Over the last two months, we conducted an exploratory survey among scuba divers in relation to an article posted on InDEPTH: “How Current Are Your Rescue Skills?”
InDepth Magazine and the Business of Diving Institute collaborate on a series of scuba diving industry surveys 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 took part in these surveys and studies.
How ready are dive professionals and scuba divers to deal with scuba diving emergencies? How frequently do they refresh their skills?
We covered recreational & technical diving.
How long ago did you receive general first aid & CPR training (not specific to scuba diving)?
How long ago did you receive recreational scuba-specific first aid and rescue training (e.g., a DAN or Rescue Diver course)?
When was the last time you took an oxygen provider course for scuba diving?
How ‘current’ and ‘strong’ would you assess your own diving rescue skills to be on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent)?
- 1 (very poor): 1%
- 2: 11%
- 3: 24%
- 4: 41%
- 5 (excellent): 24%
When doing recreational diving (excluding tech diving) with a dive buddy, how generally confident are you that you would be ready to properly deal with an emergency rescue situation affecting your recreational dive buddy, on a scale of 1 (not ready at all) to 5 (totally ready)?
- 1 (not ready at all): 1%
- 2: 7%
- 3: 17%
- 4: 40%
- 5 (totally ready): 34%
When doing recreational diving (excluding tech diving) with a dive operator (e.g., as a scuba diver on a dive boat), how generally confident are you that the dive professionals supervising the dive are appropriately trained to deal with an emergency rescue situation, on a scale of 1 (not confident at all) to 5 (very confident)?
- 1 (not confident at all): 7%
- 2: 21%
- 3: 46%
- 4: 19%
- 5 (very confident): 7%
Overall, scuba divers have more confidence in their own skills than in those of the dive professionals they encounter at dive operators.
Have you ever been rescued or been involved in a self-rescue?
Have you ever witnessed a diving rescue?
Have you ever rescued a diver or participated in a dive rescue?
How often do you practice rescue skills?
Have you ever practiced bringing an unconscious diver to the surface outside of a formal (certification) rescue diver course?
Answers by Tech Diving Professionals Only
How generally confident are you that you would be ready to properly deal with an emergency rescue situation affecting a nearby tech diver, on a scale of 1 (not ready at all) to 5 (totally ready)?
- 1 (not ready at all): 4%
- 2: 7%
- 3: 24%
- 4: 41%
- 5: 24%
Answers by Recreational Dive Professionals Only
How generally confident are you that you would be ready to properly deal with an emergency rescue situation affecting a nearby tech diver, on a scale of 1 (not ready at all) to 5 (totally ready)?
- 1 (not ready at all): 4%
- 2: 7%
- 3: 24%
- 4: 41%
- 5: 24%
Editorial comment: I’m surprised at how confident recreational dive professionals are about rescuing a tech diver, considering it is usually not covered in recreational dive professional training.
Answers by All Dive Professionals (Recreational & Tech)
How long ago did you teach a recreational scuba-specific first aid or rescue training course (e.g., a Rescue Diver course)?
How long ago did you specifically teach a DAN safety or first aid course?
How long ago did you receive or teach first aid or rescue training specific to tech diving?
Do any of the dive training agencies you are associated with offer a rescue course specific to tech diving?
Do you believe tech diving training agencies (or other organizations like DAN) should offer rescue courses specific to tech diving emergencies (e.g., for recreational divemasters on dive boats used by tech divers)?
Answers by Tech Divers Only
When doing tech diving with a dive operator (e.g., as a tech diver on a dive boat), how generally confident are you that the dive professionals supervising the dive were appropriately trained to deal with an emergency rescue situation affecting a tech diver on a scale of 1 (not ready at all) to 5 (totally ready)?
- 1 (not ready at all): 12%
- 2: 12%
- 3: 9%
- 4: 29%
- 5 (totally ready): 38%
How generally confident are you that you would be ready to properly deal with an emergency rescue situation affecting a tech diving buddy, on a scale of 1 (not ready at all) to 5 (totally ready)?
- 1 (not ready at all): 4%
- 2: 8%
- 3: 28%
- 4: 42%
- 5: 17%
Answers by Cave Divers Only
Have you ever practiced bringing an unconscious cave diver to the entrance/surface?
- Yes: 55%
- No: 45%
Back to Answers by All Scuba Divers
How often do you believe dive professionals (divemasters, instructors & instructor trainers) should practice and refresh their scuba rescue skills?
On a scale of 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very likely), how likely would you be to take a tech diving-specific rescue course if one were offered?
- 1 (very unlikely): 4%
- 2: 3%
- 3: 18%
- 4: 24%
- 5 (very likely): 51%
Who participated in our exploratory survey on rescue & first aid skills for scuba diving emergencies?
153 scuba divers answered the survey in full. Only answers from scuba divers who answered the survey in its entirety were counted.
How long ago was their first dive?
- 15% less than 5 years
- 17% from 5 to 10 years
- 68% more than 10 years
Age Group of Survey Respondents
- 1928–1945 (The Silent Generation): 1%
- 1946–1954 (Boomers I): 3%
- 1955–1964 (Boomers II/Generation Jones): 12%
- 1965–1980 (Gen X): 53%
- 1981–1996 (Millennials): 21%
- 1997–2012 (Gen Z): 10%
Region of Residence of Survey Respondents
- USA (incl. AK & HI): 41%
- Western Europe: 33%
- Rest of the World: 26%
Gender of Survey Respondents
- Male: 87%
- Female: 12%
- Non-Binary/Other/Prefer Not To Say: 1%
You could help the dive industry by taking part in ongoing surveys. Results from our past scuba diving market studies are also available here.
Handbooks & reference books you may find useful:
- 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: 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 (2nd Edition).
Side note: During your surface intervals, have a look at novels with a scuba diving twist, starting with “Mystery of The Blue Dragon” and “Shadows on Ocean Drive.”