FROM THE PUBLISHER
HOW BIG ARE WE AS A GLOBAL INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF SALES?
How big is our industry, really? That question comes up often – and for good reason. While there are a few studies and even a book or two floating around, most esti- mates of the global dive market vary widely. Why? Because the dive industry is largely private. With very few publicly traded companies, there’s little obligation to report earnings, making reliable data hard to come by. Most industry estimates rely on data from a small handful of known companies, then attempt to extrapolate the rest. But given the highly fragmented and global nature of our industry, that method is flawed at best. It’s like trying to estimate the size of the ocean by looking at a single reef. So how did Scuba Diving Industry Magazine arrive at our numbers? We started with what’s concrete: revenue data from DEMA’s surveys of U.S. dive retailers. With a known total of approximately 966 brick-and-mortar dive retailers in the U.S., we were able to calculate reliable sales figures. We then expanded that base to include approximately 2,000 independent instructors and hybrid operators, based on our internal research. Lastly using DEMA’s consumer studies, we can de- rive what percentage of sales come from retailers using reverse extrapolation. The results? We estimate the total U.S. dive industry generates just under $1 billion annually, broken down as follows: Gross Training Travel Equipment $961,595,238 $113,500,000 $445,666,667 $402,428,571 Multiple studies suggest the U.S. makes up 30% of global sales, so extrapolating globally, then accounting for the estimated percentage of retailer vs. consumer direct sales, we estimate the entire worldwide dive industry is worth $8.2 billion, as shown: Gross Training Travel Equipment $8,236,677,249 $744,055,556 $5,100,407,407 $2,392,214,286 What does this mean for you – as a dive retailer, resort, instructor, or manufac- turer? It means the industry you're part of isn't niche – it's a thriving, multibillion- dollar global economy. And with strategic thinking, collaboration, and data-driven decisions, your slice of that pie can grow. Look for more of this analysis in upcoming articles, but for now, these are prob- ably the most reliable global numbers ever created to accurately reflect where the recreational scuba industry is, sales-wise, as of 2024. Feel free to email me with questions.
Scuba Diving Industry ™ Magazine: (Print: ISSN 2996- 1416, Digital: ISSN 2996-1424) Published monthly by Cline Group LLC, 1740 Airpark Lane, Plano, TX 75093. Printed copies are mailed within the USA to select dive retailers & advertisers. Subscriptions are free to dive pro- fessionals & distributed digitally to 165 countries. POST- MASTER send address changes to Scuba Diving Industry Magazine, 1740 Airpark Ln., Plano, TX 75093. Any part of this publication may be reproduced, as long as the source is quoted “Scuba Diving Industry Magazine.” For ed- itorial requests, email william@williamcline.com or 972-267- 6700. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the offi- cial policy or position of Cline Group LLC or any of its af- filiates. © 2025, all rights reserved by Cline Group LLC. David Prichard & Lily Mak, Dallas, TX Amos Nachoum, Pacific Grove, CA Dan Orr, Driggs, ID Michael Connors & Rachael Scott, MI Joel Silverstein, Havasu City, AZ Peter Symes, Denmark Gil Zeimer, San Rafael, CA Gretchen M. Ashton, Carlsbad, CA Alex Brylske, Ph.D., Avon Park, FL William Cline, Plano, TX Jeff Cinciripino, Rocky Hill, CT Cathryn Castle Garcia, Azores, Portugal John Fine, J.D., Boynton Beach FL Shelli Hendricks, Ph.D., Sun City West, AZ Al Hornsby, Singapore William Cline, Publisher Patty Cline, Associate Publisher Amber Wagenknecht, Executive Editor Betty Orr, Copy Editor Neal Watson, Sr., Editor-at-Large Britain Cline, Advertising Sales Manager Carlos Lander, Latin America Ad Sales Gavin Young, SE Asia Ad Sales June Cline, Social & Podcast Producer Contributors: SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY™ MAGAZINE JULY 2025 VOL. 2, NO. 7
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William Cline, Publisher
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