Biggest thing killing dive shops?

[Umuntu]

The bike and ski shops have gone away but people still bike and ski.

The cycle shops are coming back … but as specialty upmarket brands catering to dedicated hobbyists.

In my closest town the new cycle shop specializes in an upmarket Italian brand. Carbon fibre frames etc., etc. No children's bikes! And on weekends the country lanes are infested with MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) all wearing gaudy billboard clothing resembling the Tour de France. A nightmare to overtake a line of 20 near-retired cyclists, especially on the hills. But a great way for them to maintain their fitness that's easier on the joints than running. And in scenery more beautiful than the gym offers.

 

[MichaelMc]

The bike and ski shops have gone away but people still bike and ski.

I have six bike stores within a mile of me, road bikes, mountain bikes, recycled junk bikes, co-ops. Most cities I go to have bike stores. Even Austin had two ski stores. I think the train before dive is a difference in scuba, to bike and ski.

 

[scubafanatic]

I'm thinking about quitting diving and trying to track down my old Mexican saddle then finding a job that would afford an Arabian. My mother's had an unreal personality.

Freediving is booming. I taught that 20 years too early. I also think freediving is affordable for the struggling millennials. Spearing offers the survival trend. The athleticism goes along with the younger generation's embrace of obstacle course racing and other means of finding their inner caveman/cave woman.

Brilliant! There's a fortune to be made providing air fills, gear sales, extensive 'tech' training in 'freediving', amazing nobody has noticed this! Apparently nobody has also noticed the average/typical fitness level of the average person (young or old) these days, freediving would be the very last activity they would ever wish to do, or be able to do! Cyberdiving via their iPhoneX, maybe involving holograms, is their thing.

 

[runsongas]

dive shops will have to diversify or consolidate and get bigger to access economies of scale. some can maybe expand a bit into internet sales like DRIS and scubatoys, but most probably will need to start offering other sports equipment and swim classes if they have a pool or regular pool time.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The cycle shops are coming back … but as specialty upmarket brands catering to dedicated hobbyists.

In my closest town the new cycle shop specializes in an upmarket Italian brand. Carbon fibre frames etc., etc. No children's bikes! And on weekends the country lanes are infested with MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) all wearing gaudy billboard clothing resembling the Tour de France. A nightmare to overtake a line of 20 near-retired cyclists, especially on the hills. But a great way for them to maintain their fitness that's easier on the joints than running. And in scenery more beautiful than the gym offers.

Bicycling in my area is huge. It never really went away even during the recession because most of the people doing it probably already had their bikes and gear and the participants are generally fairly well off proffessionals with higher incomes. Sonoma County is known world wide as an epicenter for Tour De France training because of the mountains and the elevation climbs, the windy bumpy back roads and the weather. It's very close in many aspects to France.
Yes, I know about the hoards of "team" bicyclists clogging up the roads here!..and I feel your pain brother.

Getting back to our local diving, I'd much rather own a local bike shop here than an LDS if making money was the key. The biking is great here, but many people think the diving is not. It's cold, low vis, rough, rocky, no dive charters, very isolated and desolate, totally unpredictable weather, the list goes on. Man it's a tough sale for sure.
But there is a group of us that loves it.
I'm used to it enough so that I would be the type to take all my dive gear to east coast like Maine and do a total DIY dive somewhere from the shore, or anywhere else that's not considered a "dive destination".
I would ask around and gather enough info to pull it off. To me that's fun and an adventure. Some of my most interesting dives were in the darndest places that nobody ever would have considered.
I don't need warm water, someone to put my gear together for me, and a fully catered dive to be happy.

 

[KevinNM]

This probably doesn't work in the USA (where almost anybody can have real rifles), but one of my local LDS sells air rifles and air fills to the air rifle shooting enthusiasts. You don't need a gun license for sub hi-power air rifles. They are just fine for putting holes in a paper target. And it's a great sideline for the LDS. I've been in the shop when these guys have brought their tanks to be filled and have their refill card "clipped." A great way to leverage the LDS's investment in compressors etc. And it helps to keep the LDS in business.

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You get some of that with the airsoft guys.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

dive shops will have to diversify or consolidate and get bigger to access economies of scale. some can maybe expand a bit into internet sales like DRIS and scubatoys, but most probably will need to start offering other sports equipment and swim classes if they have a pool or regular pool time.

California was never a good place to base an internet dive business when the cost of doing business and taxes are much higher than say Texas, the Mid West, or Florida, where most of the internet dive gear dealers tend to be. I know Leisure Pro is in NYC and New York is not a cheap place, but who knows their full story?

 

[KevinNM]

California was never a good place to base an internet dive business when the cost of doing business and taxes are much higher than say Texas, the Mid West, or Florida, where most of the internet dive gear dealers tend to be. I know Leisure Pro is in NYC and New York is not a cheap place, but who knows their full story?

Leisure Pro is part of an existing large merchant who sells something else IIRC.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Brilliant! There's a fortune to be made providing air fills, gear sales, extensive 'tech' training in 'freediving', amazing nobody has noticed this! Apparently nobody has also noticed the average/typical fitness level of the average person (young or old) these days, freediving would be the very last activity they would ever wish to do, or be able to do! Cyberdiving via their iPhoneX, maybe involving holograms, is their thing.

There are shops here in the northeast that cater solely to spearos. The freediving club I co-founded in the 90's began with 3 guys and now has over 400 members. Divers who have signed on to work for Amphibious Medics, Event Medics, etc. see extremely fit millennials quite a bit.

 

[runsongas]

California was never a good place to base an internet dive business when the cost of doing business and taxes are much higher than say Texas, the Mid West, or Florida, where most of the internet dive gear dealers tend to be. I know Leisure Pro is in NYC and New York is not a cheap place, but who knows their full story?

dolphin seems to make it work somewhat over in SAC. adorama camera preceded LP and they are still located together. both were well known for grey market importing.