Better Gear, Better Divers

“Diving is an equipment-intensive sport.” We all know that — or do we? When I think about the equipment I see some students using, whether it is their personal gear or equipment provided by the store, I wonder whether instructors and store owners are getting the message.

The fact is, the quality of the equipment students use has a direct bearing on their ability to learn and have fun under water.

By this, I don’t mean that students have to have the absolute latest in whiz-bang gadgetry. However, their personal gear must be better-quality equipment that functions well and will last. And, the equipment you supply must be comfortable, easy to use and convey the message that quality equipment is a worthwhile investment.

Start With the Basics

One of the things about several stores using the same open-water training site is that you get to see whose students are buying what.

• The students I see from one of our local stores more often than not have top-of-the line split fins made from advanced polymers.
• Students from yet another local store most often seem to have cheap, plastic-bladed fins whose buckles are notorious for coming apart under water.
• Guess which store’s students have an easier time learning how to dive?

The key to getting students to invest in better quality personal gear is stressing the difference between price and value.

• If students get the right personal equipment to start, they won’t end up having to replace it prematurely.
• Cared for properly, equipment such as masks and fins can last up to ten years or more. Looked at this way, spending an extra $100 to get a truly decent set of fins costs less than $10 a year. Would you spend an extra $10 every year if it would substantially increase your enjoyment of diving? Guess what? So would many of your students.
• The cost of better quality personal equipment is negligible compared to the cost of a ruined dive vacation. A customer once told me about how his brother’s $5,000 Red Sea dive vacation went straight to Hell because he couldn’t bother to invest $70 in a decent mask.

Unless you take the time to explain these facts to students, they won’t see any need to spend more than the least possible amount to get the equipment they need for class. Unfortunately, your students will suffer for that ignorance later — and make your life harder in the process.

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