Did SSI just get bought out by Mares?

[kwinter]

SSI offers a marketing course for dive shops called "Scuba University." I am a graduate. It was taught by Doug McNeese himself.

It goes along with the SSI philosophy about Divemasters and professionals. The Dive Con course from SSI includes a requirement to work in a SSI shop. It never made sense to me that a Divemaster needed to know how to sell gear.


Please pardon any typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[boulderjohn]

It goes along with the SSI philosophy about Divemasters and professionals. The Dive Con course from SSI includes a requirement to work in a SSI shop. It never made sense to me that a Divemaster needed to know how to sell gear.

You have to got through the history to understand this. I got this history directly from Doug McNeese when I took the course.

1. Doug McNeese owned (and still owns, AFAIK) several successful dive shops. In those shops, he learned to make the instructional process work hand in hand with gear sales. It is much more complicated than this, but the basic idea is that students want to buy the gear that they see their professionals use.
2. He purchased NASDS and made his store philosophy the NASDS philosophy.
3. NASDS and SSI merged under the name SSI, and he became part of the merged leadership.
4. He bought out the rest of SSI ownership.
5. He put the NASDS philosophy and even its graphics into the SSI content and materials.

Note that what I wrote is not intended to be a criticism. It just explains in factual terms why SSI requires its professionals to be associated with a dive shop. It is apparently a very effective marketing philosophy that leads to financially healthy dive operations. I know that the shop with which I used to be associated is thriving after making the switch to SSI, and its ownership is quite pleased with that.

 

[BoltSnap]

I am really sorry to think that SSI may go the way DACOR went. SSI had a good system (the inheritance from NASDS). If I weren't in love with NAUI, I'd have gone the SSI way. In fact, I still use some of what I learned through NASDS and SSI. Their system is great. They are focused and know where their benefit is in the scuba business. You either love and believe in the SSI/NASDS/McNeese system or you don't. Their system isn't meant to be for everyone and they don't claim that it is.

 

[Diver0001]

I am really sorry to think that SSI may go the way DACOR went.

I think this was a response to what I said. I should be clear about something. I have no idea whatsoever regarding the plans Mares has for SSI. My previous comments were based upon Mare's behaviour after previous take-overs. I don't work for Mares or any of their competitors and I don't have any contacts who do. From the outside looking it, however, it seemed completely transparent that they took over Dacor in order to eliminate them from the market. If it wasn't their intention, at the very least, it was the result.

It's unclear to me personally what possible motivation Mares could have had for taking over a training agency. Theoretically speaking, however, I can't imagine a manufacturer taking over a training agency without the intention of using it in order to increase sales. Similar arrangements have existed in the past, between (among others) PADI and Scubapro, between GUE and Halycon and between SDI/TDI and UWATEC.... so this kind of in-breeding is not unheard of in the industry. In fact, you might say that Mares is late to the party.

That said, I personally believe that training agencies should not share a directorate with a manufacturer. GUE's choice to push Halycon gear or PADI's choice to lower the bar for entry to the the sport in order to stimulate (Scubapro) gear sales, or SDI's choice to require computers at the OW level (and preferably UWATEC computers) are clear examples of where training protocols have been influenced by the manufacturers' profit targets.

Some would even contend (and perhaps correctly) that safety has been compromised in certain areas because manufacturers wanted it, which is logical when the butcher is allowed to certify his own meat.

And once again, I have no idea what Mares wants from SSI, but I do believe that people would generally be best off seeking training from an independent training agency for the simple fact that maximizing training effectiveness and maximizing gear sales do not necessarily serve the same master. This is not something new to SSI but they seem to be taking it to a new level, which in my opinion raises a red flag.

R..

 

[BoltSnap]

I think this was a response to what I said.

No, it isn't. I was a DACOR and Mares dealer for many years and even a Mares warranty repair center. I knew both companies and knew the mentality behind Mares. Mares has no business or capability to manage SSI and lead it to be successful at all. Mares can barely manage itself.

PADI didn't have a relationship with Scubapro as you indicate. You probably meant PADI and US Divers (US subsidiary of Aqua Lung in the US) but not Scubapro.

 

[Diver0001]

I stand corrected. I hope the point didn't get lost in my lack of precision about the details.

R..

 

[al248005]

I stand corrected. I hope the point didn't get lost in my lack of precision about the details.

R..

I got your point and had the same kind of worries when the LDS owner here told me about the acquisition.

 

[Goodtime Adventures]

The control over equipment choices is an interesting one. But going back to a more global approach with centralised certification offices (as opposed the the regional model currently in place) will raise more significant issues in the short term. According to the official memo nothing will change. But with regional contracts not being renewed we dont see how this is the case. For starters centralised certification (in HK or Singapore fro SE Asia) will mean no more instant certification for locations that currently have an office nearby, and instead become a mailing system for cards (as with the PADI system). Having their cert card to take away at the end of the course is a real selling point for students in locations such as ours. It will also be interesting to see whether the current library system for manuals changes. If materials have to be purchased per student, this will push up costs, which we must then pass on to our customers.

I guess for now its a 'wait and see' situation. Mares/Head for sure will be looking for a return on their investment, but will have to be careful about how they do it. There are many dual rated shops in this region, so if logistics and prices increase, and/or further demands on dive centres in terms of equipment etc are made, many of those shops will simply drop SSI and become PADI only centres. PADI have already made the call on no longer authorising new PADI store numbers for dual rated centres - although existing centres will be allowed to remain operating as such. They are, however, expected to sell the regional market share of PADI courses (currently around 80%). The previous agreement was simply to be unbiased and sell 50/50. This will ultimately also be a deciding factor on which way dual rated centres jump in their affiliation.

Interesting times ahead....

 

[Rich Keller]

This is disturbing. Training agencies and gear manufactures have no business intermingling. Agencies teach diving, I think that we can all agree that there is more than one quality brand of gear. I dive mostly Oceanic for recreational diving. I dive mostly Scubapro and Dive Right for tech. Even I don't think that one brand is the best for everything.

This kind of conflict of interest has always existed at the LDS level.

 

[rigdiver]

Two things come to mind.
1) Same guy owns GUE and Halcyon. Both are very good in my subjective opinion.
2) Mares buying SSI equates to the forming of a vertical trust. Again, my subjective opinion.

-Bill