Should I join a dive club at a local shop?

[victoriawtx]

I stopped by a local dive shop (it is a chain store, there is another one by the same name in Dallas) and was told by a dive instructor there that they have their own 'dive club'. The shop wasn't open, so he didn't have access to all the information. From what he told me, it seems like you have to pay something. He talked about coupons for free air fills, discounts on rental coupons, etc. Is this typical of dive clubs? He said that they meet once a month and sometimes there is a rep from an equiptment manufacturer to talk about new products, or someone talks about their recent dive trip. The man was nice, but since I am not sure what a diving club is usually like (affiliated with a shop or independent?)I am not sure if I should join this one or look at other shops. I think that there are about 2 or 3 other dive shops in San Antonio, but they are smaller. (might be better shops/quality?) I would greatly appreciate any suggestions that anyone might have. Thanks so much!

 

[King Kong Matt]

As to your general questions, dive clubs come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. As a for instance, in the greater Boston area, we probably have 5-6 clubs, of which 2 or 3 are really noteworthy. Some of them have specific things they promote or focus on. One of the clubs tends to cater to a more "technical" diving crowd and more wreck diving. One is associated with the Boston Aquarium and has more of a focus on ocean ecology/sealife. You just need to do some research and find something that has a similar set of interests to yours.

My dive shop also has a club, which I joined. It sounds pretty similar to what you are describing. For instance, for $50 a year, you can dive with the club each Sunday (they go out weekly). All of the dives are led by DMs or Instructors at the shop, which is nice. In addition, air fills are discounted on ALL your diving, and sometimes they do things like demo days, sometimes they just order pizza to the beach.

I liked it for a couple of reasons.

1) If my buddy bailed, I could always go out and have some people to dive with.

2) I was always diving with people more experienced than I was...good time to get tips, information to improve your skills, etc.

3) Because of the amount of diving I do, paying the money for the discount on air fills alone made the entire proposition worthwhile.

 

[MechDiver]

Even if you joined the club you could still go to other dive shops. I don't see your issue. Go to a meeting and see what happens.

Anyhow, we have an independant dive club that uses the LDS as a meeting place. We support the shop, they provide rent free meeing, discounts on equipment, and reduced air fills. We have our own compressor but currently have our banks tied into the shop system with a separate fill station available after hours and weekends. We also charge yearly dues as we have our own expenses and put on our own events.

Joining the club is about joining the club, not the dive shop.

Phil

 

[King Kong Matt]

MechDiver's post made it clear to me what you are asking.

Let me expand on my earlier post and say that lots of people who are in the club are not regular customers of the shop...its just a dive club for them.

 

[MechDiver]

King Kong Matt once bubbled...
MechDiver's post made it clear to me

Well, there goes what little reputation I had :bonk:

 

[chickdiver]

Join a dive club, or more than one!! Diving is an inherently social sport, and dive clubs are a great way to meet other divers, especially if you are new to diving or the area. The discounts and stuff are nice, but really just a perk. We have a great club at the LDS I teach for, in fact, I am a paying member (by choice). We do a lot of fun things other than diving, including a Mardi Gras float, and we recently raffled off a trip the Bahamas with airfare. I'm rambling, but the point is: it'll be worth it, especially if they do organized trips/ charters. It'll get you diving and keep you diving, as finding buddies is the hardest part for new divers.

 

[salty]

Just ask to attend one of the meetings before paying any thing to see for yourself what its like than make up your mind. Clubs are like this board ...a good collection of people and information

 

[Rooster1]

think it is a great idea because

* you get to meet more divers
* you get to go out and dive more
* if your buddy is not availablbe it is easy to get one
* Divers are for the most part fun to be around and socialize with sharing stories and adventures
* you get to book trips at discount prices even local charters
* there is usually lots of fun events set up throughout the year

There generally is a small fee annually which goes to cover the cost of operating the club such as website hosting, newsletter, guest ,speakers, prizes you win at events.etc.etc

We do have a couple of lds owners from different lds that are members of our club, but our club stays independent of them which I like because I do not as many members do not want to be obligated to buy at any specific lds. We would rather choose where to spend our money.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Texas Swamp Diving Team

1)We are really neat people.

2) It doesn't cost anything to join us.

3) There is a great group of folks in Austin that dive Travis regularly.

4) We are a really great group of people

5) We are right here on ScubaBoard

6) We are the Texas affiliate of NDI

7) The shop you are talking about is Oceans Window.

8) Did I say the Austin group was a really nice group of folks?

If you want to dive. Just speak up around here and you can normally find a buddy. You have Lake Travis and Canyon Lake nearby, and some good experienced divers close too.

How do you join TSDT? Glad you asked. Hook up with the Austin Contingent and try to hook up with Larry. Dive with him and have him sign your log book.

Thats it.

Have fun,

TwoBit

PS we really are a friendly bunch =)

 

[scuberd]

I'm the president of the scuba club at the University here. It's great: we go diving all the time, members have full use of all of our school gear (though I usually use my own), and it's only $15 a year. all of our dives are with certified and current DMs or instructors and we have a great time. if you can find something like this, DO IT!!!