Kyalami Expansion?

[MrChen]

I received this email a few days ago. If you're fan of this charter, then it sounds like they have a second boat opening in Riviera and a dive shop.

Dear Kyalami Family, We have some exciting news to share with you! We are thrilled to announce that some of our crew has recently purchased The Scuba Club, a world-class dive operation located in North Palm Beach, FL. This means that we have expanded our operation and rebranded it to “The Kyalami Scuba Club”--a new, separate business that will bring together the best of both Kyalami Charters and The Scuba Club.

As a Member of the Kyalami Family, You are now Privileged to: Two Great Locations Two Beautiful boats Two inlets to Leave From A Dive Shop to Service Your Equipment & Tanks Two of the World’s Best Dive Crews One Big Kyalami Family One Common Mindset - “Excellence in Everything We Do” As part of the Kyalami family, The Kyalami Scuba Club will continue to offer top-notch instruction, unforgettable diving experiences, and exceptional service in the dive shop. You can expect the same level of excellence you've come to know and love from Kyalami Charters/Jupiter Scuba Diving, with the added benefit of The Scuba Club's decades of experience in the diving industry. We are proud to introduce our four new owners and their roles at The Kyalami Scuba Club: Rick Ratliff, President of The Kyalami Scuba Club Shawn Murphy, VP of Dive Operations Shaun Gallant, VP of Instruction & Education Jon-Luke Ratliff, VP of Marketing We understand that you may have some questions about this exciting news, so we have prepared a few FAQs to address your concerns: Q: Will there be any changes to the services offered by Kyalami Charters? A: No, Kyalami Charters will continue to offer the same high-quality services you've come to know and love. The Kyalami Scuba Club is simply an expansion of our offerings. Q: Will the crew at Kyalami Charters change? A: No, our crew will remain the same. Ken Ward, one of the former owners of The Scuba Club, will also remain on as a Crew member, along with the rest of the Crew you know and love. Q: How will this change benefit me as a diver? A: The Kyalami Scuba Club will offer expanded classes and instruction offerings, as well as a professional dive shop that you can take advantage of. You will have access to even more resources to enhance your diving experience. We are excited to embark on this new adventure with you and cannot wait to see you at The Kyalami Scuba Club. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to exploring the underwater world with you soon. Sincerely, The Entire Kyalami Charters Crew

 

[scubadada]

Very interesting, thanks for posting

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I saw the email! I was still trying to digest it honestly, but I believe your summary is accurate. I wasn't familiar with Scuba Club, but I see the shop is located on Northlake Blvd pretty close to where I frequently stay. Their boat looks to be at the Riviera Beach marina and just down a bit from where Narcosis is located.

Interesting development!

 

[CosbySweater]

Yup they bought scuba club. Seen the scuba club boat out on the water but I never dove with them. Will likely try them out now that Jupiter Scuba owns them.

 

[Rob9876]

I just noticed this today, as I was thinking about a trip to SE Florida. Looks like they have already raised Scuba Club's prices a bit.

 

[CosbySweater]

I just noticed this today, as I was thinking about a trip to SE Florida. Looks like they have already raised Scuba Club's prices a bit.

Everyone’s prices are up unfortunately

 

[Catito]

I received this email a few days ago. If you're fan of this charter, then it sounds like they have a second boat opening in Riviera and a dive shop.

Dear Kyalami Family, We have some exciting news to share with you! We are thrilled to announce that some of our crew has recently purchased The Scuba Club, a world-class dive operation located in North Palm Beach, FL. This means that we have expanded our operation and rebranded it to “The Kyalami Scuba Club”--a new, separate business that will bring together the best of both Kyalami Charters and The Scuba Club.

As a Member of the Kyalami Family, You are now Privileged to: Two Great Locations Two Beautiful boats Two inlets to Leave From A Dive Shop to Service Your Equipment & Tanks Two of the World’s Best Dive Crews One Big Kyalami Family One Common Mindset - “Excellence in Everything We Do” As part of the Kyalami family, The Kyalami Scuba Club will continue to offer top-notch instruction, unforgettable diving experiences, and exceptional service in the dive shop. You can expect the same level of excellence you've come to know and love from Kyalami Charters/Jupiter Scuba Diving, with the added benefit of The Scuba Club's decades of experience in the diving industry. We are proud to introduce our four new owners and their roles at The Kyalami Scuba Club: Rick Ratliff, President of The Kyalami Scuba Club Shawn Murphy, VP of Dive Operations Shaun Gallant, VP of Instruction & Education Jon-Luke Ratliff, VP of Marketing We understand that you may have some questions about this exciting news, so we have prepared a few FAQs to address your concerns: Q: Will there be any changes to the services offered by Kyalami Charters? A: No, Kyalami Charters will continue to offer the same high-quality services you've come to know and love. The Kyalami Scuba Club is simply an expansion of our offerings. Q: Will the crew at Kyalami Charters change? A: No, our crew will remain the same. Ken Ward, one of the former owners of The Scuba Club, will also remain on as a Crew member, along with the rest of the Crew you know and love. Q: How will this change benefit me as a diver? A: The Kyalami Scuba Club will offer expanded classes and instruction offerings, as well as a professional dive shop that you can take advantage of. You will have access to even more resources to enhance your diving experience. We are excited to embark on this new adventure with you and cannot wait to see you at The Kyalami Scuba Club. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to exploring the underwater world with you soon. Sincerely, The Entire Kyalami Charters Crew

A switch from one dive operation already in Riviera beach to this one would have to mean that this one excels. However, I dove with them in Jupiter. I prefer my “regular” dive ops in Riviera Beach. Frankly, I don’t like the competition. Hope my favorites survive.

 

[Rob9876]

A switch from one dive operation already in Riviera beach to this one would have to mean that this one excels. However, I dove with them in Jupiter. I prefer my “regular” dive ops in Riviera Beach. Frankly, I don’t like the competition. Hope my favorites survive.

The Scuba Club was already operating in Riviera/Palm beach, so would not seem to really be increasing competition. And since the new ownership has increased the price of a 2-tank dive to $110 (they are also a bit high on tank rentals too - $13/air80, $22/EANx100), this Scuba Club has gone from being slightly below market average pricing to slightly more than market average, so I would think this would not hurt your favorite. For example, other dive op prices for 2-tank dives:

• Black Flag: $95
• Force-E: I believe still $95
• Narcosis Dive Co.: $105
• Ocean Quest: $90
• Palm Beach Scuba: $100
• Pura Vida: $110
• Walkers: $100

Of course, price is not everything, but I'd think they'd have to offer some really good service to cause people to switch.

 

[Jcp2]

A switch from one dive operation already in Riviera beach to this one would have to mean that this one excels. However, I dove with them in Jupiter. I prefer my “regular” dive ops in Riviera Beach. Frankly, I don’t like the competition. Hope my favorites survive.

What happened to competition improving the market?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

The Scuba Club was already operating in Riviera/Palm beach, so would not seem to really be increasing competition. And since the new ownership has increased the price of a 2-tank dive to $110 (they are also a bit high on tank rentals too - $13/air80, $22/EANx100), this Scuba Club has gone from being slightly below market average pricing to slightly more than market average, so I would think this would not hurt your favorite. For example, other dive op prices for 2-tank dives:

• Black Flag: $95
• Force-E: I believe still $95
• Narcosis Dive Co.: $105
• Ocean Quest: $90
• Palm Beach Scuba: $100
• Pura Vida: $110
• Walkers: $100

Of course, price is not everything, but I'd think they'd have to offer some really good service to cause people to switch.

Good list! A couple of points.

1) Force-E doesn’t run their own boats. I use Force-E all the time as a shop, but not for charters. I don’t want to book with a middle man. I want to book with the boat directly. All the others listed run their own boat or boats. Booking with a middle man can cause its own challenges even if you save a buck or two.

2) I’d be curious to know how many charters have frequent diver discounts. Many of you know that Pura Vida is my go-to charter. Not because the others aren’t great operators, but because Pura Vida best aligns with everything I’m looking for in a charter. They offer a frequent diver package. Buy 5 get 1 free. I use that exclusively. That drops my per charter price to $91.66/charter at current pricing. Do other charters in Palm Beach offer the same? Perhaps they do. Honest question because I simply don’t know.