Dive Industry Statistics | Market Data
2021 Entry-level Scuba Diving Certifications in the USA: The fall continues.
Open water scuba diving certifications in the USA per region and state in the first quarter of 2021
Darcy Kieran is the author of the reference book “Scuba Diving Industry Market Size & Statistics.”
You may also be interested in: Addendum for Q2 (April, May, June) certification numbers.
While some parts of the planet are reopening to scuba diving tourism, some regions remain totally closed, like Fiji and Yap. And we see the impact of these travel restrictions in a continuous decline in entry-level scuba diving certifications in the USA in the first quarter (Q1: January, February, March) of 2021.
Last year, in the first quarter of 2020, we were just at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The first case of COVID-19 was detected in the USA in February 2020, and restrictive measures at the borders only kicked in during March and April. Yet, the first quarter of 2020 was already down 20.4% compared to the same time period in 2019.
And in 2021, we added another 16.9% decline on top of that prior decline.
New England was the worse performing region in the first quarter of 2021, while the Mountain region recorded small gains over 2020.
Since 2020 was the beginning of the COVID-19-induced travel restrictions, let’s compare to 2019.
The scuba diving industry is having a tough time because it is highly dependent on tourism. States are performing much better where dive operators have found ways to capitalize on local diving.
Hawaii has been the best-performing state for the last three quarters. Florida had a nice rebound in the first quarter of 2021.
As it has been the case since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, California remains a mystery. Dive operators in this state underperformed the market although there is local diving available, and other water sports like surfing have experienced huge growth during the pandemic.
For the first time in the last 12 months, other states (besides Florida and Hawaii) have also experienced growth in the first quarter of 2021, although in some cases, the number of certifications is quite low, even if the percentage is positive.
Also from Darcy Kieran:
- Handbook: Your Career and/or Life as a Scuba Diving Instructor: How to Make a Good Living Out of Your Passion for Scuba Diving.
- Logbook: Advanced Scuba Diving Logbook with Checklists for certified scuba divers, divemasters & dive instructors.
- Handbook: Advanced Guide to SPF Scuba Diving for Scuba Divers, Divemasters & Dive Instructors: Develop Better Scuba Diving Skills, Dive Safer, Save Money & Have More Fun!
- Handbook: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Scuba Diving: How to Increase Safety, Save Money & Have More Fun!
- Logbook: STARTER Scuba Diving Logbook with Checklists while getting your open water diver certification!
- Reference book: Scuba Diving Industry Market Reports, Data & Statistics.
Side note: During your surface intervals, have a look at my novels with a scuba diving twist, starting with “Mystery of The Blue Dragon” and “Shadows on Ocean Drive.”
You could help the dive industry by taking part in ongoing dive industry surveys. You will also find results from our past scuba diving market studies here.
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