Cape Ann Divers :(
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CT-Rich
Contributor
I am planning on giving Cape Ann a go next summer. Another factor against a NE dive shop is seasonality. A shop in Florida can operate year round and and can capitalize on local tourism, charters and sales. Here in the NE a big storm can screw the pooch on diving for weeks during the relatively short dive season. Boats are not cheap to maintain and insure and lose a couple of weekend due to weather and you are paying out with no return.
Locally the guys that work as private snow plows had the rules changed. They can't add the plowing insurance seasonally anymore. Guess what? despite the low probability of a plowing accident in June, they have to pay. It's much harder to find a plow guy because most of them aren't willing to pay $2,500 a year in the hopes of having a snowy winter.
I think a lot of people think dive shops make money on air like coffee shops make money on coffee. I am not in the industry but I can see my $1000 dry suit covering a lot more operating costs than a the 25-30 fills I buy every year. The regulator servicing, replacement float lines, lights nylon webbing etc... I can get them cheap on line, but the dive shop I rely on for air is competitive for most stuff if I just ask. The problem is people are looking at the dive shop as fill station thinking that there regular customers buying air will get them through the year and they can buy gear online and get an extra ten percent off. Aside from love of the business/sport, I am not sure why anyone will do brick and mortar dive shops anymore. I know down in RI the shops in Jamestown, Newport and Narragansett are all gone. I plan my diving based on being able to bring a days worth of air in my car. I occasionally buy on line, but I make sure the LDS gets the lion's share of my money. I will get more back from my purchases if they get more of my business.
Locally the guys that work as private snow plows had the rules changed. They can't add the plowing insurance seasonally anymore. Guess what? despite the low probability of a plowing accident in June, they have to pay. It's much harder to find a plow guy because most of them aren't willing to pay $2,500 a year in the hopes of having a snowy winter.
I think a lot of people think dive shops make money on air like coffee shops make money on coffee. I am not in the industry but I can see my $1000 dry suit covering a lot more operating costs than a the 25-30 fills I buy every year. The regulator servicing, replacement float lines, lights nylon webbing etc... I can get them cheap on line, but the dive shop I rely on for air is competitive for most stuff if I just ask. The problem is people are looking at the dive shop as fill station thinking that there regular customers buying air will get them through the year and they can buy gear online and get an extra ten percent off. Aside from love of the business/sport, I am not sure why anyone will do brick and mortar dive shops anymore. I know down in RI the shops in Jamestown, Newport and Narragansett are all gone. I plan my diving based on being able to bring a days worth of air in my car. I occasionally buy on line, but I make sure the LDS gets the lion's share of my money. I will get more back from my purchases if they get more of my business.
large_diver
Contributor
Apparently charter business was down a little, but shop sales were down a lot. Amazing that Mary and Dave that they were able to keep this business going for 30 years despite the ups and downs of the economy, internet retail impact, etc. The closing of CAD leaves a huge hole - charter slots being one, great local resource and shop/fill station right on Cape Ann being another....as well as a major contributor to community-building for New England divers. There are other boats, but to lose the equivalent of 18-20 AM and 18-20 PM charter slots during the high season each day when both boats were running is tough. As others have said, the CAD II "big boat" was a unique charter experience with a fantastic crew.
In addition to the charters mentioned above, there is also the Gauntlet out of Beverley (other techier) and Boston Scuba...as well as a few NH-based boats.
In addition to the charters mentioned above, there is also the Gauntlet out of Beverley (other techier) and Boston Scuba...as well as a few NH-based boats.
MacLir
Registered
I certainly agree with the comments expressed above; the CAD folks will be sorely missed on a personal level as well.
I fear a Darwinian scramble for Cape Ann charter spots next season. Even before CAD’s departure, it seemed that other area charters were changing their offerings in a way that reduced the overall number of dives available on Cape Ann for the basic or advanced OW recreational diver (as distinct from tech/re-breather qualified folks). I’ve been diving Cape Ann for approaching 20 years, and last year stood out to me for the number of folks expressing frustration with the general state of play on Cape Ann and/or considering throwing in the towel on local diving. Folks were not being critical of any operators; the assumption was that the business environment was the driver behind the changes. You can almost sense that the sustainable diving profile on Cape Ann is becoming a person that is either satisfied with mostly shore dives to sustain them in the hobby or is able to take on the financial burdens (and skill commitments) of becoming tech/re-breather qualified. With CAD gone, and the consequent loss of more charter spots and a ready source of fills, I suspect the hassle threshold will be reached for an increasing number of divers within the next few years, further reducing the local diving community and the pool of customers for local dive shops. Those diving dollars will be diverted to vacation diving instead. I can’t see that this is anyone’s fault, just an unfortunate confluence of economic realities….
I fear a Darwinian scramble for Cape Ann charter spots next season. Even before CAD’s departure, it seemed that other area charters were changing their offerings in a way that reduced the overall number of dives available on Cape Ann for the basic or advanced OW recreational diver (as distinct from tech/re-breather qualified folks). I’ve been diving Cape Ann for approaching 20 years, and last year stood out to me for the number of folks expressing frustration with the general state of play on Cape Ann and/or considering throwing in the towel on local diving. Folks were not being critical of any operators; the assumption was that the business environment was the driver behind the changes. You can almost sense that the sustainable diving profile on Cape Ann is becoming a person that is either satisfied with mostly shore dives to sustain them in the hobby or is able to take on the financial burdens (and skill commitments) of becoming tech/re-breather qualified. With CAD gone, and the consequent loss of more charter spots and a ready source of fills, I suspect the hassle threshold will be reached for an increasing number of divers within the next few years, further reducing the local diving community and the pool of customers for local dive shops. Those diving dollars will be diverted to vacation diving instead. I can’t see that this is anyone’s fault, just an unfortunate confluence of economic realities….
Damselfish
Contributor
IMO the hassle factor of Cape Ann shore diving has always been high, especially relative to the meager rewards. It was certainly a large part of what made us get away from local diving. We never did boat diving around there, I'm not even sure what was available then (pre-internet and all.) Boat diving is something that might have kept me in it for longer if we'd gotten into it.
AfterDark
Contributor
Never got to dive with them. Called them a few years ago to set up a couple of dives, however more than 40 years diving and over 1500 dives at the time wasn't enough for them without an AWO card. Never called them back after I bought my AWO card. Seeing as I didn't learn anything I didn't already know in AWO class; I figured as the same old diver I was before getting the AOW card I still wasn't worthy of diving from their boat.
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scbaNE2179
Contributor
I believe depending on the dive site/depth location, the boats will require an official AOW card-this is mainly for liability concerns though.
AfterDark
Contributor
large_diver
Contributor
Let's not kick them while they're already down. Owners Mary and Dave were great contributors to the NE diving community
Like any boat or shop...if you were a new person they've never had out with them before, they would ask for a card for deeper dives. Once you demonstrated you knew what you were doing, no problem. Unfortunately they had many, many examples over the years of divers who talked a good game and then turned into problems out on the water.
Totally agree that AOW cert proves absolutely nothing, but it was their starting point in the absence of direct experience with a given person
Like any boat or shop...if you were a new person they've never had out with them before, they would ask for a card for deeper dives. Once you demonstrated you knew what you were doing, no problem. Unfortunately they had many, many examples over the years of divers who talked a good game and then turned into problems out on the water.
Totally agree that AOW cert proves absolutely nothing, but it was their starting point in the absence of direct experience with a given person
CT-Rich
Contributor
I am also one of those divers who has a certification of “scuba dive” which was pretty much it in 1980, have that and you were pretty much good to go any where. Now I’m stuck when a charter says no without a AOW. Yes, inconvient, but their boat, their rules.
I doubt that not having Afterdark (or me for that matter) on their boat made a difference. AOW is pretty low bar expectation for entry onto a charter.
I doubt that not having Afterdark (or me for that matter) on their boat made a difference. AOW is pretty low bar expectation for entry onto a charter.
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