But those gear rentals, and especially hotel & to some extent restaurant bills, matter. When I went to Jupiter recently as a customer in shark feed diving, I took my wife, preschooler and mother-in-law. Lotta luggage, so rented an SUV, booked a budget hotel room 8 days, did a dive at Blue Heron Bridge (rented a tank & float for that), bought groceries, ate out...
Those sharks made some money for Emerald Charters, Scuba Works dive shop, the dive shop by Blue Heron Bridge, Enterprise car rental, Best Western Intracoastal Inn, Publix, Walmart, Southwest Airlines, Schooner's restaurant, Outback Steakhouse, Zoo Miami, Lion Country Safari, who knows what all else.
If Florida didn't have it, I could've left the family home & flew to the Bahamas for a Bahamas Aggressor live-aboard trip with Tiger Beach itinerary.
In 2011, the New York Times put out
an article stating a study showed Palau's sharks were worth $1.9 million
each. I'm skeptical it's practical to reliability peg it that close, but still...
Richard.