by
Larry "Harris" Taylor, Ph.D.
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When I was a volunteer assistant in scuba training (late '70's), I remember one evening at the post pool-training dinner with the training staff when the dive shop owner was lamenting over the non-sale of a couple of pallets of black scuba cylinders he had obtained at a super bargain close-out. The lead instructor responded to this with, "No problem, just have the instructors wear black tanks this class. I will bet you that this will sell your tanks."
The bet was accepted.
So, for the 8 weeks of pool training and the open water weekend, all of the instructors and assistant instructors wore black scuba cylinders.
Within a month of the open water weekend, all of the black tanks had been sold.
The bet was won by the instructor and the dive shop owner gladly paid the wager-incurred debt!
The point is:
Scuba diving students will imitate their instructors choice of equipment.
So, once you choose to be part of any dive leadership group, you will be expected to use top-of-the-line equipment. If working in a dive shop scenario, it is only courtesy (and sometimes a requirement), that your choice of products reflects items sold by the dive shop franchise. This is in the best interests of you and your students (in general, top-of-the-line is better, more reliable gear, especially with respect to life-support items like regulators) and helps support the livelihood of your employer.
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About The Author:
Larry "Harris" Taylor, Ph.D. is a biochemist and Diving Safety Coordinator at the University of Michigan. He has authored more than 200 scuba related articles. His personal dive library (See Alert Diver, Mar/Apr, 1997, p. 54) is considered one of the best recreational sources of information In North America.
All rights reserved.
Use of these articles for personal or organizational profit is specifically denied.
These articles may be used for not-for-profit diving education