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145 How To Select Charter Dive Boat Operators

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In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we learn how to select charter dive boat operators.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

Recently I had two dive professionals relate to me their challenges with dive boat operations that they went out with. In the one scenario the dive professional and his group went on a dive boat where no one spoke English. So because of that communication was nonexistent and the briefing was not discernible to the instructor or his group.

The instructor asked as best he could for guidance on safety measures, entries and exit procedures and dive expectations. He was met with raised voice, arms waving, a scowl on the face and a general bad attitude. In between the two dives the small dive boat went full throttle in rough seas causing the instructor, his group and other divers on the boat to fall and roll around on the deck. When people started yelling at the captain he turned around and laughed.

In the second scenario the a Divemaster went on a pleasure Dive for a shark encounter. Because she was with a dive group that had a few Divemasters in it, the captain chose not to give a briefing and literally said “you’re all pro’s, you know what to do.” The captain and crew member didn’t pay attention to the divers at all, and instead focused on preparing for the animals and the camera equipment. The group haphazardly entered the water with minimal control. And, early on, because one of the participants was not briefed about how to behave during a shark encounter, the diver got bit by a shark.

Luckily in both of these scenarios no one was severely injured. The people flailing around on the boat got bumps and bruises and the diver that got bit was very superficial and barely required first aid. But the point is both of those scenarios could have gone horribly wrong. And odds are without corrective action major incidents will take place on both of those vessels.

So today I want to go over how we as dive professionals select charter boat operators to use when conducting our open water training, taking divers on group travel, and when we want to pleasure dive ourselves. At the end of this episode you’ll have some new ways to go about vetting the right dive operators for you.

Items In This Episode

  • Who to get review from
  • What to look for in reviews
  • What questions to ask dive boat operators

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

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144 The Importance of Photo Releases

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In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we learn the importance of and how to implement photo releases in our dive businesses.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

With the rise of social media, now more than ever, we take photos of others and share them with others. However, when those photos are taken and posted under certain conditions, you may be liable for using someone’s image improperly. If someone’s image is used to assist in marketing a business or a brand, such as on a website, newsletter, email blast or social marketing accounts like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, they may have a right to compensation for the use of their image. That’s why you need a photo release.

Items In This Episode

  • Why you need a photo release for your diving business
  • Two photo release examples
  • A photo and video disclaimer for events

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

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143 How to Win at Customer Service When Supply Chain Issues are Present with Roz Lunn

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Alright pro’s let’s look at how to win at customer service when supply chain issues are present with Roz Lunn.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

Supply chain issues are a thing. We are seeing this increasing and it is affecting every area of our lives just about. Problems with global supply chains were supposed to be getting better by now. Instead, experts say they are getting worse. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, exports have been cut off from Ukraine and Russian businesses were put under sanction, this set off a series of new supply-chain bottlenecks. There was also a surge in Covid cases in China, which led to lockdowns in parts of the country.

This has then affected all types of manufacturing. And it is hitting our industry. Scuba equipment manufacturers are burdened by supply chain issues such as cargo ship issues, port and dock workers, labor issues, trucking issues gas and diesel prices. And of course lack of employees, it is affecting us in the retail areas quite a bit.

So in today’s episode I wanted to bring on diving marketing guru Rosemary Lunn to discuss how we can capitalize on the customer service side of lack of inventory and supply chain issues. Although it may be bleak and customers may be frustrated, we can actually be proactive and win customers over by our care, concern, and empathy.

Roz Lunn Bio

A little bit about Roz. Rosemary E Lunn (Roz) is the Business Development Director at The Underwater Marketing Company. This British firm specializes in providing marketing, communications, social media and event management for the Recreational and Technical Diving Industry.

Born in Essex, England Rosemary fulfilled her long-held desire to learn to scuba dive in 1992, after being left a legacy by her late Grandfather. She spent every moment she could exploring Britain’s magnificent coastal waters and wrecks. In what was to be a pivotal moment in 1996 she was handed a copy of aquaCORPS magazine, and she was soon planning her underwater excursions with a different mindset and discipline utilising Nitrox and twinsets.

By 1997 Rosemary turned Pro and proudly achieved her PADI Instructor rating. She taught for a season in Turkey before turning her hand to diving journalism. Her articles in Dive Girl opened doors at 9>90, a British technical diving magazine. After a spell with DrägerDive, Roz was headhunted to open a dive center on the English South Coast. Two years later, the warmer waters of the Red Sea and a Dive Guide / Instructor job beckoned, enticing her to teach in Egypt.

Rosemary has worked as a professional instructor / dive guide, on History Channel and National Geographic documentaries, modeled underwater for training agency shots, as a safety diver for underwater shoots, and scuba relayed the English Channel for charity.

She has worked with most of the major diving agencies, and blue chip brands including Dive Rite, Fourth Element and Poseidon.

Roz is a respected, prolific diving author, and a staff writer for X-Ray Mag. She is an Associate Member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, a SSI Platinum Diver, and takes an active role in the diving industry. She sits on the SITA Board (Scuba Industry Trade Association), and the British Diving Safety Group. and Roz was on the League of Extraordinary Divers episode 44 and you absolutely have to hear that one and her description of Scapa Flow. Awesomeness.

And you are going to love the information she shares.

Items In This Episode

  • Being polite, kind, when customers are frustrated
  • Being proactive with delayed orders, stay in front of customers
  • Marketing when inventory arrives, make a big deal about shipments

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

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142 Agency Bashing

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In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we learn about the problem with agency bashing and how to avoid it.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

As dive professionals we are held to all types of standards. And one of them is ethical standards. And what do you think is the most common violated ethical standard? Yep, it’s agency bashing.

Agency bashing is where critical, inflammatory statements regarding a dive training agency are spoken or written about. Note, this can be another agency or one’s own agency that they are a professional member of.

Now, admittedly as an over thirty year multi-agency instructor, I have certainly done my fair share of agency bashing. And as a former national scuba training agency director I have had my fair share of inflammatory derogatory statements thrown my way for the agency I was directing.

But I want to point something out here. Sometimes there is a lot of truth to agency bashing. Yep, that’s right and sometimes the truth hurts. But the real issue is HOW dive professionals articulate their issues. Where this comes problematic is when the dialogue is unprofessional. Lacking in civil discourse, unethical and unbecoming of proper decorum.

So today, I want to explore this area that is so easy for us to get caught up into, and look at ways to properly articulate differences and issues of training agencies.

Items In This Episode

  • Being gentle with negatives
  • Being positive with the positives
  • Ethical agreements of agencies

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

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141 The Physiological Benefits of Outdoor Recreation with Dr. Heather Jordon Clark

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In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we learn about the physiological benefits of outdoor recreation with Dr. Heather Jordon Clark.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

Well, I love today’s guest. I mean really, love today’s guest. That’s because she’s my wife! Dr. Heather Jordon Clark is a clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology. With 15+ years as a psychologist, Heather has worked with numerous types of clients including executives and business owners, pastors and ministry leaders, healthcare professionals, teachers, and parents.

We were having a dinner the other night and the topic of vacationing came up. We discussed how we feel a deep need to be as immersed in nature as possible to really feel at peace and like we are really living. That opened up a larger discussion of why that was.

So, I wanted Heather to come on and do an episode about this. Why? Because yes it is good to know, but you can also use these concepts in your marketing and your branding. Seriously, posts that touch into peoples’ wellbeing are highly engaging and shareable. So, this is an episode with physiology and psychology, but you can pull a marketing and branding twist from it as well.

Please note, a disclaimer. The information provided in this episode is for general educational purposes only. It is not therapy or treatment. Dr. Clark will not be responding to specific questions or comments in response to this episode about personal situations, appropriate diagnosis or treatment, and she is not otherwise providing clinical opinions in this podcast. If you think you need immediate mental health assistance, call your local emergency number or go to an emergency room.

Items In This Episode

  • Reduction in blood pressure and other disorders when outside
  • People will tend to play and exercise longer when outside, you will burn 10% more calories outside
  • Kids are 2x more active when playing outside
  • Diving and getting outdoors reduces stress, reduces depression, improves self esteem, improves mood
  • People are happier outdoors
  • What is Eco-Therapy?
  • “Being in nature is like being in a spa for your mind” Dr. Heather Clark
  • The social aspect, the community, of outdoor recreation is powerful
  • The importance of Vitamin D and how it improves sleep cycles
  • Fresh air helps reduce cortisol – the stress hormone
  • The amazing health benefits of water

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

Podcast (thedivelocker): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Welcome Dive Professionals

Welcome to ScubaGuru.com!  The ScubaGuru brand is dedicated to giving dive professionals tools and techniques to be GREAT LEADERS – leaders in the classroom, leaders underwater, and leaders in their diving businesses.  With unique leadership skill-sets, the dive professional can create:

  • Better divers
  • Loyal customers
  • A thriving dive center
  • A flourishing dive industry

See what we mean by Go Beyond the Standard and enjoy the rewards of being truly great at what you do!

Sincerely,

Tec Clark

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