CYBER DIVER ADVISOR :: Dive CentersDive centers primarily offer three services: diving instruction, scuba equipment sales and dive tours. With the steady growth of the diving industry, dive centers are popping up just about everywhere which gives you more choices and opportunities to find better value if you shop around.  WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The best dive center may not be the one down the street, the one with the big magazine ads, the one with the cheapest price or even the one your friend recommends. Forget about gold palms, five-stars and other crude dive industry marketing strategies. Such gimmicks are nothing more than window dressing dished out by certification agencies to dive center owners primarily on the basis of quantitative results. The more divers they certify, the more free promotional cosmetics they acquire. If you're looking for quality and value, ignore the marketing hype and dig deeper. What you're looking for is a dive center staffed by experienced, caring professionals who have implemented safe, enjoyable diving programs. To reduce costs, some dive centers rely primarily on recently certified, inexperienced instructors to teach courses and lead dive tour groups. Choose a dive shop that gives primary responsibility for dive courses and dive trips to instructors and divemasters with a minimum of three years experience. CONFIRM PRICES Don't hesitate to ask questions and get prices in writing. To confirm costs and avoid unpleasant surprises later, ask the dive shop to fax or e-mail you a complete price breakdown including tax and other add-ons. Make sure you understand exactly what you are getting for the price. Depending on what you're looking for, it may be worth paying more for a course or tour that offers more quality such as accommodation and meals. HOW TO SAVE MONEY Many dive shops offer weekday and off-season discounts. If you have friends who are also interested in diving, ask about group (two people or more) discounts. If you plan to take a course, ask for an agreement about discounts on all future equipment purchases, dive tours and courses. Dive shops generate income more easily from repeat customers so expect a minimum of 10% off on tours and courses. Most dive shops pay about half of retail for the equipment they sell so you should expect about 15-30% off on dive gear purchases. If you're just shopping around for scuba equipment, the best prices are available in late autumn when dive shops are trying to reduce old stock in anticipation of stocking new products which are usually introduced in early winter. BEWARE OF TIE-IN SALES If you're planning to take an entry-level course, check to see if the dive center requires you to buy scuba diving equipment. If so, find another dive shop. Equpment purchase decisions should be left to your discretion and should reflect your interest in diving after you complete your scuba diving course. If you do decide to purchase equipment from the dive center, make sure you have the opportunity to try a wide range of designs to evaluate which scuba diving equipment works best for you. Go to ScubaLinx World Dive Centers for complete listings and independent diver evaluations of scuba diving centers around the world. | 
