What equipment items are your
entry-level students expected
to buy prior to certification?
The first bit of data worth looking at here is that the overwhelming majority of stores reported they expect students to purchase a minimum of mask, snorkel, fins and boots.
Only 14 percent of stores reporting required no purchases whatsoever.
Some stores require additional equipment purchases, such as gloves, weight belts and equipment bags. This seems to be a largely regional phenomena. For example, in the Washington, DC, area, almost every dive store requires students to purchase their own weight belts. In the Chicago area, this is unheard of.
Used Car Salesmen?
The survey also invited stores to add whatever comments they saw fit. Some of these were interesting, to say the least. This one, in particular, deserves comment:
Our philosophy is that no Open Water student should need to buy gear to participate in a class. How can they judge what they need, or what works for them? Better to educate the student so they make informed choices. If an operation “requires” students to buy gear to get into a class, then that shop is little more than a used car dealership.
Yessirree, students have a wonderful time learning to dive while sorting through the store’s limited collection of worn-out rental gear, trying to find a mask that doesn’t leak or fins that fit. The only thing students learn from an attitude like this is that owning gear isn’t important.
When I was running Lahaina Divers, I used to get a lot of divers on the boat whose instructors never emphasized the importance of owning at least mask and fins. These passengers had to hope that at least one of our rental masks might fit them — and were dismayed to discover that the only fins we rented were flimsy snorkeling fins. It was always entertaining to watch these divers struggle to keep up with everyone else.
The truly sad part is, the quality of our rental equipment was actually well above the norm. I can only imagine how these divers faired at other dive operations.
You know, it's funny: The cost of a quality set of mask and fins is negligible compared to the cost of a week of resort dives during which you have a miserable time because you can’t find equipment that works for you.
This store owner is doing his customers a real disservice by setting them up for a lousy vacation dive experience.
Please! Don’t do your customers any “favors.” Insist that your students buy at least a quality set of masks and fins, and stress the importance of taking these with them everywhere they go. Believe me, not only will your customers thank you, the poor schmucks in the Caribbean and Pacific who have to deal with your mistakes on a daily basis will thank you as well. — Harry Averill
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