WHY WOULD SOMEONE BUY A DIVE SHOP IN ORDER TO PHASE OUT DIVING? TO QUOTE RICK SALEN, ONE OF THE OWNERS "TOBERMORY NEEDS A DIVE SHOP" THE SALEN BROTHERS OWN BLUE HERON CRUISES, A MOTEL OR THREE AND SOME RETAIL OUTLETS. THEY ARE (IN MY OPINION) EXCELLENT CORPORATE CITIZENS AS WELL AS ASTUTE BUSINESS PEOPLE. THE NEXT SALEN GENERATION IS BEING GROOMED SO I WOULDN'T EXPECT THEM TO BE GOING ANWHERE.
IF THEY WANTED TO END DIVING IN TOBERMORY, ALL THEY HAD TO DO IS NOT RENEW KELLY'S LEASE. THAT WOULD HAVE ENDED DIVING IN ONE DAY UNLESS YOU CAME TO TOWN WITH YOUR OWN BOAT AND AIR FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR STAY. WITH THE AVAILABILTY AND PRICE OF COMMERCIAL WATERFRONT PROPERTY AND THE LACK OF AVAILABILITY OF COMMERCIAL DOCKAGE, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO MAKE A BUSINESS CASE FOR ANYONE ELSE TO OPEN A SHOP IN TOWN. IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE DON'T SUPPORT THIS SHOP, THEN DIVE TOURISM MIGHT DIE FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE. I HAVE A HOUSE, A BOAT AND A BUDDY WITH A COMPRESSOR, SO I'M GOOD.
OF COURSE NOT, ALTHOUGH FATHOM FIVE IS PART OF BRUCE PENINSULA NATIONAL PARK. IT WOULDN'T SUPRISE ME IF FFMP IS FULLY ABSORBED AT SOME POINT. THIS IS PURE SPECULATION ON MY PART, BUT TO HAVE A PARK WITHIN A PARK SEEMS ODD.
THERE ARE LOTS OF TOURISTS, DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN. DIVING MAKES UP A TINY PORTION OF TOURISM IN TOBERMORY. IN MY OPINION THIS IS PARTLY BECAUSE DIVING IS DECLINING GENERALLY AND NON-DIVING TOURISM IS INCREASING. FROM MY CASUAL OBSERVATIONS, SNORKEL TRIPS FOR NON-DIVERS SEEM TO BE BOOMING, AS DO DSDs
THEY DO HAVE A LOT OF NEW STAFF, SO IF SOMEONE CALLED EARLY IN THE SEASON AND SPOKE TO A NEW PERSON, THEN THIS IS POSSIBLE. THERE IS NOT MANY SHOP PEOPLE FROM KELLY'S TIME, BUT THAT'S PRETTY TYPICAL AS MOST STAFF ARE VERY TRANSIENT. MOST OF THE CAPTAINS ARE THE SAME, ALTHOUGH NOT ALL. IF YOU CALL BACK I'D ASK FOR SYLVIE OR MIA.
"ALLOW"? AS IN BORROW? PROBABLY NOT, BUT THEY DEFINITELY STILL RENT ALL KINDS OF GEAR.THERE'S AN ENTIRE BUILDING FULL OF IT BEHIND THE SHOP.
NO DIVE SHOP HAS EVER RUN A SHUTTLE. BLUE HERON CRUISES HAS A COUPLE OF THEM TO FERRY FOLKS AROUND. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY'D CART YOU AND YOUR GEAR OVER TO THE LIGHHOUSE FOR EXAMPLE.
THE MUNICIPALITY INITIATED PAID PARKING AT THE LIGHTHOUSE AREA ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO. THIS WAS LARGELY IN RESPONSE TO RESIDENTS THAT LIVE NEAR THERE HAVING THEIR DRIVEWAYS CONSTANTLY BLOCKED. THIS IS SIMILAR SITUATION AS AT SINGING SANDS. PAID PARKING IS MEANT TO REDUCE/CONTROL THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES THERE, NOT TO "END" DIVING THERE. PARKING CAN BE RESERVED IN ADVANCE, ONLINE, FOR UP TO THREE HOURS. I KNOW THIS IS A PAIN, BUT IT'S AN ATTEMPT TO CONTROL MASSIVE CROWDS THERE. IN FAIRNESS TO NON-DIVERS THAT JUST WANT TO GO FOR A SWIM, IT IS OFTEN THE CASE WHERE A SHOP MIGHT TAKE OVER THAT AREA FOR AN ENTIRE DAY WHILE THEY CONDUCT OPEN WATERS ETC.
AS FOR "NO SHORE DIVING" THE TUGS ARE STILL THERE AND THERE'S BUCKETS OF PEOPLE DIVING THERE EVERY DAY.
WRONG AGAIN. THERE'S AT LEAST 8 TO 10 BESIDE THE SHOP MOST OF THE TIME. IF THERE ISN'T, IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING USED OR BECAUSE SOMEONE FAILED TO RETURN ONE. I USE THEM ALL THE TIME, AND THE BOATS RADIO AHEAD AS THEY HAVE ALWAYS DONE AND STAFF BRINGS THEM TO THE BOAT AT THE END OF THE CHARTER. KELLY AND MIKE BEGAN THE CART THING AND IT'S A GREAT OPTION FOR THE FOLKS THAT CAN'T OR WON'T CARRY THEIR OWN GEAR.
ALSO WRONG. PARKING AT THE DAILY LOT IS DONE AT A MACHINE OR ON AN APP LIKE EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. THE ONLY RESERVED PARKING IS AT LITTLE COVE/DAVE'S BAY, THE GROTTO AND EMMETT LAKE AND NOW THE LIGHTHOUSE.
YES, BEHIND THE LEGION. I RECOMMEND DROPPING YOUR GEAR AT THE BOAT AND THEN GOING UP TO PARK. AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THE DAILY RATE IS $15 LAST I CHECKED. IT'S ABOUT A 3-4 MINUTE WALK FROM THAT PARKING LOT TO THE BOATS, BUT IT WOULD BE A HIKE WITH GEAR.
THERE IS ALSO A LOT UP AT THE OLD COMMUNITY CENTRE ON HWY 6. I AM NOT SURE IF THERE IS A TIME LIMIT THERE, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S ALL-DAY THERE AS WELL. IT'S A 5 MINUTE WALK TO THE HARBOUR AS WELL.
WHAT? IT'S NOT DAYCARE. GET YOUR BUDDY TO WATCH IT. OR SOMEONE ELSE. OR LOAD IT ONTO THE BOAT. THE ONLY PEOPLE LIKELY TO STEAL DIVE GEAR ARE DIVERS. I REGULARLY LEAVE MY BOAT AT THE DOCK WITH ALL MY GEAR IN IT, AND HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE. IN FAIRNESS, I ALSO LEAVE MY 100# GERMAN SHEPHERD IN THE BOAT. IF YOU SEE HIM, HIS NAME IS ATTICUS, AND I DON'T RECOMMEND TRYING TO PAT HIM UNLESS I'M THERE.
BASED ON YOUR ENTIRELY INCORRECT ASSUMPTIONS, YOU EITHER NEED A NEW SOURCE, OR MAYBE YOU SHOULD GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. DIVING IS ALIVE AND WELL IN TOBERMORY. THE NEW OWNERS OF THE SHOP HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT UPGRADES TO THE AIR/NITROX SYSTEM AND HAVE MADE NEEDED REPAIRS TO THE BOATS. I'M SURE THEY WOULD LIKE SOME MORE BUSINESS AS EVERY DIVE SHOP DOES.
