The changing Scuba Industry

[The Chairman]

You are not so much "a secret" anymore.

You have a created a world wide forum that answers questions,
and links folks together.

Michael... the divers have found us but the industry sees us as an annoyance. A full page ad in any magazine for one month would pay for our biggest ad for a year. More people visit ScubaBoard in a week than subscribe monthly to any magazine. We have more visitors per month than the sum of all the magazine subscriptions. Like @Wookie, I have to ask : Where are they? Why aren't they advertising? My guess is that I'm not a part of their 'Good ol' Boys club', so they won't use me. It sucks. I've got the divers, but not the advertisers.

 

[Wookie]

Sadly when we carried 34 divers, they wanted to dive dive dive and didn't worry about doors on cabins. Before my time they slept in sleeping bags on the wooden deck. The owner of the Spree would bring the boat to the dock and they would crane on a compressor with a bunch of banks. There were bunks, but most folks would just spread out a sleeping bag where a 250 of ethanol had been just an hour before, or maybe a stack of drill string, or maybe a grocery box for the platform. There were 3 heads, but most took a leak over the side. Showers were under a garden hose. A weekend trip was $215 for 8 dives.

Would you have convinced her to make that trip? Maybe back in 1992, when this all took place. And we were in our late 20s and early 30s. Those days. We were south of Houston, and you couldn't get a spot on the boat. The spots were booked months in advance.

My first year was 1998. I ran 63 days without a day off, 34 divers a trip. I figure I serviced 1,000 divers that year. That's 30 trips a year with 34 divers. Last year we ran 3 domestic dive trips, 2 to the Bahamas and 1 to Cuba. Granted, we cancelled a ton (6) trips to Cuba, refunded a quarter of a million dollars. Either the divers that are attracted to us just aren't there, or we no longer attracted divers. At the rate the Cuba trips sold, I believe it wasn't us.....

 

[BRT]

Your choice, but you really don't understand the motives.

Tobin

Oh yes I do. The idea is to sell as many tires as I can for full retail to those loyal or stupid customers and then taper the price off for those who check prices so I always make the sale at the highest possible price for that particular customer.

 

[diver0008]

DEMA...are significantly lacking...

I am coming to this conclusion.

 

[BRT]

Not at all true in this case. They set their prices which are tagged and equivalent to almost everyone else, but if you find a better deal online, whether it's a sale or promotion they will match the price. How is that a bad thing? If you're in their shoes and someone is sitting in the store looking at a product and at the same time checking their phone online (where items and current prices are perfectly cataloged by Google revealing who has the lowest price in a matter of seconds) I would much rather capture that sale, even at a diminished profit knowing I can restock.

For a small LDS who's owner is a business manager, instructor, trip organizer and the staff are also service and support divers, when would they find the time to check to make sure the price tags on all of their items in the store are meeting or beating everyone else in the entire country who sells online and then go and relabel everything? I think it's a smart policy.

Couple that with a discount on certs if you buy the gear through them which is being price matched, why would you give your money to anyone else?

And for what's it's worth, I've found Leisure Pro isn't always the cheapest. In fact, once you learn it's mostly the same gear being re-branded at a higher price for the "name" you're actually the one who got the bad deal.

As I already said: Price matching allows me to sell to each customer for the highest possible price that that particular customer will buy for. Done in tires all the time and I sell a few tires.

 

[CuzzA]

Oh yes I do. The idea is to sell as many tires as I can for full retail to those loyal or stupid customers and then taper the price off for those who check prices so I always make the sale at the highest possible price for that particular customer.

Don't many products have MAP anyway?

 

[The Chairman]

As I already said: Price matching allows me to sell to each customer for the highest possible price that that particular customer will buy for. Done in tires all the time and I sell a few tires.

I can still cite the five steps to a tire sale. At the rate the Scuba industry is imploding, I might have to do that again.

 

[CuzzA]

As I already said: Price matching allows me to sell to each customer for the highest possible price that that particular customer will buy for. Done in tires all the time and I sell a few tires.

Maybe for you, but that's not what's happening in the specific case I just outlined.

 

[Wookie]

As I already said: Price matching allows me to sell to each customer for the highest possible price that that particular customer will buy for. Done in tires all the time and I sell a few tires.

For some reason it doesn't work that way here. We have a Sears and a Goodyear Franchise. Neither will sell me Toyos. I happily purchase them for far below what a BF Goodrich or Goodyear Wrangler would cost, shipping is free, and the Goodyear franchise will mount and balance 4 (and dispose of the old ones) for $150, or I can use the auto hobby shop on base to mount and balance my own. I prefer the Goodyear shop because they are pros.

I would happily buy from them if they would get online and get me the damn Toyos.

 

[drrich2]

Online shopping often offers me the opportunity to read fairly objective user reviews. I've stood in Walmart doing this on my iPhone with intent to buy something in front of me if it checks out.

Wookie, I'm still trying to get a better handle on your target customer. From what I've seen, dive boat op.s offer a continuum of service & target demographic, such as...

1.) Aim for newbies; guide in the water, maybe one in the rear watching for strays, guide periodically signals divers to report their remaining gas pressure, etc... Catering to cruise ship divers, protecting the sheep from Darwin, enabling people who shouldn't be certified, people have varied reactions to this practice, but it's there.

Not your demographic.

2.) Valet service - this is what I see mentioned when I read about Aldora, Little Cayman Beach Resort and some other places. While much of the customer base is seasoned, there's an emphasis on a 'luxury' experience; they set your gear up, break it down, maybe rinse it; you just show up and dive.

Not your preferred business model I take it.

3.) Middle-of-the-Road service - boat takes you out, gives a briefing, guides may just lead the group (e.g.: Jupiter Dive Center on hot drop drift dives), cost extra or not be offered, set up and break down your own gear, and while there may be a time to be back on the boat, it's less likely anybody checks your dive computer (unless it's squawking) after the dive - not much 'monitoring' aside from making sure everybody's back on the boat. My impression of Jupiter, FL and Morehead City, NC.

4.) Closer to Taxi Service - like 3.), but you can solo dive without a cert., how many dives you do is up to you (long as you don't hold the boat up), what's a guide? My impression of California live-aboard diving from my one trip & what others write.

Tell us more about the demographic you want or need (not just your perfect fantasy customer). Are they doing on-the-fly light deco., deep diving on air, expert navigators, what? Are you just after more self-sufficient, low maintenance seasoned intermediate recreational divers?

And what diving have you offered, or do you want to offer, that requires that level of diver?

Or is this about dive boats that don't have ensuite heads?

Richard.