Recent research indicates that the global scuba diving industry generates between $8.5 billion and $20.4 billion annually, while also providing significant marine conservation benefits.
According to a survey published on Friday, the diving sector supports about 124,000 jobs each year across 170 nations, making contributions to both marine ecology and local communities.
“Scuba diving is unique because it involves spending time underwater,” remarked co-author Fabio Faysett, a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
“You could sail or surf on lifeless oceans, but scuba divers are quick to notice when there are no fish,” added Faveetto, who also leads the Atlas Aquatica Project, part of a UN marine biology initiative.
The very nature of diving is tied to the ocean’s health, he explained.
Previous research suggests that enhancing conservation efforts could potentially boost revenue by attracting individuals willing to pay a premium for the experience. Interestingly, studies show that around 70% of dives happen in marine protected areas, underscoring divers’ preferences.
While marine tourism’s overall economic impact is acknowledged, the specific contribution of scuba diving globally has remained somewhat ambiguous.
Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, a marine biologist from Scripps, previously emphasized that, in Mexico alone, the dive industry brought in $725 million annually as of 2021.
In this new study, researchers broadened their scope worldwide, compiling a list of over 11,500 dive operators across 170 countries. They leveraged data from various sources, including Google Maps and diving instructors, and conducted an online survey of 425 businesses in 81 countries.
From the survey findings, they calculated the spending on diving activities, alongside indirect expenditures for hotels, food, and transportation by an estimated 9 to 14 million recreational divers each year. They also employed statistical modeling to estimate the global impact of this economic activity.
The analysis estimated total expenditures to range between $8.5 billion and $20.4 billion, with $900 million to $3.2 billion directly attributed to diving.
Notably, around 80% of the workforce in this sector consists of local or national residents.
However, diving operators have expressed significant concerns regarding ecosystem decline over the past decade, pointing to issues like biodiversity loss, species decline, coral bleaching, pollution, and water quality challenges.
“We demonstrate that diving generates substantial revenue without harming the environment as seen in extraction industries like fishing or mining,” Aburto-Oropeza noted.
“I hope highlighting the economic impact of diving will encourage more policies that protect marine environments,” he added.
Aburto-Oropeza and his colleagues present dive tourism as a model for the “Blue Economy”—a globally recognized concept that illustrates how coastal communities can safeguard their resources while flourishing economically.
“In contrast to large-scale tourism, which can negatively affect both communities and marine environments, properly managed diving tourism can be economically sustainable, socially fair, and environmentally sound,” stated Anna Schuhbauer, a fisheries scientist from the University of British Columbia.
“Dive operators, with their vested interests in healthy ecosystems and rich marine life, can naturally support conservation initiatives,” Schubauer concluded.
