Biggest thing killing dive shops?

[rhwestfall]

Dive shop trips cost considerably more than you can do it on your own. Considerably more.

The last shop trip I went on, I got to hear the owner expound on how he was heading to the in-room jacuzzi (which I and everyone got to pay for). Fine, but don't be an idiot and rub it in my face. There is a group of us who do "total trip cost divided by total divers". I don't need a shop supplied DM with less experience on my dime or paying for crap like that. YMMV

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Thank you for the reply Eric.

I think you are about spot on.

When Joe Ford closed the Pinnacles Novato Store I could sense that things were changing quite a bit.

Ken in Mendocino @ Sub-Surface Progression specialized in rentals to Ab divers, with wetsuits, floats, all the other gear.

I remember in SoCal when we could take Abalone on SCUBA. Limit was 4 a day.

It was part of the local culture to take only what you would actually eat. Of course a few did not, but most did.

Along point Loma there were so many Abalone tucked underneath the rocks, we would always measure them
before taking any. Taking only the largest.

Abalone dinner, with a nice salad and a bottle of White Wine. A real treat.

From what I understand Joe shut down Pinnacles in Novato because John at Marin Diving pretty much took all his customers, well he didn’t actually “take” them, they followed him over when he bought the Marin dive shop. Joe was the typical type of owner that many... well, let’s just say there is only one Joe. From what I hear John is doing great. There’s a lot of money in Marin County.

When Scott bought Pinnacles in Santa Rosa (SEAL’s Water Sports now) he made many changes for the better. I like to see the shop fun dives again and am planning on going on a few of their trips. It’s more like the old days again when I used to swing in just to see what’s new and swap lies around the filling station.
At least he sees that a local dive shop needs to be way more than just an overpriced sales outlet. They need to be there to help build a community of divers, to nurture new divers, to build excitement about the sport, to pass on knowledge for the asking. They also need to be active divers themselves, not just has-been divers that just stand there with bad attitudes because things aren’t “how they used to be” and they’re sick of being in the dive shop business.
He has some young talent in there that are hungry for adventure and have a zest for life, which is great!

However, Scott still has a lot of damage to repair from when Joe owned it, but he’s a nice guy and I have high hopes. I’ll help him anyway I can.

 

[BDSC]

The last shop trip I went on, I got to hear the owner expound on how he was heading to the in-room jacuzzi (which I and everyone got to pay for). Fine, but don't be an idiot and rub it in my face. There is a group of us who do "total trip cost divided by total divers". I don't need a shop supplied DM with less experience on my dime or paying for crap like that. YMMV

Exactly. On our trips we all share equally in the free spots, commissions, and group discounts. No one goes for free.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The Scubapro information is, most likely, a indicator of the current state of the SCUBA industry.

Air Liquide, after decades of ownership, sold AQUA-LUNG to a venture capital firm. Oceanic and Hollis
sold to HUISH (Who now has multiple overlapping lines)-how many different BC's, regs and computers
will be stocked by the very stressed Retailers?

Many stores closed, PADI bought and resold multiple times due to their profits and cash flow.

Actual NEW divers down every year for several years.

The decline continues to accelerate. This harsh winter will not help.

Do you think there will be a reduction of name brands and less models of all dive gear offered in the near future?
Add up all the brands of regulators in the world, do we really need that many?
Look at how many different BC models are available in all styles and sizes, how do they do it? Or are they doing it?
With the numbers of divers declining the math doesn’t seem to work.

 

[mdb]

Do you think there will be a reduction of name brands and less models of all dive gear offered in the near future?
Add up all the brands of regulators in the world, do we really need that many?
Look at how many different BC models are available in all styles and sizes, how do they do it? Or are they doing it?
With the numbers of divers declining the math doesn’t seem to work.

Consolidation is already underway.

Dive Retailers can no longer carry 3-5 different "major" brands.

LP does carry most brands, but not the small individual Brick and Mortar stores.

There is, already, a reduction in the number of brands, and fewer models offered.

 

[StefinSB]

Sometimes they can capture a real income stream with VA / gov tuition money through trade or community colleges

we see this with 141 flight schools as well: get somebody who knows the system to process their benefits, wash, rinse, repeat

I doubt that as the former owner was already having a handle on the UCSB Scuba and city college programs. One of their ideas if I understand them correctly is to get more involved with the local community. If done right that could be a huge plus as it is something online retailers can’t do outside of their geographic area.

 

[StefinSB]

Consolidation is already underway.

Dive Retailers can no longer carry 3-5 different "major" brands.

LP does carry most brands, but not the small individual Brick and Mortar stores.

There is, already, a reduction in the number of brands, and fewer models offered.

With Huish buying up companies that may not be an issue in the near future.

 

[mdb]

With Huish buying up companies that may not be an issue in the near future.

If Huish takes the scissors to their acquired brands and offers only the very top of each line they could well be a formidable force.

As it is now there is huge overlap between the various brands.

 

[dorsal]

I think of other brick and mortar retailers that have also closed in some part the ease of purchasing on the net. Book stores to amazon. Sports authority to online. And others.

There are 6 scuba shops within 30 miles of me and 5 are within 15 miles. The closest diving is an old mine or a very popular quarry neither of which is hardly the diversity of California diving. It’s surprising we have so many. Yet these shops have been mostly stable. Each shop has a different feel and dynamic. One seems empty all the time so I wonder how he stays in business. The other shops are friendly and helpful with questions. So I say customer focus and attention wins

 

[drrich2]

Dive Retailers can no longer carry 3-5 different "major" brands.

That's a problem. How many divers have mask, reg., BCD, boots, fins, wetsuit & computer all one brand? Or even two? Maybe somebody's cool with an AquaLung or ScubaPro reg. & BCD, but heard how great the Shearwater Perdix is, or wants Deep 6 Eddy Fins... If the shop can't meet customer expectations, the customer may have to go online to get satisfaction. Which serves as a crash course in how easy & rewarding it is when the product shows up at his door for a cheaper price.

Richard.