What would a Commercial Diver go to a Dive shop for?

[Tacoma Lighthouse]

What kind of stuff would bring commercial guys into a dive shop?

I'm trying to get ideas for building up my commercial section. We already supply many of the students at DIT in Seattle, WA, but I want to offer more to the Divers already out there working.

So what type of stuff would interest you?

Hardware? (clips, buckles, weights, etc..)
Suits? (Heavy duty, cheap, versatile, etc..)
Hats? (Light, Heavy, Balanced, Brands, etc..)
Service? (Hats, gas blocks, suits?)

I know there are numerous aspects to commercial diving, and I don't know them all. Any ideas you can provide will help me provide better service.

Tim

 

[Akimbo]

All the above plus all or part of what you can buy through Amron International. You really have to research the local market to see what makes sense to inventory.

 

[Rich Keller]

If you are going to sell helmets you should start with Kirby Morgan products and add to that depending on local demand. Commercial divers do most of their own service but you could supply them with parts, especially parts for the comms. You could also supply parts for compressors, filters and fittings needed to set up an air station. They go through suits faster then sport divers so there is always a need for them and heavy duty coveralls used to protect the suits. They will use heavy duty items like commercial diving harnesses and commercial weight belts rather then scuba weight belts. The components to make umbilicals, things like comm boxes and pneumo gauges that are used with them. Broco torches and rods. Basically anything with a shorter operating life like suits and consumables like burning rods.

PS: I left out hot water suits and large lift bags.

 

[fstbttms]

What kind of stuff would bring commercial guys into a dive shop?

I suspect that you would have better luck catering to the hull cleaning industry. Hull cleaners need a variety of dive gear, tools and parts and they buy them on a regular, frequent (sometimes daily) basis.

Here's a short list of items that would bring hull cleaners into your store:

Sacrificial anodes
Stainless fasteners (machine screws and bolts)
Kevlar neoprene gloves (we go through these in a matter of weeks)
Coated garden gloves
3M Doodlebug scrub pads & pad holders
Suction cups
A variety of inexpensive hand tools (scrapers, screwdrivers, allen wrenches, wire brushes, socket wrenches, pliers nut drivers etc.)
Stainless steel wool
3M 5200 Fast Cure adhesive/sealant
McNett Aquaseal
Pettit Splash Zone epoxy

 

[Tacoma Lighthouse]

Thank you for all of the ideas so far. We do carry quite a bit of the stuff on that Amron website, just not the welding equipment or hats yet, but harnesses, compressors, umbilical, communications, full face mask, etc... are all available here already. Can't do Kirby Morgan because there is another dealer that is "too close" to us so we are looking at other types of hats. The coveralls are something I had not thought about. I'll have to find a source for those. I have tons of people that would like them.

We do get quite a few of the marine upkeep guys in here, and they buy me out of kevlar gloves when they come in. Suction cups and small tools would work well. I'm not sure if we could compete with the Marine Supply stores for zincs and stainless screws/bolts. Those stores are everywhere here in the Puget Sound, but I'll look into some of our suppliers.

I'm gonna look for hot water suits. The ones I've seen have all been pieced together from wetsuits, so I don't know who would make one for that specifically.

I do have a supplier for large lift bags, but they are very large even deflated so I can't stock them. I have two 4k lb. bags in my shop right now for repair, and they are filling up my classroom when I don't have a class going.

Keep the suggestions coming please.

Tim

 

[Rich Keller]

You could look at DESCO for helmets and AGA for masks. DESCO makes a light weight helmet along with the Pot and the Jack Brown masks might be good for the hull cleaners.

---------- Post added December 2nd, 2014 at 06:12 AM ----------

You should also consider up-selling the hull cleaners still using scuba to surface supply. A stand-by harness and simple two part 50' umbilical should be more then enough if they want to continue using scuba regs. Maybe sell them storage bottles to dive off rather then scuba tanks.

 

[muddiver]

Stock that floaty yellow breathing air hose and field replaceable hose fittings. The shop down here that carries that hose sells it with factory fittings. It's nice to be able to replace a fitting on a perfectly good hose.

The DIT students are probably going to be looking for 3/4 top rubber boots to stuff soft sole scuba booties in for bottom work. Steel toed is better but the price goes up.

Blunt tip folding pocket knife, if it has a marlin spike, even better. Camillius use to make a nice riggers knife.

Diver knee and elbow pads. They are just sections of wet suit arm or leg with a knee pad sewn on. They slip over one's wet suit to protect it for chaffing. Chaffing paints are better but more expensive.

I don't know what the school provides, but cheap hard hats., cheap work gloves, and cheap safety glasses.

 

[ofg-1]

What kind of stuff would bring commercial guys into a dive shop?

Free beer.

 

[Underwaterlumberjack]

Catering to hull cleaners is definitely where your money is at, that's what a lot of commercial divers do to earn side cash in the off season. I am in the dive shop at least twice a week, and never buy any gear there because it's all for rec diving and terribly over-priced.

My ideal shop would include:
LED lights (cheapos like the $12 Cree LED ones from China)
work gloves (non-leather with knuckle busters)
Heavy duty scrub brushes
coveralls
putty knives with rounded edges (grind them down yourselves and i'll definitely pay an extra dollar or two)
Hex key sets that could be tethered somehow would be ideal
maybe a small compressor or two
Heavier duty booties for fins, I wear through the standard ones about every 6 months
Full face masks without comms are hard to find a good deal on, maybe see about some used stuff too