Behind the Counter: My Day as a Dive Shop Manager

Hey, I’m back! I got to do something cool last weekend that I want to share with you. But let’s not get right into that just yet.

If you don’t know me already, my name is Mia DaPonte, and a couple of months ago I earned the title of youngest female Master Scuba Diver in North America. I’ve gone on some really cool trips and met some awesome people along the way. You can read about my adventures in my Scubaverse blog and follow me on Instagram @underwaterwithmia.

Now let’s get into the new thing I did.

I went to my local dive shop and got to be “Dive Shop Manager for a Day” at Dive On It Scuba in Cumberland, RI! It was a lot of fun! Allison Trainor, who owns Dive On It Scuba with her husband Chris, showed me how to work the cash register, and I had fun checking out customers. I also learned that there are so many different kinds of gear—and one thing doesn’t work for everyone. I watched Allison help people find the right fit, or the color they wanted—there are so many options! Allison really knows about all of it and helps everyone find exactly what they need.

Not all of the equipment is fully assembled when people buy it, and sometimes customers want to make their gear unique. Like for me—I use a pink regulator hose because it’s fun! One customer came in to have his new regulators assembled, so I got to watch one of the staff equipment specialists put it together. It was really interesting to see all the little pieces that have to fit together like a puzzle for the regulators to work properly.

In the morning, there were a lot of classes at the shop, so it was pretty busy. But when everyone left for their pool sessions, it was just me and Allison, so I got to learn how they fill up tanks and help stock the shelves.

Later in the day, when all the student divers came back, I got to check them in and make sure they returned all their borrowed gear. There’s a whole system for keeping track of everything, and I had to make sure all the student names matched the gear they used. Each piece has a number assigned to it, and we tracked everything in a logbook. All the weights, BCDs, wetsuits, and regulators had to be accounted for.

Then I helped clean and hang up the wetsuits and BCDs, and double-checked that the regulator caps were in place before we rinsed those too.

There’s a lot of work for a Dive Shop Manager to do to make sure the day goes well for everyone. I had so much fun getting a peek at how everything works behind the scenes. Maybe I can work there for real someday! I always have fun at the shop—everyone is so nice and funny, and it’s great to hang out and talk about diving with other people who love it too.

Of course, the day didn’t end without a surprise. Allison found my mom a great deal on a drysuit. A while ago, they told me they had something for me—but I had to earn it. After my day at the shop, Allison and my mom gave me my very own drysuit! I’m so excited to take my drysuit classes—I’ll do them with my mom in September, and I’ll make sure to tell you all about it. I can’t wait to dive all year round!

Thank you all for reading this blog—there will be many more in the future.

Sea you next time—peace out! 🌊✌️

Want to learn to dive with Allison and Chris? Visit www.diveonit.com to find out more.