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Darcy Kieran

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Oct 25, 2020 · 8 min read

Last updated on July 20, 2021.

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News & Editorials / COVID-19

A) Scubanomics Sections

• 1) Scuba Diving Industry Statistics, Market Data & Structure
• 2) Scuba Diving Industry Analysis
• 3) Scuba Diving Industry Strategies
• 4) Dive Professional Career & Dive Center Management
• Lessons Learned: Strategic Lessons from Inside & Outside the Dive Industry
• Special Section: The Scuba Diving Industry & COVID-19

B) Scubanomics Posts by Section

1) Scuba Diving INDUSTRY STATISTICS, Market DATA & STRUCTURE:

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Latest Market Data Updates:

1. Scuba Diving Equipment Market Size 2021–2025: The global recreational scuba diving equipment market size was valued at $1.95 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach this level again in 2023, post-pandemic recession.
2. 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.
3. Final Numbers on Dive Gear Sales in the USA in 2020: Scuba diving, snorkeling, and freediving gear sales during the COVID-19 pandemic year. Market research report.
4. Scubanomics’ Exclusive Industry Survey on awareness, intent to participate, participation rate, satisfaction, and dropout rate for scuba diving, snorkeling, and surface-supplied air (tankless) diving.
5. Scuba Diving Gear Sales in 2020: A Full Year of Pandemic. Sales of dive equipment (Scubapro) compared to other outdoor industry activities.
6. 2020 Scuba Diving Certifications in the USA Including Recently Released 4th Quarter: Open water dive certifications after a year of COVID-19 pandemic.
7. The State of The Scuba Diving Industry After a Year of Pandemic: Where does the dive industry stand? What should we expect for dive travel, scuba certifications, and dive gear sales in 2021 and 2022?
8. 5-Year Trends in The Dive Industry: Scuba Gear, Dive Travel & Certifications. Trends on eLearning, rebreathers, side-mount diving, scuba certification during travel, and freediving.

Dive Industry Statistics:

1. The Size of The Scuba Diving Industry. Scuba diving certifications & dive gear sales: USA, Europe, and Worldwide.
2. Scuba Diving Participation Rate & Statistics: Comparing scuba diving to snorkeling, swimming, and stand-up paddling, including statistics from the 2020 pandemic year.
3. Scuba Divers Dropout Rate: Causes and solutions for the high dropout rate in the scuba diving industry.
4. Scuba Diving Industry Market Statistics: Sources of Data & Lack of Data. DEMA, SFIA, OIA, Training Agencies, Dive Gear Manufacturers, William Cline, Dive Center Business.
5. Warning: Fake Dive Industry Statistics and Market Research. Be wary of rosy dive industry market data reports.

Dive Industry Structure:

1. The Dive Industry Stakeholders: Training agencies, scuba gear manufacturers, dive centers, independent scuba diving instructors, travel agencies, and more.
2. Managing a Local Dive Shop is Like Managing 6 Businesses in One — The 3Es of the Dive Industry: Scuba courses, dive gear, dive travel, rental gear, repair & maintenance, and fill station services.
3. 2 Types of Dive Centers: Origin & Destination. Local dive shops and scuba diving resorts: What’s the same? What’s different?

Stakeholder Profiles:

1. Scuba Diver Socio-Demographic Profile: The recreational scuba diving market is not homogeneous.
2. The Socio-Demographic Profile of a Snorkeler & Snorkeling Participation Rate: Who are the snorkelers? How do they differ from scuba divers? Why aren’t they scuba diving?
3. Profile of a Scuba Diving Professional: Building a professional dive industry satisfying today’s consumers requires more than passion from dive professionals.
4. DEMA Part 2: The DEMA Show 2020 & DEMA Organization Post-COVID-19: Will DEMA survive? How? What for?
5. What is DEMA? Who is DEMA? What’s in it for me? DEMA Board of Directors, PADI’s Influence, Services Offered by DEMA.

The Missing Links:

1. The Lack of a Reliable Brand in The Dive Industry: Is there a scuba diving brand you would trust, quality-assurance-wise, no matter on which door you see the logo around the world?
2. Scuba Diving Industry Market Statistics: Sources of Data & Lack of Data. DEMA, SFIA, OIA, Training Agencies, Dive Gear Manufacturers, William Cline, Dive Center Business.
3. The Missing Dive Industry Trade Publication: What would be a dive industry trade publication? What publications do we have in the dive industry?

2) Scuba Diving Industry ANALYSIS:

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1. 5 Methods for a Dive Industry Strategic Analysis: From strategic analysis to strategies and actions in the dive industry.
2. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis of The Dive Industry: Threat of New Entrants, Bargaining Power of Suppliers & Buyers, Threat of Substitute Products & Services, and Rivalry Among Existing Firms.
3. Dive Industry SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
4. 4 Ps: Product-Centered Dive Industry Marketing Mix. Product, Place, Promotion, and Price in the Dive Industry.
5. 4 Cs: Customer-Centered Dive Industry Marketing Mix. Customer Value, Costs, Convenience, and Communication.
6. PESTLE Analysis of The Dive Industry: Political, Economic, Social / Socio-Demographic, Technological, Legal, Environmental.
7. Dive Industry Trends & Strategic Analysis: Key Takeaways. Scuba diving training, dive gear, and dive travel trends. Innovation-based growth strategies for the scuba diving industry.

3) Scuba Diving Industry STRATEGIES:

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Innovation-Based Growth:

1. A Blue Ocean Strategy in The Dive Industry: How to break out of the red ocean of bloody competition to create a new uncontested market space that makes competition irrelevant.
2. Surface-Supplied Air vs. A Blue Ocean Strategy for The Dive Industry: What can tankless diving “eliminate, reduce, raise and create” for the scuba diving industry? How can we integrate it into our dive operations to foster growth?

Structure-Related Strategies:

1. 2020 Update: A New Business Model for a Redefined Local Dive Center: COVID-19 accelerated changes happening in the scuba diving industry.
2. Strategy: Redefining The Role of The Dive Center. Will the dive shop as we know it remains at the heart of the dive industry?
3. Strategy: Redesigning The Dive Industry Business Model. If we’re constantly competing but not growing, it’s time we make a move!
4. Octopus Strategy: An Innovative Way of Distributing Dive Gear & Training to Today’s Consumers. How can the dive industry best meet today’s consumers’ expectations?

Experience-Related Strategies:

1. Strategy: Consistency in The Quality of The Scuba Diving Experience. Defining and using quality assurance and branding for customer retention and satisfaction in the dive industry.
2. A New Paradigm for the Scuba Diving Industry: It’s about diving! Putting ‘scuba diving’ back into the ‘scuba diving industry’.
3. Strategy: Fixing Scuba Tryouts & Entry-Level Scuba Diving Courses. “A student fresh out of a scuba diving class is just ready to start learning to dive.”
4. Strategy: Redefining The Way We Promote & Teach Scuba Diving. Make scuba diving more attractive to non-divers, deliver more value and convenience to divers, and adjust marketing communications accordingly.
5. The Revival of Local Diving: To Save The Dive Industry. How can we capitalize on growth in near-home outdoor activities and domestic-only travel?
6. Cultivating Freshwater Quarries as Aquatic Life Educational Centers for Scuba Divers: Consistent and regular inland diver participation is key to a healthy and vibrant scuba diving industry.

Strategies on Scuba Diving Product Mix:

1. Strategy: Adjusting What Scuba Gear We Sell & How. Expand your product & service offerings to widen the consumer acquisition net and increase your revenues.
2. Strategy: Expand Your Dive Shop Product Assortment — Scuba Gear & Services. There’s a lot you can offer beyond scuba diving with your current assets, store, pool, team, and dive site.

Sales & Marketing Strategies:

1. Strategy: Marketing Scuba Diving to Non-Divers. Where and how can we recruit new scuba divers?
2. Strategy: Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) in The Dive Industry. What are the benefits of D2C to consumers, dive training agencies, and scuba gear brands?
3. Meet The Next-Normal Scuba Diver: COVID-19 created changes in scuba divers’ habits and preferences.

4) Dive Professional CAREER & Dive Center MANAGEMENT:

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A Career as a Scuba Diving Professional:

1. In which part of the scuba diving industry should I invest? Who stands to gain in a renewed dive industry? Which dive gear brand? Scuba diving training agency? Dive resort? Local dive shop?
2. The Economics of Being a Recreational Scuba Diving Instructor:
   Is it possible to make a career as a recreational scuba diving instructor? What to expect, financially.
3. Scuba Diving Career 101
4. Should I remain independent or join the staff of a dive center?
5. Should I buy/invest in a dive center? How?
6. What is the remuneration of a dive professional?
7. What are jobs available to dive professionals?

Skills for Success in The Scuba Diving Industry:

1. Best Marketing & Business Management Books for Scuba Diving Professionals: Reference books used in Scubanomics articles. Dive professional career development and dive center management tools
2. Sales 101 for Scuba Diving Professionals
3. Valuable Selling Skills for Dive Professionals To Learn During the Lockdown — and After! Increasing sales and customer satisfaction can be done simultaneously.
4. Becoming A Scuba Diving Service Technician: Why & How
5. Becoming an Environment Specialist: It’s no longer an option!

Sales, Marketing & Customer Service in The Dive Industry:

1. Raising then Exceeding Expectations: Where Customer Satisfaction Meets Sales
2. Dive Centers & Professionals: How To Prevent Becoming a Commodity
3. Trusted Brands, Craft Brands, and Your Scuba Diving Brand
4. What brand should I carry or represent in my dive shop or as a dive professional?

Dive Center Operations & Human Resources:

1. Quality, Dive Safety, Insurance, and Lawsuits
2. Sexism & Sexual Harassment in The Dive Industry

LESSONS LEARNED: Strategic Lessons from Inside & Outside the Dive Industry

1. A Blue Ocean Strategy in The Dive Industry: Breaking out of the red ocean of bloody competition to create a new uncontested market space that makes competition irrelevant.
2. Lessons Learned: The Conception Liveaboard Maritime Disaster
3. The Golf Industry: Lessons For The Dive Industry
4. Blockbuster Video: Lessons For The Dive Industry
5. Harley-Davidson: Lessons For The Dive Industry

Special Section: The Scuba Diving Industry & COVID-19

1. Scuba Diving Gear Sales in 2020: A Full Year of Pandemic. Sales of dive equipment (Scubapro) compared to other outdoor industry activities.
2. 2020 Scuba Diving Certifications in the USA Including Recently Released 4th Quarter: Open water dive certifications after a year of COVID-19 pandemic.
3. The State of The Scuba Diving Industry After a Year of Pandemic: Where does the dive industry stand? What should we expect for dive travel, scuba certifications, and dive gear sales in 2021 and 2022?
4. Scubapro’s Sales of Scuba Diving Equipment During the First 9 Months of 2020: Worldwide sales of scuba gear, at wholesale, during the coronavirus pandemic.
5. The Scuba Diving Industry in October 2020: A ‘Sentiment’ Study. An assessment of the current dive industry and its post-coronavirus future, by surveyed dive professionals.
6. The DEMA Show 2020 & DEMA Organization Post-COVID-19: Will DEMA survive? How? What for?
7. Dive Industry 2020: How bad is it? What’s next? The latest on scuba diving certifications, dive travel, and gear sales.
8. Meet The Next-Normal Scuba Diver: COVID-19 created changes in scuba divers' habits and preferences.
9. The Revival of Local Diving: To Save The Scuba Diving Industry. How can we capitalize on a rise in domestic travel during the COVID-19 pandemic?
10. The Scuba Diving Industry Will Never Be The Same — Life Post-Coronavirus: The current scuba diving industry business model is built around a series of small businesses. What should they expect?
11. Scuba Diving, The Dive Industry & The Coronavirus: COVID-19 packs a one-two-three punch.

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Brand NEW! Scuba Diving Industry Market Data & Statistics: 2021 Edition by Darcy Kieran and the Business of Diving Institute.

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