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Profit or Quality ?

By Frederick Claro CD#18819.


    The world of today, evolving towards an increased consumption of goods and services, is also directly interacting with our part-time or full-time devotion : scuba diving and its educational aspects. To understand better where we are being pulled, we must understand the basic concepts of the evolution of the scuba diving industry in the past decade, the relationship between education, environment, consumerism and the orientation of the scuba diving industry in general and in Asia
    Then, we might be able to situate NAUI and ourselves as NAUI members, in the actual picture of what has become the diving business in South East Asia and elsewhere. The question is  : what do we want for ourselves and the future of our industry?...and where will NAUI stand within it ?...It is obvious to anyone who has been in the diving field for more than 10 years, that there is nothing to compare between what   the diving business was 10-20 years ago and what it is today. The activity, from smart amateurism, has become a professional development inducing more knowledge in business, skill in education and general management. From the quiet, easy, laid-back days of the mid-80s, succeeded the harsh days of business competition and moneymaking as part of a flourishing tourism industry. Here, in South East Asia, to the enthusiast instructor, part-time manager, was succeeded by the "money maker" manager, entirely devoted to increasing the incomes of the dive centre. An excellent example of this is the resorts in South East Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Micronesia, Malaysia), where the number of dive centres and tour operators have increased by tenfold in less than 10 years.
    Scuba diving became a social status (it is expensive, therefore I am rich !) and a fashion among tourists and locals alike. The activity became more technically and environmentally oriented for the sake of humankind (but, it  still amazes me how some people are keen to make money with something they don't know and don't practice themselves !...).
    Our outdoor activity is attracting more and more people from, the "baby boomers" to elder and younger populations worldwide and in Asia. Of course, we needed to increase the number of service centres (dive shops and independent professionals) to satisfy demand and the industry went towards the classic drawback of our societies  consumerism. 
    Nowadays, time is a critical factor for people who don't have any or shall I say "don't want to take it", to perform any incoming task. And lacking the will of "taking time" drives us to cut on essential things in life : food (who still takes time for a really good meal once a day ?..), human relationships and what important things human beings have : free-time, leisure time...The actual tendancy is to live quick, fast and superficially, in our free time too ! We're losing quality in wanting more and more as fast as possible. Scuba diving is following the same human pattern of quick and fast. Scuba has evolved in fast education and tours for people who "don't have time", who think they should do as much as possible in the shorter time possible.
    All aspects of the tourism industry, scuba included, are oriented towards this trend. People want more, quicker, cheaper, with the same quality and services as before and there starts the downward spiral : competition, price dropping, less service and a drastic drop in quality.
    Here, in South East Asia, hotels, resorts, restaurants and dive shops are all suffering from this, with ever increasing of costs and running procedures due to poor economic situation. Are services in our field better than 10 years ago ? I have my doubts, but what is for sure is that quality in education and services are now down because of the  effects of consumerism. Today, most certifying agencies are more concerned about figures and numbers than with real quality of training at all levels.
    As a multi-agency instructor and NAUI Course Director, I have learned and now teach the difference in which NAUI and its members stand and strive for quality education. Quality of education is a value I have instilled in every NAUI instructor I have taught and I believe it remain with them still. Our quest for quality education and teaching is the right path. Again, will we follow the actions of others and become profit-oriented rather than quality-oriented ? It is true that leaders and instructors worldwide do not see NAUI as a potential career although a lot of us make a decent living with our services. The way to change this picture goes through a riddle : to be better recognized , leaders must feel that they will have a career with NAUI. To do that, we need to push the association where we might not want to go, because we know that we will lose what make us so special : Quality. As a rule, if you increase the volume , you decrease the quality...it is a matter of fact and choice !
    I made up my mind years ago when I became independent and created Consult Dive International in South East Asia. I am, with an educational team, devoted to training good, efficient, professionals, who are service, education and environment oriented perhaps I do not have the volume but I know I have the quality, because I take my time to train them...My students have provided me with the rewards of trust and faith, and they have become a good working force for the field.
    NAUI provides us with the tools for quality teaching and developing the skills of true scuba educators. I believe that soon, quality will become "fashionable" again, and we NAUI leaders will, not have to fight our way up, as we will just simply continue to follow the path we have always made for ourselves and our students.
    Other leaders in the industry must understand as we do that being on the side of quality against the world of short-cuts and "monkey business" must be the motivation of everyone and the concern of all. I believe that NAUI leaders and instructors are highly respected in the diving industry because of their quality instruction and this is the orientation we should keep in mind at all costs for our own sake  and for the sake of our students to be. 
    Quality will always be for me the best course of action and down the road, the choice is between our traditional quality education or modern fast consumption."

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