When I tell people I’m a scuba instructor...most of the time, they can’t believe there are places around suitable for diving. It tell them about a few places around Houston and their eyes light up. Their typical response is.."you mean there’s a clear lake around here" OR "you can scuba dive in that river"?

Dive centers with a store front should consider showing off photos of their local dive sites with big, colorful, glossy, poster boards. Maybe rent a billboard in town, and instead of listing your company logo and name alone...show a great photo of a clear lake or river near you to grab someone’s attention. I bet you could even get the dive site to pay for part of the in-store photo or billboard ad.

If a person walks by your store and sees a big picture of a wonderful looking dive site with a caption that says "only 20 minutes from here" ...they may be more apt to inquire about diving or snorkeling lessons. Most non-divers that are land locked assume scuba diving is for vacation only. Show them it doesn’t have to be.

Sincerely,

Greg Davis
DiveBuddy.com

Comments

JoDan - 4/30/2009 8:52 AM Hey greg......we have the same type of reactions in Kentucky. When I certified as a Divemaster a buddy who was in my class and I decided to do a film project at our local quarry. We made a demo DVD topside and did 2 days of filming underwater. The DVD now runs in a loop in our dive shop. Not only are people amazed that there is a place "so clear" to dive locally but it also eases the nerves of new students when they show up for the Class/ Pool portion of their training, getting a sneak peak of what their checkout dives will look like. NO WORRIES! Diver Dan

Greg - 4/29/2009 5:39 PM It’s the Blue Hole in New Mexico.

Rich-D-Fish - 4/29/2009 5:02 PM Great idea Greg! In fact, where is that picture you posted? Looks like a cool dive spot.