In the current context of discussing southeast Alaska I hope my input is not out of place, but for what it's worth:
I own a dive shop in Anchorage, Alaska. We are of course located in south central Alaska, and do have to drive 2 hours (in the summer, 1 hour in the winter) to go diving. Our shop is a full service shop offering equipment sale, rentals, training, charter boat services, and repairs.
Dive boat:
Our dive boat runs every weekend from May through September. The price per diver is $150 including sales tax and harbor fees. The boat departs from Seward, Alaska and is a full-day, 2-tank dives. We leave the harbor at 10:00 am and return by 4:00 pm. We often see whales, sea lion, otters,mbears, and goat during the trip out and back. The boat is a 43' Delta Marine charter boat which is capable of carrying 12 divers, but we usually accommodate between 8-10. There is a heated cabin, warm shower, boarding ladder, and hot chocolate or tea between dives. The diving in Resurrection Bay is very good with virtually no currents, 30-50 feet of visibility (except may and early June when the plankton blooms) and very easy diving conditions.
shop:
our shop in Anchorage is 2400 square feet and has been is business for 8 years. We supply Scubapro, Halcyon, Atomic, and DUI gear among others. We are capable of providing Nitrox, air, and Trimix fills as well as deco gas and argon for dry suit inflation. We have a staff of 9 instructors and Divemasters, including qualification to teach technical diving.
Training:
Agencies include PADI, TDI,GUE,ERDI,and SDI
As far as the business aspect goes, it IS a tough sell. People as a whole, and divers included are largely ignorant about cold-water diving. It is harder to do, not immediately fun, and requires dedication and hard work to get to a point where a diver enjoys it, let alone prefers it. I applaud you gentlemen for raising the issue! After 8 years of blood, sweat and tears our shop is finally enjoying some cash flows and financial success. That, after reinvesting almost 100% of the income for years.
For more information, please feel free to visit
Home or email
scott@divealaska.net. Thanks again for raising awareness of our wonderful aspect (cold-water) of an otherwise unique sport.