For dive centres

Opening a dive centre: where to start

Compressors, boats and locations get all the attention. What actually eats time in the first months is something else: the paperwork around every single guest - and that can be set up properly from day one instead of being migrated later.

The order that works

Legal form, permits, insurance. What applies here depends entirely on the country - this is the part where you need somebody local who knows it. No text on the internet replaces that, including this one.
Agency affiliation. It determines training, materials and part of your paperwork.
Routines. How does a guest get from enquiry to water? Write that path down before the first guest arrives.
Equipment and servicing. Do not just buy it - decide at the same time how you will record what needs service when.
Guest data. What you ask, what guests sign, where it lives - and who is allowed to see it.

The mistake almost everyone makes

Starting on paper "until the place is running". Two seasons later a thousand sheets sit in a cupboard, nobody can find anything, and switching is ten times the work it would have been on day one. Check-in is the cheapest part of opening a centre if you get it right from the start.

What you need on day one

A medical questionnaire in your guests' languages.
Risk acknowledgement and liability release with your name in them.
Your own house rules - even if it is only half a page.
A way to verify and record certifications.
Emergency contacts and an emergency plan your guests know about.
Filing that is still searchable in two years.

What can wait

Your own booking software, an online shop, elaborate statistics. Those are tools for problems you do not have in your first season. What you do have, from the first guest onwards, is check-in.

The cheap way in

Diver ID costs practically nothing while you are getting started: the first 20 guest check-ins are free, and after that you pay per guest rather than per month - from 0.39 euro, as credit that stays valid for three years. There is no base fee ticking over through a weak pre-season, and for your guests it is free anyway. All prices plus VAT where applicable.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need first when opening a dive centre?

After the legal side locally: a clean routine for health questions, briefings, liability and certifications. That affects every single guest from day one.

Is software worth it for a new, small centre?

For bookings and statistics usually not yet; for check-in yes - the effort per guest is the same from the start, and migrating later is considerably more painful than starting clean.

What does Diver ID cost in the early days?

The first 20 guest check-ins are free. After that you pay per guest from 0.39 euro out of prepaid credit that stays valid for three years - no base fee, no subscription.

Try Diver ID for free

Your account takes a few minutes to set up and the first 20 guest check-ins are on us. No subscription, no base fee, no payment details required.

Create your centre account Watch the check-in process