How has the internet affected diving? Good/bad or both?

[chillyinCanada]

How has the internet affected diving? Good/bad or both?
IDK, no idea how you guys do it I never managed to get a connection while diving which in part is why I love diving...

Thanks for that @Schwob

 

[NAM001]

The internet is only what you use it for. If you choose to use it as a replacement for training, or if you use it for a second opinion , or the combination will depend on what you get. Diving is not a difficult behavior. like hanging a picture there is a trick to finding where to put the nail and not how to use a hammer. Learning diving on the net can be a hazard for those that do not know how learn in that environment. For others like myself and so many others it is learning a few more fine points to add to the list of skills you already have. In use to year all you had was an OW card. now that has been disected for dollars into god knows how many classes. That is a deterant for many when the info is right on the net. To add to that problem there is no discrimination as to who dives what dives as long as you have the min proof of min training. THAT GO ANYWHERE DO ANYTHING NO ONE CAN STOP ME OW BASIC CARD. There has long been used the line YOU DONT NOW WHAT YOU DONT KNOW. ,,,,,,,,,,,, MANY of us do. not what we dont know but that there is someihing we do not know, what ever it is. Myself the internet venue like this one is a source of information regarding skills and or tools and their use. I may not know everything but there is a lot less I dont know than many others. For me and many others online sudo training is all we need plus possibly some time to practice some skills hope fully with someone more of an expert. You dont have to take a course to learn how to share air with a long hose or shoot a buoy. There is likewise very little that one would have to have proof of training to dive. Today the only time you have to have training is when it is a pre req for some other needed training. Unless there is an enforced factor involved most will not take training. those forced factors are nitrox, trimix and getting deco tanks, RB related items, cave, and a few others.. I can learn more by reading discussions than I could ever get from one instructors viewpoint.

 

[NAM001]

And despite all this, somehow diving continued to grow and peak in the analog days. Now even with the internet and everything it’s brought, diving seems to have stalled or at least leveled off relative to the growth of what should be the next generation of divers. Why is that?

ECONOMY, And I hope we see the return to diving along with the improvement in the economy.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

And despite all this, somehow diving continued to grow and peak in the analog days. Now even with the internet and everything it’s brought, diving seems to have stalled or at least leveled off relative to the growth of what should be the next generation of divers. Why is that?

that theory is completely false. The internet drives scuba to insane heights now. Everywhere you want to dive even at the ends of the earth it is overcrowded.

pescador island on cebu? packed like a mofo. Coron wrecks ditto. raja ampat new dive liveaboards every year..... your theory is almost insane in the face of reality.

Cebu scuba is outgrowing what diveshops can do and new hotels new business is accelerating this. Cebu over the next couple years will likely need to double the amount of scuba dive shops to keep up with demand from korea, japan, usa, germany, all of europe etc.

There is no stalling of scuba in destinations like the philippines, indonesia, mexico, etc etc

people learn about cenotes, wrecks, tech courses, you name it. twenty years ago coron wreck diving was not a one off site it was like travelling to the himalayas. Now its nonstop business and endless customers.

There may be much turnover in customers as many just dive for 2 or 3 years and quit but the worlds population grows and advertising now reaches everywhere and brings scuba customer anywhere there is water.

stalling? Far from it. Dive shops may be losing tons of business to online stores like liesurepro scubatoys etc etc but dive destinations are becoming saturated.


and yes diving is far safer now. in the old days you would borrow or rent gear and go off on your own with a friend and hopefully not die. I did my first scuba dive with no knowledge near san francisco in 1985 with another guy my age and we could have both EASILY died. Luckily I lost a weight belt otherwise I or both of us could have been injured or died. no scube training no nothing just had access to gear and went to try to scuba dive. with no knowledge of what the heck we were trying to do.

if we had the internet back then that would have never happened.

the internet saves lives regarding scuba no doubt at all.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

The internet is only what you use it for. If you choose to use it as a replacement for training, or if you use it for a second opinion , or the combination will depend on what you get. Diving is not a difficult behavior. like hanging a picture there is a trick to finding where to put the nail and not how to use a hammer. Learning diving on the net can be a hazard for those that do not know how learn in that environment. For others like myself and so many others it is learning a few more fine points to add to the list of skills you already have. In use to year all you had was an OW card. now that has been disected for dollars into god knows how many classes. That is a deterant for many when the info is right on the net. To add to that problem there is no discrimination as to who dives what dives as long as you have the min proof of min training. THAT GO ANYWHERE DO ANYTHING NO ONE CAN STOP ME OW BASIC CARD. There has long been used the line YOU DONT NOW WHAT YOU DONT KNOW. ,,,,,,,,,,,, MANY of us do. not what we dont know but that there is someihing we do not know, what ever it is. Myself the internet venue like this one is a source of information regarding skills and or tools and their use. I may not know everything but there is a lot less I dont know than many others. For me and many others online sudo training is all we need plus possibly some time to practice some skills hope fully with someone more of an expert. You dont have to take a course to learn how to share air with a long hose or shoot a buoy. There is likewise very little that one would have to have proof of training to dive. Today the only time you have to have training is when it is a pre req for some other needed training. Unless there is an enforced factor involved most will not take training. those forced factors are nitrox, trimix and getting deco tanks, RB related items, cave, and a few others.. I can learn more by reading discussions than I could ever get from one instructors viewpoint.

scuba diving is like hanging a picture and hammering nails? your entire post seems like a long rant with a point I cannot fathom. It reminds me of when I post here when im completely drunk. Which is not now.


seriously......what in the world.....no its not on any level like hammering nails or hanging pictures. in any sense in any way not in any kind of analogy.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

ECONOMY, And I hope we see the return to diving along with the improvement in the economy.

employment and the economy are currently at all time highs. You want a low go back to the end of 2008. Right now there are not enough people to fill all the jobs opening.

 

[Diving Dubai]

And despite all this, somehow diving continued to grow and peak in the analog days. Now even with the internet and everything it’s brought, diving seems to have stalled or at least leveled off relative to the growth of what should be the next generation of divers. Why is that?

How do you measure if diving has stalled?

Is it fewer people dive locally or retail outlets have decreased?

I would suggest the opposite maybe true, because more people have access to overseas travel than they did in the 70's/80's and 90's Some far places which were considered far flung and remote then are quite accessible now. And of course lots of people prefer to buy online and have goods delivered rather than making a physical trek to a store (rightly or wrongly)?

 

[CT-Rich]

And despite all this, somehow diving continued to grow and peak in the analog days. Now even with the internet and everything it’s brought, diving seems to have stalled or at least leveled off relative to the growth of what should be the next generation of divers. Why is that?

That is like commenting on climate change because it is raining. I am not saying you are completely wrong, but diving in the US may not be doing great, but world wide it may be a very different situation.

The LDS business model is in trouble, but a big portion may be changes in the economy. More stuff is bought online, ergo, fewer stores. In the US, economic disparity is growing larger. A smaller percentage of middle class, a smaller number of divers.

Eco tourism is growing, so you may be seeing more destination diving and less cold water local diving. There are big parts of the world that are growing their middle class and dive industries. The US economy does sit at the center of the world anymore. We may simply not be seeing the growth of diving in countries like India, Philippines, China, Africa or Russia.

Scuba diving also competes with other activities aside from screen time. Jet skis, drone flyingdid not exist 30 years ago. Even sports like biking, kayaking and fishing have upped their game competing for dollars. What does a good road bike cost these days?

I wouldn’t blame computer screens for the death of diving.

 

[markmud]

HI KWS,

I agree with the gist of your quote below. There definitely is a "trick" or technique that makes picture hanging easy and foolproof. However, there are more critical facets to scuba diving than hanging a picture--the risks are greater qualitatively and quantitatively. But I understand your underlying point.

Diving is not a difficult behavior. like hanging a picture there is a trick to finding where to put the nail and not how to use a hammer.

Hi Scubadriver,

I followed the underlying theme from KWS' post and I think he has a point. He could have explained it better (if my theory on his point is correct).

scuba diving is like hanging a picture and hammering nails?

Hi Eric,
Yeah, according to statistics diving (and many other DIY sports seem to be dying). Sectors of the diving community are thriving--travel destinations are OK.

Us baby-boomers are at retirement age and are getting in our last adventures before dementia, cancer, heart disease, and worn-out joints do us in.

Will the younger generations take-up sports that we enjoy? They don't seem to be. The middle class has been economically stagnated because of regulatory policies and poorly performing economies; will that change now that the economy has been unleashed?

I know I am being actively poached for my pre-retirement small-time job skills, and my wage is increasing with every inquiry. Will the younger people join our enthusiasm for scuba when they realize their upward mobility (more disposable income--no longer having to live in Mommy's basement)?

My son and daughter seem ready to jump into "our" sports as soon as they have some disposable income--are they anomalies?

Now even with the internet and everything it’s brought, diving seems to have stalled or at least leveled off relative to the growth of what should be the next generation of divers. Why is that?

Thanks to the internet, I am enjoying this thread!
m

 

[cardzard]

My 2 cents is that the internet has brought a much needed aspect to diving. The fact that it expands the social aspect to divers around the world enriches ALL DIVERS. No longer are divers just getting input on a local only level.

As one of organizers of ScubaBoard's Invasion & SURGE events that are Internet based, ScubaBoard has brought divers together that may have never talked online or met in person but end up making LIFELONG connections. Those who have attended know what I am talking about, it really does happen. Without the internet this would not be possible.

Destination dive trips can be researched and planned much more effectively because of the internet.

Is there a BAD aspect to diving because of the internet ?
Sure like everything else in life there must be the other side of the coin. I could go on about anyone with a keyboard. However that only effects you if you let it.

IMO the expansion of the SOCIAL aspect to diving cannot be understated since you cannot dive 24/7.
After all without the internet there would be no ScubaBoard.