Non-Scientific SCUBA Study

[Insta-Gator]

Is the concern focused on the SCUBA industry or the SCUBA sport? A lot of what I'm reading seems to be focused on the lack of student and/or retail customers. That doesn't mean that SCUBA is dying. Online equipment sales will keep the certified diver out of the LDS unless the LDS has demonstrated real value above and beyond the price of equipment. We (divers) need active participation so that equipment manufacturers will be motivated to develop new/better equipment.

However, the catch 22 is, consider whether the reefs and other environmentally challenged areas can support a continuing influx of divers. I, selfishly, would like to have all the best spots reserved for me and my buddies.

All industries are "value" driven (not necessarily price driven.) When the value subsides, so does the patronage.

 

[Diver0001]

The line item that really caught my attention was the reasoning that the 14% did not get involved in classes.

Yeah, my toes curled throught the whole thing. I avoided responding in detail to the initial post because the fact of the matter is, the poll seemed to be crafted to confirm a particular bias.

Nevertheless, it did hightlight, I think, a couple of interesting points for marketing. For one thing, if you want to sell diving then people need to be made aware of the *actual* costs of diving as compared to other "hobbies", because frankly, the costs are not extreme as compared to other activities.... especially if you stress to them that it's a year round sport that doesn't require travelling. In addition, potential customers need to be made aware of the options for local participation and the fact that shops will help newbies get into the sport and provide a context to connect up with other people (ie... sell the "scene").

The shop I work for in Holland (which has a less than attractive local diving scene, to say the least) does a minimal amount of marketing and has a local market with a much small potential customer base than "Off the Wall" but they manage to keep two shops running a healthy profit nonetheless. How? attitude. organisation. flexibility. scale.

When someone comes into your shop and you've already decided you can't sell to them then ... well... you won't sell to them. But if someone comes in wondering if they can afford it and you can send them home with the feeling that they can "join the club" for less than a week of skiing and it's something they can do all year in their own back yard then some will buy it.... some won't, obviously, but some will and as long as you focus your positive energy on the sales you *do* make and not project a cynical vibe because of the sales you *don't* make, then your customers will be happy to go (as it were) "in sea" with you.

R..

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I am also one of those that sees value in giving more for people's money. Short course vacation divers do not support the industry. In the chapter on local diving in my book I make the point for well trained, skilled, and safe divers in the local quarry and lakes being the backbone of the industry. They do not need PPB courses, boat diver, etc. What they do need and do buy are drysuits, tanks, regs, bcs, etc. And who is the inspiration for many of these guys and gals that strive to swim in trim, not silt up the place, know where they are going with out some goomer of a guide holding their hand, and actually invest in gear? Well if I ask around it's guys with names like Gentile, Chatterton, Kohler, Berman, and the like. On wait? Those are all TECH DIVERS! SOB!

Guys in drysuits, doubles, can lights, etc doing dives like the Doria, Wakulla, and the Great Lakes wrecks. I talk about a fish on a reef in my OW classes and people get excited and smile. Talk about swimming on and thru history on a 19th century wooden ship that is relatively intact and they become mesmerized and get a hungry look in their eyes! They want to have their own gear when they go. Not use crap rental stuff. They want to be able to get off work, call a buddy they certed with, and hit a local watering hole and tell the DM handholder to go get stuffed. Those are divers. Not the weekend wonders that cannot plan their own dive, bicycle underwater, and need to be led around by the nose.

The shops that succeed cater to these divers. They also encourage and welcome independent instructors and don't try to interfere in their classes and how they conduct them. They work with manufacturers to get the best deals for their divers and the divers see it and the shop prospers. They see the divers that they would never have had contact with come in and buy gear because the independent instructor advised them to. He did that because he knows the shop is honest and fair. The shop stays open, the local govt get taxes, the gas station and restaurant get customers, and the money stays local where it should.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I am also one of those that sees value in giving more for people's money. Short course vacation divers do not support the industry

Short course vacation divers do not support the dive industry in some local markets, but for the VAST MAJORITY of the dive industry, short course vacation divers ARE the dive industry.

Many Happy Returns - Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor's Information - The Maui News

That is the front page story of today's Maui News; 2010 pretty much tied for second best year ever with regards to visitors and visitor spending. Over 2 million tourists spent 31 million dollars per day during their Maui vacation last year.

Maui's most recent and most expensive dive charter is taking a second year off from operating, but both partners and most employees are working full time in the dive industry. Maui lost one dive shop, but both partners and most employees are now working the resort dive scene. If the operator I work for is any example, many dive operations here have more business than ever, including more certifications through the Holidays than ever before.

In 2010, our operation purchased ~10 new Zoop computers, more than 20 new Aqualung BC's and more than 20 new Pinnacle wet suits. More than 20 complete Oceanic reg sets were purchased in '09, as well as a new compressor system to pump all 30 boat tanks, on the boat; in 2010 we upgraded to banks that nearly bring those 30 tanks to 3000 psi without pumping (pumping banks when we are on the water).

...They want to have their own gear when they go. Not use crap rental stuff. They want to be able to get off work, call a buddy they certed with, and hit a local watering hole and tell the DM handholder to go get stuffed. Those are divers. Not the weekend wonders that cannot plan their own dive, bicycle underwater, and need to be led around by the nose.

Because of all the weekend wonders trying to throw money at us, I am dropping $3K on a new camera system and I will finally buy at least 3 Apollo scooters (used), because picture disks of their scooter dives are what the weekend wonders want to spend money on; not dry suits, bp/w's and jet fins.



www does stand for the World Wide Web, doesn't it?

 

[tlj3071]

This is a very interesting discussion.
As a guy that got into diving at 49 years old because he had wanted to for 35 years...I watched Sea Hunt Re-runs. Jaques Cousteau specials..I loved it when Ranger Ricks of Flipper donned his doubles and blew bubbles....I always said...I am gonna do that someday!!!

Then...Work, Marriage, Kids, Bills, day to day life got diving out of my mind.
would a cool show showing regular people (like me) diving all day with friends and family for $20 (great line TS&M - kudos) have helped - Probably. Anything that can be done to get the reality and the practicality of our sport out in the public will help our sport attract people.

It isn't expensive in the grand scheme. once you have the gear diving and maintaining that gear is cheap.
...
I love this sport! I am still a rookie of 75 dives and 18 months Learning every dive!

Thanks!

Ditto for me. I watched - as a kid - ALL the SeaQuest and Cousteau shows available (back when there were only 3 channels!). At 59, on a whim, I tried a discovery dive in GCI while on a cruise and got hooked! Back from the vacation - as a successful baby boomer - I convinced my "kids" and their spouses and my spouse to do a free discovery dive at our local LDS, and 3 of the 5 decided they would like to get certified - with me picking up the bill. All four of us are now certified (me at 60 and they in their 30's) and we have taken local trips to lakes and quarries and all dove on a recent short cruise to Nassau.

While I have the means to have purchased a full set of gear, they are still renting theirs - except for basics like fins, mask, and snorkel. Additionally, there are now new avenues for Christmas and birthday presents! Computers, wetsuits, additional courses, etc, etc, etc.

Even so, I'd still like to see a good show about scuba that would capture the popular imagination like SeaQuest and Cousteau's shows did for me and my generation.

[And I also guarantee that SCUBA is a less expensive hobby than flying or horses!]

Tom

 

[offthewall1]

Diver0001:

You have it about right. A failed retailer starts a negative thread blaming everyone but himself.

That is funny coming from you..

A decision to close is not a failure. I could buy your company tomorrow but who would want it?

The fact is I am a business person who decided he wanted no part of the industry and its corruption, had no desire to play by industry rules stacked against consumers and became frustrated by the lack of interest in improving it by all of those out there being crushed by it.

I wasn't going to fight everyone elses battles for them if they didn't have the balls to do it themselves and quite frankly, I never wanted to own a dive shop.

Those who know me know why I was involved with opening the store and they know why I closed the store and it has nothing to do with failure. I own other businesses and I'm looking to invest in and buy others... but they sure won't have anything to do with the scuba industry.

Alot of people think 14% is good... and by industry standards it's absurdly good. We liked to say only 1% of the population has any interest in diving - and that is generally true. I thought my results were high as well... but these were all people who did know me and knew I was a diver - so I figured they may have just been being nice when they said they had an interest.

It might also be true that my characterization of the industry as "dead or dying" might be a bit harsh. Stagmant may have been the much better term. Stagnant as in there has been backwards growth now for serveral years. This is pointed directly at the manufacturers. Why? Because collectively they have the means to grow the sport if they wanted to. Let us remind those that don't know - DEMA is the Dive Equipment Manufacturers Association. A couple of years ago DEMA came up with the "Be A Diver" campaign and alot of people got excited about it and some even took some advantage of it. The problem was it wasn't the right idea and nothing that comes out of DEMA leadership ever is.

You see DEMA fails to realize that LDS's (most anyway) don't have advertising dollars and those that do aren't able to properly use them due to manufacturer policies. I'm not going to take the time to spell all of that out again... but suffice it to say - if I was allowed to properly advertise the products in my local papers - I'd still be in the Scuba Business and I'd have made 10X more than I did over the 3 years I was open. The problem lies in the simple fact that Prices are fixed and when you advertise for less - the manufacturer threatens to pull your dealership. We all know the rest of this story. All dive shop owners know the story... and whether they agree with me or not (they either side with being price protected or not,) doesn't matter. Most of the ones I know have nothing else they can do with their lives. They're stuck. Either they succeed in this or they fail and lose everything. Unfortunately we see more of the latter. We see this because they are duped into buying into bad policy.

I put this thread up as my last post. Now that my shop is closed I am just a diver... but I think it is important that someone out there who cares about the industry get more involved. As a diver... I no longer care. As a business owner I no longer care... but someone out there does... and this post is just a reminder to them - don't give up the good fight...