As a scuba diver, I dread having to go here. I've been diving for 15 years, having relocated to the…read moreNortheast from Florida with over 1,200 logged dives and interactions with dozens of dive shops.
My main issue with Dive Winnipesaukee isn't selection or pricing--it's the staff.
Diving Lake Winnipesaukee is cold, dark, has a short season, rough water, and not a lot to see. I spend my personal time on this, driving the boat of the car up to an hour just to get to this shop and another hour in four foot chop to reach a dive site on the opposite end of the lake. Between hauling heavy gear and long drives, the process is already a hassle. The staff could easily make the experience better and the day better, but instead, they make it worse.
I've been here a few times. I walk in through the back door to the front counter and stand there while two teenagers focus on renting someone a canoe. Five minutes pass without a greeting, an acknowledgment, a basic "we'll be right with you " or even better a "you finish this while I help this person" (it doesn't take two people to rent a trampoline).
Eventually I see someone in the back room, go to that employee, and politely ask to get a tank serviced and rent another one for the day.
The transaction itself is purely clinical--exactly like walking into a doctor's office. I get handed a clipboard, fill it out, show my dive card, pay for the rental, get my receipt, and get sent on my way.
When checking in my tank for a simple visual inspection, the staff member behind the counter asked for the date of manufacture on the tank. I mentioned I bought it brand new last year (meaning it's less than five years old), and she retorted, "Well, I need to check to make sure it doesn't need a hydrostatic inspection." Everyone in the dive community casually calls it a hydro. Using full the terminology just comes across as insecure (like you have to prove you know the full name) or it's pretentious.
During a 15-minute rental process at any other dive shop I've ever been to, there's some basic small talk. Staff ask where you're diving today or talk about local sites, and you get to know the people. Here that isn't the case. The staff is generally unfriendly. I don't like going in there, I don't like interacting with them, and I'd rather avoid them entirely.
My friend who knows them, said their problem is they're the only dive shop on the lake. He says competition demands exceptional service and customer loyalty where a monopoly does not. I agree.
If another dive shop opened anywhere on Winnipesaukee, I would switch to them in a heartbeat, even if it were more expensive or further away.
