HELP With a New Dive Business And Certification Agencies

[jason.elias]

Hello Dive Professionals and Dive Business Owners!

I have been looking into changing careers and starting a new Dive Business here in Southern California and could use a bit of input. I recognize the Dive Business, especially for small business owners can be difficult these days. Which is why I am doing as much research as possible to see if it is viable..

I was wondering about choosing which Cert Agency to affiliate my business with. And as I have been reading the boards for a bit, I have seen a number of issues around the Agencies - both positive and negative.

So I was hoping to be specific and get some Dive Professional's and Business Owner's input on the Cert Agencies, particularly in regard to their business practices.

Do you feel certain Agencies have been supportive in growing your business and market reach, or conversely found other Agencies impeded or hampered your growth? And do you find some Agencies are more inclined to take small independent business concerns into account than others? I ask because I simply hope to have the best possible partners to help my new business succeed.

I also understand that this is a HUGE topic that might be sensitive for some to air out on public boards. So please feel free to Private Message me as well...

And thanks in advance for any input!

-jason

 

[Scubakevdm]

Hey good luck man!

I would say that PADI and NAUI have the best brand recognition, and are the most marketable. I think that doing a good job for the students is most important though. Looking at what doing a good job entails along with the price the public is willing to bear for instruction is not very pretty from an economic standpoint, but if you are willing to just get by, it is very rewarding.

I do private instruction only. I spend 3 to 4 times more time with individual students than some of the mills spend with a class. I charge $500.00 per student, which is about twice what the diver mills get and am teaching an average of three students a month. Typically each student involves 6-8 hours of classroom, 7-10 hours in the pool and 8 hours in the ocean. The good news is that some folks are willing to pay the extra money for the extra instruction, and that word is getting around about it's availability.

 

[idivetrain]

Check out SDI/TDI. Not only are the expenses for being involved with them lower than most, but the instruction is superb and you will also gain access to the Technical side and Emergency response side that can also bring you income. Nothing more steady than getting involved with the different local Dive rescue teams. Check out International Training :: Home :: for more information on SDI TDI and ERDI. Also check out the forum that SDI has just started here. My facility used to be PADI but found that cost, treatment, and teaching is much better and easier with SDI.
SDI also gets discounts with Willis for your Instructor Insurance. The benefits are endless!!!
Thanks
Shelly

 

[Blackwood]

Jason -

I have no input regarding Agency affiliation.

I do wonder where you are looking to open up shop, though.

Veteran's Park in Redondo Beach is probably the largest technical training grounds south of Monterey in CA. However, to get anything other than dirty air, one must drive either to Venice (where I see you are located) or San Pedro.

I believe that a shop serving up Trimix and high FO2 fills and offering technical training in the South Bay would have a leg up on the competition (Dive-n-Surf, Sea-D-Sea).

 

[jason.elias]

Does having an affiliation with one of the less well known Agencies affect how new customers view your business? Most have heard of PADI before walking in the door. Does it hurt your business at all to have something else?

 

[Teamcasa]

Here is my humble opinion. I doubt many new students care about the agency or your affiliations. Finding qualified instructors is another matter. If you have connections to a pool of great instructors, that will more than likely drive your affiliation direction.

I wish you well and great success, regardless of agency affiliation.

 

[jason.elias]

Thanks. i tend to agree with you. Any business is much more about the passion an owner has for the business and the care they take of their customers.

But we all know there are other factors that sometimes come into play in business. Which is the reason for the original question...

I have just noticed a bit of hedging in posts when it came to discussing certain agencies' business viewpoints and parctices. I have also spoken in person with business owners and DM's who have been much more open about their feelings about certain Cert Agencies.. But I didn't know if that was a personal opinion or representative of a much more of industry wide perspective...

 

[Garrobo]

When my LDS started listing the dozen or so agencies which I could choose from for my certification, the word 'computers' and SDI caught my attention. I am happy that I chose SDI but would probably be as well off to have chosen PADI as well as one of the others. Lotsa divers who I have been on the boat with haven't even heard of SDI.

 

[evensplit]

You don't have to stick with just one agency.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Does having an affiliation with one of the less well known Agencies affect how new customers view your business? Most have heard of PADI before walking in the door. Does it hurt your business at all to have something else?

I think that it does. As you have already noticed, many students will have heard of PADI or NAUI before they ever walk through your door. They have an uncle or friend or coworker that has taken the course and done you the favor of selling it for you. The only thing you have to do is get them some paperwork and a book and they're off and running.

Someone mentioned the TDI family of agencies. I just started teaching for a shop (not the business I own) that offers SDI, TDI, and ERDI as well as PADI. TDI has a pretty good share of the tech instruction market, but they've (the shop) been having some trouble with the SDI and especially the ERDI parts. Though it is my understanding that I am crossed over and allowed to teach these courses, I have not read any of the material yet, and so can't offer any opinion of the quality of the courses but, I would expect that from a content standpoint that they are on par with the rest of the training agencies, which to me (with the exception of GUE) are all pretty much the same. After all, at the end of the day, the student (in theory) learns to dive. To the potential student however, the brand recognition may be important.