Wow! Someone has figured out how to market diving!

[Dan]

I was referring to pictures I’ve seen of Great Lakes wrecks - they seem covered in Zebra mussels and not much else. Also, they seem to have little in the way of fish life around.

As I said, I’m not really that interested in wrecks. I have dove several in the Carribean - most have been pretty well covered in corals, with lots of fish and other sea life (turtles, Rays, etc.,) around. They can be interesting, but I’ll take a natural reef or wall dive any day!

It’s just my personal preference and not intended as a judgement on those who enjoy wrecks and cold water diving. It’s all good - so dive how you like!

I used to not care much about wreck diving either, until seeing Thistlegorm.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I used to not care much about wreck diving either, until seeing Thistlegorm.

Meh

Heehee

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Meh

Heehee

How dare you!!

On my list of wrecks to dive and in the top 5.

 

[Dan]

My next wreck diving is SS Yongala.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

My next wreck diving is SS Yongala.

Looks like a great wreck. I really want to go dive the Ghost Fleet of Bikini Atoll.

 

[Dan]

Looks like a great wreck. I really want to go dive the Ghost Fleet of Bikini Atoll.

Let me know how it is. I heard most of the divings are decompression dives.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Let me know how it is. I heard most of the divings are decompression dives.

They are. I am researching doing a trip with the Dirty Dozen. Big fan of what they are doing with their trips to Bikini and Chuuk.

 

[JasmineNeedsGills]

Personally I think this thread kind of illustrates the problem with the sport as a whole, and why it's struggling so badly. It's incredibly tribal. People, from individuals, through dive centres/clubs, and right up to training agencies are all incredibly tribal. They are happy to sing etheir praises of *their* perferences/destination/centre/club/agency, but not of the sport as a whole.

It's ultimately self defeating, as more than pretty much any other sport, we rely very heavily on infrastructure, from equipment manufacturers, local shops for kit servicing and fills, clubs/schools, to dive centres/resorts, boat operators and all the rest. Most of this infrastrucure is used and provided collectively, in that a dive shop fills and tanks and repairs regs regardless of wether you dive every weekend or two weeks a year, wether you trained PADI or BSAC, wether you dive reefs or wrecks, tropics or temperate, reccreational or technical, back or sidemount and any other number of tribal splits.

The sport desperately needs a collective voice, and also needs to find an open, inclusive voice - otherwise operators will continue to go under, and not in a good way, and that means less diving for everyone. It's a shame the DIABC portal ahsn't been kept up to date, as it's a great example of how collaboration can work to creative an appealing, inviting message to get people in the water. Which is what matters, people in the water, exploring and enjoying the world under the waves - doesn't matter if it's Humberside of Hawaii, and wether they are drysuited or wetsuited - just help people, the more diverse the better, discover the other 70% of the planet they would otherwise never have experienced.

 

[Joneill]

Personally I think this thread kind of illustrates the problem with the sport as a whole, and why it's struggling so badly. It's incredibly tribal. People, from individuals, through dive centres/clubs, and right up to training agencies are all incredibly tribal. They are happy to sing etheir praises of *their* perferences/destination/centre/club/agency, but not of the sport as a whole.

It's ultimately self defeating, as more than pretty much any other sport, we rely very heavily on infrastructure, from equipment manufacturers, local shops for kit servicing and fills, clubs/schools, to dive centres/resorts, boat operators and all the rest. Most of this infrastrucure is used and provided collectively, in that a dive shop fills and tanks and repairs regs regardless of wether you dive every weekend or two weeks a year, wether you trained PADI or BSAC, wether you dive reefs or wrecks, tropics or temperate, reccreational or technical, back or sidemount and any other number of tribal splits.

The sport desperately needs a collective voice, and also needs to find an open, inclusive voice - otherwise operators will continue to go under, and not in a good way, and that means less diving for everyone. It's a shame the DIABC portal ahsn't been kept up to date, as it's a great example of how collaboration can work to creative an appealing, inviting message to get people in the water. Which is what matters, people in the water, exploring and enjoying the world under the waves - doesn't matter if it's Humberside of Hawaii, and wether they are drysuited or wetsuited - just help people, the more diverse the better, discover the other 70% of the planet they would otherwise never have experienced.

Not sure how it is a problem for people to talk about the types of diving they like and the types of diving they don't? If anything, this thread has been quite constructive as it has resulted in divers posting about the different types of diving they enjoy and addressing pre/misconceptions - good discussion here and good info that will help folks make personal choices about the types of diving they may want to do!

Also, as much as I hear the sport is struggling, I don't see it in my personal travels - usually full boats all around! What I do see is a signifcant skew towards older divers - it seems that many in the younger generation are not as intersted in commiting to the sport. That said, my nicece and nephew were both recently certified and love diving warm tropical water. Both have zero interest in diving off of NJ - so a dislike of specific type of diving is not a barrier to entry to the sport!

 

[Joneill]

I used to not care much about wreck diving either, until seeing Thistlegorm.

Very nice - LOTS of life, and no drysuits/cold water - I'd be up for that!