Subsurface Progression in Mendocino fades into history

[Akimbo]

The last dive shop on the North Coast has closed in Mendocino after 43 years. The indefinite closure of abalone season reduced their business to the point it made it impossible to continue. Sad.

Subsurface Progression – the coast’s only dive shop – is closing its doors

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Oh that’s terrible! It makes me sad.
The end of an era.
I loved that place. We used to love to go up there to make a pilgrimage and visit Kenny then Blake during our North Coast dive parties and get air fills. They always had hard to find gear that I vever found anywhere else. They had all sorts of Kenny’s cool old dive gear displayed all over the walls and in the glass cases.
It just goes to show how few people scuba dive in the area now and how much abalone diving contributed to the economy. A few Humboldt State marine biology classes aren’t going to sustain a business with air fills and a few trinkets.

Somebody (Blake) should think about opening a seasonal air fill kiosk in the area or maybe get a concession to do fills out of a trailer in Vandamme parking lot.

 

[Bob DBF]

Very sad.

A great shop, and a bad turn of events for the shop and the ocean that made it possible.

I remember my first time at the shop, I had moved into the general area (hours away and just down the street can be the same place, Mendocino county is a BIG place, for those that don't know.), and went by to get tanks filled. It was before I was certified, Kenny and I had a discussion about needing a C-card. About half way through our chat, he started filling the tanks. Always had a pleasant time in the shop, even if it did lighten my wallet on occasion.

Kenny, and then Blake, ran one of the best dive shops I've ever had the pleasure to call my LDS.


May the times change to smile on the shop once again.

Bob

 

[Fish&beer]

So sad, I remember going there since late1970's and having great diving conversations with Kenny. I remember buying a cool abalone cutting board (AquaCraft) from him. The shop will truly be missed. Hopefully a new shop will will start up taking it's place for the Fort Bragg area.

 

[Bob DBF]

Hopefully a new shop will will start up taking it's place for the Fort Bragg area.

If there was enough business for a shop, l doubt they would close. The influx of Abalone divers was the core of their clientele, and there is no Abalone season for the foreseeable future. Outside of Ab season it was open more as as service than a profitable business.

There are not a lot of divers showing up in Ft Bragg in the winter for SCUBA or free diving, if there were I would seen more than the few that I did. For most it's too long a trip for a chance to get in some great diving, if you are lucky, fortunately it was a just a day trip for me. It helps I have other interests if I don't get to dive.

A lot of businesses in that area depend on tourist traffic, so it's busy in the summer and slow over the winter, if your business plan is right the year averages out. The town will take a hit from the Ab divers not showing up, but there are a lot of other reasons to visit, unfortunately Subsurface took a direct hit.



Bob

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

In order for there to be any diving support in that area, a current business like a hardware store or other store could have a section similar to how Jay Baker Hardware in Gualala had some dive gear plus air fills.
There has to be some other form of revenue to support any sort of diving business.
Or like I said earlier, a kiosk or trailer at Vandamme on key weekends, and don’t forget advertising about it it too!
The internet is a great tool. Those people up there tend to get isolated in their little world and forget that.