Recreational diving: Re-evaluation of task,environment, and equipment definitions

Abstract

Recreational diving has developed extensively over the years, becoming a popular sport and leisure activity, attracting millions of people around the world. A questionnaire aiming to identify problematic stages during recreational diving and to map the relative importance of the diving equipment features was distributed among divers of different genders, ages, certification, and professional experience (N=130). It was found that the most problematic stages for recreational divers (out of 32 tasks) were on-land activities and transitional phases between water and terrestrial interfaces: carrying equipment on shore, underwater orientation, exiting from water to boat and reef, surface swimming, and donning the wetsuit. Safety/reliability, individual adjustment, performance, and simplicity were rated the most important features for diving equipment, while design/style and brand name were rated the least. We suggest that redefinition of the task, equipment, and environment according to the current profile of recreational divers will increase pleasure, reduce fatigue and related diving accidents, improve safety, and increase the number of dedicated active divers.