Did SSI just get bought out by Mares?

[kwinter]

Absolutely. A dive shop is an employer and can put any not illegal requirements in place that they want. They could require instructors to teach all classes wearing a clown outfit if they wanted to. I was addressing kwinter's statement that the SSI Divecon course has a requirement to work in a dive shop and sell gear.

Maybe you are correct and owe an apology to SSI. There is only one SSI shop anywhere near me, and it is over 2 hours away while there are dozens of shops closer.I went out of my way to do my Stress & Rescue there years ago because I liked the SSI philosophy. When I asked about doing Dive Con, I was told that I would have to work IN the store for 6 months. Not just be affiliated and help with their classes, but work as an employee in the store. They told me that was the SSI requirement. My mistake was believing what I was told.


Please pardon any typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[emoreira]

Maybe you are correct and owe an apology to SSI. There is only one SSI shop anywhere near me, and it is over 2 hours away while there are dozens of shops closer.I went out of my way to do my Stress & Rescue there years ago because I liked the SSI philosophy. When I asked about doing Dive Con, I was told that I would have to work IN the store for 6 months. Not just be affiliated and help with their classes, but work as an employee in the store. They told me that was the SSI requirement. My mistake was believing what I was told.


Please pardon any typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One thing that one should have always handy is the "Standard". SSI, like (I guess) any other certification agency, has a Standard where all what's and what's not are listed. Any shop can add to those Standards, but cannot substract, and every thing that the shop adds, should not be contrary to the Standard's philosophy.

 

[kmurray719]

Maybe you are correct and owe an apology to SSI. There is only one SSI shop anywhere near me, and it is over 2 hours away while there are dozens of shops closer.I went out of my way to do my Stress & Rescue there years ago because I liked the SSI philosophy. When I asked about doing Dive Con, I was told that I would have to work IN the store for 6 months. Not just be affiliated and help with their classes, but work as an employee in the store. They told me that was the SSI requirement. My mistake was believing what I was told.


Please pardon any typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No maybe about it, go ahead and check the SSI DiveCon training standards. You were fed a line of BS.
SSI Scuba Schools International

 

[divezonescuba]

I just heard that Head/Mares are cleaning house (firings people) on both sides of the Mares - SSI merger. What have you heard?

I don't know about the SSI side, but there have been a number of changes in the Mares side, including some long time sales representatives.

What is really curious is that it is rumored that PADI is developing a counter-strategy with one or more other manufacturers. This could significantly change the certification / manufacturer landscape.

 

[johnmckenzie]

I don't know about the SSI side, but there have been a number of changes in the Mares side, including some long time sales representatives.

What is really curious is that it is rumored that PADI is developing a counter-strategy with one or more other manufacturers. This could significantly change the certification / manufacturer landscape.

I would like to find the source and hear more on that. I know that some shop owners have been contacted by PADI with a pitch to switch to PADI because ther're NOT associated with a manufacturer.

 

[boulderjohn]

What is really curious is that it is rumored that PADI is developing a counter-strategy with one or more other manufacturers. This could significantly change the certification / manufacturer landscape.

I have heard nothing about this one way or the other, but I don't understand why PADI would feel it needs to develop a counter-strategy. How would this decision by Mares and SSI affect them? (This is a legitimate question, not a challenge.)

 

[CBK]

It seems like SSI is withdrawing from the American continent. SSI Latin American is now non-existent. They sent out an e-mail to a shop I know of letting them know that SSI Latin America doesn't exist anymore?

Do you guys believe this means Latin American SSI instructors are due to disappear (like in 2008 with YMCA) or do you guys believe they will just not have a headquarter on this part of the continent anymore?

 

[flots am]

I just heard that Head/Mares are cleaning house (firings people) on both sides of the Mares - SSI merger. What have you heard?

That's almost impossible to avoid with any merger/acquisition.

Any time a company gets bought/acquired/whatever and someone stands up and says "nothing will change," they're lying or have been lied to, or management is just incompetent.

Even without trying, there are all sorts of positions you don't need two of, and many areas where one company is clearly better than the other. These are all prime targets.

 

[Lead_carrier]

The new list of SSI sales reps was just emailed out. I am only familiar with the fellow that USED to be our rep in the southeast. It'll be interesting to see if the new rep will be different.

 

[divezonescuba]

There was a marketing study sent out to some diveshops by a private survey group some time prior to the Mares/SSI situation. The focus of the survey was diveshops acceptance of a certification agency being associated with a manufacturer and the likelihood of promoting products associated with the shops certification agency. They paid each respondent $30.

We were told the additional information as previously described by a long time industry rep.