The Go Dive Scuba Store in Derby is closing for business after 32 years, citing difficult trading conditions – but it plans to try to sell off discounted equipment over the next month and to honour existing training and servicing business before it shuts its doors for good.
Diving instructor Mark Hudson set up Go Dive in central Derby in 1992 to support an already-established PADI training school.
The business moved location several times, settling at its current spacious Nottingham Road showroom in 2008 and, as one of the UK’s biggest dive shops, featuring regularly among Diver Awards retail winners. It has also been connected to an active dive-club.
In 2018 a new partnership was set up between Mark & Alison James and store manager James Parsons, who had joined the company in 2003, as they took over the ownership and running of the shop, online sales and training. The James are also directors of commercial diving companies MSDS Marine and MSDS Heritage.
“We are devastated it has come to this,” the owners have said of the closure in an explanatory statement on the Go Dive website. They took the decision to hold a closing-down sale from now until 6 October, with customers asked to use the code GODIVE40 for 40% discounts on products.
They also hope to complete already-booked courses and equipment servicing and will continue to provide air-fills, though customers are warned to check opening hours.
‘UK diving has changed’
“Go Dive has been part of the UK diving scene for over 30 years but it has simply become unsustainable for us to continue,” say the owners. “UK diving has changed considerably in this time, and we have been there for the highs and the lows… we understand that it is an expensive hobby at a time when people do not have disposable income or the luxury of time to dedicate to it…”
“Brexit, and then Covid, saw a huge loss of not only revenue but customers, with people failing to return to diving even after the lockdowns ended.
“Shortly after Covid, the Ukraine war led to a cost-of-living crisis and huge energy bills, all of which has had a devastating effect. For a long time, we have ploughed on and supported the business, but sadly it can’t go on forever.
“Facebook Marketplace and eBay undoubtedly have a role but the rate at which people have stopped buying new equipment has had a huge impact on us. We have seen servicing of secondhand equipment skyrocket but this income alone is not enough to sustain a store with a large range of equipment for divers to browse and try.”
The Go Dive team say they have helped to support smaller dive-shops and dive-boat skippers, and hope UK divers will continue to do so. “If you can’t get an air-fill then you can’t dive; if you can’t get a dive-boat then it’s an awful lot harder to get to the wreck.
“We would really like to encourage everyone to use your local dive-store and get out diving with your local skipper or, if we are not careful, there will be no UK diving for the future.”
Also on Divernet: LONDON’S OCEAN LEISURE STORE CLOSES, TWO DIVE BUSINESSES OPEN + ONE CLOSES IN UK, SIMPLY SCUBA GOES UNDER AGAIN
