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The current softening is location dependent; Hawaii is seeing more visitors due the exchange rate. Canadians, Europeans, anywhere with strong currency, they are flocking in droves even though our current prices in US dollars are higher than ever.
If I'm not mistaken some of the Carribean countries tie there currency to the dollar. My only example is Bonaire it seems that the signs for currency exchange are permanent.
We always seem to come back stronger after a dip in the economy so hold on.
If I'm not mistaken some of the Caribbean countries tie there currency to the dollar. My only example is Bonaire it seems that the signs for currency exchange are permanent.
We always seem to come back stronger after a dip in the economy so hold on.
Unless it has changed recently the official currency of the British Virgin Islands is the U.S. dollar.
My very first NJ wreck dive cost me $65.00. That was seven or eight years ago. Now that same trip costs between $85.00 and $110.00. My first season pass at Dutch Springs cost $85.00. Now the pre-season "discount" cost is $140.00. The cost of everything is eventually passed down to the consumer, which is us. I don't see it going any other direction but up, and up, and up.
It seems that US economy has slipped into recession and Americans are getting poorer for a while.
Can you see this mood on the diving business? Or not yet?
Recent shifts in the industry's business model, which are hotly debated in various threads here, happen to place the industry well for a recession.
In the past, the industry had a pretty constant percentage of the population as steady repeat customers, although it modulated a little as age distribution changed. Certain segments have pushed the industry into a growth strategy, seeking to enlarge the portion of the population who were customers by lowering barriers to entry, and to an extent, it has worked, with the downside being that most of them are one time customers. Even if the growth strategy is pursued without limit, there is still a fixed percentage of the population that will dive, even with zero barriers. Until that new saturation point is reached, until every potential customer is served, it should weather recessions fairly well. Ford survived the Great Depression much better than it did more recent recessions because most people who wanted a car didn't have one, unlike today.
SCUBA, much as is skiing, is a heavily fuel dependent sport.
If things cost more up in the cold mountains- they really cost more out in the far flung oceans.
The world economy is not to be predicted by past waves, it is only going to get tighter as more pressure is exerted on disposable income.
The average age of SCUBA divers is rapidly growing older, even comparatively faster than skiing which benefitted from the boon of snowboarding. That, too, is a blip as energy costs price the sport out of reach for all but the elite.
In the area of Chicago- the area that "was" covered by area code 312... since 2000, we have lost 26 SCUBA retailers.
Add in the price of airfare, island services, electricity, boat fuel and the lack of leisure time and disposable income... I'd pick a different horse to bet on in this race.
Why do you think they're building drive through pharmacies on every corner?
Well, it seems like divers aren't buying many DVD's this year. Hey, I've got a great idea... use your refund or whatever they're calling the stimulus package to stimulate Dr. Bill by buying several of my wonderful DVD's. Sharks & Rays is out there, Echinoderms and Wrasses won't be too far behind!
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Originally Posted by JahJahwarrior
This is weird -> 
