Making Divers In Our Own Image

[chrpai]

I stumbled across an article I had never read before the other day:

Diver Training: Dive Shop Profit Center? | Gilliam

Down in the comments was a post from Lee Selisky owner of Sea Pearls. I thought it was very interesting:

One of the major issues I have with dive store owners is what I call the need to create divers in their own image.

When I was traveling on DEMA business I would take advantage of the Saturday night layover to reduce my travel expenses to the organization. I would take the time to travel from dive store to dive store. I would walk in like an ordinary customer and would never disclose who I was. Most of the time, I could tell you who made up the store’s clientele within seconds of walking in the door. Whether it was photo, travel, tech, or whatever, it reflected the reason why the store’s owner dove. This single minded goal drives many back out of the store.

I can't help to take this to heart. I see this over and over and I'm guilty of it from time to time also.

Thoughts?

 

[Steve_C]

I see that with some NC shops. They push NC wreck diving in the 100-130 ft range with long boat rides and possibly challenging conditions as being equal to NC diving. That will be all they charter for as a group. Now that is great diving, and I enjoy it, but it is not for everybody. I have met a lot of divers who want something shallower or more natural oriented, or a shorter boat ride. Some were surprised when I told them NC has a lot of great reefs loaded with life except they are in the form of ledges. There are also a lot of enjoyable dives in the 50-85 ft range and there are shorter boat rides.

 

[Panama Jones]

When I think of dive shops that are in business and have been for the past fifteen or more years, the only thing I can think of is what amazing business people they must be. I own a business and I am betting outright that I could never run a dive shop. To me, my favorite LDS is:

1. My trainer - I will try not to use online courses unless my dive shop tell me to do the theory on line and come in for the "test".And I like online courses.
2. My clubhouse - I rarely get out of my favorite LDS in less than an hour because I get engaged with other customers or the counter attendant.
3. My sales place (but I will go to the internet if I can get a significant discount). I will however, ask my LDS to come close enough to change my mind.

I will pay a premium over the internet price to keep my LDS in business as my trainer and my clubhouse but will not be stupid about it.
I see a lot of instructors now advertising personalized training out of their home (zero overhead). My LDS has to compete with this.
I am now a member of two dive clubs. The social atmosphere is no longer the main reason that I go to the LDS. It used to be and I would always spend money.

Unless they are a Walmart sized LDS by the ocean, LDS can only be in it for one reason...lifestyle. They love it. How they do it is magic to me. But I know nothing of running and lDS and could be way off base.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I think every decent dive center has a personality, and a way of doing things, and it will of course color the students who certify there. My LDS. does a lot of local fresh water diving, but has an active dive club and sponsors trips around the world about 10 times a year. It is a high volume place, and so offeres a broad range of equipment, form dry suits for local diving to tropical gear for 85 degree plus outings. But still there is a "flavor to the dive center, oriented toward teaching new divers, growing divers to greater competence, and growing a good crop of dive pros at any given time as well. A dive shop that does not groom divers A"in it's image" must not have a very good image to use as an example.
DivemasterDennis

 

[chrpai]

A dive shop that does not groom divers A"in it's image" must not have a very good image to use as an example.

Not having a good image doesn't seem to ever stop LDS's from molding their followers in that image...

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I do not believe in grooming divers in any image if that means they are talked into gear they don't need or want, urged to take classes they do not need or want, or trained to not think for themselves.
A shop that will not put the best interests of the divers first is not something to aspire to. Turning out lots of "pro's" with narrow minded views of gear and no experience in other configurations because the shop does not sell them is nothing to be proud of.
The only image I want try to mold divers in is one that has them questioning everything, thinking for themselves, not taking any pro's advice as gospel (including mine), refusing to do trust me dives, and getting into too rigid of a mindset. There are areas where I am set in MY ways. But students don't have to be. Except when it comes to safety, buoyancy and trim, dive planning, and situational awareness. I want to see my students follow good examples in those areas.
Molding divers, or people in general, in too rigid a fashion is narrow minded, selfish, egotistic, and may even be downright dangerous.
A wise instructor or shop will try to develop the students own interests or send them to someone who will if they can't.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[fjpatrum]

DivemasterDennis, it seems to me Chrpai is implying that the only "image" a diver should perhaps be groomed into is "active diver", rather than "tech", or "spearo", or whatever.

Personally I don't pay much attention to the image a dive shop wants me to be, that's for me to decide. I do pay attention to how they treat me though, and that has killed several shops. It's rapidly beginning to kill my current "favorite" shop because the people that "cared" have left and now I'm just a dollar sign.