I'm on Bermuda and I didn't think that I'd be logging into message boards, but there is a small craft advisory today and the dive center canceled today's dives.
On the way here, I met a flight attendant who is a recreational diver living in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She's done a lot of diving in places like the Galapagos, the Red Sea, and the Pacific Rim. She was surprised to find out that you could scuba dive off Bermuda and more surprised that you could dive in Pennsylvania. I told her about the sea and inland caves of Bermuda, the shipwrecks, and about Dutch Springs, local diving, and my recent dives on the Jodrey in the St. Lawrence. She was amazed that such things existed within driving distance of her home.
I wanted to dive with Triangle Diving on Bermuda. After the initial E-mail inquiry about the technical diving available on the island, which really wasn't defined as to what they were offering, despite ads in Wreck Diver magazine, I never heard back from them. I couldn't leave any voice messages, because their mailbox was full. I came set up for recreational diving only with Halcyon single tank system. The trainer at the hotel gym said they are great at Triangle, but so laid back that they are bad about returning calls. She said if I go there and tell them I didn't bring a doubles system, they'll probably let me use their stuff and take me diving for free because they are such cool people.
The PADI shop through which I'm going to dive at the hotel (because of the convenience) doesn't allow shore diving. I was told it is illegal to rent tanks to individuals on the islands, that all dives must be guided, and it would be boring to shore dive anyway.
The one bright shining light is this kid named Matt at Fantasea Diving. He went all out on the phone helping to put me in touch with people at Bios for possible doubles, help with my graduate projects, figuring out transportation, letting me know there was a dive center at my hotel, and giving me more help and info than any dive center has anywhere. The only reason I'm not diving with him is because their operation isn't going out due to low numbers of passengers on the cruise ship.
The above situations were all just 24 hours in the life of a certified scuba diver.
Why would a flight attendant who is a certified diver not know that you could dive in Bermuda - a country whose airport is is serviced by her own airline? Why doesn't she know that you can dive locally and in an area that is the HQ of a major training agency?
One of the reasons is that the industry has made it very difficult for local dive centers to have a voice. I remember how annoyed I was that Skin Diver magazine removed the local diving directory and only had resort contact information listed. As a teen, my friends and I would call dive centers in surrounding states from that guide and go exploring. I fell in love with Rhode Island, Maine, and New York/New Jersey diving due to a major dive magazine making advertising available. Now, even places like Bermuda where Teddy Tucker found Spanish gold are losing diving dollars because they aren't a true dive destination. I think DEMA can take a huge bit of blame for the current industry marketing model and the labyrinth local dive business need to navigate to keep from sinking.
Why would a dive center that is advertising technical diving, not be able to tell a customer what kind of technical diving they do? Or, make getting in touch with them so difficult?
Whatever the reasons, when a diving business operates unprofessionally - not unsafely, but unprofessionally, compared to other businesses that advertise their products and services, it hurts both the local economy and the sport as a whole. When people become turned off by an operator, store, instructor, or manufacturer, they may spend money elsewhere, thereby hurting the local economy, quit diving, or stop being the patron of a dive center that sells a company's product line if a company doesn't provide courteous and prompt customer service.
Why would a dive instructor not support shore diving in an area known for decent snorkeling? Either she is really right and the diving would suck, or her mentality has been warped by the industry. I just had fun practicing my reel work in a swimming hole of a stream right near by home in 3 feet of water. The flow of the stream was like that of a cave, with difficult tie off points due to smooth stone in the creek bed, and there were lots of trout, suckers and minnows to watch, as well as a beaver dam. Days later, I was filming a GUE Fundies class then diving at 160 feet on trimix on the Jodrey. Diving is fun! I was telling her I still have fun in the pool. My girlfriend, who professionally crewed sailboats, can't believe the hotel op isn't going out today. It would be a little bumpy at times, but she was looking at 2 - 3 foot seas for the most part. Diving is no longer for the adventurer. The industry needs to change that perception from DEMA to the agencies to the instructors to the divers to the public. Also, there was no way I could get in for a shore dive. My array of C-cards and my willingness to hire a guide, weren't good enough to let me blow bubbles. She was obviously policing her territory in the most well-meaning way, I'm sure. She probably thought I was just as crazy for wanting to shore dive as a NJ dive center would be if a kid came in and wanted to go dive the Andrea Doria with an 80 cu.ft. cylinder and a 3mm.
Why is it that when diving was flourishing in the days of Sea Hunt, divers bought SCUBA from the same place they could get their golf clubs? Now, with local dive centers acting as the scuba police, people are turned off. Dive centers need to take a look at how other sporting goods stores operate. I just was sold a pair of Julbo sunglasses by an incredibly experienced Himalayas climber in a climbing store with ZERO attitude.
And ... with dwindling interest because of many problems in diving ... there is no one to get on the Fantasea boats so I can go diving with a cool guy like Matt.
There is no one person to blame. It's collective. But, if DEMA is supposed to be "our" voice, DEMA isn't listening to the divers, instructors (affiliated or independent), or the local dive centers - unless local for you is the Galapagos.
DEMA has been about special interest for too long. If Al's decision to leave leads others to follow, then perhaps the industry will be better off. I'd rather the industry become a technical agency model anyway. Better information, training and gear to lead the way.
