why are there very few young divers?

[chillyinCanada]

I'm trying to say that its not economics. Young people find the money to do what they want to do, whether that be skiing (a very expensive sport in its own right), snowboarding (same as before), golf (heck, I know lots of young golfers). After all, they are paying for their cellphones, ipads, laptops, maybe cars, etc. I was only 18, lived in my own place, no roommate, yet I found the money for the ski equipment, ski wear, ski day trips and weekends. When I was in my mid-twenties, after purchasing my starter home, I also started finding the money for ski vacations. All my ski club friends were doing the same and many of them married . . . each other! So, if we can find a way to spark the young people's interest, they'll find the money.

 

[PaloPinto]

IM 27 and was certified at 12.... Ive kinda noticed the same thing though, all you guys are OLD! :shocked2:

 

[chillyinCanada]

 

[tplyons]

So expensive. I got certified at 25 and people 5 years my senior scoffed at the price.

But I assure you, we're here. I regularly dive with a group of about 8 divers between 25 and 30.

 

[Diver0001]

where are the younger divers? im talking late 20s and under. my guess is due to the high initial cost of certification+gear most people cant afford it.

I was 18 when I learned how to dive. My daughter was 14. My son will be too. I've also trained quite a number of students in the 12-18 range over the years. Most of them were children of divers.

I also just recently made an appointment with a 17 year old diver to work on his SAC.

... so they do exist.

R..

 

[corvettejoe]

I think that it's because of the cost investment and time a lot of us put into it, we're older..we're all sitting at a desk job, and have plenty of time to post on forums all day at work.

I know a LOT of younger people, teens, early 20's, etc that dive... they dive on vacation, rent gear once a year to dive, generally they don't have desk jobs or sit on their computer all night at home and post on forums. Because it's a more casual thing to them, or something they just did on a tropical vacation, they aren't as passionate about the sport/hobby as the rest of us on here are. Nothing wrong with that though, to each their own.

I was big into mountain biking for a few years. I still ride on occasion and love every minute of it... but I don't go on group trailrides, post on bike forums, or hang out at bike shops. I like biking, but I'm not passionate about it. It's just something fun I enjoy doing now and then. Same thing for the other hobbies I have.

 

[herbdb]

They can't drive and text at the same time. You want them to fly and text at the same time??!?!?!?!

I think you may be close to the reason. They avoid activities where they can't use their cell phones. Think how many messages and tweets you could miss in a one hour dive. Of course going off the grid to a remote dive destination would be torture for them.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I agree with those who say the main factor is cost. A secondary factor is that it's just a good sport/hobby for older people, since it's not so physically demanding.

Sure, there are young people who fly off on ski vacations, etc. (or more likely snowboarding these days), but they are generally people with well-paying careers or who get help from mommy and daddy. There's a much larger segment of the 20-something population--I guess I should confine my comments to the US--that doesn't have that kind of disposable income. If those people live near a coast with good diving, they might very well take up the sport. But for most inland dwellers, the idea of diving in a quarry or lake is not very attractive, so those people will likely not take up diving until later in their lives when they have the money for tropical trips. When I got certified I was in the early years of a new and demanding career, so I hardly dived until I got into my late 30s and had more time and money. With each year, I have more time and (but for those morons in Washington) money to spend on diving. Ideally, I'd like to spend time diving when I retire. It's a good sport/hobby for older people, since it's not as physically demanding as, say, rock climbing, cycling, etc., yet not as sedate as, say, golf. Also, it's possible to combine diving with vacations that you'd possibly be taking anyway as a retiree.

No doubt there are plenty of exceptions to the types of people I'm referring to--I'm just making generalizations.

 

[rhwestfall]

the "bucket list" mentality (society as a whole, but in particular some of the younger generations) isn't really applicable to SCUBA. The thrill seekers aren't likely to sing up so they can dive the Doria, post on their FB page, and themn move on to something else....

"Epic" stuff and diving is a lifetime dedication.....

 

[Skittl1321]

My husband and I are 30 and just got certified. We made the mistake of adding up all the expenses and holy crap. We spent $560 each on cert classes/checkouts (when people say they do that for $300- I assume they don't include checkout? Because if that includes that OMG that is cheap), $100 each on a wetsuit, $150 each on mask + fins, $300 on my computer, even more for his. Then there was just the random peripherals- a dive flag buoy, dive knives, etc. To actually go diving we each need to rent a BC, reg set and tanks to go diving is another $60 each time, plus the gas money to drive 2 hours to drive to a crappy place to dive (and the $900 to fly + hotel to a good place to dive).

There is just no way we could have done this in our mid-20s.


However, I will agree- we are surprised by the average age of divers. I belong to a quilting club, and most of the ladies are well past retirement. When we joined the scuba club we thought we'd meet a few younger people. Most of the divers are even older than the quilters!