EastEndDiver
Contributor
Lets add Split fins and BC vs. Wing to the discussion.
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As mi000ke stated already, if you can bypass the onsite dive shop's property (or other private property) to get to a "public" exit/entry, then you are free to dive with your own tanks.Are you really trying to understand the situation? If so, I'll try to explain it as I see it.
Someone with their own tanks (or tanks rented elsewhere) should have no need to go into your shop. They should be able to walk around the building, get in the water, and dive. If they want to go into your shop and buy something or rent something - then great! But they shouldn't have to. AFAIK your shop does not own the reef. Do the Caymans deed out portions of the ocean? Does your shop own the reef? I ask that in earnest. You're in a different country than I'm used to, so I guess it's possible. If the answer is yes, then that changes things. If it's no, then...
Trying to force someone to buy something from you merely because your business is nearest to that person's destination is shady. At a minimum, such a practice will harm your reputation if word of it gets out.
If I were the diver in question, I'd rent from you because that would be the most convenient thing to do. I don't live there, and I don't want to try and travel with scuba tanks. It seems unlikely that local divers would be renting tanks anywhere... unless they're worried about all their money weighting them down once they got in the water - sometimes you have so much you just have to get rid of it! It only takes 6-8 dives for it to be a better financial decision to own tanks instead of renting. Of course there's a lot of assumptions in that 6-8 like the type of tank, price of tanks in that area, price of rentals in that area.
I have seen plenty of shops that will refuse to fill tanks they don't own. While I don't like that, I would still say that's totally legitimate. I probably wouldn't like it if a boat op refused to let someone bring tanks that person owned on a boat dive. However, I think an argument could be made for that being legitimate.
Lets add Split fins and BC vs. Wing to the discussion.
It's pretty common for special deal packages (in every business) to not be shareable between people. Also pretty clear it's intended as an package that adds on afternoon dives every day (except the last when most people aren't diving in the afternoon) to a typical 7 night package. Would you expect them to allow the morning dives on the package to be sharable?Here’s another vent for Reef Divers....they want to sell us afternoon dives ahead of time...5 for $200.00. Good deal as at pos, it would be $65/Dive.
I have no problem paying this, but they won’t allow these 5 afternoon dives shared with a spouse? That is an extremely poor biz decision imho....so they lose $200.00. We have 20 friends booked and four couples passed on the 5 dives due to this alone...that’s $1000.00 they tossed away?
I went back and checked my credit card statement and it was actually $10 US for Nitrox tanks at Cobalt Coast- so only 8.33 CI...So that's 7 CI for a fill vs 10 CI to rent a full tank. I would also have the cost of taking my tank somewhere to get it filled, plus maintenance and inspections
Now I see why the locals do the tank rentals.
Thanks!