Dive Center Horror/Hero Stories

[BlueTrin]

When I went on my first real dive after Open Water, I had troubles with buoyancy and used a lot more air than needed.

I had gone from London to Plymouth in an overnight bus as I wanted to get more experience.

The instructor not only helped me to improve but he brought his technical kit with extra tank/long hose and gave me his air so I could continue the dive.

That made really my day and that first dive in the sea was awesome !

 

[Trace Malinowski]

That made really my day and that first dive in the sea was awesome !

I did some diving in Cornwall around the Lizard Peninsula. I learned that towns like Mouse Hole are pronounced "Mousel" and to never eat English food other than fish and chips. Avoid Cornish pasties and find places to eat where Indians and Chinese people are doing the cooking. The surfing, diving, and English people are awesome though!

 

[EireDiver606]

When I went on my first real dive after Open Water, I had troubles with buoyancy and used a lot more air than needed.

I had gone from London to Plymouth in an overnight bus as I wanted to get more experience.

The instructor not only helped me to improve but he brought his technical kit with extra tank/long hose and gave me his air so I could continue the dive.

That made really my day and that first dive in the sea was awesome !

Who did you do it with in Plymouth? I plan on going to university there next year and there seems to a good diving group there. Aquanauts?

 

[BlueTrin]

Who did you do it with in Plymouth? I plan on going to university there next year and there seems to a good diving group there. Aquanauts?

It was Aquanauts. They were all so friendly and gave me really good advice.

Maybe mention to them that you are student as you may get discounts.

If they were closer to London, I would go more often there

 

[EireDiver606]

It was Aquanauts. They were all so friendly and gave me really good advice.

Maybe mention to them that you are student as you may get discounts.

If they were closer to London, I would go more often there

Yeah awesome. They all dive bpws and longhoses I’m fairly sure down there so looking forward.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

My experience has not been so great with my LDS. I have taken my certs with them but opted to not buy gear through them as they're limited to what brands they sell and they're expensive. In addition, I've never seen someone with a bp/w at the shop, so I don't think that would be offered either. I did buy little things here and there. Hard to justify a $12 battery or $8 bolt snap though.

I love to read and research and don't like the idea of being limited to any certain brand.

I showed up to a open dive the shop put on with my orange deep 6 eddy fins and while walking down the steps I said hello to the owner. They looked at me, looked at my fins, and walked away. Didn't acknowledge I was there for most of the day. Any direct contact towards the owner was met with short snippy answers. I tried to ask 2 different instructors about gear configurations or why they did certain things and was told I would learn that in class such and such if I took it.

This was my 12th dive having already gotten OW, Nitrox, and AOW with them.

Really turned me off. I thought an open dive was about getting together and having fun...should be more about attraction rather than promotion. I have been meticulous about not having outside gear while actually at that shop as I understand business and wouldn't want to take away from them. I do NOT at all promote any of my gear with other divers. Have never brought it up. As a matter of fact, the only gear that I had that day was the fins. I even left the bp/w and new regulator home as to not offend the shop / take away business. (Not willing to go back to rubber straps though, so the fins I took).

I would of never spent a ton of money there in the first place, but I would of definitely spent a lot over time. For now I've been going to another shop.

To me it seems like if a shop gives you wings to fly (certs) then they feel entitled for you to experience all scuba through them. When I walk in any other shop and start talking about anything, they don't seem to mind as I have no affiliation with them. They're looking at a potential new relationship, and not upset at the money they've theoretically lost.

Maybe I'm wrong, but this has been my experience so far. Should a shop feel entitled to "own/control" someone's scuba career?

 

[Trace Malinowski]

This is exactly what dive shop owners do to run a samurai sword through the guts of common sense. You'll probably just buy an air or nitrox fill through them when desperate and move on in the sport.

 

[boulderjohn]

I showed up to a open dive the shop put on with my orange deep 6 eddy fins and while walking down the steps I said hello to the owner. They looked at me, looked at my fins, and walked away. Didn't acknowledge I was there for most of the day. Any direct contact towards the owner was met with short snippy answers. I tried to ask 2 different instructors about gear configurations or why they did certain things and was told I would learn that in class such and such if I took it.

A few years ago I took a week-long marketing workshop (called Scuba University) put on by the owner of a major scuba agency. The main message was that the purpose of scuba instruction is to help the shop sell scuba gear. A huge portion (portions, actually) of the presentation was about dealing with customers who buy gear from somewhere else. He talked about how to talk to the customers to make them feel that deep sense of shame they should feel for having betrayed the shop after all they had done for them (out of the goodness of their hearts).

The shop you describe wanted you to feel that shame, but they did not have the benefit of the training they would have received had they taken that workshop. If they had, you would have been taken aside and given a through verbal working over.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

This is exactly what dive shop owners do to run a samurai sword through the guts of common sense. You'll probably just buy an air or nitrox fill through them when desperate and move on in the sport.

Why? Why do they do this? Just old thinking from pre-internet era? I think any LDS is doomed to think they can compete w/online. Why not adapt to the way things are and change the business model (as some have)? You know, the old adage, catch more bees with honey?

My next cert will NOT be with this shop. And at this point I only get fills there if I absolutely have to. Tbh, I'm in between 2 shops, and if at all possible I use the other.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

A few years ago I took a week-long marketing workshop (called Scuba University) put on by the owner of a major scuba agency. The main message was that the purpose of scuba instruction is to help the shop sell scuba gear. A huge portion (portions, actually) of the presentation was about dealing with customers who buy gear from somewhere else. He talked about how to talk to the customers to make them feel that deep sense of shame they should feel for having betrayed the shop after all they had done for them (out of the goodness of their hearts).

The shop you describe wanted you to feel that shame, but they did not have the benefit of the training they would have received had they taken that workshop. If they had, you would have been taken aside and given a through verbal working over.

I can see how that would work on some, especially if they didn't have anywhere else to go. Very, very sad to hear that though. No business needs to be ran that way. There's no reason why they need to do that.

In my line of work (gas systems / sales of propane) I give people all the different options out there. I lay out the pros and cons and give my personal opinion on what and why they should go with what I'm suggesting, but always finish with it's their house, they have to be comfortable with their decision and live with it. As long as they've been informed, I've done my job.

You point me to a shop that works like that, and I'm a customer for life.