Blueprints 4.0 for a Healthier Dive Industry Business Model

Scuba Diving Industry Structure, Competitive Analysis, Business Models & Strategies for a Modern Dive Industry

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” ~Will Rogers.

Now, imagine if we’re not even on the right track!

Over the last few years, participation in outdoor activities has been booming while scuba diving has been shrinking. “Business as usual” is no longer an option in the dive industry because it is leading us straight to a cliff.

It is time we look at how we do things and compare to what today’s consumers expect. Our current business model is so outdated, we might as well be on a different planet than our clients!

In this Business of Diving Blueprints 4.0 section, we look at how we currently provide experiences to scuba divers, analyze our strengths and weaknesses, identify opportunities and threats, propose achievable solutions and strategies, and suggest corner stones to a new business model adapted to today’s world.

Please join the conversation. The dive industry is so extensively in bad shape that the opportunities are actually aplenty!

1) Dive Industry Market Data & Statistics

Market data is vital for us to analyze the dive industry, understand our current situation, and identify opportunities. Scuba diving industry statistics are also valuable for every business decision you have to make.

Fortunately, we have already collected and analyzed a large amount of scuba diving market data in the Dive Industry Compass section of this website. We assume you are familiar with it while proceeding with our dive industry analysis.

You may also want to be familiar with the typical profile of a dive professional and scuba diving instructor as presented in the Living The Scuba Dream section of this website.

2) Current Dive Industry Structure & Stakeholders

The Scuba Diving Industry Stakeholders: Dive training agencies, scuba gear manufacturers, local dive shops, dive resorts, scuba diving instructors, dive travel agencies & more.
2 Types of Dive Centers: Origin & Destination. Local dive shops and scuba diving resorts: What’s the same? What’s different?
A Dive Center is 6 Businesses in One: The 3Es & 3Ts of the Dive Industry. Scuba Courses, Dive Gear, Dive Travel, Rental Equipment, Repair & Maintenance, and Fill Station Services in Local Dive Shops, Dive Resorts & Dive Centers.
The Lack of a Reliable Brand in The Scuba Diving Industry: Is there a scuba diving brand you would trust, quality assurance-wise, no matter where you see the logo around the world? Me neither.
The Broken Open Water Scuba Diving Certification Course: “A student fresh out of a scuba diving class is just ready to start learning to dive.”
The Missing Scuba Diving Industry Trade Publication. What publications do we have in the scuba diving industry? What would be a dive industry trade publication?
What is the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA)? Who is DEMA? What’s in it for me? DEMA Board of Directors, Financials, PADI’s Influence, Services Offered by the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA)

We discuss the current, outdated dive industry business model below when presenting A Blue Ocean With a New Dive Industry Business Model for Today’s World.

3) Inspiration & References From Outside Sources

Before we get into analyzing the scuba diving industry in detail and brainstorm direct opportunities and possible strategies for a healthier industry, let’s review frameworks and references that can guide us on our mission to “raise the bar” in the dive industry in order to offer a lifetime of legendary underwater adventures to today’s consumers.

Tourism 4.0 & The Future of Personalized Services: Key Themes Surrounding the Application of Industry 4.0 Technologies Within the Services & Tourism Sectors

More is in the works. Please subscribe to stay in the know.

4) Blue Economy, The Environment & Scuba Diving

Sustainability: What Is It and Why Should I Care? The triple bottom line: people, planet & profit. Consumers increasingly embrace social causes and seek products and brands that align with “green” values.
Brown, Sustainable or Regenerative Blue Economy vs. Tourism & Scuba Diving: What is the Blue Economy? Scuba diving must be managed sustainably to avoid negative impacts on the ecosystems that make it a valuable Blue Economy sector.
Adventure Tourism & The Blue Economy: Tourism Is Often the Forgotten Stepchild of the Blue Economy

More is in the works. Please subscribe to stay in the know.

5) Dive Industry Exploratory Analysis

Methods for a Scuba Diving Industry Strategic Analysis: Strategic Analysis on The Road to Strategic Plans of Actions in The Dive Industry
Porter’s Five Forces Analysis of the Scuba Diving Industry: Threat of New Entrants, Bargaining Power of Suppliers & Buyers, Threat of Substitute Products & Services, and Rivalry Among Existing Firms in The Dive Industry
PESTLE Analysis of the Scuba Diving Industry: Political, Economic, Social/Socio-Demographic, Technological, Legal & Environmental Analysis of The Dive Industry
SWOT Analysis of the Scuba Diving Industry: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats in Today’s Scuba Diving Markets
4 Ps – Product-Centered Scuba Diving Industry Marketing Mix Analysis: Product, Place, Promotion & Price in the Dive Industry
4 Cs – Customer-Centered Scuba Diving Industry Marketing Mix: Customer Value, Costs, Convenience & Communication in the Dive Industry
Dive Industry Trends & Strategic Analysis Initial Takeaways: Scuba Diving Training, Dive Gear, & Dive Travel Strategic Analysis & Trends

We analyze the dive industry using the Blue Ocean Strategy framework below when presenting “A Blue Ocean With a New Dive Industry Business Model for Today’s World.”

6) Brainstorming Dive Industry Solutions & Strategies

We regularly add new strategies and tactics we can use to increase both the profitability of our dive businesses and our satisfaction at “living the dream,” while creating a healthier scuba diving industry. Subscribe to stay in the know.

6.1) Solutions & Strategies: “Diving First” & “Customer First”

The Critical Difference Between Satisfied and Enthusiastic Scuba Divers: A satisfied scuba diver isn’t enough; to plug the hole in our industry, we must create enthusiastic customers.
Strategy: Consistency in The Quality of The Scuba Diving Experience. Defining & Using Quality Assurance and Branding for Customer Retention and Satisfaction in the Scuba Diving Industry.
A New Paradigm for the Scuba Diving Industry: It’s About Diving! Putting ‘Scuba Diving’ Back Into the ‘Scuba Diving Industry’
Strategy: Marketing Scuba Diving to Non-Divers. Where can we recruit new scuba divers, and how can we best reach them?
Meet The Next-Normal Scuba Diver: How to Adapt to Changes in Scuba Divers’ Habits and Preferences

More is in the works. Please subscribe to stay in the know.

6.2) Solutions & Strategies: Scuba Training

Strategy: Redefining The Way We Promote & Teach Scuba Diving. How to make scuba diving attractive to non-divers, deliver more value and convenience to divers, and improve marketing communications accordingly.
Offer “Scuba Coaching” Instead of Peddling Certification “Courses” & C-cards: Better For Marketing, Increased Quality of Scuba Training & More Profitable for Dive Instructors
Divemaster & Scuba Instructor Creed: I’m in Charge of My Attitude, Skills & Knowledge
Should We Change the Way We Provide “Discover Scuba Diving” Experiences? Thinking outside the box to improve the quality of the experience and generate adepts of the underwater world coming back to us over and over again.
Should eLearning Be Free in The Scuba Diving Industry? Can there be a balance between online learning being a profit center for dive training agencies and a simple promotional tool for everybody else?
What Is Tankless Diving? Is It Good or Evil? What’s in It for the Scuba Industry? Surface-supplied air dive systems. What are they? Who are they for? Is it scuba diving or snorkeling? Could they help to revitalize the dive industry?

More is in the works. Please subscribe to stay in the know.

6.3) Solutions & Strategies: Dive Industry Structure, Product Mix & Gear Sales

Octopus Strategy: An Innovative Way of Distributing Dive Gear & Scuba Training to Today’s Consumers. How can the scuba diving industry best meet today’s consumers’ expectations?
Strategy: Rethinking The Role of The Dive Center. Will the dive shop as we know it remain at the heart of the dive industry?
Strategy: Direct-to-Consumer (D2C/DTC) in The Scuba Diving Industry. What are the benefits of D2C to consumers, dive training agencies, and scuba gear brands? What does it mean for dive shops?
Strategy: Expand Your Dive Center Product Assortment Beyond Scuba Gear & Services. There’s a lot you can do beyond scuba diving with your assets, store, pool, team, and dive site!
Merchandising Strategy: Adapting The Selection of Scuba Gear We Sell & How To Sell It. Dive industry product mix: Expand your scuba diving product & service offerings to widen the net and increase your dive shop revenues.

More is in the works. Please subscribe to stay in the know.

6.4) A Blue Ocean With a New Dive Industry Business Model for Today’s World

A Blue Ocean Strategy in The Scuba Diving Industry: Breaking Out of the Red Ocean of Bloody Competition to Create a New Uncontested Market Space That Makes Competition Irrelevant
Strategy: Redesigning The Scuba Diving Industry Business Model: If we’re constantly competing but not growing, it’s time we make a move!
Don’t Blame The Internet! The Traditional Dive Shop Business Model Was Dead Before That. 8 Challenges & 6 Elements of Solution for a Scuba Diving Industry in Tune With Today’s Consumers
A New Business Model for a Redefined Local Dive Center: The retail, education, and travel industries are going through a severe transformation, and the scuba diving industry operates in all three of them.
Surface-Supplied Air (Tankless) Diving vs. A Blue Ocean Strategy in The Dive Industry: What can tankless diving “eliminate, reduce, raise & create” for the scuba diving industry? How can we integrate it into our dive operations to foster growth?
In Which Part of the Scuba Diving Industry Should I Invest? Who stands to gain in a renewed dive industry? Which dive gear brand? Scuba diving training agency? Dive resort? Local dive shop?

More is in the works. Please subscribe to stay in the know.