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 PADI Worth 1 Billion Dollars?
Providence Equity Partners is exploring a sale of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors that could value the company at about $1 billion, people familiar with the matter said. The private equity firm is working with Deutsche Bank AG to find buyers for the Rancho Santa Margarita, California-based organization, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. A sale process is planned for the first quarter of 2017, the people said. Pro...
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DiveBuddy.com to Break 2 Million Unique Users Soon
It took DiveBuddy.com around 7 years to achieve the 1 million unique user milestone. Now, after a little more than 2 years...we are about to exceed 2 million unique users. The countdown begins! Here is the article about our first 1 million users posted on October 26, 2013: divebuddy.com/photo/71066/divebuddycom-exceeds-1-...ion-unique-visitors/...
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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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Introducing iAir - Scuba Tank Air Fills from Home
Are you tired of taking your scuba tanks to your local dive shop for air fills? Introducing iAir by DiveBuddy.com. Using our patented, plug and play, USB air pressure device...you can fill any size scuba tank from the convenience of your own home. There are only 3 steps required to fill your tanks: 1. Plug in the device to any USB port on your computer. 2. Connect the high pressure hose to your scuba tank (DIN and Yoke valves are supported). 3. Open a web browser and go to DiveBuddy.com to pay f...
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Lake Rawlings in VA is Closing
Lake Rawlings in Rawlings, Virginia is closing. Here is an excerpt from their website: "It is with sadness that I must tell you our company is on the losing end of negotiations for the continued use of the Rawlings Quarry properties after March 31, 2015. Negotiations to purchase the properties were tilted too far to the side of the landowner, and the family owners would not give us a long term lease or sell their properties to us." Every Fri - Sun in March, 2015...they are have a liquidation sal...
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DiveBuddy Mobile Website Launched
Greg - 1/13/2015 11:16 AM
DiveBuddy Mobile is now available! Whenever you browse DiveBuddy.com from a mobile device, you may be redirected to the new mobile version of our website: divebuddy.com/mobile The mobile version is a designed to fit smaller devices with touch functionality. Not all features of DiveBuddy.com are available on the mobile version. However, you will find that most of the things you need, while browsing from your phone or tablet, are available. For example, you can view recent photos, forum topics, ar...
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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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Brion Sullivan (GypsyDiver) - RIP
Greg - 10/27/2014 6:59 PM
We lost GypsyDiver today. I met Brion through DiveBuddy. We quickly became friends. I had the pleasure of speaking with him a few times over the phone. Every time we spoke, I ended the conversation happier! Each call would include some jokes or interesting conversation that would cause him to laugh, which caused me to laugh. I ran into Brion and his wife, Bree, at a scuba trade show. They were such a cute couple. You can tell that Brion loved her very much. His arm was around her the whole time ...
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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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Buying a Used Scuba Tank or Cylinder (eBay, Craigslist, Garage Sale)
When buying a used scuba tank (aka: cylinder or bottle)...whether online from eBay or Craigslist, or from a Garage Sale or Swap Meet/Flea Market...be sure to consider the following: Does the air tank need a hydro? Check out the markings on the scuba tank to determine if the most recent hydrostatic pressure test date is within the last 5 years. You are taking a risk in buying a tank that needs hydro. Consider the cost of a hydro inspection ($25-$40) when negotiating the purchase price. Ask the se...
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My Mom (Eve) and Biggest DiveBuddy Fan - RIP
My Mom, Eve, passed away two weeks ago today (on June 13th, 2014). For several months she was battling pancreatic cancer. I felt it was important to share this news with my fellow dive buddies as many of you have interacted with my mom since we started this scuba community. My mom was my biggest DiveBuddy fan. She was always on the website. She replied to many of your forum topics. She commented on many of your photos. While she wasn’t a certified scuba diver, she was the best damn surface suppo...
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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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Video of SeaLab III - US Navy Aquanauts Experiment 1969
This is a great video showing experiments from SeaLab III. "SeaLab III was a 1968 Navy experiment in which five diving teams of eight aquanauts lived for a 12-day period in a sea-floor habitat placed at a depth of 620 feet off San Clemente Island, California. The Deep Submergence Systems Project. This film describes the SeaLab III project. It includes footage of the SeaLab habitat being lifted from the deck of a ship and deployed at sea. It shows divers working underwater during the deployment o...
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Tinnitus and Diving (Ringing in the Ears) - Scubadoc’s Diving Medicine
Greg - 12/10/2013 9:47 AM
Ringing in the ears or ’tinnitus’ (pronounced with the accent on the ’tin’) is one of the most prevalent and bothersome of symptoms related to diving. Tinnitus may be caused by damage or disease, anywhere along the path of the auditory system. Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no external sound is present; and is often referred to as "ringing in the ears." It can also take the form of hissing, roaring, whistling, chirping or clicking. The noise can be intermittent or constant, with single...
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How Secure is Your Password
Greg - 11/14/2013 7:29 AM
It is a good idea to have "strong" passwords...ones that can’t easily be broken or cracked. It’s also a great idea to use different passwords on different websites. Here are two sites that allow you to check the strength of your password. I would not recommend typing in your actual passwords into either of these sites...but some variation of it to get the general idea. Microsoft’s Password Checker: https://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/password-checker.aspx How long would it take to cra...
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DiveBuddy.com Exceeds 1 Million Unique Visitors!
Greg - 10/26/2013 8:39 AM
On October 26, 2013, DiveBuddy.com has exceeded 1 million unique visitors! Since we began tracking our web statistics on December 19, 2006, DiveBuddy.com has continued to grow rapidly. Today marks the first day that we have exceeded 1 million unique visitors to our "little" scuba community. That’s over 1 million different scuba divers, instructors, dive centers, dive retailers and anyone else interested in scuba diving. Our Pageviews are now over 26 million! Yes, I said 26 MILLION! Very few onli...
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