Multiple-use Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) serve as a conservation tool as well as a recreational resource and thus seek to maintain or increase benefits for users while also protecting the resource.  To better understand the willingness of scuba divers to contribute to coral reef conservation, 646 scuba divers were asked their preferences for various management strategies to reduce recreational scuba diver impacts. The primary objectives were to (1) identify realistic management strategies for protecting coral resources salient to sport divers, (2) evaluate the relative importance of each strategy to divers, and (3) estimate the relative importance of different combinations of management strategies (i.e., management scenarios).  Using a stated preference discrete choice modeling approach, divers were asked to choose between pairs of hypothetical trips with differing management strategies.  Additionally, divers were asked about their diving skill as well as their level of involvement in the activity. The overall response rate was 78%.

Diver Characteristics

• Most (60%) divers in the sample were males. Most categorized themselves as white (96%) and not of Spanish/Hispanic origin (96%). Their average age was 45 years and most reported an annual household income of $100,000 or more (44%). Most (57%) participants were from Texas, although divers from 36 other states and U.S. territories participated.

• Divers had been certified for an average 13.5 years with 12.8 years of experience diving in saltwater. The median total days diving reported for the past year was 11 with a median 22 saltwater dives. Most (78%) divers reported a diver certification level higher than “basic open water” and 20% were professional divers. Compared to other scuba divers, 93% of the sample considered themselves equally or more skilled than other divers.

• Divers showed a strong level of commitment to scuba as a recreational activity. Almost 60% considered it their most important outdoor activity. The average score for an index of diving commitment (11 items, Cronbach’s alpha = 0.874) was 0.72 of 1.00, indicating the activity is very important. Over one third of the sample belonged to diving clubs and, again, one third of the sample belonged to marine conservation organizations.

Diver Preferences for Management

• Divers preferred having less people at a diving site and increased access to MPAs. They preferred no underwater supervision over guided tours and no additional fee to access the MPA. Divers favored increased education on coral reef protection. Finally, divers preferred seeing more marine life over the current level of marine life.

• The most preferred policy scenario was the status quo. However, one that included reducing the number of divers at a site, permitting access to 100% of the MPA, supervising divers underwater, increased time spent educating divers about coral reef protection and conservation prior to the dive and no additional fee to access the MPA was ranked a close second based on the model parameters.

While divers preferred the least restrictive management policy scenario, they did not always prefer the least restrictive management options. In contrast to a priori expectations, divers preferred a reduction in the amount of divers and increased education. Additionally, although not significant, there is some indication divers may have preferred increased supervision in the form of divemasters supervising divers in the water. Support for these individual variables may reflect their willingness to contribute to coral reef conservation.

The expectation of the amount of marine seen was a strong mediating variable in the policy scenario. Divers were willing to have restrictions on use level and access in exchange for seeing more marine life.

               While this research and the supporting Scuba Diving Management Decision-Making Support System (SDMDMSS) excel file contained on the enclosed CD can help managers understand preferences for individual management techniques, identify tradeoffs, and predict behavioral responses, the purposive sampling strategy precludes widespread generalization to the scuba diving population. This modeling approach can be used along with other scoping activities such as focus groups and stakeholder meetings to get feedback from relevant diver constituencies, and as informed hypotheses for future research.