Biggest thing killing dive shops?

[runsongas]

it will have to be a mix. large shops that sell gear at lower markups online and then local clubs for fills, classes, and loaner equipment. less money to be made in that model.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Most of the shops I've been in are stocked for the new diver. There are lots of colorful, shiny objects the OW instructors push on unsuspecting students. One of my favorite shops sells lots of better gear including tech items. Unfortunately they take a few days to fill nitrox and trimix and their airfills are sometimes short. My closest LDS has fast, full fills but sells crap gear at high prices. I wish more shops used the sales models like Leisure Pro and Scuba Toys, having a brick and morter storefront in addition to online sales. They could then afford to sell decent gear at lower prices.
I used to work at a shop in a perfect location. We were right at a busy landing ramp with most of the local dive boats located there. Unfortunately, the owners of the landing kept raising fees and would not make necessary repairs to the docks. Many boats moved to Long Beach and the dive shop went out of business. It's not always under the dive shop's control to stay in business.

 

[dmaziuk]

Oh, food for thought in this thread...does anybody think the plight of contemporary U.S. dive shops will give rise to a BSAC-like club approach to dive training in the U.S.?

You don't really want to run a club, but if you do, the economics of it is no better than that of running a shop. It just sucks differently. And we ran a university tai-chi club for a while here, that does not anything other than training space in winter or rain, and the university supports its recreational/sports clubs.

 

[runsongas]

Nobody is expecting a dive club to make money though, just hopefully break even.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

This is interesting. Granted, breaking scuba training into modular sections (with only OW really necessary) and making training requirements easier (from what I've been told), plus marketing scuba as a relatively safe, easy sport/activity based around fun sight-seeing has made it accessible to a broad audience, including chunky late-40's white collar workers (cough-cough-like-me-cough-cough).

How is this persecuting/harassing/driving out the 'real cowboys' in a significant way? Granted, as long as you have different groupings, people in one group will occasionally cast a critical eye at some in another ('real divers' vs. 'vacation divers,' GUE/DIR vs. 'strokes' - and in tourism, tourists vs. 'travelers'), but if someone wants to be a strongly independent fit, capable diver with excellent skills and watermanship, diving adverse conditions, spear-fishing, tech. diving or whatever tests him/herself a bit, what's stopping that person?

Whatever it is, is it something that can be fixed? Would it accomplish much good to do so? Put another way, are the dudes existing in addition to the real cowboys, or did they somehow replace them?

Richard.

Richard, I think that scuba diving has tried to shield newbie and recreational divers from imagined danger for so long and provided a false sense of accomplishment through the combined education + C-card trophy process that it has suffered an identity crisis. Diving doesn't know what it might aspire to do or who it might aspire to be - unlike other sports. Even hiking has sponsored athletes. We wouldn't know a Tom Brady (NFL QB) or a Freckles Brown (champion bull rider) if one walked into DEMA and we probably wouldn't want them. Diving has been trying to sever ties with the fit, male, heroic archetype like Lloyd Bridges in Sea Hunt for about 30 or 40 years now. The culture scolds those who want to be what made it sexy and exciting and apologizes for them. Meanwhile, Michael Phelps increased YMCA and other pool memberships during the summer games.

Chris Ledoux sang:

Well you don't see him much on the big screen anymore
The kids don't ride along with Roy or Gene
And that ain't really him with all those feathers in his hat
And some frenchman's name embroidered on his jeans

But he's still out there ridin' fences
Still makes his livin' with his rope
As long as there's a sunset he'll keep ridin' for the brand
You just can't see him from the road

Being a real diver lives in the heart, but like a real cowboy a real diver can look beyond the social graces or lack thereof in someone and see the shine. Diving would benefit from having heroes again rather than apologizing for them. I'd nominate Jarrod Jablonski for MVP.

 

[Bob DBF]

Oh, food for thought in this thread...does anybody think the plight of contemporary U.S. dive shops will give rise to a BSAC-like club approach to dive training in the U.S.?

I tend to doubt it. It would have the diver make more of a commitment to diving than a four day course to get certified and fly to a warm water resort. Even with local cold water divers like me, do I want to get involved with the time, energy and money involved with a club as long as I can get a fill locally and go dive.


Bob

 

[HantsDiver]

You don't really want to run a club, but if you do, the economics of it is no better than that of running a shop. It just sucks differently. And we ran a university tai-chi club for a while here, that does not anything other than training space in winter or rain, and the university supports its recreational/sports clubs.

That's not true in the UK.

A club is just a group of people who meet at a free place. Usually a pub. They will occasionally rent swimming pools - which are owned by the local council so who have to let the public use them. They then go to a quarry and do there open water dives. The kit they have is hugely discounted and will usually be a buddy commando bcd - these are fine and last forever. They also get grant money from the lottery here.

There running costs are very little. Each member pays a modest amount to keep it all running. They do not need to have the same levels of H&S as a commercial operation. The system works well actually.

 

[Billy Northrup]

If you double the price of fills, you will see a lot more private compressors being shared by a group of friends. Cutting off your nose to spite your face. Most of the local divers are not spending 200 a night and however much for the other crap to dive. Drive down early and drive back home. Gas in the car and some fills, less than 40 or 50 bucks for most.

Well I live in Vacaville, it's 2.5 hours without any traffic and full tank round trip in the F150. Most people don't even own tanks let alone a compressor. I would encourage people to rally and invest in a compressor, it could be the center of things that keep people engaged.

FYI: It cost about 3 dollars to fill an 80. I'd rather fill 33 tanks at 10 than 100 for "nothing"

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Well I live in Vacaville, it's 2.5 hours without any traffic and full tank round trip in the F150. Most people don't even own tanks let alone a compressor. I would encourage people to rally and invest in a compressor, it could be the center of things that keep people engaged.

FYI: It cost about 3 dollars to fill an 80. I'd rather fill 33 tanks at 10 than 100 for "nothing"

Those I know who had their own compressors enjoyed diving 100 fold.

 

[mdb]

Eric; This continues to ba a very interesting and informative thread with lots of good input
from divers worldwide.

I was first certified when I was 23. NASDS, San Diego, CA.

The course was five weeks long, with 5 open water dives.

I followed up with various, rescue dive, night dive, deep dive courses over the next years.

I dove every weekend Off La Jolla, Point Loma, boat trips etc.

The "quickie" courses and the online study seems to have produced quite a few divers who
really do not have the confidence to dive on their own.

They can, usually, make it through their vacation dives.

Once back at home quite a few do not dive locally.

They can proudly display their C card at cocktail parties-"I'm a SCUBA diver".

Results: after decades of this approach, far fewer new divers, a gap between "Tech" and "Rec"
that puts off the prospective diver who walks into a store and some "Tech" diver starts talking
about long hoses, sidemount, rebreathers, "Trim" etc.

Many just walk out. They go on their vacation, but they do not go diving.

Couple all that with some larger retailers, only a few prominent ones nationwide, who carry many brands,
selling at 20-40% less than the small local store and we have, and will have, a continuing decline in the
number of local dive stores.

Hundred of stores have closed over the last decade or so. Few new stores have opened.

Diving is such a great way to relax, interact with nature, see things few will ever see.

After 48 yrs. of diving I still enjoy every opportunity to be U/W weightless and free.

I hope there is a positive change coming.