RESEARCH
The State Of The Dive Industry: A 3-Year Look Back & 2026 Outlook by William Cline , Publisher & President for 35 years of Cline Group, a marketing, research and advertising consultancy specializing the scuba diving industry.
A T MY CORE, THIS WORK has always been about research. Long before Scuba Diving Industry Magazine existed, I was managing destination mar- keting budgets and asking the same question every marketer eventually faces: how do we know this is working?
Every one of the11,000 plus responses submitted through Cline Group research and our subscriber surveys strengthens that picture. It replaces assumption with evidence. For that, I am genuinely grateful. We are not flying blind. And neither should you be as you step into 2026.
That question led me, more than twenty-five years ago, to launch the Cline Group Quarterly Dive Business Survey. The intent was straightforward. Give dive busi- nesses a way to measure their own reality against the broader industry. Survey data does more than gen- erate charts. It gives individual op- erators context. It shows where they align, where they differ, and where opportunity or risk may be forming. Listening Before We Lead That research became the foun- dation of my advisory work, and ultimately the reason this magazine exists. The editorial direction of Scuba Diving Industry Magazine has always been guided by data
Why This Research Exists This report is grounded in insight, not assumption . It synthesizes findings from Scu- ba Diving Industry Magazine reader surveys, Cline Group’s quarterly business pulse track- ing, and macroeconomic and sector-specific benchmarks gathered between 2023 and 2025. These are not projec- tions built on hope. They re- flect real outcomes from dive businesses across retail, train- ing, equipment, liveaboards, and destination travel. Three Years That Changed the Industry As we step into 2026, one truth stands out. Reflection
first, then informed by real-world experience. We listen before we write, analyze before we draw conclusions, and let the industry speak for itself.
sharpens direction. The past three years reshaped this industry in fundamental ways. Why not go back further? COVID had a profound effect on our industry and 2020
FORTY-FOUR | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
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