Frederick Claro.Com
Official Web Site of NAUI Course Director Frederick "Freddy" Claro
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Questions and Answers
This
page is a reproduction of an online interview Freddy gave to
Dive Connection in late 2001. Being known in the profession to be a straightforward person, Freddy
answered all questions with his usual enthusiasm, concern, and
uncompromising style. The very same style which brings him admiration from
his students and friends brings discontent and disagreement with others, but in
any case a definitive sense of respect.
This interview involved many different aspects of
the diving profession. We would like to state here that all opinions expressed
during this interview are the personal opinions of their author, and are in
no way representative of the ideas of mentioned associations or third
parties. We acted to coordinate an unbiased interview of a dive
professional, whose ideas are sometimes strongly expressed.
Q:
Freddy, thank you for agreeing to this interview. We will try
to make it brief, and not to awake the "Grizzly" we have been told is asleep
for now...
A: My pleasure, but you know a grizzly is never really asleep, and
when he is, it is only to recharge his batteries...
Q:
You have seen the evolution of the diving business over the last 13 years. What are your feelings about it now?
How do you see the future of the diving industry?
A: First let's go a bit backwards in the development of
recreational scuba diving and training for a while. Back in the late 80's,
the certifying agencies did a really good job of getting diving out of what
I will call a "ghetto". Diving was considered as a military, dangerous,
accident prone, difficult, technical, and elitist activity. Diving
associations, by developing great training methods, training materials, and
in changing steadily the general public believes about diving, got scuba
into the mainstream. It became a fashionable, safe, and fun outdoor
activity. We went into the "boom" of recreational
scuba between 1992 and 1997, when the industry (formed of
the educational, equipment, and dive travel sales worldwide) went from
stagnant to a steep rise, short peak, and nowadays a definite decline.
Diving pros at the beginning of the "boom" were mainly
adventurers who left their own countries for a "better life in paradise", as
we could then define tropical and sub-tropical resorts around the world. I was
one of them back in 1989. We just hoped for a job, to make a living out
of our passion for diving. Most of us had extensive diving experience as
recreational, commercial, or military divers, before making a profession out
of what we loved doing the most. Personally, I was diving for pleasure for 8
years before I became a divemaster, and I had over 200 dives when I got
my advanced diver equivalence to carry on my training. I was just one of
many guys doing that. That was the time of "cowboy diving" as we
recall it, but luckily training agencies standardized our practices and
everything went well. Today, "cowboy diving" is back, but because of the
young professionals' lack of experience as divers and a certain leniency in the
training system of the main "diving instructor factory producer" worldwide: PADI...
In the mid 90's, after a certain success and great
adventure stories spreading out in the Western societies, many more younger
people joined the training and the trade. They were less patient by nature,
and quickly got fed up with mandatory parts of the job such early
wake ups, washing equipment, and long days in shops. Many young instructors
with some money saved
opened their own dive centres, and boosted what became to be named the
"mushrooming" of the diving industry. Encouraged by a certain leader agency
to topple competition, dive centres were opening left, right, and centre in
the best resort areas, and cities worldwide.
That, in my opinion, was the beginning of the downfall
of the industry. From there, stiff competition with other dive centres,
a war of the various certifying agencies, and the latest development (or shall I say
regression) of the educational system in the late 90's until very
recently, all brought the industry and specifically the educational part of
it to a stall, which will take years to recover from.
What went wrong? One cause was the diving agencies self-centered way of
dealing with evolution. For PADI, specifically there was a loss of
contact with the field in addition to constant changes in course standards and curriculum.
This made PADI professionals lost and confused about a system whose goal was
becoming much clearer - make more money, and forget about supporting and
protecting their members on the field. PADI lowered standards of care with the so called
"self study" system, and allowed the uncontrolled and unhealthy mushrooming of dive centres
worldwide for the sole sake of getting more membership fees, and market
shares. Their goal was
to sell
potentially more educational materials in markets who couldn't sustain it
anymore, eventually producing instructors like a factory. Little care was
given to whether the new instructors could find a job and if the industry
was still viable. Next came the over production of Course Directors, leading
to price wars that the dive centres were already used to from their own
fierce competition.
The general diving industry has been incompetent in getting
the media interested in us, and still in the 21st century, scuba diving on
the screen is always seen with sharks, James Bond trapped in a wreck and
shooting bad guys with a spear gun!...Appalling!...Conservationism is mainly
used as a mercantile tool to get more money into regions or tours, and vague
programs for environment, which are just field advertisements for an agency
making divers pose in front of a garbage bag. The over development in "dive
tourism" led to a environmental disaster, with more marginally mainstream
trained divers spoiling underwater wonders such as in the US, Red Sea, Thailand,
Malaysia, Mexico, and many other dive spots worldwide. Dive manufacturers have
been solely concerned with selling and merchandising strategies. They made a few
bucks at the beginning with the "boom" which was healthy and cashed on the
sickening "mushrooming", without offering more solutions for the aftermath
of it. Their only concern was sales. Today as the entire industry is
stalling, they are still crying for more money to be injected their way or
they will not be able to develop more savvy equipment in the future. Same
old song as 20 years ago!
Sorry, but except for shapes, colors and weight,
nothing has changed in diving equipment since WWII. A regulator, a BC, a
mask, and fins don't look the same as they did 30 years ago, but they are
still basic equipment, as are tanks and compressors. Mixed gases, rebreathers, and
tek diving?. They have all been around for years in commercial and military diving
and were merely
adapted to cash in on extra opportunities! The only great advancement in
technology in the last 20 years has been dive computers, who are used for
the increased safety and convenience of recreational divers...as long as
they know how to use one!
Scuba diving pros are the only pros in sports or leisure activities who are not largely "sponsored" by brand name scuba
equipment companies (a very few exceptions exist)! Why? Because
the manufacturers never believed in the impact of instructors on their
students and the public. In Europe, even a local tennis teacher is sponsored by
a brand because of the great impact at his/her level generates sales. Diving manufacturers always believed they don't
need instructors on their side, so no sponsorships. They are biting their fingers now...too late! And
they are still expecting us to wear the cheap
T-shirts they "generously" give us for free. If you want us to promote your
equipment, sponsor us! I stopped wearing any diving brand of t-shirt years
ago and refuse to buy any equipment with the maker's name in huge letters.
Why should we advertise for the manufacturers? We get no support from them.
From the travel experience diving point of view, stiff
competition, also proliferation of charter vessels and liveaboard operations
dreaming to cash on the new trend of scuba diving also led to a war price,
and a very unhealthy situation in a lot of resort places in the world. This
problem is more localized in resorts than cities, and also in third world
countries where costs of staying in business are far lower than in western
countries. But nonetheless, this problem does exist, and is not addressed
properly too.
For me, as long as the industry doesn't change its
image and the way it deals with the situation, these problems will get even
worse and damaged irremediably our profession. The recreational diving
industry, as a niche market of the tourism industry has come to a stall
first and now a regression, incomes are low, and will soon be below
sustainability on a commercial point of view. Some areas have to face a
heavy crash as there are no other solutions first, then if the industry
changes its way of dealing with what they want it to be, rather than what it
is, then we can hope for a revival...
My point is: stop thinking that scuba is for every
one!...This is a dream which will never happen. Staighten your policies,
go back into quality training, and improve our businesses with less divers
who will continue to dive, and consume more in an activity which really fit
them, not a fashion flaw. Better than a quick buck with scared people who
will never dive again and will harm us and the environment in the process in
the long term...
Scuba Diving is not a mass activity...Period. We
must deal with it as such.
Q:
Now these problems are pointed out clearly, any suggestions for
improvement?...
A: Well, my opinion is: Regain quality training, which
will train good and competent divers. These divers will stay more active in
the activity, generate more education, equipment and travel sales. To
achieve this aim, the industry leader, I mean PADI, should recover the
quality, which was their trademark years ago, keep contact with the field,
which they lost a while ago for the profit of corporate decisions harming
the entire industry. They should start to control the market in reducing the
dive centres and instructors factory production, and regain credibility.
They will have to accept the loss of money for a while but the stability of
our industry is at that cost...the real question is: are they willing to make it?...
Manufacturers should trust the field power more, and
tie up more with instructors who are the voice of the industry and opinion
leaders. Diving instructors are the one who have the direct contact with the
divers and students, they are the one who are leading people to decide what
to buy, and when to buy it. Dive consumers don't decide to buy through their
stupid technical and elitist advertisement campaigns, which often made laugh
the entire profession!
The recreational scuba diving industry should also try
to have more decision power in resort areas where the development control is
done by promotors and tourism operators, who are often sacrifying the
environment for the profit and short term decisions to get the "quick buck
in". We should be more a regulation and counseling option than a money
maker. The industry have to learn how to stop cashing on the wrong flow, and
be more environmentally responsible.
I believe we should come back to the real values of
scuba diving, which have been lost along the way for pure business
development, by people who often have no clue of what they are really doing.
Producing a certified diver in 2 days, or an instructor
in 6 months from scratch are things we should try to get rid off as it is
harmful on the long term for the entire industry.
I will always believe and say that scuba diving will
never be a mass sport or activity, there are rules, motor skills, equipment
and technical investments, whose put the activity on the upper end of the
consumption scale: diving is not cheap and should not be, investments are
heavy for what will remain small businesses, and solving worldwide
economical problems affecting the general tourism economy, the over
population and saturation of resort markets with unmotivated dive centres
and professionals, by a forced war price on a worldwide scale for them just
to barely survive is just "shooting ourselves in the feet to run faster"...
In one small sentence, I believe improvement will come
through the come back to the true values of our activity, becoming more responsible
educationally, environmentally, and financially, in one word: we must come
to Maturity and stop all futile tribal conflicts!...Today, we are just the
mirror of the sadness of the world evolution!
Q:
You spoke about the environment a few times...Isn't the dive industry
supportive of all environmental efforts in resorts and other regions?...
A: Well, technically the intention is there. Of course
divers and dive pros want to protect the environment!...But is it really
efficient, and is the industry pushing for it in the right
direction?...Well, I believe not, and here is why I do think so...
The industry is more focused on cashing in the
"eco-dollars" than to really act responsibly and become a real partner in
defending local environments, abused by inept and uncontrolled tourism
development. How many places in the world, mainly in third world countries
resort places, have been spoiled by uncontrolled tourism related
constructions, leading to soil erosion, increased sedimentation killing
house coral reefs, increased pollution, and mismanagement of natural and
human resources?...Is the industry responsible?...Well of course the
decision makers are not part of our trade, we are merely following a general
consensus to bring more and more tourists in poor corrupted places, eager to
cash on tourism dollars for the entertainment of the working class of our
modern societies, and somehow luring the public into
believing that we are doing good for the environment. I personally don't see
where an increased number of marginally trained divers by so called
"professional diving instructors and facilities", unable to control
their buoyancy and movements under the water will help to the long term
survival of the worldwide coral reefs!...Neither do I see the need for a
fleet of "zillion dive charter vessels" crowding dive spots with incompetent
divers, at prices who can't even make the operation financially sustainable...
I wouldn't like to sound to much politically involved
either, but let say that the irresponsible general behavior of numerous
government officials in numerous countries, cashing on the over fishing of
coast lines, illegal dynamite and cyanide fishing, uncontrolled hotels and
resorts development, and sponsoring short minded "mass tourism" policy to
cash quickly the dollars to be made before the places get spoiled for
ever, and tour operators decide to sent their "sheeps" elsewhere...are not exactly helping Mother Nature to do well in certain places,
including so called "developed western countries"...
At the end, environmental issues are political decisions made by
supposedly responsible politicians in charge of the high destinies of their
countries...Oh, sorry...Am I dreaming here?...If the recreational diving
industry would be perceived by governmental associations as a potential
global partner to help in the regulation of environmental issues anywhere,
they would call on us to help...Is it the case?..Globally no!..Why?...Because
we are perceived as part of the problems, not part of the solutions, and
what I have seen sometimes in different places around the world made me
ashamed to be part of this profession and trade.
As long as we will not change our attitude one more
time towards ourselves, the outsiders, and the true challenge of the
environmental issues, then we will never deserve to be part of the solution
and getting out of our infancy...As long as the diving industry is ruled by
a bunch of dictators in all level of activities, people who lost track
of the field challenges long ago, and are only motivated by personal
interests and ego...We will never get out of our problems. And it is also
because of the sclerosis of our system that we can't find the solution for
ourselves!...Is scuba diving today the environmentally friendly activity it
claims to be?...In my opinion: no! And it will not be until we truly
change!...
Q:
What advises would you give today to a young professional / instructor
starting the career?...
A: Well, as bad as it seems after answering these few
questions, is there still a career in scuba diving?..Of course it is! But
what is killing us today is the lack of motivation and patience of young
pros...Everyone in any activity has to start somewhere. Dive professionals
too, no exception. Also like in any other profession, there are people who
are natural leaders, other people learn their trade and progress and other
just stay where they are...These are facts of life, so people should also
know better themselves and their abilities in order to better fit in. Our
industry is suffering mainly because people joining us have little patience
in achieving results, as they want it all now! You must have reasonable
personal and business goals for yourself and establish clearly where do you
want to go according to your capacities, within the next 2 year, then 5
years and 10 years. Then be honest with yourself too... Why shall
someone become a Course Director if one do
not like much teaching?...Money?...Prestige?...Both?...Don't dream and be
realistic.
The industry should also leave people a realistic choice. Do we really need all the diving instructors and dive shops
around?...Of course not, in the most popular resort places, probably a cut
in 50% of them would be great!...I have been teaching instructors since
1992, and honestly how many of these hundreds of trainees did I really see
motivated to teach (because yes, teaching is what instructors do!...)?...Not 20%
honnestly. And why the other 80% became
instructors?...After asking a lot of them, answers usually were:
1) Find a job as dive centres don't employ simple divemasters
anymore...(why?...)
2) Make more money
3) Open my own dive shops
4) Share my passion of diving (finally!...)
5) Work on a liveaboard cruise vessel (cf answer # 1)
When I asked how many of them wanted their own dive
shops?...90% wanted, and why?...The answers were:
1) Get others to carry tanks (common joke in the trade)
2) Make more money
3) Be my own boss, fed up of receiving orders by people they were mainly
judging incompetent!
4) Challenge of having my own business in an activity I love
This gave me the final general impression of the young
instructor profile...Very seldomly was mentioned the motivation of teaching
and transmitting the message of diving and get first hand participation in
getting the general public to dive safely and enjoy the underwater world.
Most of these individuals have been forced by the greed
of the industry to become instructors as most of them just want to dive
first and have fun with divers on a boat, not necessarily teach..But the industry all of a sudden
made them "unemployable" as divemasters.
My point is that we must get our trade back on track
following its real values, and stopping luring young professionals in the
wrong direction. Stop saying to people that they should be instructors if
they don't want, stop telling centres owners that
they have to be "5 star centres" if they wish to survive among the
sharks, stop telling to people to become Course Directors as they still wish
to be a dive master on a charter vessel....Short minded greed is what have
been leading us to where we are today: in a swamp, which we will all agree
is not the greatest place for scuba divers.
I pledge the industry to just let people decide what
the wish for themselves. We have been "walking on our hands" for a few years
now...It is not too late!
My address to young pros: please be more patient, number one quality
nowadays to be successful, make short and long term plans, consider yourself
as a professional having a career, not "drifters" only traveling and diving the
world, respect your career as it is if you wish to be respected and looked
upon as true professionals, keep learning constantly and improve yourselves. Train responsibly, safely, don't shortcut standards, you are harming
everyone including yourself. Be open minded, dogmatism kills your brain,
beware of corporate "brain washing", use all available tools at your disposal, the
internet is today the best tool to promote yourself, get online, tell people
around the world who you are, where you are and what you can do for their
great passion of scuba diving.
Exist for yourselves and for the future of the recreational
diving industry. It is in the hands of the new generation of divemasters and
instructors...Act responsibly, bring us back to where we belong!...
Bring back the quality in training and diving services
and the pleasure we had not so long ago, before we got lost...Because my
generation of dive professionals is either "out for lunch" or "in for the
bucks"...But I still never saw an activity or trade increasing volume and
keeping great quality.. Nope, it just doesn't happen in the real world.
Please let's skip the "fast food" part of our trade.
Wake up and get quality back! I am convinced that the
general public likes quality, why deprive them? It would reflect on us in
the long term.
Q:
Frederick, thank you for your input on these numerous issues. Your plans for
the future?...
A: It has been my pleasure. My plans?...Keep teaching
and train dive professionals focusing on quality training and quality career
development. As usual, teach less, but more efficiently, more
enthusiastically and hopefully better than before. Concentrate on sending
divers in quality places worldwide, with the best and most responsible
operators we can find.
And hope for the best in the future of our
wonderful activity...We are so lucky to be able to live and travel the
world, contemplating its underwater wonders, and making a living out of it.
We have a great life, and yet we are spoiling it...Is it fate or a curse
that we never learn from our mistakes?...
I am confident that safety and quality will once more
prevail in a near future, and that the new generation of dive leaders and
educators will lead the path for a new blossom of our industry.
E-mail: freddy@frederickclaro.com
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