Scuba Diving Industry Market Report
Independent Scuba Diving Instructors: Statistics & Economic Profile in USA & Europe (Benchmarking)
This new scuba diving industry market report brings more light to how independent instructors, specifically, operate.
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 unique advanced logbooks & checklists for scuba divers, divemasters & instructors.
As part of the State of The Dive Industry (SOTI) survey earlier this year, we asked independent scuba diving instructors to answer a few questions about their activities and the mix of products and services they offer.
Among independent instructors who answered the survey,
- 13.5% were working full-time in the dive industry
- 43.9% were working part-time in the dive industry
- 34.8% were involved only occasionally
- 7.8% were only involved as volunteers (no remuneration)
The last time I saw a survey about scuba diving instructors was our own market report on the economics of being a dive instructor.
This new survey brings more light to how independent instructors, specifically, operate.
We can only provide statistics on dive instructors teaching scuba diving in the USA and Western Europe because we did not get enough participation in the other geographical regions to provide statistically valid results. We are working on fixing this issue for the 2024 survey. You can help us provide you with better dive industry market reports by participating in our surveys and inviting your colleagues to do so. Please subscribe and invite your colleagues to participate in our ongoing dive industry market surveys.
In numerous aspects, dive instructor activities in Europe and the USA are quite different, as you can see from the scuba diving market report below.
You may consult the number of SOTI respondents per business category and geographical region here.
Dive Shops & Independent Dive Instructors
With how many dive centers do you regularly interact in your activities as an independent instructor (for any reason like student recruitment, rental gear & fills)?
Products & Services by Independent Scuba Diving Instructors
Percentage of independent scuba diving instructors offering the following products and services:
It is more frequent for European dive instructors to operate their own fill stations than it is for Americans. However, American independent scuba diving instructors are more involved than European ones in organizing and offering dive outings and vacations.
Scuba Diving Equipment Retailing & Independent Dive Instructors
As an independent dive instructor, do you sell gear besides training course material? For instance, a rebreather instructor may sell rebreathers.
A majority of independent scuba diving instructors do not sell dive gear to their customers. However, it is more frequently the case in Europe than in the USA.
Dive Boats & Independent Scuba Diving Instructors
Do you also own & operate a day-trip dive boat?
The vast majority of independent scuba diving instructors do not own a dive boat. Yet, it is more frequently the case in Europe than in the USA.
Where do student divers come from?
What percentage of your dive training students come from out of town (requiring them to stay at least one night near the location where you provide training)?
When discussing independent scuba diving instructors with dive industry colleagues, it is often assumed that these instructors serve a local clientele, usually in the region where they live.
But the results from this survey indicate that independent dive instructors get a fair amount of student divers from out-of-town.
It would require more study, but I would assume that quality dive instructors attract scuba divers from out-of-town, especially in specialized training like rebreathers and cave diving.
I’m certain quality matters on that front.
Types & Quantity of Dive Certifications
How many and what types of scuba diving certifications are offered by independent instructors? Which dive training agency is most frequently used?
We will address these questions in our next post from the SOTI data because we want to compare independent instructors to dive centers. Subscribe to stay in the know!
Current Issues
What is the ‘Number One’ issue of concern for you in 2023 as an independent scuba diving instructor?
Here are some notable answers to this question:
- Fewer scuba divers in our region. More and more people only learn and dive abroad.
- Too many dive centers offering cheap training.
- Race to the bottom because of poor ethics.
- Lack of quality in training resulting in scuba divers who do not dive.
- Outrageously high (and constantly increasing) fees to pay to the dive training agencies.
- There is not enough control, and a lot of dive professionals are cheating.
- We should get rid of the cowboys, but I don’t see the dive training agencies willing to do this. They are the ones who create the most turnover for them.
NEW: Announcing Market Viz Project (MVP) To Generate Scuba Diving Market Size Reports
The State Of The (dive) Industry (SOTI) survey provides us with decline, flat, or growth trends. But it doesn’t tell us the actual market size in dollars (or other currencies). Therefore, we are pushing out work further with the MVP project.
SOTI and MVP studies are part of a series of dive industry surveys by the Business of Diving Institute in collaboration with InDepth Magazine with support from DAN Europe, Shearwater, GUE, and most importantly, YOU! Besides participating in this survey, please let us know if you would like to add your name to the official list of supporters.
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.
Don’t be left out! Subscribe to Scubanomics: The Dive Industry Compass to be the first to know about new dive industry market data & insights. Otherwise, be our “dive business buddy” on LinkedIn, Facebook, and elsewhere.
What now? Have a look at the complete Scubanomics Table of Contents.
