Open Water Scuba Diving Certification Numbers & U.S. Market Statistics

Open Water Scuba Certification Numbers & Trends
/ 5 minutes of reading

Entry-Level Open-Water Scuba Diving Certification Numbers & U.S. Market Trends & Statistics

How many new entry-level open water divers are certified annually in the USA, by state, region & per capita?

The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) surveys the number of entry-level open water scuba certifications by a limited number of dive training agencies (PADI, NAUI & SDI) and then extrapolates to estimate the total number of entry-level scuba diving certifications per quarter and per year in the USA and per state.

This post is part of our Dive Industry Compass series by the Business of Diving Institute and Darcy Kieran, author of:

Scuba diving industry market size report

Contents on This Page

TL;DR Overview

For scuba diving industry professionals, the data reveal a general decline in entry-level open-water scuba certifications in the USA, dropping from 198,000 in 2001 to 128,000 in 2023, with a significant dip to 87,000 in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These figures are estimates provided by DEMA, based on data from leading dive training agencies.

While certain regions, such as the Pacific (25,984 in 2023, with California at 17,058) and the South Atlantic (31,210 in 2023, with Florida at 15,096), exhibit high raw certification numbers, dive shops should consider both total certifications and certifications per capita for a nuanced understanding of their market.

An important insight for dive shop owners and instructors is that access to water is not the sole determinant of market potential. Surprisingly, landlocked states such as Utah (1,180 certifications per million citizens) and Colorado (729 per million) issue more open water certifications per capita than Florida (715 per million) or California (463 per million). This suggests that factors beyond immediate access to water drive interest.

Furthermore, a substantial portion of divers obtain their initial certification while on vacation in tropical locations. Therefore, even if a local geographic region has low entry-level certification numbers, it can still represent a robust market for selling dive gear and booking travel for those who are certified elsewhere.

Conversely, states like Hawaii certify many tourists, not just local residents.

Professionals are encouraged to participate in industry market surveys to gain more region-specific data and refine their business strategies.

Annual Numbers & Trends in Open-Water Scuba Diving Certifications in the USA

Annual entry-level open-water scuba certifications in the USA in thousands.

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at Year Annual Certs in Thousands
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192001198
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192002183
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192003173
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192004173
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192005163
6businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192006163
7businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192007161
8businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192008153
9businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192009141
10businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192010146
11businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192011149
12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192012152
13businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192013146
14businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192014141
15businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192015142
16businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192016144
17businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192017166
18businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192018150
19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192019151
20businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19202087
21businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192021130
22businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192022132
23businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:192023128
Avg = 150.96
Min = 87
Max = 198

The massive drop in 2020 was obviously due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Open Water Scuba Certifications by U.S. State & Region

If you operate a local dive shop in the USA, you are more interested in the size of the industry in your neck of the woods—or neck of the oceans! For you, the following Tables provide the number of entry-level open water certifications by state, as estimated by DEMA.

A more effective way to evaluate your market potential would be to know the participation rate by state, in addition to the number of certifications; however, this information is currently unavailable.

Please participate in our dive industry market surveys so that we can eventually provide you with more market data specific to your geographic region.

Keep in mind that a high percentage of scuba divers do their certification course while on vacation in a tropical destination. Therefore, even if a geographic region has a low level of open water certifications, you may still have a good market for selling gear and travel to scuba divers who don’t dive locally.

Annual Scuba Certifications in the Pacific Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26California17,058
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26Washington4,583
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26Oregon2,055
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26Hawaii1,680
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:26Alaska608
∑ = 25,984

Annual Scuba Certifications in the Mountain Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39Colorado4,107
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39Utah3,394
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39Arizona2,597
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39Idaho1,315
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39Nevada1,052
6businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39Montana553
7businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39New Mexico545
8businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:39Wyoming332
∑ = 13,895

Annual Scuba Certifications in the South Atlantic Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31Florida15,096
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31Virginia/Maryland/D.C.6,458
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31North Carolina4,205
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31Georgia3,354
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31South Carolina1,567
6businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31West Virginia294
7businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:31Delaware236
∑ = 31,210

Annual Scuba Certifications in the North Central Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35Illinois3,680
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35Ohio2,683
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35Michigan2,312
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35Wisconsin2,111
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:35Indiana1,222
∑ = 12,008

Annual Scuba Certifications in the New England Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54Massachusetts2,860
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54Connecticut1,417
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54New Hampshire673
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54Maine477
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54Rhode Island409
6businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54businessofdiving.com2025/03/07 23:54Vermont353
∑ = 6,189

Annual Scuba Certifications in the South Central Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:39Texas9,829
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:39Oklahoma1,239
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:39Louisiana1,089
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:39businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:39Arkansas721
∑ = 12,878

Annual Scuba Certifications in the Middle Atlantic Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:03businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:03New York6,756
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:03businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:03Pennsylvania3,209
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:03businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:03New Jersey2,681
∑ = 12,646

Annual Scuba Certifications in the East South Central Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:43businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:43Tennessee2,028
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:43businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:43Alabama1,190
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:43businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:43Kentucky881
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:43businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:43Mississippi409
∑ = 4,508

Annual Scuba Certifications in the West North Central Region

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46Minnesota2,368
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46Missouri1,974
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46Kansas791
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46Iowa613
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46Nebraska354
6businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46South Dakota228
7businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:46North Dakota186
∑ = 6,514

Annual Scuba Certifications in the Other Regions

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at Region 2023 Certs
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50Military1,168
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50Guam/American Samoa657
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50Puerto Rico357
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50Virgin Islands162
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:50Unknown77
∑ = 2,421

Scuba Certifications per Capita by State

In the following table, we ranked U.S. states by the number of entry-level open-water scuba certifications per capita (per million citizens) in 2023.

As a reference point for how “outdoorsy” the state’s residents are, we compared open water certs per capita to each state’s outdoor recreation value-added as a percent of the state’s GDP, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

  • “Certs per M” = Number of entry-level open water certifications in that state per million of citizens in 2023
  • “% of GDP” = Outdoor recreation value added as a % of the state GDP in 2023
wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at State Certs per M % of GDP
1businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12U.S. Virgin Islands*2,203
2businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Hawaii1,2835.6
3businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Utah1,1803.2
4businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Colorado7292.8
5businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Florida7153.6
6businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Alaska6974.0
7businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Idaho6513.1
8businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Washington5702.7
9businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Montana5414.3
10businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Wyoming5204.1
11businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Vermont4954.6
12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Oregon4692.5
13businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12New Hampshire4673.2
14businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12California4632.0
15businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Minnesota4292.6
16businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Maine4243.9
17businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 13:26Virginia /Maryland /D.C.**414
18businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Massachusetts3921.7
19businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12North Carolina3832.0
20businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Connecticut3791.4
21businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Arizona3632.5
22businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12New York3401.5
23businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Texas3362.0
24businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Rhode Island3312.3
25businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Missouri3292.2
26businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Nevada3252.7
27businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Wisconsin3222.5
28businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Kansas3201.9
29businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Oklahoma3191.9
30businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Georgia3162.1
31businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12South Carolina3022.6
32businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Illinois2942.1
33businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Tennessee2852.4
34businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12New Jersey2841.7
35businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12South Dakota2772.5
36businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12New Mexico2701.9
37businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Arkansas2692.5
38businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Pennsylvania2451.8
39businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Louisiana2412.7
40businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Michigan2312.0
41businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Alabama2292.0
42businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Ohio2292.1
43businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12North Dakota2191.8
44businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Delaware2091.5
45businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Kentucky1922.0
46businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12West Virginia1831.7
47businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Indiana1823.4
48businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Iowa1791.9
49businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Nebraska1741.7
50businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Mississippi1302.4
51businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12businessofdiving.com2025/03/08 00:12Puerto Rico*121

*The outdoor recreation value added as a % of the state GDP was not available for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

**The outdoor recreation value added as a % of the state GDP in 2023 was 1.7% for Virginia and Maryland, and 0.9% for D.C.

It is interesting to note that landlocked states like Utah and Colorado issue more open water certifications per capita than Florida. And California comes lower than many other landlocked states. Access to water is not everything!

Although these figures indicate the number of entry-level open water certifications per capita (per million citizens), it does not mean that these certifications were obtained by residents of that state.

A high percentage of scuba divers get their open water certification course while on vacation in a tropical destination. Therefore, even if a geographic region has a low level of open water certifications, there may still be a good number of active divers – they simply do not dive locally or, at least, did not get their C-card locally.

And vice versa, in a state like Hawaii, a significant percentage of open water certifications are issued to tourists visiting from out of state and abroad.

Video Summary & Thoughts

Other Available Information on Scuba Certifications & Courses

You may also be interested in our annual survey asking which dive training agencies scuba divers and dive instructors recommend.

Have a look at more scuba diving market research, surveys, reports & statistics in Your Dive Industry Compass.

Coffee Time

If the information in this post was valuable to you, would you consider buying me a coffee?

You would be awesome!

Either way, please help the dive industry by taking part in ongoing surveys. Results from our past scuba diving market studies are also available here.

Scuba diving industry market size report
Scuba Diving Market Research, Surveys, Reports & Statistics

Your Dive Industry Compass

Scuba Diving Market Research, Surveys, Reports & Statistics

Dive Industry Structure, Competitive Analysis, Business Models & Strategies for Today's Scuba Divers in a Modern Business of Diving

Shifting Tides

Strategies for Today’s Scuba Divers

Plan Your Scuba Instructor Career

Living The Scuba Dream

Plan Your Scuba Instructor Career & Deep Dive the Plan

You may also be interested in The Immersion Zone (our podcast), Scubanomics (our newsletter for dive professionals), and our published books & reference guides.