The industry gained speed and accessibility, but in some cases lost depth, mentoring, and long-term customer develop- ment. The internet added another challenge. In the early 2000s, online sales changed the way consumers purchased dive equipment. Life-support equipment that had traditionally been sold through dive stores by trained professionals became widely available online, often at discounted prices. As more manufacturers and distributors moved into online or direct- to-consumer sales, local dive stores were forced to compete on thinner margins while still carrying the costs of retail space, compressors, rental equipment, inventory, staff, pools, training programs, and service departments. Minimum Advertised Price policies helped stabilize some of that pressure by giving retailers a better chance to compete without racing to the bottom on price. But the larger issue remained: when local dive centers close, the industry loses more than a sales outlet. It loses a recruiting center, training center, service center, travel seller, community hub, and word- of-mouth marketing engine. Everyone says the best form of advertising is word of mouth. In scuba, much of that word of mouth begins at the dive store. It begins when a customer walks in with questions, gets properly fitted for gear, signs up for a class, joins a local BUSINESS EDU continued
dive, attends a travel night, or meets other divers who encourage them to stay active. When the number of professional dive stores declines, the industry’s best grassroots marketing network shrinks with it. Another major shift has been the growth of the once-a-year vacation diver. Dive travel is important and profitable, but when customers see diving only as an occasional vacation activity, they may not invest in equipment, continuing education, local diving, or the broader scuba lifestyle. For many, diving becomes a bucket-list experience rather than an ongoing pursuit. That matters because lifestyle divers support the entire industry. They buy equipment, service gear, take additional courses, join trips, bring friends into the sport, attend events, and help create the community that keeps dive centers healthy. The industry also faces a serious instructor-development challenge. In earlier decades, instructors often identified strong students and gradually brought them into the teaching process. Today, the pathway to becoming a professional is more structured, but also more demanding, more expensive, and sometimes more difficult for local dive centers to sustain. Training assistants and future instructors are essential to the future of the business, yet many stores struggle to find and develop enough qualified people.
NOVEMBER 4, 2026 • 6 PM NEW ORLEANS MARRIOTT • NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA PRESENTED BY THE ACADEMY OF UNDERWATER ARTS AND SCIENCES WITH THE UNDERWATER SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2026 NOGI AWARDS GALA 65TH ANNUAL
HONORING NOGI RECIPIENTS:
www.auas-nogi.org
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