Maui bound! ...advice?

[Al Mialkovsky]

I like Shaka Dougs website too. Pretty cool and he has the entire "have fun" gig all figured out.

http://www.shakadivers.com/

 

[KrisB]

I like Shaka Dougs website too. Pretty cool and he has the entire "have fun" gig all figured out.

http://www.shakadivers.com/

That's funny, because as a web professional, I can't leave his site fast enough!

He's certainly got the "fun" aspect there, but the gaudy colours make it really hard to take anything more seriously than a Grade 5 student!

Debbie: one thing you'll find with the Maui companies (not just dive-related) is that very few of them have excellent-looking sites... you might enjoy Maui Dreams Dive Co's site, though... it was made in BC!

 

[DiverDebbie]

That's funny, because as a web professional, I can't leave his site fast enough!

He's certainly got the "fun" aspect there, but the gaudy colours make it really hard to take anything more seriously than a Grade 5 student!

Debbie: one thing you'll find with the Maui companies (not just dive-related) is that very few of them have excellent-looking sites... you might enjoy Maui Dreams Dive Co's site, though... it was made in BC!

So glad to hear you say that Kris. No offense Al, but I totally agree with Kris here. I have quite a bit of training and experience, and this site breaks all the rules of good web design.
Of course a great web site doesn't necessarily equal a great dive shop, and word of moth and personal experiences are much more important, so I do not mean to say anything negative about the shop itself...
However... I must say that the dive shops (or any business for that matter) with poorly designed, disorganized sites, stand to lose business. If the person browsing has a first impression of chaos and clutter, and can't find what they are looking for, they click away and look elsewhere. It's really that simple. Web design isn't really about computer knowledge. It's design and marketing. If a dive shop has years of expertise in diving but none in web design, they honestly should invest in hiring a professional to handle it. I work for a large company, btw, and am not saying this to drum up my own business. I just think it's a shame to see so many terrible websites out there for businesses that could otherwise be stellar.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Well Shakas site gets my attention. But then I'm not an expert.

I think B&B is the finest shop on the island, by far but they have a pretty plain website. Maybe the guys who spend a bit too much time on thier sites have more to worry about?

 

[Charlie99]

If the person browsing has a first impression of chaos and clutter, and can't find what they are looking for, they click away and look elsewhere.

Hmmm. Maybe that was his unconscious intent. Get rid of those uptight peope that'll spoil his karma.

For many years, I had posted on my office wall the slip out of a fortune cookie that read "Find a job you love and you'll never work another day in your life". Although I've never formally met Shaka Doug, several times I've seen him with students/Discover Scuba customers and it sure seems like that could be his motto too.

I think B&B is the finest shop on the island, by far but they have a pretty plain website.

. While B&B gets edged out by the fish nerds at Mike Severns as my favorite boat; B&B has got my vote as the best and most helpful dive shop around. They went beyond the call of duty, rooting around in their junk box to find a BCD pull dump cable for me earlier this year.

 

[KrisB]

Well Shakas site gets my attention. But then I'm not an expert.

I think B&B is the finest shop on the island, by far but they have a pretty plain website. Maybe the guys who spend a bit too much time on thier sites have more to worry about?

Al: you misunderstood me. There's nothing wrong with plain -- in fact, B&B's site, with relatively little anything gets higher marks than Shaka's simply because the thing isn't completely repulsive.

There has been relative overuse of the pure cyan colour on the web, and I don't understand why... it's not a "standard" colour by any means, nor is it an "easy" pick out of the palette. Nonetheless, many geocities sites use it, as do many "home grown" sites.

Interesting you mention that those that don't have extraordinary sites are likely the better ones as they don't spend their time working on it -- here's news: the great looking sites don't either! The successful dive ops (and businesses in general) know that marketing is key, and that hiring marketing professionals to do it for them is worth every penny charged TIMES TEN.

</soapbox>

Anyways... it's possible a poor business-person can be the best divemaster and vice versa -- however, there is always the risk that "poor business-person" also results in poor standards elsewhere, e.g. equipment choice, maintenance, insurance, etc...

 

[DiverDebbie]

Hmmm. Maybe that was his unconscious intent. Get rid of those uptight peope that'll spoil his karma.

For many years, I had posted on my office wall the slip out of a fortune cookie that read "Find a job you love and you'll never work another day in your life". Although I've never formally met Shaka Doug, several times I've seen him with students/Discover Scuba customers and it sure seems like that could be his motto too.

. While B&B gets edged out by the fish nerds at Mike Severns as my favorite boat; B&B has got my vote as the best and most helpful dive shop around. They went beyond the call of duty, rooting around in their junk box to find a BCD pull dump cable for me earlier this year.

hey Charlie... are you calling me uptight? Maybe I've been doing this web crap too long! hehe :O
I like your fortune saying, and in fact... I am going through the IDC to go on from DM to AI. The best part of DMing has been working with students... so I plan to continue to instructor and escape the confines of the office and teach diving some where tropical... so I get what you're saying
So if Shaka Doug loves what he does... awesome... that is the most important thing. My criticism was only of his site and meant to be constructive.
The business of diving is, much like any other, a mix of many things... knowledge and expertise for sure, and professionalism and competitive prices... but it's those who are genuinely in it for the "right" reasons, and who go the extra mile (like B&B did for you), who stand out and get recommended word of mouth.

Actually, I've had lots of great recommendations for Maui... I hardly know where to start

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Debbie while I'm a huge B&B fan it's difficult to do "bad" there. I doubt you'd ever have a horrible experience.

The thing about B&B is it isn't easy to get on their boat at the last minute. They aren't tied in with any activity center and they don't advertise. That says a lot.

 

[kidspot]

...Actually, I've had lots of great recommendations for Maui... I hardly know where to start

Try the beach

 

[DiverDebbie]

Try the beach

You bet Tim! I still hope to do some shore diving with you

...but... I started reading and hearing about Molokini... I have to do at least one boat dive... or 2.. as well