UTD Co-Founder
Jeff Seckendorf
Runs for DEMA
Board of Directors
Training the Trainers
The future of diving is in training – if we don’t
make more divers, we will not have an industry. The classic dive shop model has become
sell gear and give away training, i.e. the $99
open water class.
With the logarithmic increase in internet sales,
without a focus on training dive shops as we
know them will disappear. This will fuel the
continuing downward spiral that dive centers
are facing. I believe it is DEMA’s responsibility to provide tools that dive centers can use to
promote and market profitable training.
Jeff Seckendorf
The first step is for the industry as a whole to stop devaluing education.
Training must be presented as the most valuable thing a dive center provides.
The dive industry must stop giving away it’s most precious commodity.
In every economy education prevails. In a weak economy people seek retraining and education to create additional income. In a strong economy
people have the disposable income to participate in primary and advanced
training. We must capitalize on training regardless of what the media tells us
about our economy.