Someone's told me they've gone bust and closed down. Is this true? The largest dive training center in the world?
Pro Dive, Fort Lauderdale
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Pro Dive to close after 32 years in the Scuba Diving Industry
Well-known PADI Career Development Center makes major announcement regarding the company's future.
Founded by Greg MacKay in 1975, Professional Diving Schools of Florida quickly became an industry leader in the training of scuba divers and instructors alike. Pro Dive established its Scuba Career Development Program and the operation became one of PADI’s first Career Development Centers. Pro Dive expanded the scope of Scuba Career Training by developing and copyrighting the industry’s first Resort Operations Specialist (ROS®) program.
Pro Dive has always been located in the heart of Fort Lauderdale Beach on the Intracoastal just a block off the beach. With operations that included 3500 square feet of training space, 3200 square feet of retail and a custom built 60’ dive boat the Pro Diver II, Pro Dive was a true one stop shop for the career minded dive enthusiast.
Pro Dive moved into its current location in January 2004, which allowed the consolidation of training, charter and retail operations. While the vision for the facility was for it to take a dominant position in the training industry and capitalize on the proven reputation of Pro Dive staff and programs, the economics of the business have not supported operations and a difficult decision had to be made according to Frank Gernert, owner and CEO of Pro Dive. In a statement released by Gernert he said:
“There has been a longstanding relationship between Pro Dive and the scuba diving industry as a whole. Pro Dive survived through some very difficult times after the sudden death of Greg and Lauren MacKay based on the quality of instructors and programs that Greg had established. During the last several years, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on fostering and supporting these programs and practices while remaining current with industry trends. While the integrity of training programs have excelled and our campus environment substantially improved, the revenue necessary to support the scope of these operations has not been realized. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to invest more into the future of Pro Dive and have to make a most difficult business decision. This is compounded by the fact that we are a family here and have a huge alumni network (sometimes referred to as the Pro Dive mafia) worldwide. Having been a personal friend of Greg, it is very difficult for me to shut down a business that he began from the ground up and that has had such a positive influence on all those involved and on the industry as a whole. It is my hope that every one who had an association with Pro Dive will take what they learned and valued from their experience with Pro Dive and pay it forward to those around them by encouraging safe diving to all with whom they come in contact.”
Pro Dive will conclude daily business operations on Friday February 15, 2008, and will focus on an orderly shutdown of business immediately thereafter.
Well-known PADI Career Development Center makes major announcement regarding the company's future.
Founded by Greg MacKay in 1975, Professional Diving Schools of Florida quickly became an industry leader in the training of scuba divers and instructors alike. Pro Dive established its Scuba Career Development Program and the operation became one of PADI’s first Career Development Centers. Pro Dive expanded the scope of Scuba Career Training by developing and copyrighting the industry’s first Resort Operations Specialist (ROS®) program.
Pro Dive has always been located in the heart of Fort Lauderdale Beach on the Intracoastal just a block off the beach. With operations that included 3500 square feet of training space, 3200 square feet of retail and a custom built 60’ dive boat the Pro Diver II, Pro Dive was a true one stop shop for the career minded dive enthusiast.
Pro Dive moved into its current location in January 2004, which allowed the consolidation of training, charter and retail operations. While the vision for the facility was for it to take a dominant position in the training industry and capitalize on the proven reputation of Pro Dive staff and programs, the economics of the business have not supported operations and a difficult decision had to be made according to Frank Gernert, owner and CEO of Pro Dive. In a statement released by Gernert he said:
“There has been a longstanding relationship between Pro Dive and the scuba diving industry as a whole. Pro Dive survived through some very difficult times after the sudden death of Greg and Lauren MacKay based on the quality of instructors and programs that Greg had established. During the last several years, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on fostering and supporting these programs and practices while remaining current with industry trends. While the integrity of training programs have excelled and our campus environment substantially improved, the revenue necessary to support the scope of these operations has not been realized. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to invest more into the future of Pro Dive and have to make a most difficult business decision. This is compounded by the fact that we are a family here and have a huge alumni network (sometimes referred to as the Pro Dive mafia) worldwide. Having been a personal friend of Greg, it is very difficult for me to shut down a business that he began from the ground up and that has had such a positive influence on all those involved and on the industry as a whole. It is my hope that every one who had an association with Pro Dive will take what they learned and valued from their experience with Pro Dive and pay it forward to those around them by encouraging safe diving to all with whom they come in contact.”
Pro Dive will conclude daily business operations on Friday February 15, 2008, and will focus on an orderly shutdown of business immediately thereafter.
I stopped in the other day to see if there was a fire sale. All the merch had already been moved out. Don't they have another location out in the Bahamas somewhere? I wonder if it was shipped there? Also, they were loading all the tanks on the boat. I wonder if it is being relocated as well? I wonder if there is more to the story? (RB death, possible lawsuit gone bad?) My current divebuddy gradumacated from PD many years ago, and I used to date one of their "barely made it's" several years ago. Great group of people, but I haven't dived with them since they ban RB's on the boat after the accident. It's sad to see a good operation leave SFL.
OP
Was that death so influential? (I know who it was, as he used to work here with me). Virtually nothing was ever said publicly about it - not even the fact that he was using a CCR.
Don't know. It was kept very quiet. My Meg MOD1 instructor did the equipment investigation after the accident. There was somewhat of a gag order on everything surrounding it.
I used to own a business that trained pilots. I know what our plan was for such an event and what the actual press would be. I was just throwing out an idea of why such a prominent training facility MIGHT have gone down for.
Hate to see it happen for whatever the reason may be. The only reason that leaves a happy note is if he just wanted to get out while the business was good. Margins are down in a whole lot of service industries right now, whether it be diving, flying, or other. Sucks anyway you slice it.
Scubastud16
Contributor
How long ago was there an RB death on their boat?
The diver's name was Zak Jones and a very well done article appeared in a local publication know for exposes'. The official coroner's reports stated death by hypoxia caused by diver error.
The article was well researched and is rather long but you won't stop reading once you start:
Broward-Palm Beach - News - Rebreathe Deep the Gathering Doom
The article was well researched and is rather long but you won't stop reading once you start:
Broward-Palm Beach - News - Rebreathe Deep the Gathering Doom
I think this was a very difficult decision for Frank. While I have no way to know, I think it had little or nothing to do with any accidents there in the past. I think it was purely economic. Just a continuation of what we will see in the scuba industry over the next couple of years.
The closing of Pro Dive should cause pause to everyone that loves this sport. This not a triumph for some other agency, it is not a triumph for some other competitor....this is the closing of an institution in the dive industry. For 25 years, Pro Dive has supplied instructors to many of the resorts in the Caribbean and to dive stores all over the country. The Pro Dive closing is sad. When the economic conditions don't allow them to operate, you have to question the basics of the industry.
Anyway, just my opinion.
Phil Ellis
The closing of Pro Dive should cause pause to everyone that loves this sport. This not a triumph for some other agency, it is not a triumph for some other competitor....this is the closing of an institution in the dive industry. For 25 years, Pro Dive has supplied instructors to many of the resorts in the Caribbean and to dive stores all over the country. The Pro Dive closing is sad. When the economic conditions don't allow them to operate, you have to question the basics of the industry.
Anyway, just my opinion.
Phil Ellis
DivingPrincessE
Contributor
I heard about this a couple of weeks ago through someone here on SB. That is so sad, I did my very first ocean dive with Pro Dive.
An interesting comment to make from my experiences is this:
Often, when an owner of a business decides to do things the proper way, the professional way, the hard way; they end up with a cash flow intensive business that taxes margins during times of economic downswing. While, his competition, the mom and pops, who may cut corners, may not maintain a clean shop, may not spend advertising dollars, may not go to the extremes of having things like standard operating procedures manuals, comapany training syllabuses, human resources, etc. get to slide through on a wing and a prayer to exist another day.
The wannabees slap a fresh coat of message on their pig and try to duplicate what you have created. In many cases, the masses of them slow bleed your business by stealing away your potential customer base at a slightly cheaper price but a whole lot cheaper product/service. We saw this happen in the flight training business post 9/11.
I'm no expert on the dive instructor market, but maybe there was a supply and demand imbalance that was making it difficult for ProDive to draw it's core business, instructor trainees. I don't feel that the cost of fuel would be it, because the smaller shops would feel that pinch long before a popular tourist boat like ProDiveII.
It's too bad really, because some less attractive shops will benefit from the large vacuum created by ProDive's disappearance. And the area really needs a shop like that to set the bar in training, lest the bar now drop lower. It takes a business with some critical mass to set that bar in training, merchandise, and service. It will be interesting to see who steps up to the plate in Ft. Lauderdale, if any.
Often, when an owner of a business decides to do things the proper way, the professional way, the hard way; they end up with a cash flow intensive business that taxes margins during times of economic downswing. While, his competition, the mom and pops, who may cut corners, may not maintain a clean shop, may not spend advertising dollars, may not go to the extremes of having things like standard operating procedures manuals, comapany training syllabuses, human resources, etc. get to slide through on a wing and a prayer to exist another day.
The wannabees slap a fresh coat of message on their pig and try to duplicate what you have created. In many cases, the masses of them slow bleed your business by stealing away your potential customer base at a slightly cheaper price but a whole lot cheaper product/service. We saw this happen in the flight training business post 9/11.
I'm no expert on the dive instructor market, but maybe there was a supply and demand imbalance that was making it difficult for ProDive to draw it's core business, instructor trainees. I don't feel that the cost of fuel would be it, because the smaller shops would feel that pinch long before a popular tourist boat like ProDiveII.
It's too bad really, because some less attractive shops will benefit from the large vacuum created by ProDive's disappearance. And the area really needs a shop like that to set the bar in training, lest the bar now drop lower. It takes a business with some critical mass to set that bar in training, merchandise, and service. It will be interesting to see who steps up to the plate in Ft. Lauderdale, if any.
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