Interesting topic. For sure, diving has a lot going against it. For the most part, it’s not just something you can just decide to try one day, then go do it. For many, the lure is not there, or if it is, it isn’t strong enough to commit. I have a hard time grasping this, as for me, the lure has been strong ever since I was very young.
Training is certainly a factor, but it’s not exactly straight forward. Watering down the training can have the result of lowering the bar to entry, but it contributes to another problem. You now have a bunch of divers with minimal knowledge. They are not comfortable in the water to begin with, and now they have to contend with bulky, heavy gear. That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. Swing the pendulum to the other side, and you can end up with very skilled comfortable divers, but only a few of them, as the upfront work is high.
All I can really say is what worked in my family. My wife has no desire to dive. She’s the exception in my family. It makes sense though. She never learned to swim until she was in her 30’s. I, on the other hand grew up around water and learned to swim at a very young age. Our daughters actually learned water skills before they could walk. As a result, the three of us are very comfortable in the water, and for the most part, the learning part didn’t seem like a lot of work.