From the Seahorse's mouth...
I talked with Kevin Senecal, the owner of Diver's Direct the day after they closed the Florida City and Orlando locations. The decision was purely a business one, as they are consolidating in a few other areas as well. Some of my favorite memories are in the Orlando store, both in it's current location as well as when it was across the street. At that time the manager was Brenda, who now manages their Key Largo Store and has been for the last two or three years. She made things work, where it seems that others had a hard time. She is a rare bird in retail, and you will find her pulling out all the stops to make things work. She did that for ScubaBoard just this past month, as she secured a 7 mil wetsuit for the Director of the History of Diving Museum so she could get certified this past New Years!
In my discussion with Kevin, it was obvious that this retrenchment was painful. He was sensitive to not only how it affected the divers in the Orlando area, but how it affected the staff that was let go during this move. Kevin is a stand up guy in my book, and I know this decision did not come easily. Here is what he asked me to post here:
"All of us at Divers Direct appreciate the interest shown by many customers and industry insiders regarding changes we are making within our business. The current economic conditions have required us to carefully review all of our operations to insure that we remain a viable business for the long term. As a result we closed our stores in Orlando and Florida City and substantially reduced our corporate staffing. We are still operating Find Scuba Gear and Diving Gear at the World's Largest Scuba Equipment and Dive Equipment Retailer! and stores in Palm Beach Gardens, Dania Beach, Key Largo, and Key West.
Changes like this are very challenging and they do result in good people losing their jobs. To ease the transition for our effected associates, we have offered severance or different positions in the organization to all of these folks.
If any one has a customer service issue or questions related to these changes, please call 800-DIVE-USA or send an email to experts@diversdirect.com or email me directly at kevin@diversdirect.com
Thanks again for your interest in Divers Direct."
As for other shops I would recommend in the Orlando area? Here, in alphabetical order is my short list of ScubaBoard Friendly shops. You will see that they are fairly dispersed geographically.
Castaway Scuba
9460 E. Colonial Drive
Orlando, Fl 32817
407-658-9464
Dayo Scuba (right next door to ScubaBoard)
723 Executive Drive
Winter Park Fl 32789
407-292-9727
Scuba Quest
8092 S OBT (441)
Orlando, Fl 32809
(407) 851-6677
Wet N Fla Scuba
3005 W Lake Mary Blvd
Lake Mary, Fl 32746
407-322-1848
These are by NO MEANS the only dive shops in the Central Florida area, but they are my personal favorites for getting fills and gear. Sadly, Divers Direct was a part of this list for many years. It is with a degree of sorrow that we see it go!