April 1999

Vol. 14, No. 4     What's this?

Scuba Figures

from the April, 1999 issue of Undercurrent  

More interesting than the scuba figure a beer gut cuts in a Lycra wetsuit, the National Sporting Goods Association figures show that 2.3 million Americans scuba dived in 1997, averaging nearly eleven dives each. And that a record 715,000 women participated in 1997. PADI’s research shows that in 1984 first-time certification of female participants was 26.3% of the total; by 1996 that number had increased to 34.6%.

The top three regions for diving in the U.S. are: South Atlantic (25.7%), Pacific (17.1%) and West South Central (13.4%). Not surprisingly, diving attracts an affluent demographic: 43.6% of divers have a household income of over $75,000 and 35.7% are in the $35,000 - $74,999 household income bracket.

The study also indicated that divers must like to brag about their adventures as the number one communications impetus fueling new diver participation is word-of-mouth from existing divers.