Percentage of divers who go beyond openwater?

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Back in 2017 we started an initiative to get all CMAS instructors certified as nitrox instructors here in Denmark. So we have had two course for instructors only and we will have two more. This is just to catch up with the certified instructors.
We have also changed the instructor course to also have nitrox included. So when you get certified as CMAS * instructor, you will also get a Nitrox instructor certificate.

I have also heard of similar things in other countries in europe (I can't remember if it was Austria or Switzerland)
 
I think I can give a part of the answer to OP. I have the numbers for CMAS in Denmark.

View attachment 498411

So for every 100 new CMAS 1 divers in 2016 there was 27,3 new CMAS 2 and so on.

These divers are almost all certified through diving clubs and not diving centers. So if this represents the diving industry I can't say.

A quick guide to the levels
CMAS 1 = Open water
CMAS 2 = Rescue diver
CMAS 3 = Divemaster

What happened in 2016 to cause the drop?
 
Hmm, bad weather and general fluctuation?
I only have the numbers for 2017 until October and they are increasing again.
 
@scubadada
Do any of the training organizations release or publish this kind of information? If we knew #OW, AOW, Rescue, DM certs for a year or longer period, we would have a rough idea, as each successive cert requires the prior one. I'd also be interested in knowing this.
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I would sincerely doubt it !

One needs only to go to any area on this board and go back two years -- there might be a few name's that are recognizable - go back 5 years few if any are recognizable -- to the very beginning of the board there will be no name that is recognizable.

Recreational diving is a transitional sport/activity-- enjoy it and immerse in it - until the equipment begins wear or the wife wants a new home.
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When Skin Diver Magazine was being published by the late Jim Auxier ad Chuck Blakeslee, they decided to do a 25 year survey on the diving public based on their readers and subscribers.

Every five years for a period of 25 years they had a professional survey company contact a survey of readers and subscribers. I have all the surveys tucked away in my file.

The last survey was some years ago - but it indicated that the average length a diver to remained active in the sport was 2.9 years ! Granted some like @drbill @Akimbo @David Wilson, @boulderjohn and a few others have so much money and time invested that they are the exception and will be around forever--

So please keep in mind it is a transitional sport

SDM
@Sam Miller III
Guess I am bucking a trend: diving for 21 years now.

Rescue and Normoxic Trimix cert so far.
 
From what I've read, tech. is incredibly expensive. The gas fills for one thing. You have to really want to go down there, for whatever reason, and you need the financial means.
As far as pushing folks to DM as a money grab--well, it behooves (sp?) the DM candidate to check out employment opportunities with the shop beforehand----no? AND to ask if there is a SALARY.
I actually took Rescue (along with Diving First Aid, O2, CPR & AED, and MSD) with the intention of progressing to DM, which I am currently finishing up. But not because of any desire to be paid for my time. The biggest reason for me is to be able to give something back to the diving community. Of course the deeper discounts on gear certainly don't hurt, but ultimately I want to be able to help usher others into this wonderful sport we're all a part of. Whether or not I will progress on to instructor has yet to be decided and I think if I do, I'd like to focus mainly on teaching kids (17 & younger) because they seem to be more passionate about things and are much more impressionable. They get excited about learning how to dive and it's incredible to watch them "get" the skills and be proud of themselves. So we'll see if I ever make it to instructor. At this point, I have no plans to do so but never say never. Next progression for me I think is Solo Diver, followed by Intro to Tech and then onward from there.
 
I realize there probably isn't a simple answer to this question, but how expensive is it to go tech? Just curious since a few people mentioned it. I know the expense of just basic diving delayed my entry into the sport by several years; I did a DSD as a broke waitress in my 20s and loved it, but knew I couldn't afford to pursue it at the time. Several years and a professional degree later, I suddenly realized the cost of the courses and equipment was something I could easily afford now, and I'm having the time of my life.

Anecdotally, I've also been discovering that half the people I know used to be divers but their interest petered out at some point, which is consistent with the numbers people in this thread have been putting forward.
 
I realize there probably isn't a simple answer to this question, but how expensive is it to go tech? Just curious since a few people mentioned it. I know the expense of just basic diving delayed my entry into the sport by several years; I did a DSD as a broke waitress in my 20s and loved it, but knew I couldn't afford to pursue it at the time. Several years and a professional degree later, I suddenly realized the cost of the courses and equipment was something I could easily afford now, and I'm having the time of my life.

Anecdotally, I've also been discovering that half the people I know used to be divers but their interest petered out at some point, which is consistent with the numbers people in this thread have been putting forward.
I agree with this post entirely. I became interested in diving when my best friend got his OW and AOW through PADI back in 1996, but I was a poor kid with nothing and no way to pay for it so I never did. Fast forward to 2013 when I was financially stable enough to afford it, a mortgage, two cars, a kid, and all the other things life has to offer and I hit the ground running. Of course I took a year hiatus after my pool session because I ruptured my ear drum doing skin diving skills (equalized at about 9 ft deep) but finally got my OW in November 2014 and my AOW in May 2015. Have been diving regularly ever since. Mostly local lakes/quarries with some Cozumel thrown in, but it's become my biggest passion to the point where I just want to share it with the rest of the world. I really don't understand how some people can go through the training, do dives in places like Cozumel, Bonaire, Indonesia, etc. and then lose interest. To me it's extremely addicting. I almost wish my bathtub was deeper so I could blow bubbles while I take a bath! I actually considered having a pool built so I could throw my gear on and go sit on the bottom whenever I wanted. Of course the price tag and maintenance costs/efforts steered me clear of that money pit. Still....I don't get it. If you get to experience the joy of breathing beneath the waves and seeing what the ocean has to offer....how in the hell could you not want to experience it more?
 
I realize there probably isn't a simple answer to this question, but how expensive is it to go tech?

It depends on a lot of personal choices.
but If you start from scratch, 10K is gone before you realise. And after that it really starts, scooter, ccr, ...
 
Wouldn't it be more reasonable to assume that a high percentage of the divers that invested the time, effort and money to reach rescue diver level will upgrade to at least the DM level?
I have my Master and have no interest of going to a company man via DM.
 

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