Making The Scuba Industry Better

[Eric Sedletzky]

I do not think you can sign up for a class to learn how to fly an airplane for $99.00.

In 1971 I signed up for my first SCUBA class. 40+ hours of classroom and pool and 5 ocean dives.

I paid $100.00+ for that course; plus books and basic equipment. According to the inflation calculator that is $532.25.

The Inflation Calculator

"plus books and basic equipment"
That basic equipment was probably (in 1971, let me guess) a basic beavertail wetsuit, a steel 72, a Conshelf? with maybe an SPG and a single 2nd stage or a J valve and you had to figure out your SAC and then do depth/ time math, a back pack of some sort, some basic fins - what jets or maybe duck feet? weightbelt with standard hard weights, a mask - oval? ..horse collar or maybe not? Optional?
And that stuff worked great for you guys. You were probably doing all the dives people do now or probably more and having a blast and being perfectly safe.

Now they have to spend thousands and are absolutely convinced that they have to have all that stuff to be "safe".

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

We just had a new shop open. It has actually been around a long time but changed ownership recently after being more or less closed this year. It has been taken over by an independent instructor who is welcoming other independents to teach with (NOT FOR) him. We bring in our own students, use the shops tanks and gear, recommend our students to him for equipment. I am an equipment dealer myself but 95% of my business is on line. He has offered me space to display some of my stuff for a percentage in exchange for considerations with pool use, air fills, etc. He is also going to have some of my brand of regs in rental . We are also the only shop in the tri-state area (PA,Ohio, WVa) that has an ON SITE HEATED POOL STEPS FROM THE SHOP. No show up for pool and have to drive somewhere else. We also have a 60 ft deep lake 5 minutes from the shop that only this shop has access to.


This is what needs to happen. Shops need to cooperate with independents and make use of them rather than look at them as competition. I get students from all over the east coast for advanced training. They often do not want to travel with tanks and weights. I have some tanks for some classes and offer them for rental but it's nice now having a place to get them from if I need more. These are rentals he would otherwise never see.

Many shops don't see that. They think that every student needs to come thru them or will come through them. The guy who came to me for a refresher from Viginia would never have rented the tank or bought the accessories he did if I had not brought him in. The students who came 2 hours each way twice a week for OW classes would never have walked into that shop or spent the thousands that they did if I had not met them at a regional show, that I am the only one from my area who attends. What will change it and make the industy better is not shortening training days, reducing skills taught in classes, or focusing on keeping the dive center open as it tries to currently do and is failing miserably at.

What will make the industry better is focusing on producing more skilled, better prepared divers that KEEP DIVING LOCALLY! They will keep the shops open. They will keep the manufacturers in business. The once a year vacation diver is why OW training is often a loss leader. They do little for the dive equipment or dive shop segments of the industry. My instructor trained me to love local diving. That's why in the first 6 months after being certed I had BC, regs, tanks, drysuit, etc. Local divers do this. Vacation divers buy mask, fins, snorkel, and maybe a suit most times. No one can stay open on that.

If there is water that is accessible there is local diving. Train your divers to dive it and appreciate it. If you only train to send them somewhere else then you should fail and have no one else to blame but yourself. Cooperate with independents and let them issue their own certs. They do not have to go through the shop. Support local diving activities and events even if they are not right down the street. The show I attend every year is 150 miles away but worth it for me to get a booth, supply prizes, and do a presentation or two for. I have gotten gear sales and students from it.

I have it!!!

Local Diver specialty

 

[dmoore19]

As a vacation diver I own all my own gear, it is all packed and ready to go. I am going on my 2nd trip of the year in about 6 hours. Makes me sad to think I am playing a role in the ruination of the industry. But I am going to do it anyway.

 

[Thalassamania]

Makes me sad to think I am playing a role in the ruination of the industry. But I am going to do it anyway.

Crocodile tears from a true Republican, classic.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

"plus books and basic equipment"
That basic equipment was probably (in 1971, let me guess) a basic beavertail wetsuit, a steel 72, a Conshelf? with maybe an SPG and a single 2nd stage or a J valve and you had to figure out your SAC and then do depth/ time math, a back pack of some sort, some basic fins - what jets or maybe duck feet? weightbelt with standard hard weights, a mask - oval? ..horse collar or maybe not? Optional?
And that stuff worked great for you guys. You were probably doing all the dives people do now or probably more and having a blast and being perfectly safe.

Now they have to spend thousands and are absolutely convinced that they have to have all that stuff to be "safe".

The only basic equipment I expect my OW students to purchase are mask, fins, booties, snorkel and gloves ... and although I don't sell equipment, one of my associates offers basic packages starting at about $150. I charge $400 for my OW class ... and that includes books. So initial investment is about $550 ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have it!!!

Local Diver specialty

My Advanced Scuba Diver class is designed around exactly that premise ... focusing on skills needed to dive comfortably in local conditions. From a dive industry standpoint, it makes sense ... if you can keep people actively diving locally, they'll make local purchases. Several months back I went through my student folders ... and I can confirm that almost 80% of the students I've taught since 2004 are still active divers. That's about inverse to the numbers I hear tossed about as an industry-wide drop-out rate. Since I don't consider myself anything special from an instructor standpoint, the only conclusion I can make is that when people feel more comfortable with what they're doing, they'll keep doing it. Imagine if, on a large scale, we could reverse the dropout rate among new divers ... dive shops would have a much larger volume of customers supporting them ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[offthewall1]

OK... so I've waited to read responses... and now I'm back with some comments.

First, many seem to think I indicate taking something away from training by going from 2 days to 1. I did not say that. The same number of dives and all the same skills are required. I teach in some of the harshest conditions out there... north east... cold water... limited visibility. In most cases... my students all wanted to be able to do it in one day - to avoid freezing over two.

I think this boils down to pre-checkout dive training. My divers are always ready for their checkouts. I spend more time in the pool with them than most to ensure they will not have problems when they go to checkout... and I won't say it's never happened (of course there's been a hiccup,) but issues are extremely rare. Without rushing - they have always completed the two days of required skills on the first day... and only come back for the second day for a re-do - to be able to put down a second day of diving. Perhaps I'm skewed because I only work with private students and don't take on large - unmanageable and unskilled groups like many shops do.

I agree... there are many shops and Instructors out there offering "1 day" courses. This is insane. I am a total advocate for more classroom and pool training time.... and for allowing Instructors and Students to decide 1 day or 2 for checkouts. I don't think 1 day should become the standard, but I think it should be an option. Again, this may be skewed. An Instructor with 8 or 10 students may very well need two days - and he/she should use them. On the other hand, a private Instructor with 1 or 2 students should not be forced to do it if it is not necessary. I would advocate more for more time in the water and less days.

Someone noted they spend 1+ hours in the water on all 4 dives... I applaud that. I have also observed people in the water for 15 minutes - wham bam the skills and rush the students out. The four dives taking a total of one hour... and I understand students who have posted saying they felt cheated. I have seen some cheated. Which beings me back to this question... is requiring 4 dives over two days the answer... or is requiring a set number of hours in the water better... regardless the number of days?

Just some things to think about... Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[Rich Keller]

Local is the way to go, a smart LDS is going to stay more hands on with his customer and their development in the sport. The LDS that stresses more hours in the water before advancing a diver to the next course will create a diver that is a better prepared diver and one that is far more likely to remain with the sport long term. The ones that do not are going to go the way of the dinosaurs. I think that if the shops do not change the way many of them do business in ten years there will be a lot less shops but the ones that are left will be the best there are. There are lots of independent instructors out there now who can provide better instruction then a LDS because they are not trying to push certain product lines during the course. You can get tanks filled at other places then the LDS, PHMSA - Cylinders - Authorized DOT Cylinder Retesters: Domestic . The internet is already cutting deep into their profits and with a company like the one that makes HOG regulators that are made to be easily serviced by the diver there will no longer be a need for a LDS. I believe this company knows where the industry is headed and is positioning itself to be in the forefront in the next decade. The shops and manufactures that are digging in their heels to try and prevent the changes that are already taking place will soon be gone.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The shops and manufactures that are digging in their heels to try and prevent the changes that are already taking place will soon be gone.

You mean like Scubapro?

 

[Rich Keller]

You mean like Scubapro?

Only time will tell. Scubapro dose some very interesting things and seem to me like they have the ability to adapt. They just started allowing their products to be sold on line. They also still make parts for their regulators that have been decades out of service but getting your hands on them is a huge problem. They have also introduced a lot of innovative ideas over the years. I think if they see that the overall knowledge of divers is expanding via the internet beyond the old business model of the LDS being the only source of training, equipment, service and fills they may change. It is also a question of how long they wait to change. A company who is looking a decade ahead now may end up with a huge market share before other manufactures adapt and may end up being seen as the manufacture who brought about that change in the first place.