I was talking with a fellow diver a while ago. He mentioned that he supports people who provide solid training. He was willing to pay more for good training than find some place that was the cheapest. As our discussion progressed, he started to talk about how he uses the internet to find the cheapest prices on dive gear that he wants. I asked him if he had any favorites that he mostly buys from and the answer was no. He basically only purchased from whom ever was the cheapest. As I listened to him ramble on about his purchasing patterns, it crossed my mind that this type of mentality is what is hurting those people who provide good scuba diving courses. [Read more...]

“At this point, ******* and ***** are barely aware of your existence. I doubt that either of them would ever sanction a full-blown campaign to put you out of business. You need to ask yourself if you could withstand an effort like that and if you think that publicly dissing them is worth it.” This is a message someone sent me a while ago trying to give me business advice. I think this person is missing a vital point in business, that is the customer is always right. Even as a dive professional, we are also consumers and have consumer rights. [Read more...]

If you haven’t seen it by now, Unified Team Diving (UTD) has entered the direct and wholesale market for scuba diving equipment. As I watched Andrew’s video blog, I wasn’t getting a warm and fuzzy feeling I normally get when I listen to him. As I listened, the more concerned I got. I just kept thinking, how will this help the UTD “brand”. [Read more...]