In today’s click-and-pay consumer landscape, dive shop owners face different challenges in adapting to the digital age. At the 2024 DEMA Show, a panel of industry leaders showcased the diverse ways PADI’s Digital Ecosystem, particularly PADI Adventures, is revolutionizing business growth for dive stores. The panelists tackled key questions:
- Why did you get involved in Adventures?
- What new group of clients have you acquired?
- What do you do to set yourself apart in your listings?
- How much time did it take to create your Adventures listings?
Get comfortable and dive into this engaging, actionable guide featuring insights from fellow PADI Pros.
Rocket Frog Divers, Costa Rica: A Global Reach
Michael, from Rocket Frog Dive Shop (#22776) in Costa Rica, shared how PADI Adventures has dramatically expanded their reach to divers worldwide, often from unexpected markets.
“Most of these people that come to me are not from areas that I particularly advertise in. Most of the tourism that comes to Costa Rica is from the United States and Canada. Europe is then third, and then all others would be last. So many of the people that I see through PADI Adventures are coming from Europe, and it’s everything – Open Water Diver courses, Advanced Open Water Diver, snorkeling, and diving. It’s all in my PADI Adventures profile.”
Michael explained that the platform simplifies operations by handling payments and connecting him directly with customers.
“I’m not looking for money from the customer — they’ve already paid, and it comes into my account. It’s super simple, and it’s immediate contact between the customer and ourselves. Once you receive your PADI Adventures booking, you’re connected directly with the customer.”
With 184 bookings in a year from diverse locations, Rocket Frog Divers has reaped the benefits of this automated system. Michael highlighted how easy it is to get started with PADI Adventures:
“It takes probably an hour of your time behind your desk to set up your profile, and then it just self-runs. I didn’t have to do any work other than what I did up front to get the bookings into my system.”
Divers Incorporated, Ohio: Surprising Results
Rich from Divers Incorporated (#917) in Ohio wasn’t expecting such a success from listing any diving experiences on PADI Adventures, unsure if it would work for his non-tourist destination. That changed when he received the first booking.
“I’m in the Midwest – not a tourist hotspot like Costa Rica or Mexico – so I never expected it to work. But it did! Just put something out there, and you’ll be amazed by the results.“
He decided to list a guided dive at White Star Quarry during a holiday weekend, expecting little to no results. To his surprise, a couple booked the dive through PADI Adventures, and that single booking generated $50 per person for the dive and an additional $400 in rentals and concessions.
“I was down there in compressor clothes, and a lady walked up and said, ‘I’m here for my guided dive.’ I couldn’t believe it — it worked!”
Inspired by this success, Rich began adding more offerings to the platform, including Discover Scuba Diving experiences and weekend guided dives.
“I just picked weekends I didn’t have anything booked and added sessions. All of a sudden, people were signing up, and we had customers.”
The platform has become a cornerstone of their operations, proving that even in a less-traditional diving destination, it’s possible to attract and retain a steady stream of customers.
“It might take you an hour to set up your listings, but once it’s done, it just runs itself. I’m a cheerleader for it now — it’s been an incredible tool for us.”
Dive Ninja, Mexico: Simplifying Operations
Aithor, from Dive Ninja (#27042) in Mexico, emphasized PADI Adventures’ ability to “filter” customers and ensure bookings are tailored to their qualifications. Unlike other platforms where mismatched expectations often occur, PADI Adventures provides clarity and simplifies the process.
“PADI Adventures helps to filter the customer. On other platforms, customers often book for fun diving and aren’t even certified divers. But through PADI Adventures, every booking is like easy peasy. Here is your eLearning, here is whatever you need, and it’s done. It’s really easy for us to manage bookings through the app.”
Aithor also highlighted the platform’s fair commission structure, particularly for courses, where commissions are just 10%, significantly lower than the 20-28% charged by other platforms. This has allowed Dive Ninja to offer competitive pricing while maximizing profitability.
Beyond bookings, PADI Adventures has driven traffic to their citizen science and conservation programs, generating interest and eventual bookings directly with the company. Pedro noted:
“Without the PADI app, we would never have had those customers. It brings a lot of traffic to our company, a lot of questions, and at the end, they book.”
When Dive Ninja opened a second location, Aithor anticipated a labor-intensive migration process but was pleasantly surprised by the support from the PADI Adventures team.
“I thought I’d need to do a lot of work on my computer, but I did nothing. Someone from the PADI team in Italy contacted me and handled the entire migration. All I had to do was a final check. They did all the hard work for me. That was amazing.”
Trident Adventures, Hawaii: Leveraging Uniqueness in a Competitive Market
A standout example of leveraging PADI Adventures to showcase unique offerings comes from Lisa, at Trident Adventures (#26887) in Hawaii. As the only dive shop in the world to offer FAA-certified helicopter diving, Lisa used the platform to elevate their one-of-a-kind experience to a global audience, reaching European and mainland US customers.
“The biggest thing for any dive shop, particularly in a resort or a highly touristy area like Hawaii, is competing and marketing. By using PADI Adventures, which has a huge marketing platform, we’re able to get our word out there.“
Initially attracting customers from the Asian market, Trident has seen a significant uptick in European travelers using PADI Adventures, many of whom plan their vacations months or even years in advance.
“I got a booking last week for someone coming in October 2025. These customers are booking helicopter dives, classes, and all the specialties we advertise.“
The platform has also been instrumental in managing time zone challenges, allowing Lisa’s team to capture bookings even while they’re out diving.
“When I first started, I spent 10–15 minutes setting up the profile. Over time, I’ve refined it based on customer feedback and questions, particularly about our helicopter operations. The more engagement we get, the more we can improve our listings to eliminate those questions upfront.”
Catalina Divers Supply, California: Expanding Internationally
Mark, PADI Training Director at Catalina Divers Supply (#270) in California, emphasized how putting their products on PADI Adventures expanded the dive shop’s international reach:
“The farthest destination we got from someone was South Africa. We are in California on Catalina Island. So we’re becoming more international now.”
Mark’s experience underscores how even shops that aren’t actively marketing internationally can benefit from PADI Adventures’ global reach.
International Scuba, North Dallas: Capturing After-Hours Bookings
Jenetta from International Scuba (#18314) in North Dallas highlighted how PADI Adventures bridges the gap for after-hours inquiries, a crucial feature, especially for smaller dive shops.
“The majority of people that sign up all year round happen in the night after store hours are closed. We’re a small dive shop, and we can’t afford 24-hour operators to take messages or bookings. Nobody wants to leave a message, and people aren’t even sending emails anymore these days.”
Jenetta also emphasized that PADI Adventures is particularly helpful for shops that don’t have advanced SEO strategies or digital marketing resources, offering extra visibility and accessibility.
“If they’re not already divers or loyal customers, people either find you through Google or shop around. The Adventures app gives you that extra visibility, especially if you’re not a Google wizard with advanced SEO strategies.”
For dive shops hesitant to tackle the workload, Jenetta shared a practical tip: outsource tasks like uploading classes and schedules to tech-savvy family members or part-time help.
“I paid my daughter by the hour to upload the class list for the year into the PADI Adventures app. Everything goes to PADI for approval before it posts, so if there’s an issue, they’ll catch it and send it back. It’s really great because they double-check your work for you.”
Infinity2Diving, Mexico: Personality Matters
Operating in a region with over 50 competing dive shops, Infinity2Diving (#24336) faced the challenge of standing out in a crowded market. The team turned to PADI Adventures, which provided the tools they needed to streamline their operations and attract more customers.
Victoria made it very simple and clear:
“Everyone, you click and pay, right? This is what we want in the consumer world. Now, me as a dive shop, this would take a lot of money to create an app to click and buy like Amazon, but PADI has done it for us.”
The platform not only simplified the booking process but also offered valuable guidance on improving their listings.
“PADI always replied and gave us suggestions. For example, they said, ‘Do not put photos of the reef – put a photo of your facility.’ So we started changing all our photos to show our pool and facility, and our bookings started increasing like crazy.“
Victoria noted how effortless the system became once set up, handling confirmations, addresses, and other customer details automatically.
“You don’t need to do anything, okay? All you need to do is set it up, and it will start flowing.”
Practical Takeaways
The panel concluded with a resounding message: dive shops don’t need to reinvent the wheel to succeed in the digital age. PADI Adventures allows businesses to capture bookings 24/7, improving customer engagement, increasing exposure, and streamlining operations.
If you want to maximize your results, explore the full potential of PADI’s integrated ecosystem. The PADI Adventures team offers virtual one-on-one support in different languages and can’t wait to guide you through the listing process and help you create a compelling online presence.
Read More About PADI Adventures
- Turn Your Website Into a Real Revenue Source With PADI Adventures
- Answers to the Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions about PADI Adventures
- How to Craft Better Course Descriptions for Higher Conversion Rates via PADI Adventures
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