I suspect that most activities and hobbies have cyclical popularity and perhaps a dip in popularity for a short term could take some stress off of reefs.
Today's kids definitely appear less into outdoor activities in place of video games and internet, however I'm not sure if kids in the 8-16 age range being infatuated with video games explains people in the 20-30 range not being into scuba diving.
I don't buy the idea that things are so much tougher (economically, culturally, etc) on the current generation compared to the past to afford hobbies either. A person doesn't need the latest and greatest phone that's $1,200, my 7 year old smart phone works swimmingly. I'm posting from my 11 year old laptop which I also use to edit my UW photos. I don't think 18 year olds are being held at gun point to sign up for 100s of thousand in loans for degrees that can't support the debt. As far as I'm aware co-op, internships and similar still exist today to help pay for school.
I think it's just priorities and it appears that having the latest gadgets and other stuff like that is a higher priority than outdoor (at least scuba) hobbies for younger generations.
And I don't mind at all being younger than most on the dive boats with me, it's an opportunity to learn and hear stories from those that have a much longer and more extensive dive history.
Today's kids definitely appear less into outdoor activities in place of video games and internet, however I'm not sure if kids in the 8-16 age range being infatuated with video games explains people in the 20-30 range not being into scuba diving.
I don't buy the idea that things are so much tougher (economically, culturally, etc) on the current generation compared to the past to afford hobbies either. A person doesn't need the latest and greatest phone that's $1,200, my 7 year old smart phone works swimmingly. I'm posting from my 11 year old laptop which I also use to edit my UW photos. I don't think 18 year olds are being held at gun point to sign up for 100s of thousand in loans for degrees that can't support the debt. As far as I'm aware co-op, internships and similar still exist today to help pay for school.
I think it's just priorities and it appears that having the latest gadgets and other stuff like that is a higher priority than outdoor (at least scuba) hobbies for younger generations.
And I don't mind at all being younger than most on the dive boats with me, it's an opportunity to learn and hear stories from those that have a much longer and more extensive dive history.