I was AMAZED, simply AMAZED...

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Drewski

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Messages
658
Reaction score
36
Location
Virginia Beach, USA
# of dives
OK,

So last weekend (October 21 and 22) I take my girls for certification dives at Lake Rawlings, Virginia - a stone quarry several acres in size with depths down to 60' (see my other thread for a description of the dives). Lake Rawlings is obviously a small dive operation, kind of out-of-the-way, with primitive facilities and camping. It's located off I-85 about 30 miles south of Richmond.

Now on this same weekend, DUI had it's DOG day demos scheduled for trying a dry suit.

We got up there on Friday night, about 8 PM, made camp, set up, etc. Did a fire and hit the bags at 10 PM. Aside from us, there were only a few other people there.

By 9:00 AM on Saturday morning, there were enough divers in this campground to make it a small city! We hit the water at about 9:00 AM and - I'm not exaggerating here - about 200 other divers joined us. It looked like a diving assault force on an enemy beach!

I saw people wearing sport gear, tech gear, singles, doubles, even re-breathers! One diver I saw had to have more than $20,000 in equipment on her back at one time. They just kept coming! My youngest girl said "Wow, Uncle Andy, there sure are a LOT of people who dive!" WTH? Dozens of people were suiting up with the DUI folks and the poor "Dive Shack" compressors (the LDS at the lake) just kept running ALL day and into the next night.

So, here's my observation. This was a quarry, with maybe 20 to 50 FT of viz, 50 to 70 degree water, primitive conditions and out in the middle of nowhere. And STILL they came. I gotta tell ya, if I had this much interest in the sport - and I count interest as participation and equipment buying - when I ran a dive shop, we could have done MUCH better than what we did.

So what's up with LDSs talking about "going out of business" and "slow times" these days? I'm not trying to be argumentive here or put anybody down but GEEZ, if your dive shop business can't do well with this kind of participation, what's going on?

Just some thoughts...
 
200 divers.... 2000 dive shops.

The demand is definitely out there. No doubt about that. The problem is probably too much supply. The dealer system also makes it difficult for shops to out compete each other on pricing. In fact, the manfacturers are using the shops as canon-fodder to push their financial risk down the chain. In turn shops, even when well managed, can go under if the location sucks or competition grows.

R..
 
The question is: where did they get the equipment? If on-line, that doesn't help the dive shop much... and up to 50 ft viz in that lake? If our quarries had anything near that, we'd probably have better crowds. Participation may depend on the local demographics as well... the county I live in has one of the highest average ages in the country. A bunch of retired millworkers and widows on social security don't really fuel the rebreather market. No doubt your state is better than Pennsylvania in attracting young, adventuresome people... I know this because ANY state is better than PA in this regard.
 
Do you teach out of a local shop or as an independent?
 
DUI Dog days usually draws big crowds wherever it goes, you get to try high quality stuff for a great price. Not a lot of shops let you do that, I asked our LDS if I could rent an Apeks to see if I liked it--I have to give him credit he managed not to laugh at me when he said they don't put the expensive stuff in their rental string. Masks and fins would be a great thing to get an opportunity to try out but around here that's not happening either. I have a $150 pair of fins I hate, if I'd been allowed to try them in the pool or quarry first I never would have bought them.
Ber :lilbunny:
 
Blue Hole NM has similar conditions, and similar attendance *some* weekends.

You did not say if the divers were all certified, or if there was a lot of classes going on.

If you find a good location to hold classes, then LDS's will flock to them. I know that in Denver A1 will show up at the Blue Hole several times during the winter, and they can bring 30~50 students. That is just ONE LDS in our area, and there are many here, and a few in CO Springs and NM that also may show up.

I'm sure the DUI also attracted a good number of divers that would likely not be in that spot on a regular basis.

As for equipment, why does everyone think that one can seperate LDS, from Online? In TX, Scuba Toys IS and LDS. In FL Divers Direct is the retail LDS. These Online stores are NOT in some guys basements, most have brick and morter stores that offer air fills, training, and some even sell paint ball gear! :D
 
Ber Rabbit:
I have a $150 pair of fins I hate, if I'd been allowed to try them in the pool or quarry first I never would have bought them.
Ber :lilbunny:

That is somewhat surprising. What does it cost a shop to make fins and masks available for pool time? Our LDS provides all personal gear for OW pool session diving. This allows one to try on the various fins and masks that the store carries.

My guess is that 80%+ of the OW students purchase personal gear from our LDS. First, they are clueless about online competition, and the LDS does a good job of allowing them to try on stuff in the pool, and making sure they are at the very least getting a good fit.

I'm betting the average cost per diver for personal gear from the LDS is about $350. That's some good change for products that one can buy online or at discount shops for under $200.
 
In fact, the manfacturers are using the shops as canon-fodder to push their financial risk down the chain.

pretty amazing how easy they have it, to do this. I think it is the constant fresh supply of new, enthused and passionate prospective shop owners that come along every six months or so...all willing to take loans from Uncle Harry for massive amounts of inventory. They should be able to get new gear on consigment to a limit and the numbers should be worked out between the shop and the owner. I don't see any way they can profit. How does the guy paying rent in Hawaii ever compete with OK or SC?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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