Biggest thing killing dive shops?

[markmud]

We spent 2 days at San Clemente. Per my dive log, dive sites included Sun Point, Pyramid Rock, China Point, Bliss, Pyramid Cove.

Richard.

Hi Richard,

Nice spots. I love San Clemente--only when it is not being bombed.

How was the Tri-Tip Barbecue? Did the chefs make their chicken curry rice dish? I love the food on Truth aquatics boats. It is predictable, but good.

On one trip, there was only one chef, she cooked her butt off!

markm

 

[mdb]

Hi Richard,

Nice spots. I love San Clemente--only when it is not being bombed.

How was the Tri-Tip Barbecue? Did the chefs make their chicken curry rice dish? I love the food on Truth aquatics boats. It is predictable, but good.

On one trip, there was only one chef, she cooked her butt off!

markm

Truth Aquatics does have great food on all three boats.

My fav is always The Vision.

San Clemente is a great dive site.

I have been on a boat when Navy/Marine fighter jets were conducting drills
and bombing the San Clemente Island at night.

I do not know how the boat got clearance but it was a fun aerial show.

 

[markmud]

Truth Aquatics does have great food on all three boats.

My fav is always The Vision.

San Clemente is a great dive site.

I have been on a boat when Navy/Marine fighter jets were conducting drills
and bombing the San Clemente Island at night.

I do not know how the boat got clearance but it was a fun aerial show.

Hi MBD,

Yeah, I have had similar experiences.

One evening after marlin fishing all day, I dropped our hook in Pyramid cove. An F-14 flew right at us while at about 100' above the ocean. He was heading north toward Clemente. And then he lit the burners, pulled up, and went ballistic passing through the terminator. The dusk really highlighted those burners. Good times.

Here is the URL for Navy's access control system for San Clemente. It is self explanatory.
SCORE Public Safety Display
markm

 

[Aloha Joe]

Now with that said, regarding the ORIGINAL question/topic posed by the OP, "Biggest Thing Killing Dive Shops, etc"; My local dive shop is thriving, profitable, etc. Besides scuba (OW to Rebreathers), they have their own indoor pool at 91 degrees year round, female ownership, diverse staff & customer base, community outreach, dive club, trips, clean ups, etc. When the pool is not being used for scuba, they have 800 students/kids (& their parents) taking swimming lessons walking through the door every single week. What the shop DOESN'T have is shag carpet, cigarette burns in the shag carpet, wood paneling and a crusty ol' "know it all" sitting behind the counter insulting everyone that comes in.

What dive shop is this? I’d like to visit.

 

[muzikbiz22]

What dive shop is this? I’d like to visit.

Deep Blue in Long Beach, California HOME

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Hi Richard,

Nice spots. I love San Clemente--only when it is not being bombed.

How was the Tri-Tip Barbecue? Did the chefs make their chicken curry rice dish? I love the food on Truth aquatics boats. It is predictable, but good.

On one trip, there was only one chef, she cooked her butt off!

markm

Nobody beats the Pappy’s rubbed tri tip on the Peace.

 

[Aloha Joe]

Sweet, they're 15 miles from here!

 

[markmud]

Nobody beats the Pappy’s rubbed tri tip on the Peace.

Hi Eric,

Pappy's Santa Maria rub sits in a prominent place on my kitchen counter. My diving from the Peace has been fun. The crew was very personable and easy going. They were fun to be with.

One of the DM's helped me to rig my pony better.

Good Times,
markm

 

[markmud]

Hello OP,

Some of us seem to have veered off your topic in this thread. We are reminiscing about diving the Channel Islands from Truth Aquatics and Peace boats. We are actually on topic if you think about it.

Refer to posts by Drrich2, MDB, Eric S (your thread, I know)., and myself.

What are we saying about these operators (not dive shops, I realize that):

1. they are nice;
2. they have good food;
3. they take us to cool places;
4. they let us dive how we wish;
5. they are not scuba police;
6. they are reasonably priced;
7. they are professional.

Some have mentioned good LDS stores. One was Dolphin Scuba in Sacramento. All of the attributes above can be ascribed to Dolphin Scuba. Even the food! They have served me food on several occasions.

I think this may be a piece of the puzzle that answers your question.

Good Topic,
markm

 

[Marie13]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but for those of us in high sales tax states, if an online retailer doesn't charge for sales tax, that can be a significant savings vs buying local.

I'm going to be buying a Perdix and two transmitters over this winter. The savings between my local shop and DGX is a bit over $100 because DGX doesn't charge sales tax for orders outside FL. That $100 is a big chunk of change to me. I know there is very little margin on Shearwater products, so it's not like I can ask my LDS for a discount to make up for the sales tax.