Biggest thing killing dive shops?

[Eric Sedletzky]

That's what I'm thinking; if in OW training a LDS could educate students about & make the case for BP/W, while a BP/W setup can be cheaper than some jacket BCDs, wouldn't it raise the odds that LDS would sell more BCDs (BP/W in this case) to students, instead of the students getting online with LeisurePro, etc...?

Things that are mainly used 'off the rack' make for easy online ordering. Things you need to try on, or get help with fitting, are another story. I'm aware some places may send you a wetsuit, if it doesn't fit send it back for another, but not everyone wants to hassle with that.

The more a LDS can legitimately make its offerings 'not off the rack,' the greater the case to buy for them...if there's true added value.

Richard.

From what I’ve seen most LDS’s have missed the bus a very long time ago. If they wanted to stay on the fore front of where diving was going they should have been on this from day one. It’s too late now. They could have embraced the technology but most didn’t, at least the ones on the west coast didn’t. I can’t speak for the east coast. I think they (dive shops) enjoyed being bloated and drunk on success from their golden age and the big boom of the 70’s - 90’s that they became arrogant from being the big know everythings and ignorant and blind to the reality that they were quickly being maneuvered around and left in the dust.
This created two diving universes, the shop and the internet. Which one do you think won?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Ah--so you want to have government control of scuba certifications, do you? Many people would disagree.

I knew that was coming.
Same thing happened last time.
It’s just one idea.
How else would you avoid internal corruption without some sort of outside oversight?
Ratting out instructors to their own agency doesn’t seem to be working.

 

[Bob DBF]

How else would you avoid internal corruption without some sort of outside oversight?
Ratting out instructors to their own agency doesn’t seem to be working.

How about training by one agency and testing by an instructor trainer from a different agency. The training requirements are the same, or quite similar across the board. Feedback about the instructor back to his agency would be a side benefit.


Bob

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

How about training by one agency and testing by an instructor trainer from a different agency. The training requirements are the same, or quite similar across the board. Feedback about the instructor back to his agency would be a side benefit.


Bob

Or, make it so all instructors are required to be licensed by the state. They have to pass a state exam then be bonded and insured just like contractors and many other businesses. If you run across a bad one and they break standards you can sue them and go after their license, just like building contractors and auto body and car mechanics overseen by the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair). they don’t screw around.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

The states can just conduct state dive certification courses like they conduct boater safety courses. Take an online test, the state makes money, and you are certified within 1 hour. No need for instructors. Increased revenue for the financially starved states. No more egos in diving.

Well, maybe.

"I finished my exam in 45 minutes in NJ."

"Ha! It only took me 15 in FL."

 

[Bob DBF]

If you run across a bad one and they break standards you can sue them and go after their license, just like building contractors and auto body and car mechanics overseen by the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair). they don’t screw around.

Yeah, turn them in to actual professionals. Maybe use the BRE (Real Estate) model of continuing education which always includes ethics training, as well as proffessional training.


Bob

 

[Bob DBF]

The states can just conduct state dive certification courses like they conduct boater safety courses. Take an online test, the state makes money, and you are certified within 1 hour. No need for instructors. Increased revenue for the financially starved states. No more egos in diving.

Well, maybe.

"I finished my exam in 45 minutes in NJ."

"Ha! It only took me 15 in FL."

I couldn't hit like 'cause I don't agree with the concept, but damn that's funny.

Bob

 

[KevinNM]

Or, make it so all instructors are required to be licensed by the state. They have to pass a state exam then be bonded and insured just like contractors and many other businesses. If you run across a bad one and they break standards you can sue them and go after their license, just like building contractors and auto body and car mechanics overseen by the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair). they don’t screw around.

Nah, each town should have a mandatory 200 hour training course (Only $50/hour), and at the end of that you can pay $500 to take the 4 hour in the water test that allows you to teach in that town. Of course, as the conditions in each town is different, you'll need a license from that town to teach there.

 

[Aviyes]

Nah, each town should have a mandatory 200 hour training course (Only $50/hour), and at the end of that you can pay $500 to take the 4 hour in the water test that allows you to teach in that town. Of course, as the conditions in each town is different, you'll need a license from that town to teach there.

Ohh and it can be taught a person that has never been an instructor in their life. Just to complete the futility of having it city/county/state managed.

 

[CT-Rich]

My suggestion just fell on deaf ears and who was I to tell him how to run his travel business.

I have two sisters and when they come to visit on holidays they are great with my daughters and me loading me up with all sorts of parenting advice.... and relationship advice. They are very generous with all their incites and advice, except neither has kids or been married or had children. Free advice is usually worth what you pay. Its really easy to stand on the outside and have brilliant insights into what makes good business practices in a business you know little about running.

I am involve in the solar industry and I watch newbies come in and get all excited because of the incredible potential money. Then they find out that there are little nuances that you need to learn and are very subtle. Turns out that most people can't figure it out and have trouble making a living. Everyone knows that marketing is super important, but effective marketing is actually really hard and not everybody is going to be capable of creating a face book page that is going fill charters or get bring in students.

How many people started out home businesses selling books over the Internet and how many of them became Amazon? How many people could right code and how many of them became Microsoft?