[jome]

I think the treshold for entering a competition is getting higher and higher because the "pros" are getting just better and better - but nothing for a beginner has changed.

For a beginner, reaching a 100m dyn for example for the first time is a big deal, but very frustrating as the competition is won with twice the distance. We always tell beginners that you should not compete because you want to win, but for just the experience, but why call it even a competition if you have no chance of getting even on the same hundreds than the winners?

That's part of the "problem". Another is that from the experienced end, there is also loss. People just getting bored, starting families, moving to different sports, scaring them selves witless and quitting...So who will move in to replace them? If there is no replacements coming, no continuity...Then it is time for the experienced active divers to look into the mirror. Are we educating, training, supporting, advertising? Or just kicking beginner butt? Are we open and supportive of newcomers or mainly just an inside crowd?

Any "scene" can last only so long on it's original members - for continuity and renewal you need to bring in new generations. It can sometimes be a tedious task, but vital for the survival of the sport/hobby.

So all in summary:
-Are there new divers coming into your scene constantly? If not, why not? You need to do something here
-If yes, do they have something to do. If you want them to compete, have you considered running separate "beginner" competitions. Or having 2 levels in the competition (expert and beginner series or something) to encourage beginners to start competing too?
-Maybe competitions are getting too serious for beginners, or maybe too relaxed for experts. Challenge and skill need to be on the right level to generate interest.

Then of course there is the question - are competitions everything? Should people compete if they are having fun without it as well? I would say no...Competition is not everything. But it can be a fun experience even for the mainly recreational divers...

I would say the "losses" are a natual development. To stop or reverse it, you need active intervention...Meaning active education.