Scuba Diving Websites: How to sell your services (top tips from a regular diver)

Let’s start off with an introduction… Hi, my names Jade and I’ve been scuba diving for over 10 years. I book holidays with a focus to scuba dive and am currently working towards my scuba diving masters. Before covid, I was due to travel to Thailand to complete my masters and instructorship, but life had other plans. I love scuba diving, but like many, find it hard to pick a scuba diving website that convinces me to book. I generally end up on social media looking at the scuba centre profiles and reviews from previous divers.

Choosing a dive school

Call me biased, but learning to dive is one of the most exciting things on the planet. If you’re an experienced diver, you know how much of a difference a dive centre can make. After all, dive centres provide services, gear and courses to all levels of diving – from recreational to technical diving, and everything in between. However, for newcomers to the sport, it’s essential to understand early on that selecting the right dive centre is pertinent in your diving journey. And for oldies like me, it’s finding new places to travel and dive (meaning we need a new diving school everywhere we go).

So how do you choose the right diving school for you?

What I consider when searching for a scuba diving school

Choosing a Dive Organisation and Qualification

One of the main considerations is with which organisation you want to get certified. Think of it as like choosing the superhero alliance of the underwater world – whether it’s PADI, SSI or CMAS – your potential customers will have a preference. So showcase it! One of the first things I want to know when searching for a dive school is certifications. Are you a PADI focused centre? SSI Dive school? or CMAS certified? and which courses do you offer under each branch?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clicked onto a scuba diving website just to be given a list of courses with little to no information underneath. My ideal diving school website would give me a brief overview of each with the option to dive deeper with a page that includes:

• Qualification / course introduction. Give me detail on what the course is, how long it takes, minimum dives needed and why I should choose you.
• Respective certified organisation. What organisational branch is this course with – PADI, SSI or CMAS? While I have diving certificates with both PADI and SSI, I have met divers who stay true to one alliance.
• Associated diving spots. I haven’t yet been on a scuba diving website which shows which local diving spots I’ll be visiting if I choose this course. There’s over 30 diving courses I can choose from and 1000’s of local dive spots. So what makes me choose a scuba diving course? Easy! – the marine life and experience I can get while diving. If there’s a famous local wreck dive available or a spot with turtles I am in (no questions asked).
• Frequently Asked Questions. Again this is widely overlooked on diving website (why!?). A good FAQ section shows you’re listening to the people that come to you and are passing the information on. Cut down on the guessing or questions people have. The more information you give them, the easier it is to sell your service.

Location of The Diving Centre 

Choosing a dive centre close to the dive sites you want to dive means less time on the boat and more time immersed in the magic of the blue. When picking where to take a course, easy access from your house or hotel will make the commute easier.

As a dive school you need to showcase your location – tell people where you are and what’s around. Linking with other locations and local hotels will help with your SEO for when someone is Googling “Dive Schools near [hotel name]”. You also need to tell potential customers if you do hotel transfers as this is a huge game changer when I’m booking.

Make it easy for divers to find you – Local SEO is your friend!

Local Dive Sites

The reason we dive! Throughout my research phase I always explore the local information before booking my holiday. Local blogs and information boards tell me more about the area and local dive spots than the local scuba diving businesses. Why is that!?

Make sure you add local dive spot information to your scuba diving website. This will increase your SEO reach and could be the deciding factor of someone booking their holiday in your area, and consequently their diving with you. Having a range of dive spots available to be explored will capture the interest of a range of divers.

For example, if you have wreck diving, cave diving, shore diving, boat trips, deep diving etc. then this will appeal to all scuba divers. But make sure to categorise each spot to tell divers what they can expect. You already do the diving brief – so put that on your website. Include key information such as: diving depths, dive type (e.g. wreck / cave), experience level required (min. 50 dives), marine life, current, equipment needed etc. This level of information will ensure your divers are prepared and give the person booking a better understanding of the area, and what you offer.

Experience Level of Instructors and Dive Masters

It’s crucial that a diver trust your team to support them in their diving. Quite literally they are putting their lives in your hands – from equipment quality and set-up to the dive itself. Diving is a wonderful but dangerous sport if not taken seriously.

When looking to undertake further training and specialist courses, instructors who have first-hand experience and can impart knowledge will make the difference. They’re not just book smart – they’re street (or rather, seabed) smart. Some instructors have specialisation and excel at certain areas of diving. Experienced dive guides and instructors will set the conditions of the dive, including depth and bottom time, and be diligent in following them. If the person visiting your website doesn’t feel 100% confident in your team, then they will not book.

By adding a team page or instructor information section to your website and course pages, you are eliminating those concerns. You don’t need your teams life stories, only the key highlights to promote your capability to provide a fun and safe diving environment. Key highlights I look for are:

• Headshot / profile image
• Name
• Diving instructor qualifications
• Specialties or specific interests (this can influence my course choice)
• How long they have been diving for or number of dives
• Languages they speak (while underwater signs are universal, having someone who can speak your language is an instant yes – especially when taking new courses)

Scuba Diving Reviews

Reputation is important when it comes to choosing the right dive centre. Reading online reviews and asking others divers who have travelled to the local area is an important part of the pre-purchase research. One of my main top tips for people choosing the right dive centre, is to make sure they are people-focused. A friendly atmosphere will allow you to feel comfortable with the team, ask those burning questions and to soak up knowledge (especially as a solo traveller). So makes sure you integrate your reviews onto your website. Make sure the relevant reviews are on each page, ensuring website visitors get re-assurance no matter the service they’re exploring.

Pricing

Now it’s not what you think. While I love a good bargain, I don’t book the cheapest diving school going. Everyone’s underwater adventure deserves a dive centre that’s as invested in their safety and enjoyment as they are. (Newbies: don’t be lured by just the siren song of cheap deals!)

With that being said, transparency is key. Everyone has a budget whether it’s for their holiday or monthly expenses, so your cost will effect their ability to dive with you. Clear prices help divers understand what they can afford e.g. number of dives, number of days they can dive, equipment hire, nitrox charges, boat charges etc. I love planning my diving trips and my budget is essential.

I have never contacted a dive school who hasn’t had their prices showcased on their website. While you might prefer to speak to the diver, it doesn’t mean they’re comfortable ringing you to discuss prices. This is especially true if you are not local and additional phone charges apply.

Imagery and Footage From Latest Dives

Social media is always the final deciding factor for me. If you don’t post your latest dives, pictures of marine life or show any happy team members or divers, then I won’t book anything with you. Period.

The frequency of social media posts can vary, but consistency is key. If you haven’t posted since February 2024 (or at least one post within the last 2 months) then I’m going to assume you’ve closed shop and look for another dive school. Good quality content is key! Make sure your social media content is crisp, clear and optimised for your platform.

Need some inspiration on what to post? Here’s 4 things I look for when viewing a Scuba Diving School’s social media profile:

4 Instagram Content Ideas for Scuba Diving Schools

1. Good underwater photography
   A picture says a thousand words and this is no different. Your photographs should be crisp, clear and professional. While I love seeing a good nudibranch (they’re my favourite) I always check to see if there’s a wide variety of marine life on someone’s grid. Show people what they can see if they choose to dive with you! Better yet, show them pictures of other divers with the marine life and how good their experience is.
   
2. Videos and Reels
   Sometimes it easy to stage pictures, so it’s important to share the whole experience. Videos and reels can share the whole diving experience from start to finish. Are boat trips a regular occurrence for you dive school? Show the work that goes into the day from prepping equipment, to moving onto the boat, people boarding, the diving brief, the dive (obviously!) and the equipment clean-up at the end of the day. Likewise, do a ‘day in the life of’ – film everything from a divers perspective so they can see what to expect during their time with you (you can even ask your divers to post their reels and add you as a collaborator!). Other video ideas could be asking your instructors FAQs and collate their answers to help guide and assist anyone looking at your page.
   
3. Milestones
   Does your dive school celebrate personal milestones as well as the diving centre milestones? Making a personable and positive diving community on your social media is key when influencing someone’s purchase decision. If your school isn’t celebrating someone’s birthday, passing a qualification or the 100th dive, then I’m questioning how much the divers matter to your business. I want to feel like I’ll fit in and be welcomed before I even click the ‘dive with us’ button.
   
4. Highlights
   Have a maximum of five highlights which cover your target audiences interests. In my case this would be:
   • Dive Shop – pictures and videos of the shop, cleaning and calibrating equipment, team working, the gear available to rent, where you are etc.
   • Marine Life – pictures and videos from our favourite sea friends
   • Local Dive Spots – dive maps (we know you all have them!), images and videos from those spots (make sure you clearly put which dive spot it’s from), top tips like entry and exit strategies and best times of the year to visit
   • Dive With Us – course information, reviews and videos from other people where they’ve tagged you. Make this highlight more of a community and encourage people to share their experience with you.
   • Meet The Team – General pictures and videos of the team instructing / cleaning equipment etc. Show their expertise and what I can expect from their guidance.

Start your scuba diving website redesign today

Are you looking to update your scuba diving website? Then get in touch!

By creating the right visual content we can change the game for your scuba diving business. If you can make your brand’s online presence both vibrant and memorable, the competition will simply fade away as customers opt for the business they feel they know the best.

Designing a diving website and creating content to empower your scuba diving business would be a dream project. So if you’re looking to renew your website, brand or socials then please reach out and book an exploration call with me today.