dives & they want to see what all the fuss is
4. or there thrill seekers and moving on to there next hobby
5 and the LOL of the day... because there spouse/ significant other talks them into it

Unfortunetly, not everyone will continue to dive due to
1. 1 bad experience
2. friends no longer dive/ new additions to the family
3. cold water diving isnt as fun as warm tropical diving.. IMO
4. took all the classes touched the back of the cave and now time to move on to the next exciting new hobby
5. or dived so much there burnt out after a couple yrs

I believe if people don't enter for the correct reasons, or have the ambition and the want to push through the difficult learning curve wich occurs after OW certification, they will never gain the passion and love for diving most of us have. Alot of it also has to do with a good support system, finding good, friendly, and encouraging dive friends/groups/partners. (not the my spouse/ significant other is my dive partner) As soon as that relationship ends so does the diving unless you have made multiple friends to dive with.

Good mentoring for new divers is also helpful to get them more involved, comfortable in the water, and diving more in your local waters will help keep them wet too.
 
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