It’s The Data, Silly: A Lookback at 2023 and a Peek at 2024 for Scuba Diving Market Surveys & Studies

By Darcy Kieran

2023 was the second year of our InDEPTH/Business of Diving Institute collaboration on scuba diving surveys, and it was a productive one. 

The First Ever ‘State of The Industry’ (SOTI) Study for The Dive Industry

This was one of our most talked about studies in 2023. The goals we set were challenging: 

• Reporting on worldwide market trends in the dive industry for certifications, gear sales, and travel for scuba diving, freediving, snorkeling, tech diving, and surface-supplied air diving.
• Producing benchmarking data for dive industry owners and managers to gauge their own dive industry businesses.

We produced a series of reports from the SOTI survey:

• An overview of the participants and aggregate data on 2022 sales results, 2023 sales forecasts, and dive businesses’ profitability.
• Worldwide Trends in Certifications at All Levels by Category & Region
• Worldwide Trends in Sales of Dive Equipment by Region & Category
• Benchmarking Local Dive Shops: Statistics & Economic Profile in USA & Europe
• Independent Scuba Diving Instructors: Statistics & Economic Profile in USA & Europe
• Average Number of Dive Certifications Issued by Dive Centers & Independent Instructors in Europe & USA by Category
• The Dive Industry-Specialized Media: How Are They Doing

Considering the outstanding response to these market reports, we intend to make SOTI an annual study for all to benefit from. However, for 2024, we will run the survey earlier in the year in order to provide data you can use early on in the new year. Subscribe to InDEPTH and Scubanomics to be kept in the loop.

We also hope we can count on your help to get more participants outside of the USA and Europe in order to produce a more extensive view of the dive industry markets.

A Series of Dive Industry Surveys & Market Reports

Besides SOTI, we continued to produce surveys on various topics of interest to dive professionals.

• Are Scuba Divers Ready To Dive After Their Open-Water Diver Course?
• Dive Training Agencies 2023: Brand Awareness & Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Sidemount Diving
• How Much Scuba Divers Spend Annually on Dive Gear, Travel, Training & Services (MVP Report)

At all times, you can participate in our ongoing surveys and check the results of prior ones on the Business of Diving Institute website.

Rebreather Forum 4

Specifically for Rebreather Forum 4 (RF4), we conducted the following surveys that may be of interest to those of you involved in rebreather diving.

• A Glimpse Into The State of Rebreather Diving
• Post Rebreather Forum 4 Evaluation

See you at RF5!

What About 2024?

Besides the annual State of The Dive Industry study in January, we are currently preparing surveys for underwater navigation and DPVs. 

Please contact Michael Menduno or Darcy Kieran if you have suggestions for surveys that could produce data of interest to you, your dive business, and/or your dive professional activities.

A Special Thank You! 

None of these dive industry market reports would be possible without your participation in our surveys. Thank you for helping us help you!

We also thank the following scuba diving industry leaders for directly supporting this initiative: Shearwater, DAN Europe, and GUE.