Andaman Coast Road Trip...

Khao Lak Beach

Gary and Donna Hawkes from SSI Thailand had a great road trip In February and March.
In all they visited over 60 dive centers including our existing customers and meeting new ones that will be crossing over in the next qtr.

Places visited included:

Khao Lak

They were happy to report that Khao Lak is having a great season with most reporting full bookings over the Christmas and new year period.This resort town has changed beyond recognition the last two years ,yet has still managed to keep its laid back charm and balance with nature particularly along its HUGE beach. SSI looks forward to returning in the low season to train more instructors and dive centers in the SSI system.

Phuket

Whilst in Phuket they met Beat to set up a new card distribution for the west coast meaning our customers can now issue INSTANT certifications a first for the industry in this region.We also enjoyed sometime with Simon Speight of Phuket Scuba Club at his beach front office enjoying the views and getting a tan.

Donna also spent a huge amount of time enjoying the shopping to be had on this cosmopolitan island.Gary tried to eat his weight at bakeries daily.

Koh Phi Phi

As always Phi Phi was a dream to visit and is one of those places you have to have to pinch yourself to make sure you are really there.Our customers there all report a good season and state the diving is better than ever with almost daily reports of leopard sharks. SSI has had great success here and is happy to report that we gain stronger here each season. Tobi the local IC from Phi Phi Scuba was busy teaching as always and was exited about teaching more dive control specialists on the island.As always Gary and Donna both made excuses to stay an extra day all for SSI Business of course.

More Vietnam crossovers.

From left to right, it’s Clive (Vinadive), Dmitry (Amigos Divers), Guy (Coco Dive Center), Peter (Octopus Diving) & Bertrand (Coral Reef Dive Center).

Al Stewart SSI Training Manager has returned from Nha Trang after successfully crossing over Instructors from Vina Dive - Amigos Divers -Coco Dive Center- Octopus Diving- Coral Reef Dive Center.

Vietnam continues to be a great growing market for SSI we expect the region will continue to grow and we see new changes to Nha Trang on every visit.

If you haven't been yet go check it out.The food is great (thanks mostly to the French ex- pats )
The accommodation a bargain, beaches are long and well kept,the locals are on the most part friendly and relaxed. Then theres the diving Vietnam has surprised us each time we head under water the critters are fantastic and the diversity is surprising.Maybe we have been lucky but each time we have ventured out we have had a respectable 15-20 mtrs of vis.

I for one cant wait to return for some more work if you can call it that.Its hard I Know but someone has to do it.

A New and Improved Multi language Digital instructor manual is now here to help you as an SSI dive professional better serve your Customers.
After listening carefully to our customers in the dive industry SSI Thailand has made many changes to name but a few.

• A totally different and easier user interface has been developed.
  
• New Advanced adventurer and Resort Diver outlines.
  
• More content meaning more value,latest version has more specialty outlines.
  
• Ease of use for the traveling instructor the 2008 version now includes Australian standards.
• A completely new section including ITC videos and transcripts.
• New and improved Stress and Rescue teaching aids.
  

We have also made the move away from plastic packaging and use recyclable card products from a renewable source instead.

New changes at the helm...

DOUG MCNEESE AND ROBERT STOSS TAKE THE HELM OF SSI WORLDWIDE AND ANNOUNCE AN EXCITING FUTURE FOR THE DIVING INDUSTRY

Fort Collins, Colorado – Scuba Schools International, the premier education and business support organization, announces a change in ownership. March 26, 2008 marked the official changing of the guard – Doug McNeese and Robert Stoss, two recognized industry experts, have joined forces to provide the company with a wealth of experience in all facets of the diving industry: Training, Retail, Manufacturing and International Business.

Doug McNeese (President and CEO) has been involved in the diving industry since the age of 10 when his family opened up their first dive store. In 1982 he purchased ‘The Dive Shop’ from his father and began the expansion of the company.

In 1993 Doug purchased NASDS and in late 1998 merged with SSI. Nine years following the merger, Doug is and will continue to be a driving force in the promotion of SSI Worldwide and strengthening its growth through retailers and manufacturers. Doug strongly believes that the “doorway to diving” is the retailer. His passion is to go beyond what has been done, bring more people into the sport and to make scuba diving a lifetime activity.

“In Europe, Asia and Australia, SSI Regional Centers are growing and gaining market share. In the USA successful retailers continue to join SSI based on a proven business model of creating divers and selling scuba equipment. Resorts in the Caribbean, Red Sea and Pacific are also joining the SSI Network so they can access the hundreds of thousands of SSI Divers around the world,” stated McNeese.

Robert Stoss (Chairman) has been actively involved in diving since 1977 as an avid diver, instructor and retail store owner. For 10 years, from 1987 to 1997, Robert had a successful career with Scubapro® with the final position of Vice President and Business Unit Manger of the North American Diving Division of Johnson Worldwide Associates in Racine, WI from 1993 – 1997.

A new opportunity led Robert back to Germany in 1997 where he purchased Seemann Sub®, a leading German manufacturer and importer for a full line of scuba diving equipment. Over the last 10 years, under Robert’s guidance, Seemann® has earned the reputation as the innovative leader in the price to value dive gear segment. In 2007, Seemann Sub was acquired by Johnson Outdoors.

“I joined the SSI Network in February of 2003 as the licensee of the newly formed SSI European Service Center. SSI Germany has since taken a leadership position in the European professional dive market and today is head to head with the leading agency in Dive Center membership,” says Stoss. “I am confident that this new partnership with Doug will create unique opportunities for SSI retailers, instructors and resorts worldwide.

The Clark family is leaving Scuba Schools International on a high note. From a worldwide perspective, the SSI brand is more widely recognized now than ever before. The company is in peak financial shape and beat its all time high sales and profit goals in 2007.

“We are very excited about the huge opportunities in the diving industry,” McNeese and Stoss continued. “All we can say is - prepare to be amazed.”

SSI Global Summit

SSI’S 2008 INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT: MOVING SUCCESSFULLY INTO THE FUTURE

During the second week of March, Scuba Schools International held its annual International Summit at the World Headquarters. Those in attendance were part of SSI’s Global Steering Committee. The Committee is made up of five territories - Europe, Australia, Asia, Latin America and North America. This group represents SSI’s 29 Worldwide Regional Centers. The goal of the Steering Committee is to provide a strategic direction for Scuba Schools International on a global level. The 2008 Summit was spent reviewing the overall strategic direction and confirming the consistency of SSI’s global effort. There was a buzz of excitement throughout the meeting based on the continued growth of SSI Dive Centers, Resorts and Instructors throughout all regions. During 2008 the main goal for SSI Worldwide is to continue providing solutions for the challenges that SSI Retailers and Resorts are facing in today’s highly competitive marketplace, as well as creating a framework to increase diver participation throughout the world. "SSI has spent the last 5 years expanding our worldwide strategy focused on combining education with equipment sales and dive travel. The result, successful retailers continue to join SSI based on a successful business model of creating divers and selling scuba equipment. In Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia, SSI is growing and gaining market share. Resorts in the Caribbean, Red Sea and Pacific are also joining the SSI network so they can access the hundreds of thousands of SSI Divers around the world," stated Doug McNeese SSI Executive Director.

Records set...

SSI SETS NEW PERSONAL RECORD FOR RECYCLING

Scuba Schools International has always made a concerted effort to remind divers about the importance of being environmentally responsible while diving. This attitude is not just preached to others it is put into action every day at Scuba Schools International USA Headquarters.

SSI has taken the time and energy to implement recycling at the headquarters location, attend Eco-friendly community meetings and complete annual reports and assessments of progress. This month SSI received their recycling figures for 2007 and it showed huge advances from ’06 to ’07. SSI not only recycled more, they recycled a larger variety of items. The numbers included:
• Tons recycled - ’06 = .71, ’07 = 5.31
• Trees saved - ’06 = 12, ’07 = 90
• Pollution prevented - ’06 = 42 pounds, ’07= 318 lbs.
• Landfill space saved - ’06. 2.33 cubic yards, ’07 =17.51

Some of the things SSI does to be environmentally conscious includes: shipping orders using compressed brown paper for packing, buying cartons that fit top selling items to eliminate the need for packing, recycling all corrugated cardboard from incoming shipments, finding a demand for all wooden pallets so virtually none end up in the landfill, using environmentally friendly ballasts & bulbs throughout the administration building, donating leftover inventory to various industries and groups, as well as maintaining tight inventory control so very little waste ever makes it to the dumpster, recycling of all aluminum, plastic, newspaper, paper, magazines, and shrink-wrap plastic, providing a battery recycle service for employees, as well as an annual paint collection for disposal, weather stripping all exterior doors and bay doors, use of programmable thermostats throughout the office areas, one fax machine is stocked only with previously printed paper, 99% of notepaper used in the office is the reverse side of previously used paper, to name a few.

"Our philosophy is simply to impact the environment as little as possible while we conduct business. Anything we can do to keep the earth clean just seems to make sense. If it doesn’t end up in the water then we’ll have a clean place to dive. To me it just doesn’t make sense to put things in the landfill that can be reused," stated Linda Clark, SSI Director of Purchasing and Operations.

A busy Qtr.

November 2007

SSI would like to welcome the following schools to SSI Thailand.Khaow Lak: Sea bees ,Wicked diving ,Krabi:Scuba addicts, Aquavision. Phi Phi: Seafrog.

Once again Al stewart and IC Beat Druss have been busy develpoing new products and conducting crossovers.

SSI also conducted a successful IE on the west coast Well done to the new Instructors and welcome to SSI.

Gary Hawkes Director also returned from his SSI seminar in Australia hopefully he has gained as many new ideas as he has Kilos on this visit.

October 2007

The Andaman coast is getting into high gear.

The island of Koh Phi Phi is reporting that many new SSI divers are successfully completing there open water course.Tobias of Phi Phi Scuba is busy conducting more crossovers to help keep up with the demand for SSI professionals on this busy diving island.

Al Stewart our training manager has made the temporary move to Phuket to assist with start of the new 2007/2008 Andaman season.Al Stewart Training manager claims he will be busy with work, At SSI HQ we are convinced that he will be out diving the famous sites of the west coast Still its tough work but someone has to do it.


September 2007

After an excellent season for SSI in Vietnam, Turtle Dive became the latest dive centre in the popular resort town of Nha Trang to crossover to SSI.
Instructors from Angel Dive, Coral Reef Dive Center and Octopus Diving, also completed Instructor crossovers in Nha Trang, to contribute to the ever increasing number of SSI Dive Centres and Instructors in Vietnam.
Earlier this year, Instructor Certifier Neil Farmer and Training Manager Al Stewart conducted instructor crossovers for instructors for Coco Dive
Center and Octopus Diving.
Responding to demand from dive centres in Vietnam, SSI Thailand and SSI Australia are planning to conduct an Instructor Training Courses in Nha Trang early in the new year.