great white shark adventure - Midwest Scuba Diving Magazine

COMMENTARY
Our World Underwater is being held at the Donald E.
Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, February
15th thru the 17th. Booths for exhibitors are still available.
Detailed information about the show can be found at www.
ourworldunderwater.com. Midwest Scuba Diving Magazine
will once again attend OW-U, occupying corner booth #121.
We will have “FREE” raffles for a Blackbeard’s Cruise,
Freestyle watches, subscriptions to Midwest Scuba Diving
Magazine and certificates for wreck diving adventures aboard
Captain Dale’s boat the M/V Enterprise. Many readers have
contacted us requesting old copies of the magazine. If you are
missing a back issue of our publication come by our booth
and we will have it for you. We enjoy it when you stop by,
say hello and give us your comments and suggestions. OW-U
gives us a chance to catch up with old “buddies” and make
some new friends. See you at the show!
Midwest Scuba Diving Magazine and our interactive website
community has become the primary source for information
concerning Great Lakes Shipwrecks. We are the only diving
publication that has created and maintains an interactive
forum for divers. We welcome your participation in the
MSD forums at www.midwestscubadiving.com. Website
Captain Darrick with Hal Watts and Stan Waterman at OW-U 2007
traffic has substantially increased over the past year. Some popular and controversial threads in 2007 have included “Bonne Terre Mines” and “The Sorry
State of Recreational Dive Training.” We have just completed a two-year research study, which indicates that every three months 4% of all dive centers
close their doors to the general public. That is a 16% failure rate per year. For every 4 shops that close only 1 new shop opens. This means that there is net
negative growth of 12% per year. In the last 5 years more than 50% of all dive shops in the Midwest region are no longer in business. This may make the
existing shops stronger, but diversity, which benefits the recreational diver, no longer exists. Once again MSD needs to point out that the business model
accepted by the dive industry is not working. Employees and representatives of the diving industry are only trying to justify their existence and their salaries
by following the pack and perpetuating archaic business practices. Don’t let any aggressive industry representatives dictate your business plan. Research
proves the representative is most likely wrong. You must think outside the box to survive. You must be creative. Dive shops and resorts can only increase
their sales by cost effective marketing. If they don’t advertise they will close! Over the last two years Midwest Scuba Diving Magazine has reinvested 100%
of its ad revenue into our cutting edge publication and website striving to provide low cost options for advertisers. We wish to passionately promote the
sport that we love. Many of our advertisers have indicated that a great deal of business is generated from banner ad links on our site. Website banner ad links
offer a very affordable advertising venue for operators on a limited budget who want maximum exposure. Banner ads cost only $720 for a full year! A dive
center only has to generate two students from this ad type, over 12 months, to receive a 100% return on their investment. You are unable to get this type of
annual return on any other investment vehicle. Some cooperative programs that we have implemented make advertising “FREE” for qualified operators.
Every shop or resort should call to discuss these options. For advertising information contact Captain Darrick Lorenzen at 773-732-8972 or captdarrick@
midwestscubadiving.com.
Our Magazine has grown in size by 30% in the past year. We have increased the number of features in our publication to include five articles and
“Backscatter” which is a photographic forum using reader submissions. We are the only diving publication printing on 100# glossy stock. Diving is one of the
few mediums left that lends itself well to print publication. Diving is about beautiful images. Beautiful images should be printed on quality paper stock not
newsprint. MSD now distributes in 12 states reaching approximately 50% of the U.S. population. We maintain marketing agreements and sponsorships with
NAUI, DAN, Channel 11 WTTW Public Television and X-ray Online Magazine. Over the next 24 months, MSD is going to focus on developing a national
following among the diving community. MSD intends to expand our influence to include the major market areas of New York, Florida and California. We
have recently employed a sales staff in Los Angeles, California. MSD is going to have a more controversial presence in print and on our website. We are
immediately implementing two additional features called “Shark Attack” and “ Diving Fatality.” There is a lot of interest in sharks (just look at the success of
Shark Week on the Discovery Channel). MSD will publish news reports on “Diving Fatalities” with the intention of informing and educating the recreational
dive community about the safety issues causing the fatal accidents. Let us know what you think.
Snapshot: Captain Darrick Lorenzen
Dive safely,
Career Highlights: Captain Darrick Lorenzen has over 30 years experience as a recreational and commercial diver. He is a
graduate of Florida Institute of Technology with a degree in Underwater Technology. He was an instructor to commercial oilfield
divers in saturation; mixed gas and bell bounce techniques. Captain Darrick is a United States Merchant Marine Officer and
was awarded the U.S. Public Service Commendation for personal courage and selfless initiative.
Captain Darrick’s deepest dive was a 10-day saturation to 550-feet with a team of 6 divers. The mission focused on the repair
of a severed 8-inch gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico.
Captain Darrick is passionate about deep wreck diving, photography and the Great Lakes.
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MIDWEST SCUBA DIVING FALL 2007 FALL 2007 MIDWEST SCUBA DIVING