Hi. No offense meant, but anecdotes are generally not reliable for anything except the specific event they relate. "Illustrations" are anecdotes. If you want someone to tell you about his real experience over many years in the scuba industry in Michigan, contact Pete Lindquist at Munising.
MI Dive Industry: Wake Up!
- Thread starter rickydazla
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OP
My specific illustrative examples are just that. I'm not a lawyer and my case may not be constructed as well as it could be. I am however a passionate dive professional with above average PR and marketing knowledge, specifically with regards to new media. I'm not sure who Pete Lindquist is though, or how to contact him.
Having travelled and dived and worked in diving in several countries I believe I am in a position to comment and it's really not the petty bickering that irks me. As others have pointed out, it happens the world over. The difference it seems is that in Michigan the protagonists' overall standings in the bigger picture of things aren't particularly great to start off with. They're fighting themselves down the lower portion of the ladder rather than helping the Great Lakes region as a whole, and themselves within it, reach greater heights.
I'm obviously unaware of who you are or what you do but as a diver you must acknowledge that it would be a little disconcerting for a newcomer to peruse some obvious sources of tourist information and find them hopelessly wanting with regard to scuba diving.
Individual shops may well be doing their bit but times are hard, money is short blah blah blah. So why the tendency towards infighting and no concerted effort towards a Lake-wide promotional campaign?
I'm not sure what hard facts exactly I'm able to provide. This is a subjective area and one in which I would happily be proved wrong.
What I can say is that there is no mention of scuba at all on the front page of the state tourism website. The MUPC website is great but it's seriously under-supported and itself under-promoted (or, in my expereince, not promoted). Previous attempts to provide a central source of MI diving information have fallen by the wayside. As someone above mentioned, a quarry opens up in Michigan but is hardly supported at all. No one from the Great Lakes had a booth at DEMA 2007 and, to my knowledge, no Great Lakes advertising has surfaced in the national scuba press, despite several articles being written nationally and internationally in recent months.
I'm not greatly into the idea of an Oriskany-equivalent, given the proliferation of wrecks in the lakes already but if someone can raise the funds and support required to do it with such opposition then surely the entire industry can do itself a favour and do what is required to <insert water-related pun>.
Having travelled and dived and worked in diving in several countries I believe I am in a position to comment and it's really not the petty bickering that irks me. As others have pointed out, it happens the world over. The difference it seems is that in Michigan the protagonists' overall standings in the bigger picture of things aren't particularly great to start off with. They're fighting themselves down the lower portion of the ladder rather than helping the Great Lakes region as a whole, and themselves within it, reach greater heights.
I'm obviously unaware of who you are or what you do but as a diver you must acknowledge that it would be a little disconcerting for a newcomer to peruse some obvious sources of tourist information and find them hopelessly wanting with regard to scuba diving.
Individual shops may well be doing their bit but times are hard, money is short blah blah blah. So why the tendency towards infighting and no concerted effort towards a Lake-wide promotional campaign?
I'm not sure what hard facts exactly I'm able to provide. This is a subjective area and one in which I would happily be proved wrong.
What I can say is that there is no mention of scuba at all on the front page of the state tourism website. The MUPC website is great but it's seriously under-supported and itself under-promoted (or, in my expereince, not promoted). Previous attempts to provide a central source of MI diving information have fallen by the wayside. As someone above mentioned, a quarry opens up in Michigan but is hardly supported at all. No one from the Great Lakes had a booth at DEMA 2007 and, to my knowledge, no Great Lakes advertising has surfaced in the national scuba press, despite several articles being written nationally and internationally in recent months.
I'm not greatly into the idea of an Oriskany-equivalent, given the proliferation of wrecks in the lakes already but if someone can raise the funds and support required to do it with such opposition then surely the entire industry can do itself a favour and do what is required to <insert water-related pun>.
ComputerJoe
Contributor
Rick,
The MUPC is a natural place to begin. Over the years a small dedicated group travels up to St. Ignace on the first Sunday's of the month to see what we can do by banding together. They give of their time and money not because it is a great place to travel to from November to March each year, but because they want to make a difference. If you wish to help they usually meet the first Sunday of the month at 1:00pm in the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce building.
The MUPC exists on a $100 per year private donation made by each Preserve (12 in total if they all pay) to do what marketing we can. A little co-operation or funding from the State would be welcome but I'll leave that subject alone for now. The main fruits of our efforts so far is to pay for the production of "A Divers Guide to Michigan Underwater Preserves." I agree that if your dive shop paid for the advertising it is good for the the booklet good for the MUPC, good for those wanting to dive in Michigan and good for Bruno's. But the way the booklets were produced left the group underwriting it completely unaware how much Bruno's paid, or even if they had paid for the advertising so the complaining started. As in any group there are the doers and the complainers. Changes are planned for the next run to make it's next production more accountable to the MUPC so these questions need not come up. That said it is hard for me to throw rocks at someone who is giving away his/her time to do something no one else seems willing to do at the time. As long as the efforts result in a net good I don't like to bitch...much.
Now that I'm on the subject I feel the need to start another post as it may draw much needed interest and action on a related subject that may touch your dive shop.
The MUPC is a natural place to begin. Over the years a small dedicated group travels up to St. Ignace on the first Sunday's of the month to see what we can do by banding together. They give of their time and money not because it is a great place to travel to from November to March each year, but because they want to make a difference. If you wish to help they usually meet the first Sunday of the month at 1:00pm in the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce building.
The MUPC exists on a $100 per year private donation made by each Preserve (12 in total if they all pay) to do what marketing we can. A little co-operation or funding from the State would be welcome but I'll leave that subject alone for now. The main fruits of our efforts so far is to pay for the production of "A Divers Guide to Michigan Underwater Preserves." I agree that if your dive shop paid for the advertising it is good for the the booklet good for the MUPC, good for those wanting to dive in Michigan and good for Bruno's. But the way the booklets were produced left the group underwriting it completely unaware how much Bruno's paid, or even if they had paid for the advertising so the complaining started. As in any group there are the doers and the complainers. Changes are planned for the next run to make it's next production more accountable to the MUPC so these questions need not come up. That said it is hard for me to throw rocks at someone who is giving away his/her time to do something no one else seems willing to do at the time. As long as the efforts result in a net good I don't like to bitch...much.
Now that I'm on the subject I feel the need to start another post as it may draw much needed interest and action on a related subject that may touch your dive shop.
DOkie
Guest
I'm confused... We don't have the problem of dive shops bashing each other, or trying to "out do" each other up here... I see quite a bit of advertising for scuba diving. Our dive shops actually try to help each other out. Hmmmmm OH! That's right! You are all BELOW the bridge... That explains it. (Different style of living folks) ha ha
boat sju
Contributor
DOkie
Guest
Actually I was born and raised right off of Martin Luther King Blvd. (Used to be Logan Street). I live here by choice. Like I said... Different style of living.
It does seem quite shameful that a state that takes pride in it's tourist trade does so little to promote the wrecks and divesites in our state.
In Ohio and Illinios they have Skin and SCUBA Diving Councils, why doesn't Michigan have something like this?
Should the Clubs, Shops, and Preserves organize a council like this and promote diving in Michigan?
In Ohio and Illinios they have Skin and SCUBA Diving Councils, why doesn't Michigan have something like this?
Should the Clubs, Shops, and Preserves organize a council like this and promote diving in Michigan?
VooDooGasMan
Contributor
Ricky, If you want to learn about the shipwrecks and dive industry, Get a hold of tom at the whitefish light house museum.
VooDooGasMan
Contributor
whitefish point
deepH2Odiver
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While I have yet to find any "numbers" for Michigan, I did find this. It's a start.
Economic Impacts of Recreation and Tourism in Michigan
and this:
Cline Group's Dive Site
It would be worthwhile to provide some sort of funding for current research. That should dispel this [anecdotal crap] and bring facts to the table. I think, from reading this thread and many others, that there needs to be a change. Many toes are on the line and the first one who steps over gets their toes shot off, or as it would seem from a couple of posts on this board. You can't stop progress and it looks like energy is starting to build. You're either part of the problem or part of the solution. So choose which side of the barbed wire fence you plan to stay on.
For those who have "numbers" from dive charters, customer base and such, bring them forward and let's ferret out the fact from fiction. If you withhold information back, you are part of the problem. You don't HAVE to hire a workgroup to gather numbers and put them in a logical format, you can do that yourself. Just pick a handful of savvy cowboys and get down to business.
It wouldn't hurt to examine some type of dive association or retail association (maybe a fact finding mission to determine if there is enough support for those who want to succeed in business). While I enjoy the underwater preserves, there's much more out there beyond the preserve boundary lines. Don't be greedy! Promote the whole enchalada!
Economic Impacts of Recreation and Tourism in Michigan
and this:
Cline Group's Dive Site
It would be worthwhile to provide some sort of funding for current research. That should dispel this [anecdotal crap] and bring facts to the table. I think, from reading this thread and many others, that there needs to be a change. Many toes are on the line and the first one who steps over gets their toes shot off, or as it would seem from a couple of posts on this board. You can't stop progress and it looks like energy is starting to build. You're either part of the problem or part of the solution. So choose which side of the barbed wire fence you plan to stay on.
For those who have "numbers" from dive charters, customer base and such, bring them forward and let's ferret out the fact from fiction. If you withhold information back, you are part of the problem. You don't HAVE to hire a workgroup to gather numbers and put them in a logical format, you can do that yourself. Just pick a handful of savvy cowboys and get down to business.
It wouldn't hurt to examine some type of dive association or retail association (maybe a fact finding mission to determine if there is enough support for those who want to succeed in business). While I enjoy the underwater preserves, there's much more out there beyond the preserve boundary lines. Don't be greedy! Promote the whole enchalada!
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