The LDS of the future

[Brendon]

When I was looking for a LDS to get certified I saw tremendous price differences. Most of them hid the cost for certification. This shop charged for the books, separate charge for pool session, separate charge for open water. You must have your own equipment because this shop did not rent equipment, but will sell you equipment at a discounted price. You were responsible for your travel to the certification price as well as food and hotel. After all was said and done... we were looking at over 2 grand to get certified. We found a shop that would certify us for $400 each, and this included everything minus travel. When I say everything I mean everything. He had all the equipment for us to borrow for certification. He did not sell equipment he was just an instructor not a store. I thought that would be a better deal... If he did sell equipment I would have been more likely to buy it from him than from someone I didn't know. I put my life in his hands for certification, why wouldn't I trust his recommendations on equipment.

Think about what your saying... Do you really want 8-10$ hr instructor??? The average golf/tennis pro will run you 50$ hr min. Do you want a 10$hr 20yr old teaching your family how to scuba dive? I think not... That in itself is 75% of what's wrong with the scuba industry. My course is 995.00 everything included, "everything". New year I will be raising the price to 1250.00- if you paid 400.00 then you got a deal, I just wonder if that included anything other then a card and a DVD... Sounds more like a McDonald's happy meal to me.

 

[nimoh]

I don't think air fills would be an issue if dive shops were closing. You would likely see air fill co-ops popping up all over the place where 30 or so divers would get together, buy a compressor and store it in someone's garage.

 

[redacted]

Think about what your saying... Do you really want 8-10$ hr instructor??? The average golf/tennis pro will run you 50$ hr min. Do you want a 10$hr 20yr old teaching your family how to scuba dive? I think not... That in itself is 75% of what's wrong with the scuba industry. My course is 995.00 everything included, "everything". New year I will be raising the price to 1250.00- if you paid 400.00 then you got a deal, I just wonder if that included anything other then a card and a DVD... Sounds more like a McDonald's happy meal to me.

I would like to have the choice. There are times when I really need to master skills and abilities (knowledge from the book or CD is almost always adequate) and that may require a good instructor/mentor. Then there are time when I just need the card. Who is going to offer the choice?

I can see where there may be OW courses worth what you are talking about charging. I just don't see many OW students who will be willing to pay those prices.

 

[flots am]

I don't know . . . I think we are already seeing at least a few "LDS of the future" shops. ScubaToys is one, Dive Right In Scuba is another. Both have embraced the internet as a sales and marketing tool, and are concentrating on providing customer service that brings people back.

Although they may have a local presence, they're only "The LDS" for people that live nearby. For everybody else, they're "just another website".

At some point, someone with more money will start up a much larger internet site with better prices and just stomp on them, or the manufacturers will simply sell direct. LDSs with no online sales are currently existing in a sweet spot between the places that refuse to change and the people with big money that haven't recognized the opportunity yet.

The actual L (local) DSs will need to base their survival on correctly pricing non-transportable products and services like air fills, tank and equipment rentals, training, trips and events.

flots.

 

[Peter Guy]

Just can't let this one go by without a response:

Switch to NAUI where you can be a real teacher/instructor, break the chains of cd/rom robotic instruction, come up with your own style and set your own prices!

Now maybe there IS an agency which wouldn't allow me to be a "real teacher/instructor" but I don't know of one. Despite my misgivings now and then, I believe I AM a "real teacher/instructor" and I don't feel any "chains of cd/rom robotic instruction" and I DID come up with my own style and I DO set my own prices. And, oh yes, I am a PADI certified Scuba Instructor.

BTW, NWGratefulDiver's "LDS Of The Future" mentioned above is one with which I am "intimately familiar" -- not to mention being one of the loosely affiliated instructors along with Bob -- a group that includes NAUI, PADI, TDI and I believe SSI credentialed instructors.

 

[Jill from Phoenix]

Absolutely! Free market! I bleed red white and blue. Consumers should always have a choice.

I always make fun of billboards like divorce or bankruptcy for 200 bucks. I suppose if you have nothing to lose it's not a bad option.

Consumers are willing to spend within their budget for what they value whether it be private jets or 100000 dollar cars or 1000 dresses or 3000 suits. Not everybody makes the same money and not everybody values diving.

 

[Brendon]

I would like to have the choice. There are times when I really need to master skills and abilities (knowledge from the book or CD is almost always adequate) and that may require a good instructor/mentor. Then there are time when I just need the card. Who is going to offer the choice?

I can see where there may be OW courses worth what you are talking about charging. I just don't see many OW students who will be willing to pay those prices.

Some people want the best (what they believe to be), some want the most expensive for no other reason then its the most expensive, some want the hardest or longest course and you would be surprised how many people "Will pay $$$" at any level of training... Funny thing is, I don't usually run into cheap-a divers unless I'm on scubaboard. Seems to attract the freebsd software type people, sitting around holding their cup out wanting what others have paid for, for free. I'm all about sharing knowledge to some extent, with that comes a continuing education pitch. No I'm not saying everyone on SB fits that profile, so don't bother flaming me for it... What and how you sell is more important then your location, just look at the state of Colorado. They are the third largest diving community in the USA. Landlocked and cold... My friend is an instructor in Ft Collins, his prices parallel mine. He has no problem staying busy with SSI right in his backyard. ( he is a NAUI instructor)

 

[redacted]

Some people want the best (what they believe to be), some want the most expensive for no other reason then its the most expensive, some want the hardest or longest course and you would be surprised how many people "Will pay $$$" at any level of training... Funny thing is, I don't usually run into cheap-a divers unless I'm on scubaboard. Seems to attract the freebsd software type people, sitting around holding their cup out wanting what others have paid for, for free. I'm all about sharing knowledge to some extent, with that comes a continuing education pitch. No I'm not saying everyone on SB fits that profile, so don't bother flaming me for it... What and how you sell is more important then your location, just look at the state of Colorado. They are the third largest diving community in the USA. Landlocked and cold... My friend is an instructor in Ft Collins, his prices parallel mine. He has no problem staying busy with SSI right in his backyard. ( he is a NAUI instructor)

I'm probably one of those cheap-a-divers you are putting down. I'm not looking for free handouts, but I can be talked into accepting them. I do look for value and cost effectiveness but don't mine paying higher prices when it is worth it. There are folks with the money to spend so I'm sure the more expensive courses will do OK in the right areas as long as they really are a good value that clients recognize. I tend to be a DIYer including my approach to learning so it is probably not the kind of course I would be interested in. I still believe that someone who wants to get into scuba with a tight budget (or would rather spend the $$ diving) can get trained and equipped for the price you are talking about charging for training. But I do realize that my approach is not for everyone. Hopefully you realize the same of your training strategy.

 

[molina67]

Actually went through the whole process, the floating, swimming, reg recover, mask removal, emergency ascent, every required by PADI to become certified. I know how to plan my dives and I go dive. I am a lot like Awap, I don't want handouts and yes I can afford to pay 1200 to become OWC, but I didn't have to so why should I? The money I saved was used to pay for my equipment. I bought myself and my wife equipment and we currently own everything minus the tanks which I will probably buy sometime next year. As for the equipment, I researched on here asked questions and found who had the best deals and best customer service and went and purchased the equipment. I completely love diving and if I can spend my money on diving in exotic locations that is what I will do.

My second beef is with dive trips. I understand that those who organize the trips put a lot of time and effort into these trips and usually have their trips paid for by other, whether it's the place they are going to or the people going. I was debating whether taking a dive trip with a LDS who was charging $250.00 per person for the trip. I went to the website of where the trip was to happen and found that to rent the Pontoon boat for an hour was $25 and it would accommodate up to 8 divers. You had to supply your own equipment and transportation. I would have paid $500 for myself and wife/buddy plus gas and hotel if we spent the night, and I could not see how the $250. was justified. I know that I am a newbie to diving but I consider myself pretty experienced in life. So I will be scheduling my own trips and save money.

 

[BDSC]

Think about what your saying... Do you really want 8-10$ hr instructor??? The average golf/tennis pro will run you 50$ hr min. Do you want a 10$hr 20yr old teaching your family how to scuba dive? I think not... That in itself is 75% of what's wrong with the scuba industry. My course is 995.00 everything included, "everything". New year I will be raising the price to 1250.00- if you paid 400.00 then you got a deal, I just wonder if that included anything other then a card and a DVD... Sounds more like a McDonald's happy meal to me.

Don't know what the going rate is in South Florida for getting certified but we have a local shop here in Raleigh, NC, that charges $375. If you don't already have your mask, fins, and snorkel, then they will rent them to you for $40 during the course. You are not required to buy them from the shop. The only thing not included is the cost of getting into the quarry if that's where you decide to do your open water dives and that runs about $20 a day I think it is. That still puts you at less than $500 and while I don't know all of the instructors there, the ones I do know and have dived with are excellent.

I'm sure they would like to be able to charge more but that's pretty much in line with all the other shops in the area. My point is you can get quality instruction for way less than $1000.