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I agree with you. I just call hunting without killing "Photography" and I do that already. :D But in all seriousness, its a point of course, but we need a much bigger picture, I spoke to an associate in Spain today, he estimates the scuba business in Spain has declined 50% over the last 5 years...

Theres an old saying that runs along the lines of "You need to know where you came from, to see where you are going" and I think its apt here. If we look back at scuba growth we will see it started at a very small local club base, there was very little in the way of standards and accepted...

Hmm, I hear you, I cant say I agree but I hear you. From my experience, its not even that easy to convince the mom and pop store down the road to implement unknown change, their nose is to the grindstone doing what works for them today so they can pay the bills, to effect lasting meaningful...

You are probably right, the question is tho, can it be changed and can it be changed quickly enough to save the industry.? My opinion is it cant and I dont say this lightly, I made a living from this industry so its very close to my heart, but I also have a very good idea of how it ticks and...

Indeed, after over 30 years in the industry I pretty much know a few people in most parts of the world who make their living from diving, not one is positive of a future made solely from scuba. All of them have already been forced to or are planning on adding other revenue streams to simply stay...

Hmm, I hear you Wayne, some interesting points. In my opinion Dema lost its way about 10 years ago, perhaps it was an unsuspecting victim of a changing and declining scuba market, but I think it was more a victim of its own inability to change with the times. Manufacturers and brand names the...

They have, its called a "Boom e Lung" was quite common about 10 years ago but never really made it into main stream scuba, probably because it was a fairly "agricultural" piece of equipment, I actually used one in Hong Kong once and my experience of it was rather "interesting" to say the least...

Indeed, I have attended over 20 Dema shows and I have always said there is a place for both trade and consumers at the show. Many industries do it, its hardly rocket science, 2 days trade 2 days public or whatever combination is decided upon. Unfortunately the Dema / scuba ship is sinking fast...

And there it is.!....and believe me it isnt just in CA, its worldwide. ---------- Post added November 16th, 2014 at 08:38 PM ---------- This is a common thread internationally Bob, in Europe some scuba shops morph into Ski shops over winter, or supplement their income with other perhaps...

Indeed, Indeed, as they say, Hammer -Nail - dive shop's generally sell once to a client, afterwards, if they want to stay in business they need to find a new customer, 0 rings, mask straps, air fills, octo holders, pretty pens to put your name on your gear and cap pins dont pay the rent, this is...

Sure, hardly anything, it was more a bit of semantics I guess, my point been mostly that folk standing around waiting for a tank fill seldom buy anything that makes a meaningful contribution to keeping a local shop afloat. In my opinion they are far from a captive market that a store owner can...

Yup, ...and there in a nutshell is the entire problem. Diving courses and scuba equipment purchases are for most a decidedly planned purchase, few folk drive down the road, see a shop, stop in sign on a course and buy a set of gear. They plan, discuss it with friends, consider the options...

Storms river, Plett, Knysna, Mossel Bay are all very close to one another, a matter of an hour or two driving depending where you go. Personally I would stay in Plettenberg bay, theres lots of accommodation available and it has other things to do. Diving in the area is not great in my opinion...

Italy. There are other manufacturers of steel cylinders, the German manufactured "Eurocylinder" are very common in Europe and arose from the ashes of the old "Apolda" brand, and the French company "Roth-Mions" are also quite popular on the international market, however Faber remains by a fairly...

Sure, I hear you, but the system is designed to allow the customer the right of a second opinion, I think this is a good thing. Sometimes even the best of us can get it wrong. ;) and that would compromise the rights of the owner. The customer can still agree to the destruction of the cylinder...

Yes, indeed, VIP Stickers are not legal here, the tank neck has to be physically stamped with the letters H (Hydro) or V (visual), the date of the test and the test stations unique ID. No reputable shop will fill a tank without checking to see these stamping's are valid and in date. No dive...

Interesting. In SA you are not allowed to destroy someones property without their consent and you have to allow the owner of the cylinder the right of a second opinion. Cylinders passing Hydro / Visual have to be stamped on the neck with the testers unique identification code and a certificate...

Indeed, as above those valves dont have a Burst Disk. Very few valves made for the European market have a burst disc now, and in many other countries (as here as well) its not a regulation. I doubt you will have any issues, I wouldn't worry about it.

All dives bar none in the Ocean here are backward roll's and all of the operators use that exact system. In 90% of the time its fine, but if one person delays for some reason, then theres a good chance when they do fall back they will land on a diver already in the water. The method...

Faber uses San-o-Sub industries as their valve supplier, so if Blue Steel is the same as Faber it would be a San-o-Sub product, although I must qualify this by saying I dont know the Blue Steel product which I have never seen on the international market. The Mertric and Imperial valves out of...