Dive Industry Market Data | Scuba Diving Statistics
Dive Training Agencies 2023: Brand Awareness & Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Recreational scuba diving training agencies do not score high with scuba divers. Tech diving agencies fare better.
Darcy Kieran is the author of the handbook “Your Career and/or Life as a Scuba Diving Instructor: How to Make a Good Living Out of Your Passion for Scuba Diving” and a unique advanced logbook & checklists for scuba divers, divemasters & instructors.
Over the last 12 months, the Business of Diving Institute ran a test survey on dive training agencies with the goal of identifying if some training agencies had more credibility and trust than others.
We asked divers how likely they would recommend each dive training agency to their friends, family members, or colleagues.
We used a scale of 0 to 10 like it is used by businesses surveying their customers to determine a Net Promoter Score (NPS).
From the results of this test, we relaunched the dive training agency survey in its final version (please answer it). Considering the predominant role of training agencies in the dive industry, we intend to run this market study annually to evaluate trends.
Dive Training Agencies’ Brand Awareness
For each dive training agency, survey participants were asked to provide an answer based on their experience with dive centers & instructors affiliated with that dive training agency or to select “N/A” if they were not aware of that agency or did not know enough to have an opinion.
Therefore, “n/a” is an indirect way of measuring brand awareness. And it is no surprise that PADI was the most well-known dive training agency.
Percentage of scuba divers who had no knowledge of the dive training agency or did not know enough to have an opinion:
- PADI: 1.1%
- SSI: 8.7%
- NAUI: 12.9%
- DAN: 14.7%
- TDI: 16.8%
- SDI: 20.0%
- GUE: 24.2%
- IANTD: 29.4%
- RAID: 33.0%
- BSAC: 33.7%
- CMAS: 39.6%
- HSA: 69.9%
- PSS: 72.8%
- ACUC: 77.2%
In the relaunched survey, we significantly increased the list of dive training agencies.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a measure widely used by organizations to determine the quality of customer experience and predicts business growth.
NPS uses a scale of 0 (not at all likely to recommend) to 10 (extremely likely).
Answers fall into three categories:
- Promoter: 9 or 10
- Passive: 7 or 8
- Detractor: 0 to 6
And the NPS score is calculated as follows:
- (% of Promoters) - (% of Detractors) = NPS
The Net Promoter Score is a number from -100 to +100.
The perfect score of 100 is almost impossible for any business to achieve. These are the ranges suggested by Bain & Company, the creators of NPS:
- Above 0: Good
- Above 20: Favorable
- Above 50: Excellent
- Above 80: World-class
For instance, Rebreather Forum 4 got an NPS of 62 from its participants, which is excellent!
Dive Training Agencies Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Overall, it appears scuba divers are quite critical of dive training agencies, with only DAN (Divers Alert Network) scoring above 20. Only two other agencies scored above zero, both of them specialized in tech diving: TDI and GUE.
- DAN: 38
- TDI: 6
- GUE: 1
- HSA: -12
- BSAC: -12
- PSS: -17
- SDI: -20
- ACUC: -21
- RAID: -24
- PADI: -27
- SSI: -32
- IANTD: -36
- NAUI: -37
- CMAS: -40
With these negative NPS scores and a consistently high drop-out rate (high attrition) among newly certified divers, it may be time to redesign how we introduce people to the underwater world.
Two hundred six scuba divers participated in this first test survey on scuba diving training agencies. 42% of respondents were from the USA, and 29% were from Europe.
Please participate in the fine-tuned and relaunched version of this dive training agency survey. We will post the results early next year with a much broader base of respondents. Be one of them!
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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