Our Shop

Our Shop
"We can't dive you in a shop!"

Once upon a time there lived a tall, scuba instructor from England. He moved to Hawaii, well for obvious reasons, and decided to start his own business taking people scuba diving. He did what many of the scuba companies do on Oahu, bought a van, some dive gear and a business license for AAA Diving. Since boat moorings are scarce on the island, very few dive operators own their own boat. So, Alex did what the rest of them did, and rented boat seats on a boat that of course was also being chartered out to other dive companies at the same time.

All went well for a couple of years. Alex’s business grew, but he grew increasingly tired of the conflict which often arose between the various operators all sharing the same boat space. He also wished he could allow more time for his divers to make their dives, rather then being rushed so as to accommodate the boat owner/captains conflicting schedule. Alex knew it was time to make a new investment in his company.

He pondered on which direction to go. Hawaii is very expensive. Retail leases are very high, and boat moorings with commercial loading permits are very scarce. He knew he had to choose between owning a shop or a boat. It was his thought that a boat would be a better to purchase then investing in a retail store, because you can’t dive customers out of a shop!

And so, it came to pass. After much shopping and investigating, Alex bought himself a boat. He had experienced the Oahu boats which were older, and not made for diving. They were often times unreliable, small and cramped, and difficult to get in and out of. He decided to invest in a brand new boat which he had custom built in Florida, being made to accommodate divers. Wide beam, low swim step, easy to climb ladder and shaded cabin area. And because so often he had seem dive boats circling a site for twenty minutes trying to find the mooring, he even spent the few extra dollars to acquire a GPS system for faster hook ups. Equipped with its own boat, AAA Diving began a new level of operations.

Time passed and not without challenges that any new company faces with such a major new investment. But Alex kept at it and has persevered through the hard times. He worked very hard to make AAA Diving a success by setting AAA Diving apart from other operators on the island. He does not charter seats to other companies so provides a luxurious boat ride (as opposed to the cattleboat feel). He offers flexible dive schedules so his guests can have their maximum allowable bottom times with long leisurely surface intervals. All of this possible because he owns the boat, not a shop.

The “shop” consists of a brand new van, a cell phone, a laptop and a $300,000 boat, all fully insured. He does not have the additional expense and stress of running a retail space so his energy can be focused on what he is in business to do, take people on pleasurable dives and treat his guests the way he would like to be treated on his own dive vacations.

Alex is happy he chose the boat over a shop and if you are very lucky, you will make a trip to Hawaii and enjoy a dive experience with AAA Diving!