Dive Ads Vitaly Puziryov

23/09/2026

THE NEXT DIVE TRIP STARTS BEFORE THIS ONE ENDS

When a returning guest asks about another liveaboard six months later, it is easy to think this is when the next sale begins. Often, it began before the previous trip ended.

I remember a diver on the final evening of a week-long liveaboard. Equipment was being packed, wetsuits were hanging on deck. He asked, “When are you running this route next year?”

Nothing had been offered. He had simply continued the experience forward in his own mind.

By the end of a trip, a guest no longer has to imagine how the operation works. They know the boat, the team, the atmosphere and what happens when plans change. Months later they may forget individual dives, but retain an overall feeling about the week.

Another guest once wrote after returning home. He did not mention a shark or a favourite reef. He remembered the final dinner and a conversation around the table.

This is why the usual question — “How do we bring old customers back?” — comes rather late.

The more useful question is when a guest begins wanting to be with these people again.

A returning customer already knows the routines, the faces and how the team works. That accumulated experience removes much of the uncertainty of choosing another trip.

I have seen divers return to the same teams for years even as boats, routes and prices changed. Their explanations were simple: “I feel comfortable there.” “They know how I dive.” “I like that team.”

THOSE SENTENCES ALREADY CONTAIN THE NEXT SALE.

Customer retention in diving does not begin with a new campaign months later. Every day of the current trip is quietly answering a simpler question:

“Would I like to spend another week with these people?”

—

Diving Industry Notes
SSI Instructor Trainer


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21/09/2026

Advertising for an energy practice in Da Nang, Vietnam.
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20/09/2026

DIVEADS. Advertising that works.
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17/09/2026

THE EMOTIONAL WEIGHT OF BOOKING A DIVE TRIP

Booking a dive trip looks rational. Destination, itinerary, dates, price. Then payment.

Yet I've often found that the hardest part begins when almost everything has already been decided.

I've seen divers discuss a trip calmly for days, ask precise questions, choose cabins and talk about specific dive sites. Then the payment details arrive — and they go quiet.

Years ago, I might have read that as a lost customer. I don't anymore. While a trip is being discussed, it remains a possibility. Payment turns it into reality.

I once arranged a liveaboard with an experienced diver. The route suited his level, the price wasn't a surprise, and there was little left to clarify. He asked for the payment details and disappeared for several days. Then he returned and paid without another question.

Later I learned that he hadn't been comparing operators. He was deciding whether he really wanted to spend that amount of money and one week of his annual holiday on this particular trip.

Closer to payment, the questions often become personal. Will I fit into the group? Have I overestimated my fitness? What if the weather changes the route? What if the trip is good, but not as good as I imagine?

The person may not need another reason to buy. They may already know all the reasons. They need to become comfortable with their own decision.

Dive travel has unusual emotional weight. A guest commits money, days of their life, part of an annual holiday and expectations to an experience that still exists mostly in their imagination. They may also be quietly evaluating their own competence: Will I be comfortable? Will I be the weakest diver? Will people have to wait for me?

Another diver once agreed quickly to a trip but didn't pay the deposit. We left the conversation alone because the practical questions were already answered. Two weeks later he returned. He hadn't been waiting for a discount or looking for another operator. He simply needed to decide that this was where he wanted to spend that year's holiday.

Marketing funnels don't show this very well. They show inquiry, conversation, offer and payment. The space between offer and payment can look like lost conversion.

For the customer, it may be full of activity: looking at photographs again, rereading the itinerary, checking reviews, imagining the boat, and comparing the trip with every other way to spend the same time and money.

For the dive center, a booking may be another place on the boat. For the guest, it may be several thousand euros, a week of life and an experience they hope to remember for years.

Those two things don't carry the same emotional weight.

Sometimes the strongest doubts appear precisely when someone is almost ready to say yes. That isn't always a step backwards. Sometimes it's the final internal step before booking.

—

Diving Industry Notes
SSI Instructor Trainer


https://ecomile.pro/da

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14/09/2026

Advertising for a life coach in Ho Chi Minh City.
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13/09/2026

DIVEADS. Advertising that works.
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12/09/2026

FIRST REPLY WINS

Many business owners believe advertising ends when someone sends a message.

It doesn't.

THAT'S WHERE IT BEGINS.

Across Southeast Asia's tourism industry, travellers often contact several businesses within minutes.

A dive centre. A café. A spa. A tour company.

The questions are usually simple.

"Do you have availability tomorrow?"
"Can I book today?"
"How much is it?"

Most owners imagine the customer carefully comparing prices before making a decision.

In reality, something much simpler often happens.

One business replies.

A conversation begins. Questions are answered. Trust starts to build.

By the time another reply arrives, the customer has frequently moved on.

Not because the second business was worse.

Not because it was more expensive.

Because someone else responded first.

This is why response time is no longer just customer service.

IT'S PART OF YOUR MARKETING.

Meta Ads can generate attention. Facebook can generate enquiries. Google Maps can bring new visitors.

But none of them can answer the customer's first message.

That still belongs to the business.

Before asking,

"HOW MANY ENQUIRIES DID OUR ADVERTISING GENERATE?"

try asking:

"HOW MANY CONVERSATIONS DID WE LOSE BEFORE THEY EVEN STARTED?"

Because today, especially in tourism,

THE FIRST REPLY OFTEN WINS.

—



Asia Business Notes
EasyAds Asia

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10/09/2026

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09/09/2026

DIVERS DON'T BUY DIVING ALONE

Most dive center marketing speaks to one person. The diver. The one who sees the advertisement. Visits the website. Sends the message. Makes the booking.

It seems logical. After all, only one name usually appears on the reservation.

Over the years, though, I've started noticing something different.

Many bookings are made by one diver. Very few decisions are.

Several years ago, a returning guest contacted me about a Red Sea liveaboard. We discussed the itinerary, the cabins and the diving. Everything suggested he was ready to book.

Then he paused.

"I'll talk it over at home tonight."

The next morning his questions had completely changed.

"Will my wife enjoy the trip if she skips some dives?"
"Is the atmosphere on board relaxed in the evenings?"
"Will there be enough space just to unwind?"

The booking still belonged to one person. The decision clearly did not.

That's something I think our industry often overlooks.

We build advertisements as though we're speaking to one future guest. In reality, almost every dive trip passes through an invisible committee.

A partner. A dive buddy. Children. Friends. Parents.

Most of them never visit your website. Never write to your dive center. Never appear in Messenger.

Yet they quietly influence whether the answer becomes yes or no.

The reason is simple.

People aren't buying only diving. They're choosing how they'll spend part of their lives. They're choosing who they'll travel with. How safe the trip feels. Whether everyone involved will enjoy the experience.

That's a much bigger decision than selecting a dive destination.

Perhaps that's why the strongest dive center marketing isn't focused only on reefs and marine life. It also communicates atmosphere. People. Comfort. Trust.

Because sometimes the most important person in the buying process never writes to you at all.

—

Diving Industry Notes
SSI Instructor Trainer


https://ecomile.pro/da

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08/09/2026

Tôi từng nghĩ rằng rời đi có nghĩa là mọi chuyện đã kết thúc.

Nhưng có những người phụ nữ không biến mất khi một mối quan hệ kết thúc.
Có những nơi không biến mất khi máy bay cất cánh.
Và có những phiên bản của chính mình mà nhiều năm sau ta vẫn muốn quay lại tìm.

Tôi là một người đàn ông phương Tây. Tôi đã sống ở Việt Nam, yêu, rời đi — và mang theo nhiều thứ mà lúc đó tôi chưa hiểu.

Nhiều năm sau, tôi viết chúng ra.

Không phải để nói ai đúng, ai sai.
Không phải để giải thích phụ nữ Việt Nam.
Cũng không phải để kể rằng châu Á đẹp như thế nào.

Đây là câu chuyện về những gì còn lại khi tình yêu, khoảng cách, thời gian và cuộc sống đã làm xong phần việc của mình.

Và có lẽ, về một câu mà đôi khi người ta chỉ có thể nói sau rất nhiều năm:

“Tôi chưa bao giờ quên bạn.”

AZIYA. PHỤ NỮ — Vitaly Puziryov

Một người đàn ông phương Tây viết về phụ nữ, châu Á và những điều không phải lúc nào cũng có thể nói thành lời. Đọc miễn phí.