Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[Doomnova]

With sharks my though is this. "coastal U.S. states alone, lightning strikes and kills more than 37 people each year.". We might want to start killing clouds...

taken from:
http://natgeotv.com/uk/shark-attack-experiment-live/facts

There is 2 kinds of fear rational fear: which usually leads to awareness and respect for conditions.
Irrational fear: which is nothing short of destructive since you become consumed with said fear.

Most people who fear sharks fall into the second of the two and is from watching too many shark weeks and too many fish tales.

 

[TMHeimer]

With sharks my though is this. "coastal U.S. states alone, lightning strikes and kills more than 37 people each year.". We might want to start killing clouds...

taken from:
http://natgeotv.com/uk/shark-attack-experiment-live/facts
There is 2 kinds of fear rational fear: which usually leads to awareness and respect for conditions.
Irrational fear: which is nothing short of destructive since you become consumed with said fear.

Most people who fear sharks fall into the second of the two and is from watching too many shark weeks and too many fish tales.

There have been many threads comparing shark attacks to other stuff, most of which I find pointless. I believe I have a "rational fear", and not from watching Jaws in 1975. I've known sharks can kill you since I was a little kid. I also know that planes can crash and think of that every time I board one. Yet I doubt anyone has less of a fear of flying than me. But just as I don't seek out sharks, if I had unlimited money I wouldn't fly unless I had to go somewhere.

 

[RJP]

It's hard to believe that BREATHING UNDERWATER and swimming around in a 3-dimensional world the way only fish could do is now considered yawn-worthy.

Was speaking with a small group of folks at DEMA today and shared a sentiment I've heard more than once from non-divers recently.

"You saw a shark last week? Yeah... me too!."

In a world where anyone who wants to can see sharks or whatever else in the their living room on a 50" HD television, diving is easily considered yawn-worthy by anyone who's never done it.

 

[EFX]

There have been many threads comparing shark attacks to other stuff, most of which I find pointless. I believe I have a "rational fear", and not from watching Jaws in 1975. I've known sharks can kill you since I was a little kid. I also know that planes can crash and think of that every time I board one. Yet I doubt anyone has less of a fear of flying than me. But just as I don't seek out sharks, if I had unlimited money I wouldn't fly unless I had to go somewhere.

Wow, 42 pages and counting! You might be surprised that if you have the means or the money or both (in the case of the rich) it doesn't take much of a reason to do anything. Back in 1980 when my wife worked for TWA (Trans World Airlines) as a reservation agent, she knew some co-workers who flew round trip 1st class to London [ONLY] for the 7-course meal and unlimited drinks. Now, get your towel out. They did this for the whopping cost of $32/person!!! They might spend a few hours at the airport before returning home in enough time for dinner. Of course we all flew standby on passes but this was cake since there were no frequent flyer miles and seat upgrades. There were also fewer people flying and more flights. We flew coach to NYC to do an afternoon of x-mass shopping for $16/person!

---------- Post added November 21st, 2014 at 08:36 AM ----------

Was speaking with a small group of folks at DEMA today and shared a sentiment I've heard more than once from non-divers recently.

"You saw a shark last week? Yeah... me too!."

In a world where anyone who wants to can see sharks or whatever else in the their living room on a 50" HD television, diving is easily considered yawn-worthy by anyone who's never done it.

I'm thinking that non-divers (ND's) may have the opposite reaction, i.e. "OMG, I don't want to do that!" The perception that most people have of scuba diving is what they see on TV. And what do they see? A scuba diver feeding a swarm of sharks, scuba divers penetrating caves (National Geographic), scuba divers looking for gold in the Bearing Straits (shallow but ice cold with some ice at the surface) to name a few. The perception is that it's just one of those x-treme (or on the verge of) sports like down hill mountain biking, free climbing, and helicopter snow skiing. What the sport needs is long videos of divers in placid scenes surrounded by colorful fish or majestic wrecks. We do see this but it's a flash in a longer commercial on either tropical resorts or cruises. (ND's can get this if they search the net).

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

You can still enjoy a good Warren Miller movie without being an extreme skiier...
I think the marketing folks need to carry that type of message forward - (hint hint RJP)... Show diving from around the world - Antartica to pick any warm water destination or different types of diving... Hour long movie with short stories of diving... just saying

 

[EFX]

I know sharks are curious but I didn't know they were this curious .......

 

[haha49]

I find the reason why allot of people don't take up scuba is a few reasons. 1 they can't swim. 2 they dont like putting their head in the water. 3 money. 4 location. With the location it simply comes down to do you really want to take a class that eats up your 2 weeks of vacation. Alot of people have a fear of the water or a fear of drowning.

For me it was I was going to a nice warm location and I figured why not. I nearly drowned a few times so my fear of the water is non existant. (once you almost drown 3 times) Number one rule is never ever panic. You panic you die was drilled into me at a young age from first aid training ect.

I found that I was sucking in allot of salt water with the rental gear it wasn't very nice so I ended up buying the gear. I figured in a first world country had beat up rental gear what would a third or second world countrys dive gear look like. So i simply bought the gear. I was told not to buy the gear by the dive shop as they recomended finding out what you really want. At the end of the day I bought everything anyways I tend to do that when I take up a new sport or hobby. For me they recomended a dry suit I didn't like it I liked diving wet. So I dive cold water in a wet suit I have never seen another diver in my area dive wet they're all dry suits. Me I like cold so it's not big deal being wet and cold I find I'm nice and toasty warm in a 7mm wet suit. I did buy a 2 peice though 1 would be a little cold.

 

[underwaterbuddy]

I find the reason why allot of people don't take up scuba is a few reasons. 1 they can't swim. 2 they dont like putting their head in the water. 3 money. 4 location. With the location it simply comes down to do you really want to take a class that eats up your 2 weeks of vacation. Alot of people have a fear of the water or a fear of drowning.

For me it was I was going to a nice warm location and I figured why not. I nearly drowned a few times so my fear of the water is non existant. (once you almost drown 3 times) Number one rule is never ever panic. You panic you die was drilled into me at a young age from first aid training ect.

I found that I was sucking in allot of salt water with the rental gear it wasn't very nice so I ended up buying the gear. I figured in a first world country had beat up rental gear what would a third or second world countrys dive gear look like. So i simply bought the gear. I was told not to buy the gear by the dive shop as they recomended finding out what you really want. At the end of the day I bought everything anyways I tend to do that when I take up a new sport or hobby. For me they recomended a dry suit I didn't like it I liked diving wet. So I dive cold water in a wet suit I have never seen another diver in my area dive wet they're all dry suits. Me I like cold so it's not big deal being wet and cold I find I'm nice and toasty warm in a 7mm wet suit. I did buy a 2 peice though 1 would be a little cold.

I think the cold deters a lot of people as well - most wouldn't consider a cold swim part of a nice holiday activity..

 

[TSandM]

I look back on why I didn't get certified earlier, and it gives me an insight into why more people don't take up the sport. I don't think we do a good job of communicating how much fun it is. Yes, the ads show beautiful people disporting themselves in clear, blue water -- but that would be irrelevant to me about 90% of the time. What I found underwater -- the joy of weightlessness, the fascinating of a rich ecosystem, membership in a group of absolutely wonderful people -- was not what I was thinking about at all when I signed up for a class.

Cost really isn't that much of a hurdle, if you really want to do something. You make it happen. My other recreational sport has ENORMOUS entry costs, whether we are just talking a pair of $400 boots (lower middle of the road price) or a $300 helmet (mid-price), or a $4000 saddle and a $10K horse (very low end for a horse capable of competition). Not to mention $700 - 1000 a month for board, $70 an hour for lessons, and let's not even talk show costs. Yet tons of people ride dressage and compete across the country, so they are finding the money to do it somewhere. The women (and it's almost all women) who do this share a dream -- a vision of horse and rider, working together in harmony, to present a beautiful finished result. Almost none of us ever actually get to DO that, but the dream drives us on, and drives an industry.

Scuba hasn't sold its dream well. Maybe we don't really know what it is.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Scuba hasn't sold its dream well.

Horse folks seem to have a dream for a blue ribbon and Dressage is very specific and precise and you can bring your whole family and friends.

Scuba does not give out ribbons and we seem to have so many different dreams from so many different folks... Just look at all the comments from Scubaboard (reefs, fish, sharks, cave, OW, shore divers, vacation divers, ice, ...) - so there is no single dream - it seems to vary from group or individuals... IMO