Dive Industry News

The dive industry is seeing seismic shifts in training, dive vacation habits and dive equipment purchasing patterns and consumer base.
The dive industry is seeing seismic shifts in training, dive vacation habits and dive equipment purchasing patterns and consumer base.

William Cline publishes survey on dive industry sentiments

In his introduction, William Cline writes:

We, as an industry, are experiencing tremendous change that started well before this current global pandemic. We are seeing shifts in training, dive vacation habits and dive equipment purchasing patterns that all point to seismic shifts in our dive consumer base. This survey seeks the industry’s assessment of where we are going by sector and what we can do to change or respond to some of the emerging trends.

The Arenui Announces Renovations during Pandemic Travel Bans

Very warm wishes from the Arenui Team!

We hope that you and your loved ones are well during these past few, COVID-19 affected months. Although we are in another part of the world and the situation has meant different things to us all, we've all been impacted. But with every cloud, can come a silver lining.

What can you expect to see once you’re onboard?...

DAN Answers FAQs About Returning to Diving

Covered topics include safety practices for retail areas, staff and client interactions, dive boat operations, gear disinfection protocols and more. As dive professionals, dive operators and dive business owners prepare and develop plans to resume operation, DAN encourages all to review Dive Operations and COVID-19: Prepping for Return. In addition to taking a look at these frequently asked questions, be sure to check out some of our other articles and resources at DAN.org/COVID-19.

Where are we heading?

Last week, our good colleague Stephan Wheelan wrote an excellent recap "The Day the Diving Stood Still" - Is the diving industry facing an existential threat from coronavirus?"  on his website, DeeperBlue. It is close to what I had originally intended to post here today, but Stephan beat me to it. Instead, let me expand a bit upon the matter.

Local diving recommencing

Local diving seems to be recommencing in some countries, depending on what local regulations permit. Supervised or guided dives at various local spots are now on the calendar again and off to at least a modest start. One Italian operator explained how he hands out masks for clients to wear aboard his dive boat and everyone is supposed to sit at least one metre apart.

Air-Liquide_Rosemary-E-Lunn_Roz-Lunn_X-Ray-Mag_XRay-Magazine_scuba-diving-news_Apeks-Aqua-Lung
“Air Liquide has a strong historical attachment to the business, but it’s not core,” Liberum analyst Adam Collins told Bloomberg at the time when Aqua Lung was put up for sale. “There is no strategic rationale in being part of the business.” Air Liquide is one of the largest global suppliers of gases to big industrial installations, like refineries, as well as to hospitals and patients.

AquaLung Sold To Private Equity Firm

It was the year that Air Liquide, along with Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan founded 'La Spirotechnique'. This company conceived, designed and manufactured a range of scuba diving equipment, including some of the first commercially available regulators. Their first modern 'Aqua-Lung' or regulator was the CG45.

TDI, SDI,  Jordan Greene, Sean Harrison, Paul Montgomery, Mark Powell, Brian Carney, Rosemary E Lunn, Roz Lunn, XRay Mag, X-Ray Magazine, scuba diving news
TDI / SDI HQ Staff | Jordan Greene, Sean Harrison, Paul Montgomery, Mark Powell, Brian Carney (l to r)

Mark Powell Becomes TDI / SDI ‘International Business’ Manager

Mark Powell qualified as a TDI / SDI Instructor in October 2000, and has been an ardent advocate of this training agency for almost two decades. In 2002 Mark Powell set up Dive-Tech (a dedicated technical diving training facility) and began working as a full time professional. A role that he has continued to this day.

“I am very excited to join the HQ team. The opportunity to help grow this agency is very exciting”, stated Powell.

Mares Acquires rEvo Rebreathers

Paul Raymaekers, CEO of rEvo issued the following statement.

"After more than 10 years of creating, developing and growing rEvo, and knowing that none of my children will or can continue this business, I realised already some time ago that the only way to keep rEvo going, was to look for a partner that had common interests. A strong partner, that was already in the diving business, and had the strength and will to take this work further.

It took months of talking, negotiating, working out synergies, but in the end it became clear that we found the correct ‘modus vivendi’.

SAA, BOA, BUSA, CMAS, Rosemary E Lunn, Roz Lunn, The Underwater Marketing Company, X-Ray Mag
BOA Chairman Ken Kirby SAA signs the new agreement with SAA Chairman Colin Bryan

SAA And BOA Join Forces

In the last 18 years, the SAA and the British Underwater Sports Association (BUSA) have been working together in partnership for the benefit of the sport. Recently changes in rules and expectations in CMAS have required a more formal recognition of this partnership.

In the UK the SAA represents CMAS - the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques.

Therefore, BUSA will through mutual agreement conclude their role to represent Underwater Sport in the UK and this will be continued by the SAA with formal affiliation agreements to each of the underwater sports.

23 Red Sea dive centers black listed

The diving centres on the black list have not complied to standards EN 14467/ISO 24803 for Recreational Diving Services and will not be able to renew their license from the Ministry of Tourism and therefore will be operating illegally.

The auditing process to check that diving centres are meeting these standards began in May 2008 and by 31st March 2009 was completed in South Sinai and will continue to 31st July 2009 in the Hurghada area. Steps will then be put into action to close down illegal operations that fail to comply.