2018 Market Share of Scuba Certification Agencies (PADI, SSI, NAUI)
Greg - 12/22/2018 10:44 AM
According to the certifications added by scuba divers on DiveBuddy.com, the following list indicates the percentage market share by each certification agency. Only the unique certification agencies were counted for each diver. For example, if a diver listed 3 different certifications with PADI and 1 for DAN, the list below includes 1 for PADI and 1 for DAN. All types of certifications were included (entry, advanced, tech, recreational). Link to larger graph Sample size: 3747 unique scuba divers ...
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Is it ok to pee in the ocean?
Urine is 95 percent water with sodium and chloride ions. But urine contains something the ocean does not; urea. Urea is a water-soluble organic compound that helps the body rid itself of nitrogen. When urine and ocean water combine, the nitrogen in urea produces ammonium and acts as food for the ocean’s plant life. So go for it, you’re helping to save the ocean!...
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Quote from Wesley C. Skiles on Extreme Cave Diving
I watched a show on Nova today called Extreme Cave Diving. Wes Skiles was the underwater videographer. I really liked what he said towards the end of the show: "You know I’m not sure how to go on in life if I wasn’t able to go to my church underwater. We go down in these places and we’re cleansed. When we come up from a dive...the pressure, the challenges, the difficulties, the conflicts...they’re gone. We come up from a dive and it is like, you’re reborn."...
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2014 Market Share of Scuba Certification Agencies (PADI, SSI, NAUI)
Greg - 12/12/2014 9:00 AM
According to the certifications added by scuba divers on DiveBuddy.com, the following list indicates the percentage market share by each certification agency. I included all types of certifications, not just entry level certs. This data was collected from 21,273 divers. In the following list, I counted only once per agency per diver (ie: if a diver has 3 PADI certs and 1 DAN cert, I counted 1 for PADI and 1 for DAN): Worldwide 1. PADI: 55.6% (54.9% USA, 60.6% Outside USA) 2. SSI: 10.6% (11.4% US...
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Fun Underwater Scuba Diver Games and Challenges
Greg - 10/15/2014 9:55 AM
Looking for something fun and unique for scuba divers? Need a great idea for a fund raiser for a non-profit organization? Here are a few fun underwater games/challenges for scuba divers: 1. Underwater Poker Tournament (using waterproof playing cards) 2. Underwater Treasure Hunt (dive around until you find hidden stuff, then win prizes) 3. Geocaching (find stuff underwater using geo coordinates) 4. In-water Beer Pong (create floating beer pong setup with large buckets and rope, toss stuff into th...
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Scuba Diver Statistics - Tanks, Suits, Depth, Time
Greg - 3/11/2014 12:57 PM
After analyzing the dive log data from scuba divers on DiveBuddy.com, I’ve come up with a few interesting statistics that I thought I would share. This data is taken from over 3000 logged dives. Most common tanks: 1. AL - 80cf/11L (86%) 2. Steel - 100cf/13L (3%) 3. Steel - 80cf/11L (2%) 4. Steel - 77cf/12L (2%) Most common exposure suits: 1. Full wetsuit - 7mm (25%) 2. Full wetsuit - 3mm (18%) 3. Full wetsuit - 5mm (15%) 4. Shorty wetsuit - 3mm (8%) 5. Drysuit (5%) The average depth for a scuba ...
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PADI Open Water Diver Course Revision - Training Bulletin - Fourth Quarter 2013
Greg - 1/30/2014 10:21 AM
What You Need to Know Over the past five years several PADI courses have been revised: the Instructor Development Course, Rescue Diver and Divemaster courses. An evaluation of the Open Water Diver Course has been part of the overall plan, and its revision is the culmination of two years of analysis, planning and development. You can begin teaching the revised course as soon as you access the updated material and have familiarized yourself with the changes. This bulletin and the Fourth Quarter 20...
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Snorkeling vs. Skin Diving vs. Freediving
Greg - 10/23/2013 7:10 PM
Did you know... Snorkeling is the act of floating on the surface while utilizing a mask to see underwater, a snorkel to breathe while keeping one’s face submerged, and a pair of fins to move about the surface. Skin Diving adds submerging and swimming underwater to the activity of snorkeling. This may or may not include a weight belt and a wet suit. Freediving greatly alters the act of skin diving by using advanced breathing techniques, efficient movements underwater, and specialized equipment – ...
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255 Scuba Diving Questions with Answers
The following list of Scuba Diving Questions/Terms and Answers has not been completely reviewed. I found it online and figured it could help divers refresh their knowledge or prepare for an exam. More Scuba Diving Quizzes can be found on DiveBuddy here: divebuddy.com/quiz/ Questions/Terms: 1. Conditions that affect you when diving. 2. What is a thermocline? 3. Waves create surge which you avoid by _____. 4. Long shore currents tend to _____. 5. You can recognize a rip current by _____. 6. If cau...
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2013 Market Share of Scuba Certification Agencies (PADI, NAUI, SSI)
Greg - 7/25/2013 10:20 AM
According to the certifications added by scuba divers on DiveBuddy.com, the following list indicates the percentage market share by each certification agency (numbers are rounded up): PADI: 56% NAUI: 10% SSI: 10% SDI: 4% DAN: 3% TDI: 3% IANTD: 2% Red Cross: 2% YMCA: 1% CMAS/WUF: 1% NASE: 1% NSS/CDS: 1% IDEA: 1% Other: 8%...
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How to Prevent a Shark Attack while Scuba Diving
WikiHow has a good article on how to prevent a shark attack with scuba diving. Here are the highlights of the article: 1. Avoid shark-infested waters: Look for warning signs on the beach, avoid steep drop-offs and areas between sand bars, avoid contaminated waters, avoid areas near fishing activity.2. Know your shark: White, tiger and bull sharks are responsible for the vast majority of human fatalities. Take this Shark Identification Quiz.3. Carry a weapon: Do not provoke a shark or get cocky w...
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The Average Scuba Diver
Over the course of several months, I have collected responses to surveys that have allowed me to form an opinion about the average scuba diver. Here is what I have discovered. Most divers don’t care if the color or brand of their gear matches. Most divers fart or burp underwater, without affecting buoyancy. Open heel fins are preferred over full foot fins. Saturday is the most popular day of the week to go scuba diving. Divers love two movies equally, The Abyss and Into the Blue. Many scuba dive...
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Another great scuba diving resource - Reddit
Check out the scuba "sub-reddit" on reddit.com: http://www.reddit.com/r/scuba/ A "sub-reddit" is like a category...and in the scuba category, you will find lots of cool links to scuba related stuff on the web. So add this to you arsenal of web sites that provide great information for us divers to browse through while we are stuck on land....
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Web Usage Statistics of Scuba Divers on DiveBuddy.com
I reviewed web usage data from DiveBuddy.com, a social website for scuba divers only, and put together this brief overview. Summary: An increasing number of people are using search engines (mainly Google) and mobile devices (mainly an iPhone or iPad) to find content on DiveBuddy.com. Of those that use a PC to browse DiveBuddy.com, most are using the Internet Explorer web browser, but Safari and Chrome are becoming more popular. Social networks like Facebook have not contributed many referrals to...
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How to calculate how long your air supply will last while scuba diving
To determine how long a scuba tank should last while scuba diving, follow the steps below: 1. Determine your SAC Rate with the easy-to-use calculator on DiveBuddy. The SAC Rate is the PSI/min used. Example: If I dive to 33 feet for 60 minutes and use 2500 PSI of an 80cu/ft tank that originally had 3000 PSI...my SAC Rate would be 20.8 PSI per minute. So at the surface, 2500 PSI would last me about 120 minutes (ie: 2500 / 20.8). 2. Determine your air consumption rate at your planned depth. Example...
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3 tips to save air while scuba diving
1. Go Slow Move slowly...fast, jerky movements increase resistance underwater. Breath slowly...inhale for around 5 seconds, exhale for around 7 seconds. Get used to breathing slowly and you will not have to count. 2. Stay Warm Diving un-insulated causes your body to release heat into the water. This increases your metabolism and oxygen-burn rates. Wear proper exposure protection depending on the water temp. 3. Reduce Drag Reduce drag by being properly weighted and have all gear clipped in and cl...
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Scuba Diving Statistics - How Many Divers?
According to most estimates, there are approximately 1.2 million scuba divers world wide. 66% Male 34% Female Average age is 29 PADI, the world’s largest scuba certification agency, has barely grown over the last 6 years. In 2007 they had 133,562 members and in 2012 they had 135,710 members, less than a 2% increase. Between 1997 and 2004, the Divers Alert Network reported an annual fatality rate between 11 and 18 deaths per 100,000 members per year. Sources: undercurrent.org/UCnow/dive_magazine/...
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How to Humanely Kill and Boil a Lobster
So, do you begin cooking with a live lobster or a dead one? Certainly it should still be alive within a matter of minutes prior to cooking unless it has been previously frozen. While plunging the live lobster into the pot will surely be fatal, the thrashing tail is likely to cause burns from the boiling water or at the least, a mess. From a scientific standpoint, the muscles toughen with the shock of hitting the boiling water, which means more chewing for the diner. If you go for the plunge meth...
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Children writing about the ocean - funny!
Number 11 and 12 are my favorite. 1) - This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly, age 6 ) 2) - Oysters’ balls are called pearls. (Jerry, age 6) 3) - If you are surrounded by ocean, you are an island. If you don’t have ocean all round you, you are incontinent. (Mike, age 7) 4) - Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She’s not my friend any more. (Kylie, age 6) 5) - A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head. (Billy, age 6)...
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Conversation with Richard Neal - New Owner of the Frying Pan Tower
I recently had the pleasure of corresponding with Richard Neal, the new owner of the Frying Pan Tower - formerly known as the Frying Pan Shoals Light Station. He bought the decommissioned lighthouse from the U.S. government and converted it into a bed and breakfast for divers and fisherman. I wanted to know how a person could take on such an endeavor, what the process was like...and whether he had any tips for people aspiring to be like him. Here’s how the conversation when: GREG: What did it ta...
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