Immersion in the Blue: Tourist Scuba Divers' Involvement with Scuba Diving
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Lincoln University Digital Thesis Copyright Statement The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: you will use the copy only for the purposes of research or private study you will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate you will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis. Immersion in the Blue: Tourist Scuba Divers’ Involvement with Scuba Diving. A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at Lincoln University by Kyran Tranter-Watson Lincoln University 2011 Abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Immersion in the Blue: Tourist Scuba Divers’ Involvement with Scuba Diving. by Kyran Tranter-Watson Many tourists participate in recreational scuba diving and it is one of the fastest growing recreational activities. The literature that surrounds tourist scuba diving focuses on aspects related to this activity, with only limited literature being on the subject of tourist scuba divers themselves. This study is about tourist scuba divers. It has investigated the extent of tourist scuba divers‟ involvement with scuba diving, and the perceived durable benefits scuba diving provides them. The Serious Leisure Perspective is used to make sense of the information obtained from two hundred tourist scuba divers. This information was collected through using the Serious Leisure Inventory and Measure (SLIM), which formed an index for involvement. A self- administered questionnaire was used to collect data in Cairns, Australia. Respondents in this study are a heterogeneous group, supporting a trend away from the tendency for tourist scuba divers to be thirty-something tertiary educated males that are certified scuba divers. Results showed that each quality used to construct involvement increased as the involvement category increased with regard to pursuit of (tourist) scuba diving. The same occurs with all ten durable benefits, with self-gratification, self-enrichment, and re-creation being the most consistently realised. Individuals casually pursuing the serious leisure activity of scuba diving are more prevalent than is suggested in the serious leisure concept. What tourist scuba divers perceive they gain from their involvement in scuba diving ii expands upon the elements of satisfaction and enjoyment identified in tourist scuba diver literature. However, discrepancies between the empirical data and theoretical criteria were found with regard to leisure career, identification with pursuit, and perseverance. Possible methods to resolve these discrepancies are discussed, concentrating on adjusting category ranges on the SLIM and whether or not the SLIM statement completely captured tourist scuba diver involvement with scuba diving. Keywords: Scuba diving, tourist, serious leisure, Serious Leisure Inventory and Measure, involvement, durable benefits, tourist experience iii Acknowledgements The decision to undertake and complete a thesis is a significant step in one‟s life. Support and encouragement to undertake and complete this thesis has come from family and friends and for that I would like to thank my parents, my sister Alana, Ann, Bex, Bill, Glynda, Jillene, Jono, Lyn, Mars, Mike, Petrina, and Shaun. There are many parts involved in the actual thesis process. Firstly, there are my supervisors, and I would like to thank Dr. Gary Steel and Dr. Joanna Fountain for their guidance, feedback, and encouragement during this thesis. Another part that needs acknowledge is the contribution from those men and women who volunteered their time to participate in this research. Finally, there is the post-grad peer group who also support and encourage each other and which included Anu, Josh, Roland, and Thongmala. iv Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... ix Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background ....................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................... 6 1.3.1 The Serious Leisure Perspective ........................................................................... 7 1.4 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................. 8 1.5 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 8 1.6 Thesis Organisation ........................................................................................................... 8 1.7 Chapter Summary.............................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 2 Literature Review ................................................................................................ 10 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Serious Leisure ................................................................................................................ 10 2.2.1 Types of Serious Leisure .................................................................................... 11 2.2.2 Qualities of Serious Leisure ................................................................................ 12 Leisure Career ..................................................................................................... 13 Identification with Pursuit .................................................................................. 14 Unique Ethos ....................................................................................................... 15 Perseverance ....................................................................................................... 17 Significant Effort ................................................................................................ 17 Durable Benefits ................................................................................................. 17 SLIM Definitional Addendums to Serious Leisure ............................................ 19 2.2.3 SLP Research ...................................................................................................... 20 2.2.4 Critiques of the Serious Leisure Perspective ...................................................... 20 2.2.5 Serious Leisure and the Tourist Experience ....................................................... 21 2.3 Chapter Summary............................................................................................................ 23 Chapter 3 Method .................................................................................................................. 24 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 24 3.2 Selection of Research Approach ..................................................................................... 24 3.3 The Self-administered Questionnaire .............................................................................. 25 3.4 Serious Leisure Inventory and Measure .......................................................................... 27 3.4.1 Additive Index .................................................................................................... 29 3.5 Selection of Data Collection Site .................................................................................... 30 3.6 Sampling Procedure ........................................................................................................ 32 3.6.1 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................ 34 3.7 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 35 3.7.1 Descriptive Analyses .......................................................................................... 35 v 3.7.2 Pearson chi-square .............................................................................................