Surveys
DATA MATTERS
We conduct monthly and bimonthly surveys on diving topics of interest with our partner the Business of Diving Institute. Special thanks to our sponsors DAN Europe, Global Underwater Explorers and Shearwater Research for making this research possible.
Here are our completed and ongoing surveys.
Rescue & First Aid Skills for Scuba Diving Emergencies
(2024) How ready are dive professionals and scuba divers to deal with scuba diving emergencies? How frequently do they refresh their skills? Recreational & tech diving.
Rebreather Training
(2024) Should rebreather diving training really be unit-specific?
Dive Training Agencies: Net Promoter Score 2024-2025
(2024-2025) ONGOING & OPEN TO ALL SCUBA DIVERS. How likely are you to recommend that dive training agency to a friend or colleague? How valuable is the dive training agency brand, really?
We run this study annually. Check last year’s results.
Diver Propulsion Vehicles (DPVs)
(2024) Over the last two months, we conducted an exploratory survey among scuba divers on the use of diver propulsion vehicles (DPVs) also known as underwater scooters.
Underwater Navigation
(2024) ONGOING & OPEN TO ALL SCUBA DIVERS. Exploratory survey on underwater navigation.
State of The Dive Industry (SOTI) 2024
A benchmarking gauge and a trade “weather forecast” for your dive business activities in 2024: dive centers, instructors, gear manufacturers, training agencies, resorts & more.
Dive Training Agencies: Net Promoter Score
(2023) ONGOING, OPEN TO ALL SCUBA DIVERS. How likely are you to recommend that dive training agency to a friend or colleague? How valuable is the dive training agency brand, really?
We run this study annually. Check the most recent results on Scubanomics.com.
Scuba Diving Market Size: Equipment, Training & Tourism
(2023) How Much Scuba Divers Spend Annually on Dive Gear, Travel, Training & Services? We all enjoy a dive with 100 ft/30 m visibility, don’t we? It would also be delightful for dive professionals to have a better understanding of the size of the dive industry. And it is the objective pursued by this worldwide “Market Viz Project” (MVP) for dive gear, training & travel.
Survey on Sidemount Diving
(2023) This survey helped us understand how prevalent sidemount diving has become (or not) and who are the divers using a sidemount configuration.
The First ‘State of The Industry’ (SOTI) Study for The Dive Industry
(2023) A study of worldwide market trends in the dive industry: certifications, gear sales & travel for recreational and technical scuba diving.
We will be running this market study annually.
Evaluating the Quality of Entry-Level Open-Water Certification Courses
(2023) How would you rate the quality of your Open Water Diver course? Are open-water divers ready to dive? Evaluating entry-level scuba diving experiences to help the dive industry improve. What is missing in the open-water diver course? Is it better to learn scuba diving at home or on vacation? Is deep diving an essential skill?
Dive Industry Business Model & Practices. Are dive centers & instructors equipped to provide a quality experience to scuba divers?
(2022) We are on a mission to improve the quality of the experience provided to scuba divers while upgrading the working conditions of dive professionals.
Dive Computers – Exploratory Survey
(2022) The goal of this InDepth/Scubanomics survey was to better understand how scuba divers use dive computers, what features are most important, what they are looking for in a dive computer, and how they plan their dives. This dive industry market report differentiated between tech divers and recreational divers.
Rebreathers vs. Open-Circuit Scuba Diving
(2022) Rebreather divers & non-rebreather divers contributed to a better understanding of the potential & limitations of rebreathers ahead of the forthcoming 2023 rebreather forum.
Close Calls While Scuba Diving
(2022) The goal of this InDepth/Scubanomics survey was to better understand how often scuba divers encounter “close calls” while scuba diving and how we could learn from sharing these incidents.
Sustainable Tourism & Scuba Diving
(2022) The goal of this InDepth/Scubanomics survey was to better understand scuba divers’ relationship to the environment and commitment to sustainable tourism, in preparation for an InDepth article by Dr. Alex Brylske.
Am I a Bad Apple?
(2022) A self-assessment and introspection by scuba diving instructors about their behavior on the quality and safety fronts. A survey in collaboration with InDepth magazine.
Panicking & Scuba Diving
(2022) A survey on the causes and remedies of diver panic in collaboration with InDepth, Scubanomics, and Dr. Laura Walton.
Report on The Size of The Scuba Diving Market
(2021) What is the size of the dive industry? There are no definitive answers to this question because the scuba diving industry suffers from a serious lack of reliable market data. However, we compiled and analyzed the various sources of data currently available to estimate the market size of dive training, scuba diving equipment, and dive travel. Thanks to DAN Europe, GUE & Halcyon for their support on this project.
The “Economics” of Being a Dive Instructor
(2021) Is it possible to make a living as a recreational scuba diving instructor? What to expect financially. Hourly rates. How much to invest in dive gear & scuba training. Differences in dive professionals’ income, based on the instructor’s gender, location, training agency affiliation, experience, age, and more. This was a joint effort by Scubanomics & InDepth Magazine.
Snorkeling & Scuba: Survey of The US Population
(2021) Scubanomics’ exclusive industry survey on awareness, intent to participate, participation rate, satisfaction, and the dropout rate for scuba diving, snorkeling, and surface-supplied air (tankless) diving.