Travel

A Deeper Dive Into the The Caribbean Diving Industry

A Deeper Dive Into the The Caribbean Diving Industry
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Photo Credit – Saint Lucia Dive Association Anbaglo

ATLANTA – The pristine underwater gardens of the Caribbean offer an incredible array of reef systems and marine life that make the Caribbean a huge favorite for dive tourism.

Travel Agents Selling the Caribbean (TASC) reiterated their mission of strengthening the region’s position in the global tourism market, by hosting a webinar last Tuesday, to explore the vast potential of the Caribbean Dive Industry and to provide insider tips on how to sell dive packages.

It is predicted that divers will be one of the first groups to resume travel once the Caribbean fully reopens its borders post-COVID. The webinar featured specialists in the dive industry who presented exciting dive destinations and experiences. Panelists weighed in on how their business has been impacted with reduced group sizes, new health and safety protocols and the adoption of best practices to protect customers and staff against the challenges bedeviling the industry.

The virtual session was moderated by TASC Founder, Kelly Fontenelle who is also a certified diver.  As a dive enthusiast, she explained that the line-up of speakers had been carefully selected to highlight the diversity of the Caribbean’s dive offerings and the huge potential that abounds.

The panel featured well known dive destinations like Belize and Cayman Islands, St. Lucia, Grenada and Dominica which are growing dive spots and St. Eustatius, a lesser known destination in the Dutch Caribbean with a population of 3,000.

Institutions represented:

  • Belize Tourism Board
  • DAN – Divers Alert Network
  • Deep Blue Adventures
  • Discover Dominica
  • Clearly Cayman
  • Grenada Dive Association
  • Saint Lucian Dive Association
  • Golden Rock Dive

Panelists were in full agreement that diving remains one of the fun activities that continue to attract loyal adventure seekers to the Caribbean. It is a growing niche that sets the region apart, because of the ease of access from major gateways in the US.  Despite the Caribbean’s significant geographical advantage, the region’s vast, diverse area makes decisions about which destinations to recommend, quite overwhelming for today’s travel advisors.

The discussion focused on the key elements that make various dive spots both unique and appealing.  The region’s carefully managed reef conservation programs that preserve the “health and wealth” of the region’s underwater richness and dive regulations throughout the Caribbean help to reduce anxiety and give a great level of comfort about the safety of the industry.

Belize was presented as one of the top spots for divers by Deborah Arana, Senior Trade Officer and Adolfo Ayouso, an instructor at Ramons Village Resort. Belize boasts the largest coral reef system in the Western hemisphere and is home to over seven different marine reserves and over 400 keys.  The Turneffe Atoll, one the largest and most biologically diverse atolls in the Caribbean is regarded as an advanced divers’ hotspot.

Wreck diving emerged as one of the most appealing trends in the industry, and the Caribbean continues to set the pace in this regard. The region features a plethora of old wrecks as well as newer attractions. Grenada, a tri-island state in the Southern Caribbean, that also includes Carriacou and Petite Martinique, is renowned in diving circles as the “Shipwreck Capital of the Caribbean.”  It is littered with numerous sunken ships, colorful marine reefs and the world’s only underwater Sculpture Park.

Grenada Dive Association

Night diving is another attraction in Grenada. “We have the Veronica-L, a super popular wreck covered in cup corals,” said Christine Finney of the Grenada Dive Association.

Fernanda Melgoza of Discover Dominica highlighted the Soufriere Scott’s Head Marine Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Champagne Reef is another unique site where divers can float in bubbles that are created by volcanic gases below. “It gives you the sensation that you are actually in a glass of champagne, which is where the name comes from,” Melgoza explained.

Clearly Cayman

Sarah Jane from Clearly Cayman promoted the accessibility of the Cayman Islands as a major advantage. “We’re just an hour South of Miami. Clearly Cayman is lucky to have three resorts on each of the Cayman islands. So we have Cobalt Coast in Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac Beach Resort, and Little Cayman Beach Resort. Reef Divers is located across all three properties. It offers valet style diving and “takes all the heavy lifting out of scuba diving” by cleaning and storing gear for divers.” Dive packages include breakfast and airport transfers and divers can stay at any of the three resorts.

Golden Rock Dive Center and Scuba Aqua

Sarah Hellevang of St. Eustatius presented the island’s only local dive shops, Golden Rock Dive Center and Scuba Aqua.  The destination offers wreck diving and many acres of coral and crested lava flows from the Quill volcano, which erupted about 40,000 years ago. Also unique to “Statia” is archeological diving which offers the exploration of trade ships from the late 1700s, with many old anchors and cannons. There are over 30 dive sites most of which are moored.

“This makes it easier for divers, ascending and descending, and also protects our reefs by preventing anchoring.” Hellevang said.

St. Lucian Divers Association

Eget Martyr, President of the St. Lucian Divers Association shared insights from her 26 years’ experience in the diving business. Most of the diving is done on the Caribbean side, which makes it conducive to all levels of divers, from novices to the very experienced to advanced divers.

“We have varying depths from walking distance of the beach to over 300 feet deep. So a variety of dives can be done, with loads of different species of small to great in St. Lucia,” Martyr highlighted.  St Lucia offers two amazing wrecks within a short distance from each other, namely the Lesleen-M Wreck, and Dani Koyo Maru.

Deep Blue Adventures

Cheryl Patterson from Deep Blue Adventures, a tour operator offering dive vacations provided insider tips to how travel advisors. She highlighted how profitable the dive business can be by differentiating the itineraries. The dive industry is a $19 billion segment of the adventure travel industry with $2 billion generated through equipment sales and rentals.

Patterson explained that divers have a different mindset. They are active, passionate and do not consider travel a luxury, or an unnecessary expense that goes to the bottom of the list when they are trying to save money.  Divers are also known for their deep natural connection to sustainability.  “Scuba diving is an itch that continuously has to be scratched. It’s why they became a diver in the first place. Jacques Cousteau himself said ‘we protect what we love.’ And the majority of scuba divers do have a deeper appreciation for our planet.”

The dive wholesaler also shared that the average diver usually has a higher income and spends about $2,424 USD on their average trip. They also take about five vacations annually. Diving tends to attract multi-generational and if travel advisors build loyalty, their dive business can become extremely lucrative.

The webinar also addressed wide ranging challenges faced by stakeholders in the industry, especially with the emergence of COVID-19.  Divers Alert Network (DAN) representatives Chloe Strauss and Francois Burman, emphasized the importance of safety protocols amid the health pandemic. They encouraged travel advisors to carefully review the policies of dive adventure companies and to become more familiar with industry best practices for operators and clients, to help mitigate the risk of getting COVID.

The webinar ended with travel advisors gaining comprehensive insights into the amazing potential of the Caribbean diving industry and how they can position their business to harness the benefits of the growing industry.

 

 

South Florida Caribbean News

The SFLCN.com Team provides news and information for the Caribbean-American community in South Florida and beyond.

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