How to choose a dive shop

Customer service and sales

What I always give my students as advice:
The way the store treats you in the sales pitch is the way they will treat you underwater (and their employees too, by the way).

Diving is selling

We do nothing else when a prospective customer comes into the store.
The same applies to preliminary contact via email, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.
We sell our services and you as a diver buy them.

Keep that in mind. No matter how casual and fun everything looks. You are a paying customer and should not only be treated as such, but also get the best service for your money.

Would you buy a car from someone who only gives you the bare minimum of information but wants you to sign the sales contract straight away?
Or would you feel more comfortable with the salesperson who takes their time, answers every question, removes all doubts and lets you decide for yourself whether you want to sign the sales contract now or the next day?

Right, my intuition and I also feel more comfortable with the second one.

Personally, I love going to the various dive stores at a diving destination, getting advice (or not) and feeling the vibe. How am I greeted? What is the general atmosphere in the store? Are my questions answered or just dismissed with a price list?

Price vs security

My very personal and possibly controversial opinion for some: The diving industry is far too cheap.

Diving is still a dangerous sport – no matter what the media tries to tell you!

We teach this dangerous sport in a 3-day open water course. In these 3 days, the students should be trained so that they are (officially) safe enough to go diving alone with another certified diver (i.e. not a professional). This is an intensive course with a lot of theoretical and practical knowledge.
If we don’t train correctly, the worst-case scenario could be an accident or even death.

Now of course I understand that some travelers, especially backpackers, have a very tight budget and still don’t want to miss out on this experience. Everyone is allowed to go their own way. I wouldn’t judge anyone who accepts a cheap offer for their own personal reasons.

Just keep in mind that if the price is well below the average for the area, you will have to cut costs on something and ultimately decide for yourself what is your priority. Please also bear in mind that diving is generally a very expensive sport. If you don’t have the money, you can do a so-called trial dive as often as you like without a diving course.

Good quality diving means small groups (max. 4 students per instructor), well-maintained equipment and the ability to respond to the student. In order for the store and the instructor to earn money, the price has to be a little higher.

For the store, large groups mean only one diving instructor, who has to be paid, but also less time for the individual. In most cases, this also means lower pay per student for the instructor, who is therefore dependent on large groups. Poorly maintained equipment saves time and money, but increases the risk to divers underwater.

The right service

Both as a diving student and as an already certified diver (Fun Diver) you pay for the service provided by the dive store. For the service and the equipment.

The equipment should be in good condition. However, some faults can only become apparent underwater. Buoyancy compensators (BCDs) are used for years. They may look a little worn after a while, but this does not necessarily mean that they no longer work well. Are all parts present and the pressure relief valves fitted with straps, or are they missing?
With a regulator system (regulator), you can see quite quickly whether it has been serviced. If metal parts are covered with white crusts, I would take a step back.

Take a look at the overall condition of the equipment. If the overall condition is good, this is a sign that the equipment is well maintained.

Let’s take the car as an example again: a car can have scratches on the outside, but that doesn’t mean that the engine hasn’t been well maintained.
So try to get a look under the hood.

The service includes the instructor or guide being available for you. You should feel comfortable with them and they should be responsive to you.

If you don’t get the service you pay for, you should address this. Nice and friendly, of course. We are all human and mistakes can happen.

A tank with significantly less than 200 bar, a non-functioning piece of equipment should be replaced without difficulty when addressed.
If you don’t feel comfortable with the guide, another one can be found.
In the case of an aborted trial dive, for example, you can ask nicely for a discount, but you should bear in mind that the instructor has lost the day and may not be paid. You are paying for his/her time, so you are not entitled to a discount.

Which is not a reason for addressing:

• Poor visibility
• Not enjoying the dive
• Expectations of the dive site not fulfilled
• Health problems that only become apparent underwater

Diving is a sport in the middle of nature. That is what makes it so charming.
However, we cannot influence nature and therefore these are no reasons to expect a discount or a reduction in costs.

Reviews

We all go by reviews, whether on Google, Tripadvisor or other tools. This is generally always a good idea, but you have to do it right.

Yes, you should read through reviews of dive stores to make an initial pre-selection.
But you can’t just rely on the good reviews.

Reviews in the diving industry

It is very easy to get good reviews in the diving industry.
If the dive site is good, the customers are already satisfied.
Since all customers are on vacation and therefore in a good mood anyway, everything else may be unimportant.

Some stores also proceed in such a way that they spoil the customers with a lot of fuss and they forget whether the diving was good or even bad.
For example, a review for a trial dive will always be good if the instructor sticks to the basic rules. Because the experience of breathing underwater for the first time is so incredible that this alone leads to euphoria and therefore a good rating.

In addition, it is only at the professional levels of training (Dive Guide/Master and above) that you get to know the standards that every store and professional should follow.

So it’s quite difficult to get a bad rating – which is justified!

I believe that only diving professionals can give correct reviews about dive stores, as they have the relevant background information.
So if you find such reviews, definitely read them!

Rezensionen richtig lesen und bewerten

Because it’s so easy to get good reviews, I always read the bad reviews of dive stores first.
Not because I necessarily want to know what went wrong (of course I do). I first look to see whether the statements can be justified and then at the store’s response.

I’m sure we’re all familiar with reviews of hotels in which customers complain that the waves were too loud in the beach bungalow they booked.
This is a completely stupid review and there are also such reviews for dive stores.

You have to keep in mind what the store offers and what it does not.
A service is offered, not a claim to certification, good weather or good visibility. If a customer gets sick on the dive boat because there were some waves, this is not a legitimate reason for a bad review.

You should therefore be able to rule out this type of review using good common sense.

There are also some that are only submitted years later. This also happens from time to time and I really don’t understand how some people presume to give a rating after 2 to 6 years. And a bad one at that!

But if there are legitimate bad reviews, then I take a look at how the store has reacted to them.
If the response is offensive or even abusive, then I can rule out this store for myself. Because that’s probably how you’ll be treated on site.

If the worst comes to the worst, do I want to find myself in a situation where the owner or manager shouts at me and/or doesn’t give me my money back? No.

If the response is respectful, professional and an attempt is made to improve the situation, this is a sign of a professional approach and dealings with customers.

And believe me, I’ve worked as a medical assistant, in IT support, as an IT project manager and IT customer quality manager. I can’t count how many times I’ve had abusive customers on the phone or standing in front of me. And when I call support, I sometimes get a bit emotional (especially when I get stupid answers from support as a supporter 😉 ).
You can’t allow yourself to respond emotionally and abruptly.
By which I don’t mean putting up with everything.

But especially when it comes to posting a public answer on the Internet, every store owner or manager should have enough control not to reply abusively. If this does happen, I don’t want to imagine how the same scene would have played out face-to-face.

Afterwards, of course, I also go through the good reviews. My focus here is on which parts are emphasized by the customers.
Do they only mention the dive sites or also the customer service, the sales pitch, the professionalism or the equipment?
These are all indications of well-run dive stores.

You should also pay attention to the date of the reviews.
In the diving industry, staff can change frequently. Possibly even 2-4 times a year, depending on the season.
Recurring names are therefore an indication of long-lasting staff, which speaks in favor of the store.
In the case of bad reviews that refer to individual employees, e.g. the management, you should check more recent reviews to see if anything has changed in this respect.

Submit reviews

We are all happy, both as a store and as guides or diving instructors, about good reviews. Don’t get me wrong.

Personally, I am also a great advocate of verbal feedback. Especially when it comes to criticism.

I know I can help any store with a good review, especially as a diving professional, and I’m happy to do so.

However, I would only write a bad review after I have spoken to the management personally and there has been no response.

I think this is true not only in the diving industry, but everywhere.

As an example from my last vacation:
A store had a very unmotivated employee in the sales talk. I had already made my decision long ago, as my friends had signed up here and I wanted to dive with them.
However, when filling out the paperwork and explaining the organization, I was faced with an employee who radiated absolute disinterest. Not a smile, not a joke, not a response to me, not a connection.
If I hadn’t made up my mind in advance, I would have left because of this employee.
Now I had noticed that at least 2 others had the same impression of the same employee and, after a quick look, reviews about this behavior had already been posted on Google.

After the dives I went to the general manager and spoke to him privately. I think that as a diving professional, such feedback has a slightly different weight and I would rather give it directly to the management so that they can react than write it publicly on the internet and harm the store.
The manager listened to everything calmly, thanked me and we had some general small talk. He also asked if the dives were okay or if anything else had come to light.
So I had the impression that he appreciated the criticism and the way I gave it. Whether this is really the case in the end remains to be seen, but I feel more comfortable with it.

In this case, I felt the response was professional and good. So why should I publish something else bad online here and damage the store even more than this employee has probably already done?

Homepage, contact and information

Call me old-fashioned, but I always take a look at the homepages.
I get skeptical when there aren’t any.

Homepage

For me, a good website should have a simple structure, be intuitive to use, clearly laid out and contain all the necessary information, such as prices, at a glance.

For example, the reference to small groups in courses, i.e. max. 4 students per course, is an important indication. If there is no such indication, you should definitely ask this question.

Important information for me when searching:

• Description of the dive sites with difficulty level
• Division into training and fun dives (already certified divers)
• Short, clear description of the courses with prices (you often look for this point longer)
• Price overview
• Contact information

Pricelist

I would like to take a very brief look at price lists here, because it is not easy to create price lists for dive stores.
There are too many special features, compositions etc. to make a price list really simple.

The course prices are still quite easy to handle, although some stores exclude the prices for equipment, transportation or certifications. So take a close look to avoid any nasty surprises.

There are also combination prices for courses. Here you should briefly check whether these offer an advantage.

When it comes to the higher levels, it becomes more difficult.
All courses that go to the professional levels (Dive Guide / Master and higher) have to be customized, depending on the experience and training of the students.
Some stores have package prices with many different combinations, such as length, with or without accommodation, with or without included fun dives, with or without certification fees etc. etc. At this level in particular, you should pay close attention, do the math and then contact the store again to get the right package for you.

Fun Dives are normally charged per dive.
The question is whether equipment, transportation, food etc. are included.
Some stores charge a basic price and you have to add the price for rental equipment per dive.
Some stores have a total price and reduce it if you bring your own full equipment.

Then there is the option of dive packages, i.e. a certain number of planned dives that you book in advance and use to reduce the price.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of this, as you’re then under pressure to do all the dives you’ve booked or you risk losing money. Because often you don’t get any money back if you can’t do all the dives due to illness or similar.

Another option is that there is only one price per dive and this is reduced the more you dive.
This is actually the best option for me, as I then don’t have to worry about having a dry day or even having to cancel completely due to an ear infection.

Dive sites that are far away or special often cost a little more. The same goes for night dives or early morning dives.
This is completely understandable when you consider that the boat and crew have to be operated and the corresponding personnel provided.

Contact and information

Once I have picked out my preferred stores, I write to them.

There are now many different ways to get in touch with stores.
Email, Whatsapp, GoogleChat, Instagram etc etc

Personally, I still use email as a tool – call me old-fashioned if you like – to ask for a lot of information in advance.

Everything that messenger / chat tools are for me is for short, timely questions.

But it is becoming more and more common for a store to receive detailed inquiries via messenger/chat tools. This makes it much more difficult for the store to respond with collected information, attachments, etc.
To name just one example: No pdf attachments can be sent in Instagram Chat. So no price lists or similar.

I have also found in my time as a manager that very few people nowadays read through the answers in full and ask questions about information that has already been answered.
Please bear in mind that not every store can afford a full-time office worker who can respond to every message immediately. Often the manager is also an instructor who goes diving on the side.
If you receive a reply, please do the store a favor and read through everything. We always try to make it as simple and yet complete as possible.

As a customer, it is important and meaningful to me how good the answer is.
I have been in IT support as well as diving, on both sides. One thing I do not approve of in any situation is when I ask questions and they are not answered. However, this may be my own personal problem, as in my role as a supporter, project manager, store manager, etc., I attach great importance to answering all questions, whether asked or not, as accurately as possible.
Accordingly, I am always happy to receive information that I would not have thought to ask.

If I’m already there and go to the store, I listen to my intuition.
How was the greeting? Did I feel welcome? Were all my questions answered? Did I get the feeling that the staff wanted to take time for me, or were they not really interested?

I once did an experiment with a friend. I had made a pre-selection of 3 stores for him to do his trial dive. We had discussed the questions he should ask in advance and agreed that he wouldn’t say yes anywhere. After all 3 stores we sat down together and he was supposed to tell me his impressions and his decision.

In one store, the whole sales talk was good. It was about 30 minutes long, everything was explained, the atmosphere was good and all questions were answered. But in the end, the employee ruined it by trying to push me to sign without my friend even making it clear whether he had already made up his mind.
Interestingly, he ended up choosing the store that I would have taken him to based on my own feelings and he didn’t regret it.

Pool, sea or lake

The first experience of breathing underwater, or even the start of a course, can be carried out either in the pool or directly in the sea in a well-protected shallow water area.

Diving instructors are divided as to which is better.

Discovery or Try Dive

Introductory diving is a first trial of diving without obtaining certification.
You need to do some basic exercises to feel safe underwater.

There are different options here:

• Basic exercises and trial dive in the pool only
• Basic exercises in the pool followed by an introductory dive in the sea
• Basic exercises followed by an introductory dive in the sea
  o Sea from the boat
  o Sea from the beach

I personally love teaching from the beach, as I can slowly get the students used to the depth.

In some areas, however, this is not possible.
The stores have 2 different approaches here. Either the first underwater exercises are carried out in the pool and then it’s onto the boat for the actual introductory dive. Other stores take the students directly onto the boat, the briefing is carried out on the boat and the first contact with the water is when the students jump 1.5 meters from the boat into deep water.

For a water rat like me, this is okay, but for someone who is not quite so confident with water or especially with deep water, this can be overwhelming.

Course

A lot of exercises have to be practiced, especially on the open water course.

I always compare the course to a driving license, which not only includes driving, but also many basic driving and hazard exercises. At best, you shouldn’t have to use the danger exercises, but you should know how to do them just in case.
It is similar in the diving course, which not only teaches you how to dive, but also includes the safety exercises that will hopefully never be used in training.

One major difference is whether these exercises are carried out in the pool or directly in the sea.

Depending on how confident you are with water and with deep water, you should consider which way is better for you and ask how the store carries this out.

Many instructors prefer to use the pool as they believe it is easier for the students and fewer students drop out of courses as a result.
There is then a transition when moving from the pool to the sea, as the buoyancy control is different in seawater than in the pool than in fresh water.

I personally love teaching in the sea from the beach, as my students then train directly in the environment in which they also dive.

Lake

Some of you may be thinking of saving the time for the diving course on vacation, doing the course at home in the lake and then just going diving on vacation.

Of course you can do that.
My personal experience with German lakes is: cold, shallow and boring.
However, I also know enough divers who enjoy diving in lakes.

However, there is one thing to bear in mind:
The Open Water Divers certificate states that you are allowed to dive to a maximum depth of 18 meters. I have had divers who have done their course in Germany and have not even dived deeper than 6 meters. Now these divers came to our store and wanted to dive to 18 meters in the sea. So 3x as deep in salt water instead of fresh water.
So if you go with this option, make sure that the store not only complies with the absolute minimum standards of “deeper than 5 meters”, but also prepares you for the corresponding maximum depth.

Professional behavior

If you go diving with a store and the behavior of the guides or instructors is not professional, please report this to the management.
Since the manager or managers are usually in the store and take care of the entire organization, it is difficult to monitor the underwater behavior of the employees. Freelancers are also often used.

What is professional behavior?

As diving professionals, we are role models for all divers who go underwater with us.
In my opinion, perfect buoyancy control is an absolute must for every diving professional.
Nothing should be touched underwater, no standing in corals, no kicking them etc.

Unfortunately, there are even instructors (I hope poorly trained ones, otherwise it makes the whole thing even worse) who teach diving skills by STANDING on the bottom! An absolute no-go!
Also wrecks, touching animals etc.

All this should be part of the dive briefing, but unfortunately there are always divers who don’t stick to these rules. This is when the professional behavior of professional divers becomes apparent, as they address this underwater as well as above water and do not allow it.

Every diving professional should also be familiar with the procedures for diving with certain underwater creatures and be able to explain this.

The safety of divers should always come first.
Failure to react correctly in potentially dangerous situations is a very telling sign of unprofessional behavior.
Examples of this are:

• surfacing in areas with heavy boat traffic without setting a surface marker buoy
• Losing divers underwater because the guide or instructor is not attentive enough
• Unchecked no-decompression times, or air consumption by divers

In all of this, it should be said that trained divers are primarily responsible for themselves and should check and address things such as air consumption and no-decompression time themselves.
However, many divers “only” dive on vacation and forget these things over time. In addition, they are not familiar with the specific conditions of the dive sites. It is therefore also, but not only, the store’s responsibility to pay attention to these things and readdress them if necessary.

Any unprofessional behavior always reflects on the store as a whole.

A black sheep = bad store?

Not necessarily.
As I said, this can also be a hired freelancer who does not adhere to the otherwise existing standards of the store for which he is currently working.
A nice and careful address to the management can therefore work wonders.

At best, the employee in question can be retrained. In the worst case, he loses his job, but then this is certainly not a mistake. In this case, it is either not the first incident of this kind, or the store is not really good.

All employees unprofessional

Well, in this case it’s very simple: the store is unprofessional overall.
And in such a case, the management will certainly also react unprofessionally if you address something like this.

If this happens, you can (and should) justifiably leave a corresponding review online.

Conclusion

Finding the right store for you is a personal matter and has a lot to do with personal preferences and intuition. Some people want to have the precise planning on vacation that they are used to in Germany. Others prefer a relaxed, laid-back approach rather than the precise timing, as this suits their vacation mode better.

An appropriate language offer, especially for courses, is also important for many. Every diving instructor should be able to speak English fluently. But some people feel more comfortable with their mother tongue on a course. Others don’t care.

In addition, everyone has their own preferences when it comes to dealing with people.
Just because I feel comfortable in a store doesn’t mean that everyone else feels comfortable there too.

In my opinion, the best approach here is to carry out good research, coupled with your own intuition, possibly a personal recommendation from friends and asking the right questions.

But even the best preliminary research cannot offer 100% certainty. In such a case, don’t be afraid to address errors and look for another store.

I hope that my article has at least helped you with your preliminary research.