Some Key Stats on DeeperBlue.com - Where Does Everyone Come From

I'm surprised that 33% come from North America. It doesn't feel that way.

Do those numbers represent people who actually post, or just those who visit and read?

Apneaddict said:

1/3 of the people may be North American... but I'd say 60% of the talent and hardcore divers / spearfishermen are European. Europe knows what apnea is. It's a 10 min discussion explaining it over here in the "west", unless you live in a warm coastal community.

I tend to think that most of the American population here are spearfishermen and don't post much... Just read and then go jump in the ocean with a gun, stringer and buoy every weekend!

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Far more than 60% of the hard core talent on this site may well be European, but that is just this site. There are plenty of people who consider themselves to be hard core talented spear fishermen posting on other sites. And regarding apnea spearfishing, in California its the norm. In fact spear fishermen who use scuba get a lot of negative comments on California forums. Its legal, but not highly regarded. And in the last few years, free dive spearfishing is really catching on in Florida, where scuba used to dominate.

I think that a common perception in the US is that this site is the place to go for information on pure free diving, but divers from the US can't relate to the relatively small fish taken by European divers or to the equipment used. In California we commonly shoot 50 to 60 pound fish using large guns, breakaway float lines, and slip tips. When I read the typical equipment question on this site, I don't even know how to answer it. And if I did, it would probably miss the point. Spearos in the US recognize that the Mediterranean Sea is so overfished that it takes great skill to dive very deep for small fish, but they don't envy the guys who have to endure those conditions and they hope it will never get that bad here.

Spearboard used to have most of the hard core California spearos, but the majority of the experienced spearos, including myself, have left over poor moderation issues and formed a new site that is very active. The photo below shows my next door neighbor and two friends with a catch from last summer. I wasn't along, but they brought the fish home and made me weigh them. This is the sort of thing that gets attention on the new site, and its hard for these guys to relate to European spearfishing. And I guess the reverse is true. When I post a trip report here, I might get one reply from Ireland and another from Guernsey. Apparently European spear fishermen can't relate to what we do in the US.

NA has a decent pool contingent... But with the US legal system, they force depth guys to leave the continent to pursue their aspirations.

Maybe if ppl weren't so afraid of a lawsuit, NA divers could practice depth competitions more often locally and dive safer.

You need a critical mass of at least 5-6 regular depth guys and access to at least 25m for empty lung and 60m full to really build a contingent. This often means a boat.

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I gather that was all about pure free diving? If so, it just reinforces what I said earlier. The emphasis here is on free diving. Guys in the US are more focused on just shooting nice fish.