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Scuba University: going back to school with SSI

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I was offered the opportunity to attend Scuba University (or Scuba U for short) at the weekend. What is this all about, I hear you ask? Well, it is a 3 day course that the CEO of SSI, Doug McNeese, offers to dive shop owners to help them improve their business. Doug is an inspirational speaker who has been helping business owners for more than 20 years, by passing on his own advice that has been collected over the last 40 years of being in the scuba industry and owning his own dive centres in the USA. Think of him as the Mary Portas of dive centres!

This event, and the 2 previous Scuba University events, have been organised by the Mares/SSI UK team and have been offered to dive centre owners and their staff, with the ambition of boosting their customer acquisition, training and shop sales and also to keep existing divers active within the sport. This is a key part of the SSI philosophy to offer a business partnership rather than just a training agency. On my course, we had one dive shop owner taking the course for a second time in 4 months, this time bringing along 2 additional staff members, as the results he is seeing in his shop are so good, they are a real testament to this training course.

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Whilst I do not own a dive centre, I thought that there must be information that was going to be relevant to my underwater photography business and so went along eager to learn some tips and tricks to boost my sales and business. The course is a full on 3 days, which for my course was held over Friday to Sunday (9-5pm) in a hotel conference room in the North-West. The Mares team also ensured that the social side of the course was provided for, so that people could talk through the topics of each day with Doug and the rest of those attending over dinner each evening.

Each day, we would work through the course material Doug has clearly worked hard to perfect over the years. There were some real “light bulb” moments for me, where an idea might be so obvious once you are told about it, but you see that this will really change the way you will do business in the future and can see immediately how it will improve both yours and your customer’s experience. Whilst I cannot give away the course material here, I can tell you that Doug is much more generous and sends you away at the end of the course with a thumb drive with business plan documents, all the information from the course, further reading ideas and everything you need to go away and implement your new plan. Even though the course is completely focused on dive centre owners, I came away with loads of ideas and new systems to put into place, and I was armed with existing spreadsheets and documents to make it easy to get started right away.

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SSI 2The next Scuba University courses will not be until 2016, but I can only advise those of you reading this who have a dive business to try to book a place. Doug will be coming back over in the summer to visit the dive centres that have taken part to see the changes taking place and to give further advice. Over the last 20 years of teaching this course, he has seen 17-38% increases in dive centre profits for those that have taken the course and, more importantly, implemented Doug’s advice and ideas. This course is a game changer.

One of my co-attendees, Shereen, had this to say:

“As the Manager of a PADI 5* IDC, I was initially quite sceptical about how much I would actually gain from attending Scuba U; a 3 day event hosted by SSI and Mares. However, I am very glad I attended with an open mind. The content was informative and professionally delivered. The sessions provided a fresh view of dive centre operation, making delegates really consider and evaluate what is actually important in running a successful Dive Centre. I am glad I attended and have taken a lot of good ideas away with me.”

At the very end of the course, we got an interactive demonstration of the SSI app, and this has re-ignited my enthusiasm to log my dives, with the ability to add photos of the site and buddy and create a permanent dive log in the cloud! Check out the app for yourself at www.divessi.com/app.

For further information contact:

SSI United Kingdom

www.divessi.com

Phone: +44 (0) 20 – 3287 3988
eMail: gbr@divessi.com

Nick and Caroline (Frogfish Photography) are a married couple of conservation driven underwater photo-journalists and authors. Both have honours degrees from Manchester University, in Environmental Biology and Biology respectively, with Nick being a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, a former high school science teacher with a DipEd in Teaching Studies. Caroline has an MSc in Animal Behaviour specializing in Caribbean Ecology. They are multiple award-winning photographers and along with 4 published books, feature regularly in the diving, wildlife and international press They are the Underwater Photography and Deputy Editors at Scubaverse and Dive Travel Adventures. Winners of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Photo-journalist of the Year for a feature on Shark Diving in The Bahamas, and they have been placed in every year they have entered. Nick and Caroline regularly use their free time to visit schools, both in the UK and on their travels, to discuss the important issues of marine conservation, sharks and plastic pollution. They are ambassadors for Sharks4Kids and founders of SeaStraw. They are Dive Ambassadors for The Islands of The Bahamas and are supported by Mares, Paralenz, Nauticam and Olympus. To find out more visit www.frogfishphotography.com

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Spooktacular Underwater Adventure: Oyster Diving’s First Halloween Scuba Party at Mercers Lake

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Last Thursday, Oyster Diving transformed Mercers Lake into a hauntingly unforgettable underwater realm for their inaugural Halloween Scuba Party. Approximately 20 intrepid divers plunged into the darkness, weaving through a mesmerising scene of spectral decorations, glow sticks, and eerie underwater pumpkins.

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After the thrilling night dive, participants gathered to feast on a ghoulish spread of pumpkin soup, chilli con carne, and decadent fudge brownies, perfect fuel for the frightful festivities.

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With a resounding success, Oyster Diving is excited to announce plans for this event to become an annual tradition. Next year, look forward to a fully licensed bar and live music, promising an even spookier celebration under the moonlit waters.

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Join us next Halloween for an experience that promises to be a haunting delight!

Find out more about Oyster Diving at oysterdiving.com.

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Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

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After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

 Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction


Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

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