Outlook for the UW Photography Industry?

I keep receiving weekly email from PADI about keeping head above water etc. Right now UK is in recession like many other countries and most of our favourite destinations are off limits.

The forecast is for a dire winter with more strict lock down coming back. More than 300,000 redundancies are in process just in UK and a number of sizeable retail and hospitality business are entering voluntary liquidation.

It is obvious that even the few people that have money to spend are not going to find easy to go anywhere and I wonder how long the diving industry can keep up considering it is for most based on volunteers and extremely low margins.

This in turns means that the UW photography industry that is a fraction of it is going to potentially struggle even more for combination of lack of opportunities and customers.

I wonder if this will make our activity less accessible and return it to a 70s state where only few privileged people could take some shots? Although the stock of images is incredible those for most fuel other trips and don't have a life on their own

This is an interesting conversation. My wife and I are in the US, and have been blessed to be able to work through the pandemic, either from home or limited office presence, and our financial picture is better that past years due to not being able to go anywhere. We are planning on traveling and diving as soon as we can safely get to where we want without significant risk, and I've been putting together a new underwater photo setup. I understand this is atypical, so I am interested to hear other's take on it. 

I am worried about how long tourism will likely take to return to pre-pandemic levels, and how that will affect dive shop survival and pricing. But I also think those of that can dive, and haven't been able to lately, will be itching to get in the water and travel and potentially take more trips than we planned to previously. 

Unfortunately, in general diving is a dying industry as the climate continues to change and our favorite shallow reefs continue to die. 

I'm a bit like Lewis88. Luckily I too have been able to work, albeit remotely.

With no trips since the back end of last year and no restaurants, cinemas trips etc, I felt it was my duty to invest in u/w camera gear to keep a bit of the economy moving - and especially with dealers I know and who must be having a tough time.

Verily the sea gods smiled on me when my partner was seconded recently to a project in Sint Maarten and we are now able to dive again.

The island economy was smashed by Hurricane Irma and then, as things were really recovering, COVID. Very tough times. And now back into hurricane season again.

With almost no tourist arrivals many businesses on the island have just closed up and you can only wonder who, in 6-12 months, will be left standing. A couple of the diver operators are still running trips for residents and really are doing their best. I just hope for them that this hurricane season is a benign one. 

We are fortunate to be able to work from home (Zoom is getting tiring though) and usually we dive in the Indo-Pacific about 3 months/year. This year so far a trip in Feb and lots of cancelled trips. We are diving locally here in SoCal and it has been great but dry suit diving is not quite the same as diving in a 3 mm wetsuit. Hopefully the vaccines will flow reasonably quickly and we are planning (fingers crossed) for a trip to Anilao in May of 21.

Bill

7 hours ago, bvanant said:

We are fortunate to be able to work from home (Zoom is getting tiring though) and usually we dive in the Indo-Pacific about 3 months/year. This year so far a trip in Feb and lots of cancelled trips. We are diving locally here in SoCal and it has been great but dry suit diving is not quite the same as diving in a 3 mm wetsuit. Hopefully the vaccines will flow reasonably quickly and we are planning (fingers crossed) for a trip to Anilao in May of 21.

Bill

Yes, drysuit diving is "not quite the same." But, quite honestly, I have discovered SOOO many amazing dive sites that are right here in my "backyard" here in SoCal.

Here is a section of my blog with photos of some of the AMAZING wrecks and structures I have had the fortune to dive locally this year:

https://wreckedinmyrevo.com/category/socal-dive/

If all works out, I'll be diving on a new site this week that has never had divers on it (and taking pictures of course)!

Regards,

- brett

I know what you mean about drysuits having just started using one in Sydney winter water, but it's so nice to get out of it without shivering when you're done.  Sydney is blessed with excellent shore dives  and even better boat dives off shore when the weather co-operates.  The visibility is up and own a bit but there's always plenty to see, amazing variety of critters.

I know what you mean about drysuits having just started using one in Sydney winter water, but it's so nice to get out of it without shivering when you're done.  Sydney is blessed with excellent shore dives  and even better boat dives off shore when the weather co-operates.  The visibility is up and own a bit but there's always plenty to see, amazing variety of critters.
 

it is nice to discover your local places but is travel that makes diving interesting in essence if travel is not there we are back at the 70s

Oh to be young again. I almost remember the 70's.

Bill

2 hours ago, bvanant said:

Oh to be young again. I almost remember the 70's.

Bill

I think I remember them, thru the fog and haze of living them.

Fog, haze, now you are sounding like Willie Nelson

Diving around Sydney is good to very good, depending on the day. Spent 4 years living there a few decades ago and dove every little cove we thought we could get into (including a couple that we had to rope down into just North of Bondi).Been diving around Sydney on a number of trips back there as well.

However, the dive trips up to Byron Bay (esp. Julian Rocks) bordered on world class. ~8 hr drive up from Sydney or short trip down after flying into Brisbane. Mantas, turtles, grey nurse sharks, cuttlefish, nudi's, etc. I would not complain if that was the only diving available during a pandemic... 

We've been back a number of times - easily better than many typical dives in most places in the Pacific.

On 9/19/2020 at 1:56 PM, oneyellowtang said:

Diving around Sydney is good to very good, depending on the day. Spent 4 years living there a few decades ago and dove every little cove we thought we could get into (including a couple that we had to rope down into just North of Bondi).Been diving around Sydney on a number of trips back there as well.

However, the dive trips up to Byron Bay (esp. Julian Rocks) bordered on world class. ~8 hr drive up from Sydney or short trip down after flying into Brisbane. Mantas, turtles, grey nurse sharks, cuttlefish, nudi's, etc. I would not complain if that was the only diving available during a pandemic... 

We've been back a number of times - easily better than many typical dives in most places in the Pacific.

 

All very true - things have come on a bit since then - they fixed the sewage outfalls, the last one upgraded in 2003  and people have been finding lots more critters - quite the range of nudis, pygmy pipehorses, anglerfish - if you can find them all that's lacking is the guides like you get in Lembeh who will find stuff for you though there are people who dive spots like the the steps at Kurnell all the time and know where everything hangs out. 

But as you said gotta be the right day - visibility is up and down as are nudi numbers and the water gets a bit cold in winter.

On 9/18/2020 at 1:55 PM, bvanant said:

Oh to be young again. I almost remember the 70's.

Bill

Its hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything!

On 9/18/2020 at 11:55 AM, bvanant said:

Oh to be young again. I almost remember the 70's.

Bill

Ive read about the 70's in history books ;-), jk.

I think I'm in the major minority during the pandemic I got a new job with a 25% pay increase.  This has enabled me to support my local diving community: Freediving level 1, EFR, AED & CPR, deep diver, dry suit diver (and drysuit), I've also built up a new UW camera rig.  Im hoping the local Southern California USA industry stays strong and local beach diving doesn't get too trashed.

I really need to get out to a few more local beach dive sites, Orange County or LA County anyone?

We are doing a lot of local boat dives, mostly to Palos Verdes but beach diving is for people who only have read about the 70s. 

Bill