Top 5 reasons to switch to SDI in 2022
Each year, more and more dive operators make the switch to SDI. Apart from the 2008 recession, SDI has experienced double-digit growth since 2000.
When we ask dealers why they made the switch, they usually tell us it’s for one or more of the following reasons.
1 Affordable materials with better margins
You offer diver training to make money, not lose it. Some training agencies don’t get this.
SDI’s suggested retail prices are more realistic, and their margins are typical of what you would make selling masks, snorkels and fins. eLearning codes, in particular, offer exceptionally good margins.
2 Greater flexibility when teaching
Some training agencies only allow you to conduct certain skills on specific dives or pool sessions. Unfortunately, this does not facilitate good teaching.
Dive site configuration, environmental conditions and individual student needs can vary widely. The best way to sequence skills today may not be the best way to do it tomorrow.
Instructors need the flexibility to tailor training to student needs and prevailing conditions. SDI provides this.
3 Realistic standards
In an ideal world, we would all develop our entry-level students’ skills in confined water and then apply them in open water. This isn’t always wise.
- There are skills such as emergency ascents that students can easily master in confined water. However, unless you are blessed with an army of qualified assistants, trying to repeat them in open water can force you to leave students unattended on the surface or underwater. It can also set a poor example as students see you bounce up and down like a yo-yo at unsafe accent rates.
- Given more than two students and less-than-perfect visibility, having students perform compass navigation in open water can also lead to students being left unattended. We’ve seen situations in which students spent most of their open-water training “dives” kneeling on a platform, freezing their butts off while waiting for their turn to perform yet another skill.
SDI Open Water Diver course standards do not differentiate between confined and open water.
- If you teach in an environment where you begin skill practice in shallow water and move gradually to deeper water, this is a godsend.
- If you feel it’s safest to limit the practice of specific skills to confined water, you may.
- If you want to limit navigation practice to natural navigation, you may. We like to postpone compass navigation skills to advanced and specialty courses. Here students are already certified divers and don’t need direct instructor supervision when doing compass runs with a qualified buddy.
This is what happens when you work with an agency where everyone still actively dives and teaches.
4 Fast turnaround
SDI prides itself in fast turnaround.
- What you order today is generally out the door the next day — if not the same day.
- Students can download their digital c-cards the instant you certify them. There is no extra charge for this.
- Plastic c-cards are usually mailed the same or next day. Not weeks later as with some agencies.
How does your current training agency compare?
5 Exceptional customer service
When you call SDI Headquarters, a live human being generally picks up the phone within one or two rings. No Press 666 to be put on hold forever.
And if all our normal customer service reps are busy, don’t be surprised if SDI President Brian Carney or one of the other senior executives picks up. Because, at SDI, you’re not just a customer. You’re family.
Make the right decision
Changing your training agency isn’t a decision you make lightly. If any of the above reasons resonates with your business, contact us. Let’s see if we can help your grow your training program in 2022.