why are there very few young divers?
- Thread starter mangoconchile
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It sounds like you are footing the bill for your children's diving/training as well as their smartphones/tablets. If more youngsters had well-off parents like you, then I believe we would see more young divers. Your family is as uncommon among the general population of divers as a young frequent poster here on old-school Scubaboard.
I see so many young divers diving or becoming certified at our Casino Point Dive Park that my view on this issue is strongly biased. I do hear that many of the younger generation do not feel SCUBA is "on the edge" enough for them... but then many think they will live for ever at that age. Back when I was that young, we weren't sure we'd make it to age 30 (but I'm sure glad most of us were wrong!).
tplyons
Contributor
Yes. Yes. No. Yes. Yes.
They're all on the bucket list except for running with the bulls... I'm adventurous, not crazy.
In fact, I was supposed to be flying out today to go to Egypt... we decided to move our trip to the Maldives because of the unrest over there.
Those places have been there thousands of years, another four or five won't prohibit me from seeing them. But who knows if my life situation will allow me to sky dive or bungee jump? If I have young kids, I may reconsider. That's why I'm doing all the fun, slightly riskier activities while I'm young and unattached.
scubamama
Registered
Most training agencies have a minimum age required to teach. Mine is 13. As you can imagine, not all 13 yo's are mature enough to go thru the training let alone understand the physics part of it. When I teach a young one (and that is at my discretion to teach or not) I have to teach in a different way. Their attention span is short and they don't seem to absorb much after about an hour in class. They seem to learn more by getting hands-on training with the equipment and in the pool. The curriculum for young ones and the knowledge I have to impart is no different than for an adult. It's the same and can be challenging for a young one and some do not survive the training and drop out. In addition, some years ago there was discussion by DAN about bone development for young divers due to pressure. Don't know if that ever got resolved but we are still teaching the young ones regardless. Just my thoughts!
Also I'm sure other instructors have gotten that one student that had more interest in high school/college that focused on partying, girls/guys rather than academics. Not to mention dive training to them is meant to impress buddies and satisfy their egos when they are not taking the training seriously and simply want to flaunt their new found "hobby". Don't know about other instructors but I am not willing to certify any student who is not serious about learning to dive. One accident or especially a fatality would end my teaching career not to mention the lawsuits that could follow. Every student I teach I am responsible for their proper training for the entire length of their diving activities for life. Sometimes I am just not willing to train high risk students and I have the option of refusing to teach them. It's pretty obvious in class when they are texting on their cell phones rather than listening to what I am trying to teach them.
I just thank God we do not have the technology to take cell phones underwater yet (or do we now???)! Yayyyyyy!
---------- Post added October 16th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ----------
You might try the following websites that will provide an overwhelming wealth of information for dive fatalities and accidents as well as info on young divers. Both are number one organizations in the world.......
FLMNH Ichthyology Department: International Shark Attack File
www.diversalertnetwork.org
One is the Divers Alert Network which is world renowned in the field of dive medicine and is based at Duke University School of Medicine in N. Carolina. The other is the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida in Gainesville which is also world renowned and can provide the stats you might be looking for. Both agencies can answer any question you may have thru email which is unheard of in large organizations but these 2 do it personally if you can't find what you're looking for on their website. Good luck!
Also I'm sure other instructors have gotten that one student that had more interest in high school/college that focused on partying, girls/guys rather than academics. Not to mention dive training to them is meant to impress buddies and satisfy their egos when they are not taking the training seriously and simply want to flaunt their new found "hobby". Don't know about other instructors but I am not willing to certify any student who is not serious about learning to dive. One accident or especially a fatality would end my teaching career not to mention the lawsuits that could follow. Every student I teach I am responsible for their proper training for the entire length of their diving activities for life. Sometimes I am just not willing to train high risk students and I have the option of refusing to teach them. It's pretty obvious in class when they are texting on their cell phones rather than listening to what I am trying to teach them.
I just thank God we do not have the technology to take cell phones underwater yet (or do we now???)! Yayyyyyy!
---------- Post added October 16th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ----------
You might try the following websites that will provide an overwhelming wealth of information for dive fatalities and accidents as well as info on young divers. Both are number one organizations in the world.......
FLMNH Ichthyology Department: International Shark Attack File
www.diversalertnetwork.org
One is the Divers Alert Network which is world renowned in the field of dive medicine and is based at Duke University School of Medicine in N. Carolina. The other is the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida in Gainesville which is also world renowned and can provide the stats you might be looking for. Both agencies can answer any question you may have thru email which is unheard of in large organizations but these 2 do it personally if you can't find what you're looking for on their website. Good luck!
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You may very well be right.Mind you latest trip my kids were allowed NO tech with them-cell/tablet etc.Its amazing how fast they find the free resort computer etc. -its like an addiction
- Messages
- 93,425
- Reaction score
- 91,717
- Location
- On the Fun Side of Trump's Wall
- # of dives
- 2500 - 4999
Hmmm ... according to your dive profile you've been diving six to ten years and have less than 100 dives.
I'm 61 years old, and have racked up more than 100 dives in the past six months.
So tell me again who's out there diving ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
drrich2
Contributor
Kazbanz:
I've seen a number of posts on the forum expressing concern over the degree of tech. engagement amongst youth today. Technology devices give people access to an online world they can't engage without it. To people who grew up without such, it doesn't seem necessary, but let's consider an analogous situation.
Let's say someone takes you on a family trip, on the condition that you wear special ear plugs that render you deaf for the trip. Turns out there are non-verbal communication options for all needs that come up, and hearing isn't strictly necessary on this trip.
Someone deaf from birth, particularly raised in a deaf family, might not regard this as particularly onerous.
Someone who had never been deaf would regard it as strange indeed.
Or have you ever stayed long in a home without a phone, land line or cell phone, where if you wanted to communicate with anyone long distance, you had to exchange letters?
Richard.
I've seen a number of posts on the forum expressing concern over the degree of tech. engagement amongst youth today. Technology devices give people access to an online world they can't engage without it. To people who grew up without such, it doesn't seem necessary, but let's consider an analogous situation.
Let's say someone takes you on a family trip, on the condition that you wear special ear plugs that render you deaf for the trip. Turns out there are non-verbal communication options for all needs that come up, and hearing isn't strictly necessary on this trip.
Someone deaf from birth, particularly raised in a deaf family, might not regard this as particularly onerous.
Someone who had never been deaf would regard it as strange indeed.
Or have you ever stayed long in a home without a phone, land line or cell phone, where if you wanted to communicate with anyone long distance, you had to exchange letters?
Richard.
I grew up with telephone, television and radio, and I'd happily give all of them up if I could. I'd love to write letters and just generally make do with less technology (yeah, I'd even give up SB). To give them up for two weeks while I'm on a dive vacation, well, that's exactly what I attempt to do. It's likely that at any given time in history, there were people who felt the technology they grew up with was a "necessity" and people who felt it was a burden and yearned for a simpler time. I suspect the latter have always been the minority. Are even a minority of today's youth really happily going on dive trips without the technology THEY grew up with? I'd love to meet a kid who might use a voice-only phone or watch TV but shuns Internet social media.
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
This thread got me thinking more and more about this issue.
Here's a list of things I see why more young people are not scuba diving or diving in general.
It's not on their radar.
They have no stimulus to get them thinking about it.
They don't see, hear, or read anything that would expose them to it.
Todays society is remarkably devoid of anything diving.
The ONLY thing I have seen recently was a shoe commercial on TV with everyone dressed 60's nerd fashion and a guy stands up out of a pool wearing vintage gear. I thought that was cool.
If they have been exposed to it and it comes to their attention:
They're intimidated by the percieved difficulty and training it takes.
They're scared of sharks.
They're scared of the unknown, the cold, and the deep.
They prefer glory sports like surfing, skimboarding, bungee boarding, or kite boarding.
Anything involving boards and the ocean or water they like, anything underwater freaks them out.
I don't know if cost is a factor because I doubt many even get as far as knowing what the gear and cert classes cost.
The ones that do dive have been mentored by parents or relatives usually, - "I used to go ab diving with my dad and grandpa",
Or, "I went on vacation with my parents to Hawaii and we got certified and went diving."
As far as young people just out of the house, working and one their own, very few.
Here's a list of things I see why more young people are not scuba diving or diving in general.
It's not on their radar.
They have no stimulus to get them thinking about it.
They don't see, hear, or read anything that would expose them to it.
Todays society is remarkably devoid of anything diving.
The ONLY thing I have seen recently was a shoe commercial on TV with everyone dressed 60's nerd fashion and a guy stands up out of a pool wearing vintage gear. I thought that was cool.
If they have been exposed to it and it comes to their attention:
They're intimidated by the percieved difficulty and training it takes.
They're scared of sharks.
They're scared of the unknown, the cold, and the deep.
They prefer glory sports like surfing, skimboarding, bungee boarding, or kite boarding.
Anything involving boards and the ocean or water they like, anything underwater freaks them out.
I don't know if cost is a factor because I doubt many even get as far as knowing what the gear and cert classes cost.
The ones that do dive have been mentored by parents or relatives usually, - "I used to go ab diving with my dad and grandpa",
Or, "I went on vacation with my parents to Hawaii and we got certified and went diving."
As far as young people just out of the house, working and one their own, very few.
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