Scuba Diving Industry Market Data
Survey Results: How Much Scuba Divers Spend Annually on Dive Gear, Travel, Training & Services
Core vs. Casual Scuba Divers. Recreational vs. Tech Divers. Europe vs. USA.
Darcy Kieran is the author of a series of handbooks, reference books & logbooks for scuba divers, divemasters, dive instructors & dive industry professionals.
Over the last two months, we conducted a scuba diving industry market survey on how much scuba divers spend annually on dive gear, travel, training, and services. It is part of a wider project to collect market data from many different angles to better evaluate the size of the scuba diving industry.
InDepth Magazine and the Business of Diving Institute are collaborating on a series of scuba diving industry market studies to better understand where we stand on dive industry issues, identify workable solutions, increase awareness of opportunities, and, most notably, fuel discussions among dive professionals.
We thank the following scuba diving industry leaders for directly supporting this initiative: Shearwater, DAN Europe, and GUE. We also thank all of you who take part in these surveys and studies.
We will look at how results compare between:
- core vs. casual divers
- recreational vs. tech divers
- European vs. American divers
Unfortunately, we did not get enough answers outside of Western Europe and the USA to be able to provide results in other markets. Please help us recruit divers around the world so we can help you with more detailed market data.
Who Answered The Survey?
A total of 525 scuba divers participated in the survey.
Age groups (generations) of scuba divers who answered the survey:
- Boomers I (1946–1954): 2.9%
- Boomers II/Generation Jones (1955–1964): 10.1%
- Gen X (1965–1980): 44.9%
- Millennials (1981–1996): 36.2%
- Gen Z (1997–2012): 5.8%
Geographic region of residence:
- U.S.A.: 33.3%
- Western Europe: 34.8%
- Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, Tropical Atlantic: 8.7%
- South Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Other Tropical Asia-Pacific Region (incl. Maldives): 7.25%
- Australia & New Zealand: 5.8%
All other regions had less than 5% of the survey respondents.
Gender:
- Male: 82.6%
- Female: 13.0%
- Other/Non-binary/Prefer Not To Say: 4.4%
Core vs. Casual Divers
To be able to compare results with those provided by the SFIA (Sports & Fitness Industry Association) in the USA, we used the same definitions as the SFIA:
- Core Diver: A scuba diver who has done 8 or more dives in the prior 12 months
- Casual Diver: A scuba diver who has done less than 8 dives in the prior 12 months (but at least one)
As is the case with all dive industry surveys, we got more participation from avid scuba divers, with 60.5% of respondents fitting the definition of core divers while they are only 24% of the market.
It has always been difficult for all organizations to get participation from casual divers.
Newly Certified Scuba Divers
4.8% of survey respondents had obtained their entry-level open-water certification in the prior 12 months.
Tech Divers
62.9% of survey respondents were tech divers.
In all of our surveys, tech divers are always over-represented compared to recreational (non-tech) divers. It is explained by the fact that tech divers are typically more involved in scuba diving (more likely to be core divers) and because the Business of Diving Institute administers these scuba diving industry market studies in collaboration with inDepth Magazine, which specializes in tech diving.
Survey Results:
We converted all answers to US$. If you want to convert them to your own currency, there are numerous online tools for currency conversion. At the time of writing this market report, US$ 1 = 0.95 Euros.
Because we have a very good estimate of the number of active divers in the USA, thanks to the SFIA, we will specifically look at core & casual divers in the USA to estimate the size of the U.S. market. Later on, we hope to be able to do the same for all markets.
TRAINING: In the last 12 months, how much did you spend on dive training/courses (excluding gear or travel-related expenses)?
- Tech Divers: US$ 443
- Recreational (Non-Tech) Divers: US$ 119
- European Divers: US$ 181
- American Divers: US$ 133
- Casual Divers USA: US$ 124
- Core Divers USA: US$ 164
With 2 million casual divers and 640,000 core divers in the USA (source: SFIA), the scuba diving training market in the USA would be US$ 353 million annually, which is consistent with our estimates in the Scuba Diving Industry Market Size & Statistics report.
What percentage of your dive training/courses expenses for the last 12 months was spent locally?
On average, scuba divers spent 55% of their training expenses locally and spent the rest in dive destinations requiring travel.
SCUBA GEAR: Over the last 12 months, how much did you spend on new dive gear purchases?
- Tech Divers: US$ 970
- Recreational (Non-Tech) Divers: US$ 252
- European Divers: US$ 361
- American Divers: US$ 281
- Casual Divers USA: US$ 132
- Core Divers USA: US$ 747
With 2 million casual divers and 640,000 core divers in the USA (source: SFIA), the scuba diving training market in the USA would be US$ 742 million annually, which is consistent with our estimates in the Scuba Diving Industry Market Size & Statistics report.
It is no surprise that core divers spend more on dive gear. Unfortunately, the number of core divers is shrinking, while new divers tend to be casual ones.
Based on these results, 3.9% of active scuba divers in the USA would be tech divers.
Over the last 12 months, how much did you spend on used dive gear purchases?
On average, scuba divers who answered our survey spent US$ 98 buying second-hand diver gear.
Based on these survey results, the second-hand market is about one-third of the market for new dive gear. Assuming that second-hand gear is sold on average at 50% of the retail price of new dive gear, it would mean that about two-thirds of new dive gear is eventually resold on the second-hand market. This is much more than I expected and would require further studying.
For your new dive gear purchases over the last 12 months, what percentage did you buy in each of the following channels? The total must be 100.
- Online From The Gear Manufacturer/Brand: 25.9%
- Online From Other Sources: 27.5%
- In a Physical Store: Dive-Specialized Retailer (e.g., a local dive shop): 42.7%
- In a Physical Store: Non-Dive-Specialized Retailer (e.g., Decathlon, West Marine): 3.8%
Based on these survey results, more dive gear is now sold online than in physical stores.
Over the last 12 months, how much did you spend on purchases of new dive gear in each of the following dive gear categories?
In parenthesis is the percentage this dive gear category holds in the total dive gear market, based on the results of this survey.
- Fins, Masks & Snorkels: US$ 17.86 (5.9%)
- Exposure Protection, including Wetsuits, Skins, Drysuits, Booties, Socks, Gloves & Hoods: US$ 76.11 (25.0%)
- BC-related Hard Goods, including BCDs, Harnesses, Wings, Bladders & Back Plates: US$ 43.34 (14.3%)
- Scuba Diving-enabled Smart Watches (e.g., Apple Ultra, Huawei Ultimate): US$ 11.56 (3.8%)
- Other Dive Computers, including Wrist-mount & Console-integrated: US$ 52.40 (17.2%)
- Analog Instruments, including Depth Gauge, SPG & Compass: US$ 8.17 (2.7%)
- Regulator-related Hard Goods, including Regulators 1st & 2nd Stages, Octopus (excluding instruments): US$ 38.97 (12.8%)
- Cylinders: US$ 26.69 (8.8%)
- Paper Logbooks: US$ 0.94 (0.3%)
- Accessories, including Bags, Weights, Anti-fog, Dive Flags, Reels, Slates, Mouthpieces, Fin Straps, etc.: US$ 27.97 (9.2%)
Rebreathers
Rebreather divers have spent an annual average of:
- US$ 983.52 on purchasing rebreathers
- US$ 791 on consumables related to rebreather diving (sorb, O2 cells, etc.), excluding fills
- US$ 811 on fills (air, nitrox, trimix, or any other kind)
RENTAL GEAR: Over the last 12 months, how much did you spend on renting dive gear?
- Casual Divers: US$ 59
- Core Divers: US$ 55
Over the last 12 months, how much did you spend on servicing your dive gear (repair & maintenance)?
- Casual Divers: US$ 24
- Core Divers: US$ 148
In the last 12 months, how much did you specifically spend on cylinder fills (air, nitrox, trimix, or any other kind)?
This is the amount you paid separately for fills, and therefore, it excludes fills that were included in a package like an all-inclusive dive resort vacation or a dive course.
- Casual Divers: US$ 0.52
- Core Divers: US$ 249
It appears casual divers typically do not pay for fills as they are usually included in dive travel packages.
In the last 12 months, how much did you spend on dive outings and dive travel?
Here are the definitions we used in this survey.
- A “dive outing” is usually done at a dive site that you can reach by car and from which you can return home without requiring a night stay.
- A “dive trip” involves diving at a destination where you will spend one or more nights. It usually involves a flight, but not necessarily. For instance, a New York scuba diver could drive to Key Largo, and a Melbourne diver could go to Cairns for a diving vacation week.
Casual Divers:
- Dive Outings (without transportation): US$ 10
- Dive Trips (without transportation but with accommodations): US$ 1386
- Transportation (Airfare) for Dive Trips: US$ 334
Core Divers:
- Dive Outings (without transportation): US$ 690
- Dive Trips (without transportation but with accommodations):
US$ 2,980 - Transportation (Airfare) for Dive Trips: US$ 1,640
It appears that casual divers do not participate much in local diving (dive outings).
Other Water Sports:
Percentage of active scuba divers who answered our survey and also active in the following activities:
- Freediving: 23%
- Snorkeling: 68%
Thanks to those of you who have answered this survey. Please help us help the dive industry by participating in our ongoing scuba diving industry market studies, a collaboration between the Business of Diving Institute and inDepth Magazine with support from Shearwater, DAN Europe, and GUE.
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.”
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What now? Have a look at the complete Scubanomics Table of Contents.
