Scuba diving generates up to $20 billion each year

Substantial revenue from diving, which depends on healthy ocean ecosystems, offers a new argument for marine conservation.

An international study estimates that scuba diving contributes between $8.5 and $20.4 billion to the global economy each year, supporting up to 124,000 jobs across 170 countries, offering an economic incentive for marine conservation. 

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The research, published in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability, provides the first comprehensive estimate of the diving industry’s worldwide economic impact. 

The study is part of Atlas Aquatica, a project endorsed by the United Nations Ocean Decade. Led by Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, a marine biologist at Scripps Oceanography and co-author of the study, Atlas Aquatica aims to reveal the economic value of the diving industry and to help organise the diving sector so that it can have a political voice for conservation.

“Scuba diving is pretty unique because it makes you spend time underwater,” said Fabio Favoretto, who co-authored the study as coordinator of Atlas Aquatica. “You can sail or surf above a dead ocean, but scuba divers notice if there are no fish — it’s really an activity that is dependent on the health of the system. That’s a positive for conservation because it makes divers allies.” 

Prior research has suggested that increased ocean conservation could increase dive revenue by attracting more divers who are willing to pay higher prices to encounter the more diverse and numerous sea life afforded by the added protections. Scuba divers’ preference for marine protected areas (MPAs) is also supported by data showing that roughly 70% of all marine dives currently occur within MPAs.

To find answers, the researchers compiled a list of more than 11,500 dive operators across 170 countries using data from Google Maps and PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors), validating their database with local experts. They then conducted an online survey that netted responses from 425 businesses across 81 countries. 

“We show that diving generates a lot of income, and it does this without degrading the environment like extractive industries such as fishing or mining,” said Aburto-Oropeza. “We hope that showing the scale of the economic impact from this activity will encourage policies that invest in diving by increasing marine protections.”

The study positions dive tourism as a model for the “Blue Economy” — showing how coastal communities can prosper while protecting their marine resources. 

“Unlike mass tourism operations that can harm local communities and marine environments, dive tourism, when managed well, can be economically viable, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable,” said Anna Schuhbauer, lead study author and fisheries scientist at the University of British Columbia. “With a vested interest in healthy ecosystems and abundant marine life, dive operators are natural allies in conservation efforts.”

The researchers recommend establishing standardised monitoring systems across the diving industry, formally including dive operators in marine management decisions and recognising ecotourism as a central rather than peripheral component of sustainable ocean-based or “blue” economies. 

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