LDS Closures

[fireflock]

I've had my diving life get a little easier because a local shop was bought by new owners and some life was pumped into it. In the past I would get fills where I was planning to dive, but now I tend to get them filled at the shop near my house. It's not a huge change, but I prefer it.

Thinking back on my own diving, local shops probably did more to keep me from diving than they did to encourage my diving when I was starting out. I was certified during the summer after I graduated from high school and each of the shops I visited at the time had what was probably the typical dive club model. You know, it's a lifestyle, we have social gatherings, we take big trips, and we spend a lot more time eating than we do diving. As a college kid I wasn't looking for a social group, and I got the impression that all diving was prohibitively expensive for a guy like me (gear and travel).

A few years down the line, still poor in grad school, I met a guy (much older than me) who showed me that you can borrow some gear and dive for the cost of a tank of gas and an airfill. We dove local lakes and rivers, seldom more than 20ft deep, and often we were the only divers around. It was a blast.

The local shops I encountered made sure I knew about their next social gathering, all of the latest gear, and the dates for the next fancy trip, but no one told me how cool it was to just find some water and explore what was below the surface. Heck, I'm pretty sure that I didn't realize I was allowed to get in the water without an 'official' divemaster?

Now I spend too much on gear, and I take expensive dive trips, but some of the best diving I do each year is just checking out unknown spots to see what's underwater.

Sometimes I think the business side of the industry hurts diving as much as it helps.

Rich

 

[wsims57]

After thinking about this for about 10 seconds I decided that an LDS (50 miles away) isn't that important to me anymore. I buy all my diving related articles from internet suppliers or on Ebay and get my fills at the local firehouse. And, since I am not blind, I can visually inspect my own tanks (or let one of the firemen who is certified to do so) and I can service/rebuild and test my regs. And I don't use a mix, just straight air. So, so long LDS. No problemo.

I hear your frustration. I work at an LDS and have been noticing the change. The one thing I do see a lot is the same frustrated customers buying a reg or computer from one of the many internet shops. They come to us thinking that the item they purchased has a warranty because they just bought it?!?! I hope that all potential buyers that looking to buy from the internet checks out the warranty. A lot of sales made over the internet are not covered by a warranty as the manufacturers may not permit internet sales. Please be careful. I have seen a lot of people get screwed thinking they had a life time warranty but did not because it was purchased over the net. I understand this does not apply to all products and all manufacturers but that just makes things worse for the consumer. Please be careful.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Ever time I look at this board, there is someone flaming the agencies about their "lax instruction" and how they should make all new divers run 4 miles with 55 lbs of gear on their back in 34 minutes or less and be able to navigate in 20 knot surges in the Arctic before they let them have a OW cert.Or how stupid/Lazy some newby is for asking a question...Very welcoming!!

AWWWWW, come on now, you're making that up aren't you? Where did you read anything that even resebles that on this board?

I am a Land hunter, that is I hunt on Land, The Enviros ran anyone that is not on the peak of their game off the wilderness areas by closing old logging roads, tearing down bridges, crossings and generally making it harder to get "out there". then the same Enviro wackos were complaining the folks were not taking in the nature walks or visits they used to and try to blame it on video games....

Well, there are a bunch out there that want to outlaw hunting and guns because animals are people too. LOL

BTW, all the National and State forest around here is so full of hiking and horseback riding trails that you can't hardly hunt because there's always a bunch of people coming through. It's plenty easy to get into the woods though.

We need more divers, even if they damge coral(Radical I know!) because once they have been down there, they will work to keep the trash out of the ocean, protect the sharks, and in general try to make the Oceans better, even if it means losing a few coral reefs in the process. As it now stands, the fewer divers, means the fewer advocates for the Oceans....

So you think tearing some habitate is somehow going to make it better? I don't buy it.

 

[fireflock]

A lot of sales made over the internet are not covered by a warranty as the manufacturers may not permit internet sales. Please be careful. I have seen a lot of people get screwed thinking they had a life time warranty but did not because it was purchased over the net. I understand this does not apply to all products and all manufacturers but that just makes things worse for the consumer. Please be careful.

Educated customers get turned off when they walk into an LDS and hear stuff like that. I can probably list 10 big name places to buy dive gear via the internet and 9.5 of them are authorized dealers for everything they sell. The landscape has changed.

Rich

 

[Gentleman-pirate]

I have the pleasure of having a great lds close to me and another that is a waste of air. They are both about 50 miles from me in different towns.

For example, I booked a dive trip with the LDS that is now known to me as the bad shop. I made a 50% deposit and was waiting for the dive vacation to arrive. They changed the date of when the trip was leaving by 30 days and refused to give me my deposit back when I said I couldn't go on those dates. I had to take them to small claims to get my money back. I will forever trash them every chance I get.

As the economy gets tighter and disposable money gets tighter it will weed the marginal LDS out and make the remaining ones better. Personally a LDS has to earn my business. Once they do, I'm a faithful customer no matter what. You can't put a price on good service.

--------kevin---------

 

[billeelou]

the trails through the forest some people say tear them up, but at least those folks walking thru will advocate for the preservation of the forest, correct?! Same thing with the Ocean...move divers= More advocates

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I've had my diving life get a little easier because a local shop was bought by new owners and some life was pumped into it. In the past I would get fills where I was planning to dive, but now I tend to get them filled at the shop near my house. It's not a huge change, but I prefer it.

Thinking back on my own diving, local shops probably did more to keep me from diving than they did to encourage my diving when I was starting out. I was certified during the summer after I graduated from high school and each of the shops I visited at the time had what was probably the typical dive club model. You know, it's a lifestyle, we have social gatherings, we take big trips, and we spend a lot more time eating than we do diving. As a college kid I wasn't looking for a social group, and I got the impression that all diving was prohibitively expensive for a guy like me (gear and travel).

A few years down the line, still poor in grad school, I met a guy (much older than me) who showed me that you can borrow some gear and dive for the cost of a tank of gas and an airfill. We dove local lakes and rivers, seldom more than 20ft deep, and often we were the only divers around. It was a blast.

The local shops I encountered made sure I knew about their next social gathering, all of the latest gear, and the dates for the next fancy trip, but no one told me how cool it was to just find some water and explore what was below the surface. Heck, I'm pretty sure that I didn't realize I was allowed to get in the water without an 'official' divemaster?

Now I spend too much on gear, and I take expensive dive trips, but some of the best diving I do each year is just checking out unknown spots to see what's underwater.

Sometimes I think the business side of the industry hurts diving as much as it helps.

Rich

One of the things that got me hooked on diving was the LDS selling me used equipment as they knew it was all I could afford and bcasue they aso had the wisdom to realize the odds for good I would come back for more and replace it with newer equipment later when the funds allowed. The shop was also all about local diving and I never saw a dive tripped pushed there even though they were 1500 miles from the nearest body of saltwater.

Over the last quarter century what I have seen change in diving is shops demphasizing or ignoring completely the local diving and focusing on dive travel with social events that are often centered on viewing video from the last trip, that either overtly exclude the divers who did not take the trip or at least make them feel out of place. The trips themselves were often morea bout the accommodations with destinations selected more for the all inclusive alcohol than the quality of the reefs. Most of the the dive clubs followed a simialr pattern with more socializing and less diving.

Consequently I find myself attracted to the older shops where the old heads found there still tend to focus on diving just for diving's sake. The problme of course with that is that a great deal of care needs t be taken that the old heads do not get to closed minded and exclude the new dives. I know when I had a my boat slipped and dove off it every weekend I went to great lenght to invite new and or infrequent divers to dive with me on a Saturday or Sunday. If you have the means I think you also have the responsibility to support and promote the sport - and that applies to dive shops as well and offering local diving rather than just a dive travel service goes a long way toward keeping divers interested and active.

 

[scubafool]

Interesting read so far.

Anyway, my own little "my LDS closed" sob story.

I had a shop within 20 minutes of my house that I really liked. They didn't stock any of the types of gear that I generally tend to be interested in, pitched stuff to me that wasn't appropriate for the types of diving I wanted to do, etc. But they always treated me with respect, tried to take care of me as best as they could, gave me decent prices on the gear I did buy from them. And, I knew that I was always welcome to stop in and look at stuff, BS, talk about diving, etc. They closed down a couple of years ago.

The biggest inconvenience for me was the loss of the fill station. While I worked around that by getting fills when I was out of the area diving to do the occasional local dive, it was a bit of a pain.

Recently, though, a local diver who also is an instructor has set up his own very cool fill station, complete with banked Nitrox, helium, O2, booster, etc. He did this mainly as a source for his own use and the use of his students, but does fills to meet more divers and to help offset the cost of the fill station. It is working out well so far, as evenings and weekends are the best time to hit him up for fills. He does tank visuals as well.

I am leaning more and more toward the internet for my gear purchases, though there are a couple of shops in Cave Country that always get a shot at anything major before I buy online.

I think that the instructor with a fill station is going to become more prevalant, with maybe some dive clubs with compressors, and possibly some of the Gander Mountain type sporting goods stores thrown in.

 

[diver 85]

After thinking about this for about 10 seconds I decided that an LDS (50 miles away) isn't that important to me anymore. I buy all my diving related articles from internet suppliers or on Ebay and get my fills at the local firehouse. And, since I am not blind, I can visually inspect my own tanks (or let one of the firemen who is certified to do so) and I can service/rebuild and test my regs. And I don't use a mix, just straight air. So, so long LDS. No problemo.

Would you mind moving to SW Louisiana???.....---would simplify my life.......

 

[Stu S.]

Recently, though, a local diver who also is an instructor has set up his own very cool fill station, complete with banked Nitrox, helium, O2, booster, etc. He did this mainly as a source for his own use and the use of his students, but does fills to meet more divers and to help offset the cost of the fill station. It is working out well so far, as evenings and weekends are the best time to hit him up for fills. He does tank visuals as well.

Can you let me know who this is? I need that kind of help, and this person could be local to me.

Thanks / Stu.