why are there very few young divers?

[Peter69_56]

My husband and I are 30 and just got certified. We made the mistake of adding up all the expenses and holy crap. We spent $560 on cert classes/checkouts (when people say they do that for $300- I assume they don't include checkout? Because if that includes that OMG that is cheap), $100 each on a wetsuit, $150 each on mask + fins, $300 on my computer, even more for his. Then there was just the random peripherals- a dive flag buoy, dive knives, etc. To actually go diving we each need to rent a BC, reg set and tanks to go diving is another $60 each time, plus the gas money to drive 2 hours to drive to a crappy place to dive (and the $900 to fly + hotel to a good place to dive).

There is just no way we could have done this in our mid-20s.


However, I will agree- we are surprised by the average age of divers. I belong to a quilting club, and most of the ladies are well past retirement. When we joined the scuba club we thought we'd meet a few younger people. Most of the divers are even older than the quilters!

You guys are mere babies in regards to spending.

4 aluminium cylinders
4 steel cylinders
1 aluminium deco tank
2 aluminium sling tanks
Pony bottle

1 wing each
1 BCD each
5 sets regulators each
2 sets fins each
3 wetsuits each
1 dry suit
4 hoods each
2 computers each
3 knives each
3.95643 tonne lead
10 torches
3 masks each
heaps of safety gear
Spare gear
heaps of things we bought which seemed like a good idea at the time but we never use
tools
O rings (we cornered the market on them)
etc etc

We think we are close to having sufficient excess to ensure we will always have boxes full of stuff we may use one day. Funny thought, we don't have that special thing we seem to always need when we dive. Will have to add that to the growing list of things we might need one day.

 

[kelemvor]

We spent $560 on cert classes/checkouts (when people say they do that for $300- I assume they don't include checkout? Because if that includes that OMG that is cheap)

Correct. Also didn't include books and mask/booties/fins/snorkel.

 

[rhwestfall]

25 years ago, "rule of thumb" was $1,000 to "start up", and $1,000 a year afterward to to be active "locally" and maintain. Travel was on top of that...

Think $1,000 is bad? I paid 10% of that for a "bar grade" meal for three of us last night.... 10 dinners out.... one diver set....

As has been said, if you want to do it, you find the money.... Its something else.....

 

[Skittl1321]

You guys are mere babies in regards to spending.

Yeah- and it is still really expensive. We are being as conservative about the spending as I think is possible. But omg did it add up fast. (We went to a lecture on tech diving, which my husband thought he might be interested in. Once we realized the price of basics would require a second mortgage, he isn't so interested anymore...)

So I really think that is why there aren't that many young people.

 

[pocky21]

Certified at 22, now 24. It's an obsession for me, the way paintball and fast cars were in my teens.

I see it as a matter of drive - my peers range from the vacationing diver to the obsessive "I'm gonna make it every week if it kills me!" type of diver. Economics play a part, but if a driven person wishes to do something - they'll find a way. I met a girl in NY who would dive Tobermory in a wetsuit and never missed a week of diving - she barely had a penny to call her own. I'm back in school now and don't have much for time or money, but when my cost to go diving is equal to a drink at the bar - you can be guaranteed which I'm choosing. Somehow I've managed to wrestle together a full recreational set of gear, plus 90% of a tec rig in the last year, AND pay for my initial card collecting and professional training. I made a lot of sacrifices to do so, but I found a way.

On the flip side - many of my generation are the passive aggressive "dabbler" type. Many of them will have a main hobby (usually drinking), but for most that main hobby centers around appearances. It might be my own bias, but the people who I think get the most out of diving itself - the introverts - are often turned off by the way diving is marketed as a social sport.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

At my LDS we certify a lot of younger divers, including high school age, and 20 somethings. We also have a fair number of families which include one or more 10 to 18 year olds. We feature birthday parties for kids, and draw in lots of youngsters. Bubblemakers under 10, discover scuba for 10 and up, all in our on sight pool. In our little corner of the world we have lots of young divers. I have noticed that diving at dive destinations, older ( you define the term ) divers dominate.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Doppler]

ive been reading alot of scubaboards and have noticed that most divers seem to be in there late 30s and up. i also read some other threads regarding diver fatalities and most people involved seem to be 50+ and up. one diver in the socal forums was 67 and had to have his son pull out the body. there was another guy in my class who was probably the same age who didnt complete the course as he got rolled the first time entering a beach dive. the second dive he tried it he was successful but he was breathing heavily before even getting in the water due to the weight of the gear.


where are the younger divers? im talking late 20s and under. my guess is due to the high initial cost of certification+gear most people cant afford it.

forget it

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

Cost - It can be a factor. But I think with all the younger ppl in the 20's spend on cars, motorcycles, skiing, and other stuff, there seem to be enough expendable cash for young ppl to spend.

Time - This is a bit of an investment. Taking the time to get certified, fly to different different destinations if you don't live anywhere that has a beach or lake/quarry, and lug all your stuff to and fro.

Obligations - May not apply for majority of the folks in their 20's, but once you hit 30's and 40's, family obligations kick in. SCUBA diving is not a very family friendly type activity for vacation. Not only the cost but the risks that are involved for this activity.

Lack of instant gratification - To me, I think this is one of the key factors. Some of my friends are in their 20's and 30's. They are certified for either OW or AOW. But they are a bit lazy to go on dive trips and when I asked why, the most popular answer that I got was: "Too much work/trouble for the reward".

 

[dlofting]

We have four children, ages 32, 27, 25 & 23.

The oldest has a partner and child so spends most of her time earning a living and looking after my granddaughter. She does ski a bit if she gets the chance (works for a ski hill so lift tickets are free) and they car camp. She doesn't have the money or time to take up diving.

My oldest son is an avid climber. He also hikes, snowboards, skate skis, mountaineers and canyoneers. His climbing rack, ropes, etc are probably worth about $2000-$3000. He also has a lot of other gear and equipment for backcountry travel, camping, etc.....probably in the order of $10,000. He may try diving on an upcoming climbing trip to Thailand, Indonesia, etc but otherwise is not that interested in the sport.

My youngest daughter certified with us two years ago and is on a holiday in Indonesia as we speak, which includes diving. She also snowboards, but is in a job that can require 60+ hour weeks at times.

My youngest son would like to try diving but currently is establishing himself in the contracting business, so at times works 7 days a week. He has spent a lot of money on tools and a truck and trailer to move/store everything. He also likes his outdoor "toys" (dirt bike, ATV, camper) and spends his small amount of leisure time on these.

Four children and a multitude of reasons to dive or not to dive....lack of money, lack of time, other interests.

 

[drbill]

I see... and how are your 50-99 dives compared to my thousands and thousands? Believe me, old geezers like myself dive... probably a LOT more than many of the youngsters. In fact, I probably did more dives a year ago just in August (80 that month alone) than you've done total.

Young divers dive.

They don't talk online about diving with old people.

As for the OP... If you see a lot of reports about older divers in trouble, obviously one needs to chalk some of that up to diminishing health or conditioning. Not many twenty-somethings have heart attacks or strokes.

Arguments about SCUBA certification being expensive seem ludicrous to me (unless the wannabee diver has no job)... you can get a c-card for as little as $200 via Groupon. It was FAR more expensive back in my day when it cost an entire month's wages.