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Scuba Professional: Column No. 2

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Sabotaging the Industry from Within

Simon Pridmore argues that the poor treatment meted out to new scuba divers could be a significant factor contributing to the industry’s recruitment and retention problems.

At a time when the scuba diving industry is facing recruitment and retention challenges, to such an extent that it is asking divers to make a special effort to introduce their friends and colleagues to the sport, (something most divers do anyway,) perhaps the industry should be looking closely at its own procedures to see if the recruitment and retention problems are partly self-generated.

I say this because a number of folk have recently told me that, despite being fit, healthy and good swimmers, they had tried scuba diving once and decided that it wasn’t for them.

Let’s examine that more closely. In other words, these people were sufficiently attracted by the idea of scuba diving to pay money for a course of lessons or a scuba experience. Then the dive centre and individuals concerned in delivering the product somehow managed to put them off ever doing it again.

Deliberately Providing Poor Service

Pridmore 2This was in my mind the other day when I was chatting with a dive centre manager. Watching some of his customers getting ready to do a pool session, I remarked on the poor condition of the rental gear that his operation issued to beginners. “Of course,” he said, “we do it deliberately. It encourages them to buy their own equipment later.”

I was stunned. His thinking is about as wrong-headed as you can get. If new divers are comfortable and have equipment that works well and facilitates easier learning, they will enjoy the experience more and they will be more likely to want to do it again and again. And, indeed, they will go on to buy their own equipment; probably the very items and brands that they used and became familiar with on their course. If, on the other hand, the equipment they are given is old, uncomfortable and awkward to use they are less likely to have a good time and they may well just decide not to pursue the sport and take up another activity instead. Scuba diving will have lost yet another customer.

The dive centre manager I spoke to is not alone in his thinking. A few years ago, I was consulting for a hotel chain that was looking for a local operator to run their on-site dive centre. One applicant, a very well known company with many branches, invited me and one of the hotel chain’s directors to go diving with their flagship dive centre in order to impress us. The hotel director was a new-ish diver with sixty logged dives but did not own his own gear. “No problem,” the operator said, “you can use ours.” All the equipment was pretty shabby but it was the fins that particularly drew our attention. Where the foot pocket joined the blade there was a wear line and you could easily bend the blades up and down beyond 90 degrees. In the water the fins just flapped around uselessly. Needless to say, the operator did not get the job!

Examples abound. Dive centres frequently give new divers shorty wetsuits to use, even though they will be spending much of their course time kneeling on the pool bottom or seabed. The centres would rather have divers with badly chafed knees than have to replace full-length wetsuits when the kneepads wear out. One lady told me that for her first pool session with a very large and successful dive centre in the Caribbean, she was not offered a wetsuit at all and ended the day with knee and elbow scrapes that almost brought her to tears.

In her case, she was also left with sores on her upper body caused by the straps of her ill-fitting BCD and encountered a host of other equipment issues. The depth gauge on her console did not work and when this was pointed out to the instructor he just said, “it doesn’t matter, we are in a pool; we know how deep it is!” She was not given a dive computer or watch to use and, as she was being taught how to execute a five-point descent, she was amused to be instructed to stare uselessly at her empty wrist when she came to the “check time” point in the procedure.

She terminated the course after day one but, luckily for the industry, she persevered in her quest to learn to dive, found another dive shop and instructor and now does over 100 dives a year all around the world. But she is an exception: we rarely get a second chance at recruiting someone to the sport if we mess it up first time.

This Does Not Compute

The issue of dive computers seems to be a particular problem for many dive centres. We live in technological times: there are a number of very good dive computers on the market that dive centres can buy wholesale for a fraction of what they charge for a beginners’ course and no diver with any experience would ever consider diving without a computer. Nevertheless, many operations refuse to give divers a computer and teach them how to use it in their beginners’ course. Neither do many resorts offer computers for hire, despite the fact that they could easily make back the cost of a rental unit in only a few days. When divers enquire, they are often told that they do not need a computer because their guide or instructor has one.

Try It Yourself!

Pridmore 3Instructors and dive centre owners should perhaps try diving with the equipment that they give beginners. They should experience for themselves how uncomfortable and difficult it is to use and maybe then they might have some sympathy and improve the quality of their service. Those who do not give EVERY one of their divers, no matter how inexperienced, the means to record depth and time on EVERY dive should reflect on how naked they would feel diving without a computer.

I can just imagine the excuses that dive centre managers might come up to explain why they do what they do pleading financial and time constraints or complaining about competitors that force them to cut corners. But there is no escaping the fact that service quality in many areas of the scuba diving industry, in particular the sector that deals primarily with introducing people to the sport, is sadly lacking.

A final point for reflection: successful businesses in every field know how important it is to look after new customers with special treatment and services. What do we do in the dive industry? Make them feel uncomfortable, unappreciated and disrespected. We should be grateful that any of them stick around!

Read more from Simon in his latest release Scuba Professional – Insights into Sport Diver Training & Operations and his bestselling book Scuba Confidential – An Insider’s Guide to Becoming a Better Diver, both available from Amazon in paperback and e-book versions.

Simon Pridmore is the author of scuba diving books, travel books and, as you might expect, scuba diving travel books. Originally from the UK, Simon has lived in Asia for over 30 years. As well as his books and guides, Simon writes regular columns for a number of magazines. He and his wife Sofie currently live in Bali, Indonesia but spend a lot of time exploring other places trying (but failing so far) to find a cure for their itchy feet. Simon's latest book - Scuba Exceptional – Become the Best Diver You Can Be - the follow-up to his best-selling Scuba Confidential, is available now in paperback and e-book versions from Amazon stores worldwide. Find out more about Simon and his books on www.simonpridmore.com

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Four opportunities to go pro in 2024 with Dive Friends Bonaire

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Dive Friends teaches the Instructor Development Course (IDC) several times a year to students who are eager to share their passion for diving with the world.

Dive Friends is known for the personal approach throughout the course. Their in-house course director will lead the students through every essential step, mentoring them to achieve their fullest potential as a dive instructor.

Applications for the following IDC start dates are now open:

  • 12 April
  • 5 July,
  • 20 September
  • 29 November

Partnership with Casita Palma

If the student opts for the IDC-Deluxe or IDC-Supreme package, their accommodation will be arranged for them at Casita Palma. This small and quiet resort is within walking distance from Dive Friends Bonaire’s main dive shop location and has everything you need to relax after an intense day of IDC training. Breakfast is included, so the student will always be fuelled and ready for their day.

Contact Dive Friends Bonaire’s Course Director Eddy for more information: coursedirector@divefriendsbonaire.com.

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Scubility: Achieving Success through Adaptability

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Introduction to Scubility

Being a scuba diving professional, I am always fascinated by the beauty of the underwater world, filled with colorful coral and a variety of marine species. Every dive site around the world has something unique to offer, attracting the diving community to immerse themselves time and time again. The feeling of being underwater is a unique experience, akin to being in space, where you can escape Earth’s gravity to enjoy the freedom of movement. However, water sports are often believed to be accessible only to those with good physical strength, leaving others to only dream of being there.

The Genesis of Scubility

Scubility was developed as a way to help people with disabilities experience the magic of scuba diving or snorkeling. A few years back we became involved in the SDI Scubility program as a way to use our diving experience and knowledge to bring disabled people beneath the ocean. To empower them with a feeling where they can forget their disability and limitations. The image of a Wheelchair Hero from the movie ‘AVATAR’, who could walk and run only in dreams, was the first seed of the idea for a local Scubility program.

scubility

Launching the Scubility Course

Since 2014, my friend has dedicated himself to helping disabled people. Knowing that I am an SDI/TDI Instructor Trainer, he called upon me to help bring them into the world of scuba diving. Captivated by this idea, I decided to offer a special diving course adapted for disabled people: the SDI Scubility Course. The sole purpose was to bring happiness and a feeling of belonging back to our precious disabled students, by giving them an immersive experience under the sea. Perhaps, the mother ocean has a way of treating us all equally, to rebuild confidence and give hope of being alive.

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Adapting Diving for All Abilities

Initially, most Scubility divers in our programs were wheelchair users. The main challenge was to design a unique technique suitable for each Scubility diver, based on their limitations. To do so, we set up a protocol keeping in mind all the scenarios that could arise during diving, starting from boarding the boat, to diving, and the communication signals during the dive. Training was also provided to volunteer participants, mostly instructors and assistant divers.

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The Scubility Program in Action

In the last four events, we have enrolled many Scubility divers in the program. We also have a team of trained instructors and assistants; without them, this wouldn’t be possible. The main objective was to make safe and comfortable diving experiences for Scubility students. In fact, in the last Scubility program, which concluded in March 2023, we included a blind diver along with six other Scubility divers. We also had 8 instructors and more than 10 assistant participants to make this possible.

scubility

The main challenge for blind divers is to set up a communication signal. So, I designed a unique ‘touch signal’ for blind students where they just need to touch an arm to convey a message. For example, when an instructor touches your arm twice, it means he is asking, “Are you okay?”. In case of any emergency during the dive, the blind diver just needs to squeeze the arm of the instructor to get his attention to solve the problem. For each Scubility diver, there were at least two personnel, an instructor, and an assistant, assigned.

Impact and Emotions of Scubility

The most satisfying experience of this program was to see Scubility divers happy, with emotional, teary eyes. I could imagine that probably for the first time, or perhaps the only time, some of them could walk, stand, and move again underwater without a wheelchair, feeling alive again. Seeing a courageous Scubility diver overcoming all challenges and obstacles to make it possible definitely inspires me to organize more events like this.

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“Scuba Diving for All” Event

The biggest local Scubility program, named “Scuba Diving for All,” was organized in Khao Lak, Phang-nga Province, south of Thailand, from October 30 to November 5, 2018. We invited international Scubility participant divers for this event. Leading up to this program, we put in lots of effort, preparing hotels and resorts in a friendly design, making sure of choosing good dive sites, and above all, to bring a smile to our precious Scubility students.

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I hope that this endeavor will serve as an inspiration for people worldwide to achieve what may seem impossible, while also raising awareness about the importance of charity and kindness in our society. I look forward to welcoming you soon to our joyful underwater realm.

As an SDI TDI & Scubility IT, Dan Phutthakhun Prungkananon, owner of All Star Diving Academy located in Thailand, has a deep-rooted passion for ensuring safety and fun in the water. Keep up with Dan and the All Star Diving Academy via Instagram  or Facebook and by checking out their Dive Center Facebook.

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