Scuba Diving Industry® Magazine published by Cline Group, LLC. Printed and mailed to all dive retailers in the USA and digitally delivered to over 17,500 dive professionals in 165 countries. Published monthly, so "Start a Conversation" with your Business Customers!
PRE-DEMA ISSUE YOUR DEMA GAME PLAN ® SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY AUGUST 2026 PUBLISHED BY CLINE GROUP
The Meetings, Seminars & Strategies That Make the Show Pay Off
PLUS INSIDE
WHO’S BUYING? Reach Every Generation of Diver
FROM PEGBOARD TO PROFIT How to Merchandise Accessories
BEYOND THE MINIMUM Training Divers for True Mastery
RETAILER RESEARCH RESULTS Trends in 1st & 2nd Quarter Surveys
Photo by Martin Broen Cenote Dos Pisos, Yucatán, Mexico.
TRENDS IN DIVE RETAILING, TRAVEL & TRAINING
TABLE OF CONTENTS SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY® MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2026
®
FROM THE PUBLISHER 5
ADVERTISERS 2 Aggressor Adventures 6 Books by Dan Orr/Best Publishing 7 Bahamas Ministry of Tourism 8 The Dive Shop @ Cape Eleuthera 11 All Star Liveaboards 12 Barefoot Cay Resort, Roatan 13 Divers Alert Network (DAN) 14 Fog-X Mask Defogging Film 15 Explorer Ventures Liveaboards 16 SasSea Wraps Hair Ties 17 Dive BVI 18 Sea Experience, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 19 Blue Force Fleet Liveaboards 20 Sau Bay Resort & Spa, Fiji 21 Bananarama Dive Resort, Roatan 22 Bright Buoy Diving Products 23 OceanFirst Key Largo, FL 25 Diveplanit Travel Planners 26 Fort Young Dive Resort, Dominica 28 Deep Blue Adventures Travel 29 Scuba Do Rag Apparel 30 Lita’s All Natural Insect Repellent 31 Coltri Compressors 32 DiveSight Planning App 33 Ocean Frontiers, Grand Cayman 35 Ocean Encounters, Curaçao 36 Meri Yoga Retreats 37 Caradonna Adventures 38 Quest Dive Adventures 39 Family Divers/Kids Sea Camp 39 SEI/Scuba Educators International 40 Visit Cayman Islands | ISDHF 41 Volivoli Beach Resort, Fiji 42 Alex Brylske’s Book by Reef Smart 45 NAUI 46 ScubaRadio 47 Clear Story Coach 48 Scuba Storyteller by Gil Zeimer 48 SSI/Scuba Schools International 50 Dive Industry Young Professionals 50 2026 NOGI Awards Gala @ DEMA 51 Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba BACK COVER DEMA
It’s DEMA Show Season: Why That Matters / William Cline
SAFETY 6
Why Safety-First Dive Professionals Are Needed Now More Than Ever / Dan Orr 10 My Experience: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Is No Joke! / Marty Snyderman RESEARCH 17 Q2 Survey Finds a Widening Divide Across Dive Industry Performance / William Cline DEMA SHOW 20 DEMA Educational Seminars: Your Sta ff Boot Camp / Gil Zeimer 23 A Retailer’s Guide to Prepare for the DEMA Show / David Prichard & Lily Mak RETAILING 29 From Pegboard to Pro fi t: Making Accessories Easy to Buy with Visuals & Events / Suuz Martines TRAINING 34 Capturing the Magic: A New Generation of Underwater Photographers / Margo Peyton 36 Beyond the Minimum: The Meaning of a "Reasonably Prudent Instructor" / Richard Thomas ECO PRO 39 Building the People Who Deliver the Promise: The Rise of the Eco Pro / Alex Brylske, Ph.D. TRAVEL 44 Australia’s Six Most Exciting Dives / Deborah Dickson-Smith BUSINESS EDU 46 A Generational Approach to Marketing / Cathryn Castle Garcia 49 Top 10 Ways to Be a Better Dive Professional – Part 1 / Je ff McNutt
4 | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
FROM THE PUBLISHER
William Cline, Publisher Patty Cline, Associate Publisher Amber Wagenknecht, Executive Editor Betty Orr, Senior Editor Neal Watson, Sr., Editor-at-Large Britain Cline, Advertising Sales Manager June Cline, Social & Podcast Producer Contributors: Alex Brylske, Ph.D., FL Cathryn Castle Garcia, Azores, Portugal William Cline, TX Deborah Dickson-Smith, Australia Lily Mak, TX Suuz Martines, NC Jeff McNutt, BVI Dan Orr, ID SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY® MAGAZINE AUGUST 2026 VOL. 3, NO. 8 About the Cover: Photo by Martin Broen of the Cenote Dos Pisos in Yucatán, Mexico, 2021, using a Sony a7R III, in a Nauticam Housing with 15,000 lumen BigBlue Technologies video lights at ISO 6400, with a 13mm lens, f/4.5 and 1/8 second, handheld.
IT’S DEMA SHOW SEASON: WHY THAT MATTERS
As this issue is published, we will be a mere 60 days or so from the opening of the 2026 DEMA Show in New Orleans on November 3rd. Why is that such an important event? Because it sets the tone for 2027 in terms of the global diving industry. It allows us all to connect with other professionals and recharges our ‘dive bat- teries’ with fresh ideas and new products. That is the power of the DEMA Show. No other event on the planet can deliver so many com- panies and retailers under one roof for four magical days. I say ‘magical’ because that is what happens when thousands of passionate divers mingle and network, all with a common belief: Diving can change a person and, therefore, the world. That’s a big statement, but it has never been more true than it is this year. Political and social injustice and upheaval are everywhere. However, one thing can unite different countries, political parties or cultures: scuba diving. Un- derwater, we are all the same , and we share that passion over those four days this fall in New Orleans. One of the most profound experiences I have had was taking part in a sales presentation for a government tourism organization in Kuwait City, Kuwait. I hosted a room full of local divers and pros from the surrounding Gulf countries. Although not everyone spoke English, we were all scuba divers – and instant friends. That’s the power of people with a common passion. And there is no better illustration of this than the DEMA Show. If you’re a retailer, plan to bring your staff – all of them. Close for a few days and come to
New Orleans. No better corporate retreat can be found for you and your staff than the DEMA Show with dozens of seminars offering every kind of training possible in our industry. Just the energy of the show floor is something your staff will never forget. And it will help them realize they are part of an industry much bigger than their store and customer base. If you’re a company reading this, I only have one thing to say: Exhibit at DEMA . This is where the world comes together, and 100% of the attendees are qualified and looking to pur- chase goods, services and travel. Launching a new product or company? This is the place to spend your show dollars. Aside from our mag- azine and its retailer reach, there is no better place to spend your marketing dollars than exhibiting at the DEMA Show. This comes from a four-decade-long marketer who has produced almost 100,000 square feet of DEMA Show space for various clients over the years. The show works – and works really well – if you tell attendees you’re going to be there. The most effective way is next month’s Sep- tember issue – our DEMA Show special issue. In addition to our normal distribution, this issue is passed out in the registration lobby of the DEMA Show. It also includes an exhibitor list with booth numbers and DEMA’s official sponsored seminars, among many other tools to help readers get the most out of the show. Bring your staff and come by our booth 126. We will have our portable podcast studio set up and would love to feature you on one of our shows! See y’all in New Orleans!
Margo Peyton, SC David Prichard, TX Marty Snyderman, CA Richard Thomas, TX Gil Zeimer, CA
Scuba Diving Industry ® Magazine (Print: ISSN 2996-1416, Digital: ISSN 2996-1424, U.S. Trademark #99278901) Published monthly by Cline Group LLC, 1740 Airpark Lane, Plano, TX 75093. Printed copies are mailed within the USA to select dive retailers & advertisers. Subscriptions are free to dive pros & distributed digitally to 165 countries. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Scuba Diving Industry Magazine, 1740 Airpark Ln., Plano, TX 75093. Any part of this publication may be reproduced, as long as the source is quoted “Scuba Diving Industry Magazine.” Editorial re- quests: editor@scubadivingindustry.com or 954- 358-9660. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Cline Group LLC or any of its affiliates. AI may be used to generate graphics or edits as needed. © 2026, all rights reserved by Cline Group LLC.
email William
free sta ff subscription
William Cline, Publisher
SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY | 5
SAFETY
Why Safety-First Dive Professionals Are Needed Now More Than Ever by Dan Orr , President, Dan Orr Consulting, ID
S AFETY IN PROFESSIONAL DIVING is rarely de- fined by dramatic interventions or emergency mastery. Instead, it is revealed through a steady pattern of con- servative, deliberate decisions made long before risk becomes
thinking.” A true safety-first dive professional delays or cancels dives when weather margins narrow, even when equipment is loaded and divers are eager. They analyze their own breathing
obvious. The safety-first dive professional understands that most accidents are not caused by a single failure, but by a series of small choices that erode margins or by normalizing poor or incorrect behav- iors. Preventing those failures and short- cuts is the true mark of safety-first dive professionalism. This safety-first mindset begins before the diver ever reaches the water. Safety-
gas rather than assuming correctness of someone else’s analysis, review site specific hazards regardless of familiarity with the dive site and select exposure protection based on worst-case conditions rather than optimism. These decisions are not dramatic, but they are decisive. They ac- knowledge that conditions or circum- stances do not improve simply because schedules demand it.
focused professionals prepare early and thoroughly, under- standing that rushing is often the first link in the incident chain. I encourage you to revisit my article from the January 2026 issue of Scuba Diving Industry Magazine, “The Rule of Three: The Principle of Error Recognition and Critical Re-
A safety-first dive professional serves as the vital benchmark for diving and industry standards, directly influencing the behavior and habits of customers and developing divers alike. When an instructor or divemaster meticulously executes pre- dive safety checks, respects depth and time limits, and demon- strates flawless buoyancy control, they transform abstract safety rules into concrete, non-negotiable practices. Divers, especially beginners, instinctively mirror their leader's behavior; if a professional takes short cuts or exhibits complacency, students quickly learn to treat safety protocols as optional. Conversely, by consistently embodying a culture of risk man- agement and environmental awareness, a role-model dive professional fosters a mindset of situational awareness and mutual accountability, ultimately reducing accidents and pre- serving the well-being of the entire dive community. Equipment choices further reflect this approach. Safety- first dive professionals resist the temptation to test new con- figurations on customer or student recreational dives. They choose familiar, well-maintained equipment, assembled with intention and checked without distraction. Hoses are routed to minimize entanglement risks, accessories are secured, and redundancy is carried out quietly and purposefully. A backup mask, a dependable cutting tool, or a properly placed or de- ployed surface marker buoy (SMB) are not symbols of distrust in one’s own ability; they are acknowledgments that failures occur without warning and options must be readily avail- able.
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SAFETY continued
During pre-dive briefings and dive planning, safety first dive professionals listen carefully and ask clarifying questions without challenging authority or derailing procedure. They
when needed regardless of their own dive schedule, and share safety relevant observations with crew discreetly and constructively. Near misses are noted, not dismissed. Lessons
ensure that dive plans are realistic, breathing gas re- serves are calculated to allow assistance to others, and turn pressures are estab- lished and respected. They choose buddies based on
are carried forward. The goal is not to assign fault, but to strengthen systems and habits. What unites these deci- sions is not complexity or novelty, but consistency.
A true safety fi rst dive professional leads by example, placing safety at the core of every choice because the greatest dives aren’t measured in depth or time, but in every diver surfacing healthy, smiling, and eager to dive again.
recent diving experiences, communication styles and com- patibility rather than certification cards alone. These decisions are grounded in the understanding that the best diving com- panions are not necessarily those who talk most about their experience, but those with the greatest shared awareness. Underwater, safety-first decisions continue quietly. Safety- first dive professionals monitor more than their own gauges;
Each choice preserves the appropriate margin of safety. Each choice reduces reliance on luck. Each reflects an understanding that professionalism is measured not by how problems are handled, but by how rarely they occur. In the end, the safety-first dive professional is often unnoticed. Their dives are calm. Their teams feel secure. In- cidents are rare, and when they occur, they are managed effi-
they observe the environment and the behavior of those around them. They recognize early indi- cators of stress, confusion, or fa- tigue and respond appropriately before they escalate. When con- ditions change, visibility deteri- orates, currents increase, or equip- ment behaves unexpectedly, they adjust the dive plan or call the dive without hesitation. Deploy- ing a surface marker buoy early, choosing a controlled ascent away from congestion, or aborting a dive due to a minor irregularity are all expressions of judgment, not caution taken to excess. Perhaps the most defining char- acteristic of the safety-first dive
professional is the willingness to call a dive early. There is no embarrassment in discretion, and no requirement to justify conservative choices. Calling a dive because a diving companion appears uncomfortable, because an ascent line is crowded, or because conditions differ from expectations is not a failure to succeed; it is success defined correctly. Safety-first dive pro- fessionals, adopting a ‘no-fault’ dive termination philosophy, understand that every diver surfacing unhurt from an uneventful dive is the true measure of success Responsibility continues after surfacing. Safety-first dive professionals remain attentive during surface intervals, assist
ciently and without escalation. This outcome is not accidental. It is built one decision at a time, guided by the simple principle that in any form of diving, safety is never negotiable and never optional. Note: The information presented here is for general informational
and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Readers should consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding fitness to dive or any medical concerns resulting from a dive.
email Dan Orr
SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY | 9
SAFETY
My Experience: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Is No Joke! by Marty Snyderman , MartySnyderman.com
C ARBON MONOXIDE (CO) poisoning should be taken seriously! I know from personal experience. What might be thought of as “just a little CO” in a scuba tank can quickly become life-threatening, even in very shallow water. At depth, even small amounts of CO can become deadly because it binds to hemoglobin 200 to 250 times more readily than oxygen, thus greatly reducing our blood’s ability to transport oxygen to vital tissues. In a nutshell, CO is odorless, tasteless, and potentially lethal. Even in cases in which a victim survives, exposure to CO can have serious lifelong consequences far beyond just ending your diving career. I believe that issues resulting from CO in scuba tanks
detecting CO in your home, hotel room or garage. They tend to be less sophisticated and not useful when it comes to detecting low concentrations of CO that can prove fatal to divers. Analyzing for CO is as easy and fast as analyzing a Nitrox mix. I purchased my CO analyzer through Divers Alert Network (DAN). I will use it to verify that the gas in my tank is free of CO in every tank I ever use for the rest of my diving career. You can buy a CO analyzer by going to the Divers Alert Network website at DAN.org > store, and entering “CO analyzer” in the search bar. Some people are quick to say the dive operator should analyze the gas they put into a tank. I wholeheartedly agree.
But as with Nitrox, so should the diver who uses the tank. We need to take responsibility for our own safety and the safety of those we dive with. My Story: Until recently, when I have shared my story with my diving peers I usually felt like my incident was not received with the concern I
are likely to be far more common than our industry has believed they were. The good news is CO poisoning and the resulting issues are prevent- able. The Reflexive Response: My CO poisoning incident occurred in 2008. In the years that followed, whenever I shared my story with my diving peers,
thought and hoped it would be. Recently, follow-up conversations with a friend who along with numerous shipmates experienced a CO hit on a dive charter boat have made me realize that I shouldn’t give up on sharing my experience and what I have learned about CO poisoning. My incident was not the result of the exhaust valve of the compressor used to fill my tank being too close or downwind from the intake valve. Recent conversations with a friend who had suffered a ‘CO hit’ led me to make a Facebook post about the fact that I recently purchased and now use a CO monitor, and almost 300 people reacted, commented, or shared stories of their own CO incidents on my post. There have likely been a lot more CO poisoning-related incidents than we recognize. Many involved causes unrelated to the relative positions of the intake and exhaust valves on a compressor. Most had to do with poor maintenance, a compressor that overheated, and some unknown reasons. Many were nuanced.
those I was talking with almost always stopped me and asked if the “compressor exhaust valve was too close to the intake valve.” No doubt about it, their suspicion is one way CO can enter a scuba tank. But the fact is, those are not the only factors that cause CO to enter a scuba cylinder. I am not a doctor, an EMT, or an expert on compressors or compressor maintenance. Numerous other factors that can cause CO to be in a scuba tank include failure to properly maintain a compressor, using the wrong oil, using the wrong filters or a compressor that overheats. Remember, CO is odorless and tasteless. Unless you check the gas in a scuba tank before you inhale it, you have no way to be sure the gas is not contaminated with CO. The good news is there are small, portable CO analyzers made to detect a low number of parts per million of CO. Be aware, some CO monitors are designed to be useful in
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SAFETY continued
One shared story that got my full attention involved a friend I worked with in a dive center in the 1970s. He later owned his own dive shop in the Marshall Islands. Late one night after a long diving day, he was filling tanks. He thought that four tanks on whips needed about 15 more minutes to get filled and that his compressor had about 15 more minutes worth of gas before it shut off. The next morning when he arose, the tanks were filled and nothing about the compressor garnered his attention. He rented the tanks. A few hours later four divers were in the hospital with CO poisoning. They were lucky to be alive. So, what happened? The unattended compressor threw a rod and overheated but continued to fill the tanks. The over- heated oil released CO that entered the tanks. By morning, the compressor had cooled down, and my friend was completely unaware of what happened until later when he went to fill ad- ditional tanks. Eventually, he unraveled the chain of events. You can easily blame my friend for going to bed and assuming everything would be okay. You can blame him for assuming everything was perfectly normal in the morning when the tanks were full and the compressor had cooled
down. But, if the divers had a CO analyzer like those that are readily available today, they could have checked their own tanks and prevented their life-threatening incident. That is the takeaway message I hope to impart. This brings me back to my story: I was on a liveaboard for back-to-back week-long trips. On the first dive of the second week, I was diving in a 3-person buddy team. Only minutes into our dive, I felt strange. No doubt, conditions were bleak, but I was only 22 feet deep. I settled onto the sea floor and held still because I was having difficulty catching my breath. After stopping, I felt better and the difficulty in catching my breath dissipated. Then a small shark swam in front of me. I swam slowly toward the shark, but as soon as I started to move, I had trouble catching my breath. I was breathing hard but felt like I wasn’t getting any oxygen. It felt similar to breathing when hiking hard at altitude and like when I breathed a rebreather until my scrubber crashed so I could learn what that was like. Stop moving and all was good. I started swimming, even slowly and with very little effort, and I couldn’t catch my breath. I signaled my buddies that I needed to call my dive.
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SAFETY continued
They swam back to the boat with me, watched me ascend to the swim step, and went on their way. As soon as I reached the surface I asked for help. The crew assisted me up the dive ladder and I passed out on the swim step. The crew removed my gear and carried me into the salon. Roughly 40 minutes later I heard a crew member on the deck shout to the crewman that was assisting me that he needed help on the swim step. I immediately suspected that we had a ‘gas problem.’ In my brain fog, I told the crew to get everyone out of the water. I later learned that one of my dive buddies had to be rescued almost 50 minutes into his dive. The diver who rescued him dropped his weights and got him back to the boat. The rescued diver didn’t remember being rescued, but without help he almost certainly would have died. So, what happened? Only five divers made the last dive of the first trip. The diver who had to be rescued and I were in that group. I made a long dive on the last dive of the first trip. The diver who needed to be rescued only dived for 10 minutes or so due to the deteriorating conditions. All tanks except those used by the five divers who made the
last dive of the first trip got filled before we returned to port. In port, work was done on the compressor. After the work was completed, the five tanks used on the last dive were filled. Only two of those tanks, mine and the one used by the diver who got rescued, got used on the first dive of the second week. Our buoyancy compensators and regulators re- mained on our tanks, so we absolutely knew which tanks were ours. My tank needed a good fill. The tank used by the rescued diver only needed to be topped off. On the first dive of the second week, my problem occurred minutes after I entered the water, as my tank was almost completely filled after the work was done on the compressor. The diver who needed to be rescued did not experience his problem until almost 50 minutes into his dive. His tank had only been topped off after the compressor had been worked on. Both of us suffered CO poisoning. Improper compressor maintenance, overheating, and the use of the wrong filters were all determined to be contributing factors. Including so many details regarding why some CO hits oc- curred is to illustrate that understanding the causes and ad-
14 | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
SAFETY continued
dressing them before an incident takes place is challenging to say the least. The good news and main point I want to make is that had any of the divers involved monitored their own tank for CO, the incidents could have easily been prevented. Thoughts Regarding Two Big Mistakes: During the first week of my trip a nasty flu had gone around the boat. Luckily, I didn’t catch it and neither did my dive buddy, but most others did. Rather than suspect the gas, the crew decided my buddy and I had the flu, that our incidents were not gas-related as I suggested. The crew put us in bed. I slept for 18 hours. I remember people checking on me, but in all seriousness, when I awoke the next day, there was no need to make my bed. I literally had not moved. I was physically ex- hausted, as exhausted as I have ever been in my life. That is what CO poisoning does. My body was oxygen starved. The mistake of assuming we had the flu led directly to the second mistake. We were never administered oxygen. That was a HUGE MISTAKE . We should have been given 100% O2. That is ALWAYS the recommended course of action. Put divers on 100% O2 anytime there might be a respirato-
ry-related or pressure-related issue. “Might be.” That’s the key. Properly administered O2 might help and can never hurt. I insisted that the tanks my buddy and I used be analyzed by a professional lab. The boat used its back-up compressor for the rest of the trip. The lab report indicated that my tank was extremely high in CO, CO2, and hydrocarbons. I wrote an article for Dive Training magazine about my ex- perience. A doctor in Canada read the piece. He called and told me he knew of nine similar incidents. In one, seven divers died. Roughly 10 years later and ironically at a party at DEMA, my world suddenly went “upside down.” My heart started to race. I broke out in a sweat. I couldn’t tell if I was walking in a straight line. My legs felt extremely heavy. I needed to sit down, and I needed help getting back to my room. With a repeat episode the next day, I flew home to see my doctor. I called DAN because some of my symptoms were similar to those I experienced in the days and weeks after my CO inci- dent. The next six weeks were hellish. I saw an audiologist, cardi-
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SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY | 15
SAFETY continued
ologist, neurologist, and a handful of other “ologists.” I un- derwent blood work, MRIs, and CT scans. My body was poked and prodded, as it should have been. Doctors questioned whether I had experienced a seizure and tried to induce one. Had they been successful, my diving days would have been over. My driving days could have been over as well. It was a very trying time. Ultimately, it was determined that I have an unusual form of migraine that is caused by light my brain doesn’t process the same way most brains do. The doctors at DAN could not unequivocally state that CO poisoning is the cause, but they did tell me they knew of enough similar cases to say there is a statistical correlation. The takeaway message is that CO poisoning can cause permanent cognitive, motor and other deficits days, weeks, or even years after exposure. It is likely that CO caused me to experience the issues I ex- perienced at DEMA years after my initial exposure. I’ll never know with absolute certainty. Luckily for me, my symptoms seem to be manageable. Some people have far more serious issues for the remainder of their lives.
For me, the remedy to date, as suggested by the medical experts at DAN, has been to wear polarized sunglasses whenever I feel the onset of an event like the one I experienced at DEMA. It has happened a handful of times over the years. Thankfully, the polarized sunglasses have done the trick, and in my case the symptoms have quickly disappeared. Closing Thoughts: For one day in my life, I was the luckiest unlucky person on the face of the Earth. CO con- taminated my scuba tank. I could easily have died, but I was able to get back to my dive boat and get help before I passed out. Thank my lucky stars! As Dalton's Law dictates, the partial pressure of a gas increases with depth. This means even tiny, trace amounts of CO inside a diving cylinder that might be harmless at the surface can quickly become toxic or fatal as a diver descends and the partial pressure of the contaminant increases. As that diver ascends, the partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) drops rapidly. Because CO binds to hemoglobin so efficiently and forms carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), the body's remaining oxygen transport capacity can be severely deficient. The sudden drop in available oxygen during ascent can cause an immediate blackout before the diver ever reaches the surface. That did not happen to me. Thank my lucky stars! I should have been given 100% O2. In the short run, I probably would have recovered much faster with fewer long-term issues. My CO event might well have resurfaced later in my life with conditions that are still ongoing. They could be worse, and someday they might be. If that is the case, I might never know the issues are related to a CO incident from years ear- lier. Had I known I could analyze the gas in my tank for CO, I like to think I would have. But I did not. Going forward I will use a CO analyzer to check for CO in every tank I ever use, no matter what the gas is supposed to be. That is something I need to do to be responsible for myself, my friends and family, those I dive with, and the diving community at large. I will also do what I can to encourage others to analyze their breathing gas before every dive. I hope you will join this effort. Author’s Note: I would like to thank Dan Orr, Stephen Frink,
and Dr. Jim Holm for sharing relevant information enabling me to be more precise regarding the infor- mation in this piece. And I’d like to thank DAN Drs. Jim Chimiak, Karen Van Hoesen, and Ian Grover for helping save my diving career. I am grateful to all.
email Marty
16 | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
RESEARCH
Q2 Survey Finds a Widening Divide Across Dive Industry Performance by William Cline , Publisher & President of Cline Group, TX
T HE 2ND QUARTER 2026 survey does not show a single, uniform business climate. It shows a widening divide. The Big Picture: Travel improved over last year, and certifications stabilized following a difficult first quarter. At the same time, gross revenue and equipment sales remained under
ported declines. In Q2, that figure improved to 40.4%, while 42.3% reported certification ac- tivity remained about the same. Travel was the strongest category. In Q2 2026, ▪ 34.1% reported higher travel sales and 29.5% reported lower sales. Travel was the only major category in which growth exceeded decline. Travel also improved year over year. In Q2 2025, 23.2% ▪ reported higher travel sales and 34.1% reported lower sales. Expectations for Q3 remain cautious. Respondents ex- ▪ pecting declines outnumber those expecting growth in gross revenue, certifications, and equipment sales. Travel appears more stable, with 59.5% expecting sales to remain about the same. The Bottom Line: The Q2 results show an active but in- creasingly selective market. Travel demand remains resilient,
pressure. The optimism expressed entering Q2 did not fully materialize, and expectations for Q3 have become more cau- tious. Key Insights at a Glance: Gross revenue remained under pressure, with 45.6% re- ▪ porting lower revenue than in Q2 2025 and 24.6% re- porting higher revenue. Equipment sales followed a similar pattern, with 46.7% ▪ reporting lower sales and 26.7% reporting higher sales. Certifications improved from Q1 2026, when 54.4% re- ▪
RESEARCH continued while equipment sales, certifications, and overall revenue continue to face pressure. The businesses best positioned for the remainder of 2026 will be those that connect travel, training, equipment, and local community participation rather than treating them as separate revenue lines. Q2 2026 Key Highlights: 45.6% of respondents reported lower gross revenue in ▪ Q2 2026 compared with Q2 2025. 24.6% reported higher gross revenue. ▪ 46.7% reported lower equipment sales, while 26.7% re- ▪ ported higher sales. 40.4% reported fewer new-diver certifications and refer- ▪ rals, while 42.3% reported about the same. 34.1% reported higher travel sales, compared with ▪ 29.5% reporting lower sales. For Q3, 46.6% expect gross revenue to remain about the ▪ same, 31.0% expect a decrease, and 22.4% expect an in- crease. U.S. Dive Certification Snapshot: U.S. dive retailers are estimated to have issued 38,848 new open-water certifications in Q2 2026, compared with an estimated 14,738 in Q1 2026 and 27,921 in Q2 2025. Tropical Operators: Average open-water certifications among tropical dive shops, liveaboards, and resorts reached
19.9 certifications per location in Q2 2026, compared with 12.6 in Q1 2026 and 35.7 in Q2 2025. Projected Outlook – Gross Sales : For Q3 2026, 46.6% expect gross revenue to remain about the same, while 31.0% expect a decrease and 22.4% expect an increase. This represents a more cautious outlook than respondents expressed entering Q2. Projected Outlook – Certifications, Travel and Equipment Sales : The most common expectation for Q3 2026 is for each category to remain about the same. This includes 46.2% for certifications, 59.5% for travel sales, and 41.3% for equipment sales. However, respondents expecting declines continue to outnumber those expecting growth in certifications and equipment sales. Respondent Profile: Facility owners and management staff represented 78.5% of all respondents. A complete list of all quarterly surveys can be found on WilliamCline.com. This survey has been conducted for over 26 years and
remains the only forecasting tool for the global scuba diving industry. Need research help? Reach out to William, we conduct custom and propri- atory research often for diving clients.
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RESEARCH continued
DEMA SHOW
DEMA Educational Seminars: Your Staff Boot Camp by Gil Zeimer , ScubaStoryteller.com and Zeimer.com, CA
T HE 50TH DEMA SHOW is now just two months away. With dozens of DEMA-sponsored educational seminars and hundreds by dive-related companies slated between November 2 to 6 for the 7,000+ attendees, how can dive pros like you best use these seminars to your advantage? It’s a daunting task. So to help optimize your week, I polled a half-dozen DEMA experts. Cathryn Castle Garcia , a DEMA-veteran of 30+ shows and owner of Clear Story Coach, provided this strategic advice: “I encourage DEMA attendees to consider DEMA as the ultimate scuba training opportunity. We all know to plan our dives in advance, right? What if you do the same with attending the DEMA show? This includes signing up for the DEMA Educational Package and planning to attend sessions aimed at helping you grow your dive business. “Start by assessing the current state of your business,
focusing on areas that need your attention – like increasing customer retention, refreshing your website, or growing your travel program. Next, use the DEMA Show mobile app for planning your seminar schedule. Having a goal and a solid plan will help ensure you get the most out of DEMA. Lastly, make a point to engage with presenters and ask questions. We’re only standing at the front of the room because we’re passionate about the diving industry and gen- uinely want to help you succeed.” Three of her DEMA-sponsored seminars on November 5th are: “Success Stories: A Look at What Dive Businesses Have Done Right,” “Going Gonzo: How Unconventional Marketing Can Grow Your Business,” and “Your Website’s Not About You: The Website Edit That Makes You More Money.” A fourth, titled “Instead of Selling Scuba, Start Marketing Magic: Aquatic Experiences as Your Next Profit
20 | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
Center,” takes place November 6th. Dan Orr , an attendee of every DEMA show but the first, DEMA SHOW continued
That is Deep Blue’s Foundation This year, we’ll proudly present over 30 seminars. But even though we are a travel company with seminars to unique destinations, the ma- jority of the presentations we host focus on providing tools and education on every aspect of a dive center business. So while the exhibit hall showcases what’s happening in our in- dustry today to discover new products, alluring destinations, and potential opportunities, continuing education helps determine where our industry goes tomorrow.” The seminars that she thinks are particularly important for dive center managers are: “Building a Robust Travel Program” is for new dive cen- ▪ ter owners/managers or those struggling with trips on Tuesday, 11/3 “Dive Industry Young Professionals” is for those under ▪ 40 on Wednesday, 11/4
a frequent presenter, former Pres- ident Emeritus at Divers Alert Network, and founder of Dan Orr Consulting said: “Attending the DEMA Show and its educa- tional programs is the ultimate investment in your diving busi- ness, delivering direct access to game-changing product inno- vations, actionable management strategies , and an unrivaled global
network driving long-term industry and professional growth.” Cheryl Patterson founded Deep Blue Adventures in 2004. She’s been partnering with dive shops and travel agents at DEMA for each of its 22 years in the UK and the USA. She said, “ I firmly believe that dive stores are the center of our industry and should be supported by all other stakeholders . We need them to create new divers and keep the existing ones diving; otherwise, the rest of us die off.
SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY | 21
“Dive Center Connect Networking: Beyond The Dive ▪ Shop” is a 90-minute, high-energy networking event on Thursday, 11/5 “From Dive Center to Adventure Center” is perfect for ▪ both older and newer stores on Thursday, 11/5 Cheryl concluded, “We also have some fabulous speakers presenting on various sustainability topics that can help grow their businesses while helping our planet, how to get started in adaptive scuba, how to make the hot concept of ‘Mermaiding’ into an entirely new revenue stream, and how to create a practical community through connections.” Alexandra (Alex) Patterson , Cheryl’s daughter and Deep Blue Adventure’s Marketing Executive, added, “ DEMA isn’t just what you can buy, sell, or promote. It’s about what you can learn, and that education can have a lasting impact long after the show ends. After all, what they learn can go back to their dive shop, to their employees, customers, and communities. That creates a ripple effect throughout the industry.” She continued, “Furthermore, if this is your initial DEMA experience, you should add the ‘First-Time Attendee Orientation’ DEMA SHOW continued
on Tuesday, November 3rd, from 8:30 – 9:15 am to your cal- endar. But for a deeper dive, our sponsored ‘Coffee Power Hour’ will help you kickstart your day with a free cup of Joe before the show even begins.” Tec Clark , Educator, Trainer, and Consultant, and founder of ScubaGuru Academy, said, “First, the organizing committee does a fantastic job of selecting speakers for DEMA-sponsored seminars. That lets both industry royalty and world-class speakers with significant expertise, team up to make presen- tations, all to help you develop the business side of what we do. Second, the educational package includes hundreds of free seminars. When combined with the cost of entry to the DEMA Show each year, that’s an incredible value compared to what other industries charge to learn from this caliber of speakers. Third, the various tracks are perfect for dive shops who bring along multiple personnel to the show. So that they can attend more seminars, they often decide to divide and conquer, then share their notes. For example, store managers can focus on presentations about group dive travel to the world’s most enticing sites, increasing revenue, leveraging AI for their website or social media, building their brand, or un- locking their staff’s talent, while instructors can sit in on seminars focused on new gear, advanced certifications, dive safety, photography, videography, and much more. Finally, DEMA also asks speakers to share their notes digitally with attendees who can access them via the DEMA Show 2026 App (Apple here, Android here), which is an in- credibly smart program offering.” Tec will be presenting three DEMA-sponsored seminars: “Show Up and Sell: How to Profit at Booth and Tabling Events” on Thursday, 11/5; “Diving Fitness as a Business Model” on Friday, 11/6; and “Lessons From The Deep End: A Dive Industry Entrepreneurship Panel” on Friday, 11/6. Finally, Jeff Cinciripino, author, scuba diver, and DEMA Board Member, chimed in with this advice: “Each session allows you an opportunity to reflect on your business and how you relate to the material being discussed. Sometimes, it reinforces what you are doing, and many times you'll walk away with something new to try.” For more information, visit www.demashow.com/full-schedule.
Author’s note: I will be making two DEMA-spon- sored presentations: “25 Ways to ‘Blue’ Your Business – And Make More Green,” and “Harnessing The Gray Tsunami for Your Dive Operation,” plus an Author’s Corner, all on 11/3/26.
email Gil
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DEMA SHOW
A Retailers Guide to Prepare for the DEMA Show by David Prichard & Lily Mak , Enchanted Sea Images, Inc., Dallas, TX
A RE YOU ALL SET for the upcoming 2026 DEMA Show in New Orleans that is taking place November 3 to 6 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center? Are travel and hotel arrangements booked for you and your staff? Are key meetings with important contacts scheduled? Do you have your hour-by-hour itinerary mapped out as well as “before and after show hours” networking opportunities planned on your schedule? If not, now is the time to get busy with all those items. Suc- cessful dive centers are already scheduling valuable meeting times with the 500+ exhibitors, and the time slots may fill up. Hotels and flights book up quickly, as well as valuable face-to-face meeting times with the company representatives you need to meet to help your dive center grow and prosper. Travel and Staff Assignments: During major tradeshows like the DEMA Show, hotels often charge premium rates
because of ‘supply and demand,’ with over 7,000 attendees coming in from around the world plus the staff of over 500 exhibitors, which could mean several thousand more people looking for rooms within the vicinity of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center along the Mississippi River. The DEMA Show has reserved blocks of rooms in five hotels in New Orleans, but only one will have scheduled shuttle service, so getting to and from the convention center each day needs to be included in your travel plans. There are many other hotel options in the area, but all will require commuting plans, as well as spending time searching for available and appropriate lodging. How many staff from your dive center are you bringing to the show? Are you registering them and helping them with their accommodations and/or flights, or are they on their own? If you are bringing key staff members with you, then
SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY | 23
who do you have assigned to manage and cover your dive center’s daily operations while your group is in New Orleans? “We encourage our dive and retail staff to attend the show,” said Richard Thomas , owner of two International Scuba lo- cations in the Dallas area and a DEMA Board member. But those staff members who attend must follow a “code of conduct” at the show; always be professional, wear dive center logoed gear, and have assignments to attend and cover seminars, training sessions, and educational programs related to their staff function at the shop. Thomas said that one or two dive center staff members cannot cover everything going DEMA SHOW continued
without appointments are often requested to set up appoint- ments after the show is over, losing valuable face-to-face time. Setting up meetings at the exhibitor’s booth is important, Thomas said, so that any new product samples will be readily available for you to inspect, as well as presentations set up at the booth. It is important, though, that a dive retailer be prepared as well for the meeting with a list of meeting topics that include supply chain issues or holes in your inventory that need to be addressed. If there is nothing new that hasn’t been addressed by your representative previously, then make
on during the four-day show, so deep planning in advance is required in preparation for the show, and everyone develops a schedule of the tasks needed each day they are there. He added that he emphasizes to his staff that they can’t go out and “cut their own deals” with exhibitors while represent- ing his dive centers and recommended that staff shouldn’t be issued “buyer’s badges” unless they are authorized to do so for the dive center.
the meeting short because your time and their time are valuable during the show. But the one important factor of any tradeshow is ‘relationship,’ Thomas said. Besides meeting product line ex- ecutives, he said he wants to meet and shake hands with the people at the show that he has dealt with throughout the year over the phone, whether they are customer service representatives,
accounting personnel, or whoever he is in contact with that attends the show because, “Once you shake hands and associate a face with a voice, then those folks will probably go out of their way in the future to make things happen for you,” he said. Group travel meetings: Travel wholesalers and destination resorts always put out “DEMA Specials” to get your group trip business, and many extend these special discount offers prior to the actual DEMA Show to lock up travel plans with dive retailers before they can see competitors’ offerings at the show. For extended details on planning dive trips at the DEMA Show, please see online the September 2025 issue of Scuba Diving Industry Magazine and the article “Planning your DEMA Show Travel Appointments.” While there will be many deals and special offers for trying out new travel locations or going back to favored ones, Thomas said he has participated in many of his dive center’s group trips over the years to see what is important to them. He said choosing his trips boils down to one main value factor – “relationships.” Thomas explained that he has found that once many travel salespeople sign you up on a group trip, support for your group almost disappears, so he plans his future trips with companies he has developed a relationship with over the years, as they go above and beyond to ensure
In addition to having printed business cards and utilizing DEMA Show badge “QR” codes for post-show contact in- formation, dive center staff can take advantage of electronic business cards (that don’t run out), allowing people they meet to have a face (picture on the electronic business card) and contact details, with the ability to add notes and follow-up details to this electronic format. Attendees can share these digital cards either through QR codes in their mobile wallet apps or NFC (near field communication) taps that transfer your details instantly to the other person’s phone software. This includes the iPhone's AirDrop feature or Android’s Blue- tooth transfer service. Filling out your show schedule: Thomas, a long-time veteran of attending DEMA Shows, said he prepares a spread- sheet months in advance of the tradeshow of meeting times with key industry and manufacturer representatives as early in the show as possible. He said that his product line repre- sentatives often will try to set up meetings with him prior to the show, if possible, because meeting times during the tradeshow are valuable commodities that must be portioned out to key accounts and scheduled far in advance of the show. Dive professionals who show up at the show wanting time with manufacturer executives or key travel decision makers
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