In diving, safety is “Job One.” It is our top priority, without exception, because lives depend on it. That said, just behind it is “Job Two” – bringing more people into diving. It’s the next priority because both the industry’s livelihood and the ocean’s future depend on it. Just as safety is an imperative part of dive culture, having a supply of new divers to teach to dive is supremely important. 

Attracting new people who are interested in learning to dive is a challenge. Many distractions compete for consumer attention – social media, other adventure activities, new technologies, entertainment, and broad and robust media all struggle to gain new diving customers’ time and attention. And the “why” for people who might be interested in learning to dive is also increasingly diverse. This makes marketing and recruiting messages more challenging and complex. It is wonderful that diving itself has evolved into diving subcultures – scuba diving, freediving, tec diving, public safety diving, mermaid diving etc.; that said, social and technical change require marketing messages to accommodate diverse and complex consumer audiences and evolve for diving.

Recruiting the interest of new divers necessitates creating and updating approaches, messages and marketing materials targeted to a broad range of potential customers. There are multiple paths – word-of-mouth influence, internet advertising, website optimization, social media engagement, print ads, online course enrollment and so on.

When the media cover diving – recreational diving, freediving, tec diving, etc. – more than 90 percent of the time that coverage connects to PADI via public relations and marketing strategies, and ultimately to PADI Members. The single purpose of our “Job Two” dedication is getting potential new divers to engage – text, email, chat, register for a course with, and call or visit you.

That said, ultimately whether they become divers necessarily falls to you and your staff. When someone asks about becoming a diver, returning to diving, or moving to the next level, welcome them as curious adventure seekers who want to learn to safely explore the underwater world by training with you. We live in the age of mass customization, where people increasingly expect services to be tailored and personal – something that diving can do very well if you are flexible and you offer it. Bringing more people into diving is key to securing our collective present and future as an industry. 

Sharing diving is a gift. We are empowered to invite people to join us in seeking new underwater adventure, and to join us in activities aimed at saving the ocean, developing new senses of purpose and more. It’s worth reminding ourselves every day that sharing and teaching diving helps make the world a better place. Recruiting new divers into your courses and offerings is nothing short of inspiring.

Drew Richardson
President & CEO

The post Straight Talk from PADI CEO: If Diver Safety is “Job One” Then What is “Job Two”? appeared first on PADI Pros.

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