Wow! When I wrote that statement I thought to myself, that is a big call… maybe too big, but then when you work it all out… it’s the truth! Here’s how ... Dive stores in the East Coast do not have the type of industry we have here in WA. By that I mean – in Western Australia there is a lot more activity in diving (with the exception of Queensland – which tends to be very focussed on the backpacker type of market). On the east coast, because the stores don’t turn over as much dive equipment, they all sell their dive equipment at full retail prices. (Trust me I know – every time I advertise where the stores over there catch a look at our advert, I cop a barrage of nasty phone calls from our friends in the east.)

In Perth, where we do have a lot of active divers and quite a few dive stores around, the pricing is much more competitive. This is a great thing for you, the consumer. So how do we know we have the best prices? Well, recently we told you about Dive Locker – the group of stores who have banded together in WA to bring you better prices and service. The Dive Locker group has exclusive arrangements with a number of suppliers such as Scubapro and Uwatec. This means that the only place you can buy the best dive equipment on the market, is through a Dive Locker store.

Recent events with the world finance instability, has seen the Australian dollar drop to the scary levels of the 80’s when the Aussie Dollar was floated and dropped to as  little as 44 US cents to our dollar. Fortunately to date it has not been quite that bad, but it has lead to massive price changes on all imports – which includes ALL dive equipment. THANKFULLY, back in May while most of you were snuggled up in front of your heaters watching movies, we were at the Dive Locker annual buying conference. At these conferences, we work out new ranges, check out new products and lock in our pricing for the upcoming season. Unlike other dive stores and groups of dive stores in Perth however, our suppliers have kept to their conference agreed prices which means you still get to buy your brand new Scubapro Dive Gear for the same price as it was when the dollar was worth 40% more!

Dive Locker already sell the Scubapro and Uwatec range at a minimum of 10% below the retail price and when you see the price increases which are coming through from other suppliers, it makes you feel very happy about owning a dive store in the Dive Locker group. It also means that now, at a time when the prices everywhere else are sky rocketing… you will be saving as much as 40% off the normal retail prices. Currently we are selling the T Force Scuba Unit at $1380 under the retail price! These prices are guaranteed for the 2008 / 09 season, so if you are considering buying your dive equipment this year, you will never get a better time to buy it. There is of course another pretty cool point which I have to mention… Perth Scuba has once again been awarded Australian Dealer of the Year for Scubapro / Uwatec. (Third year running)  This is based on sales performance and customer service. This highly prized award is a result of a combination of things from a fantastic range of products with exceptional back up service from Scubapro Uwatec, to you the guys - doing the hardest part of all… diving with and road testing the best range of dive gear in the world. With the award this year we were also awarded “Scubapro Showroom Dealer” status. There is only one Scubapro Showroom dealer in each state. So there you go… two more reasons to know that you are buying your equipment from the guys who know the range and dive with it 100%. Oh and just for the record, the price increases I was talking about that all of our competitors are “enjoying”… Oceanic 15 to 25% price increases,(with plans for more increases in the new year) Aquanaut (US Divers & Suunto) 20 – 30% increases, Apollo 15 – 37% increases and Cressi 15 – 27% increases. OUCH!!! So there you go… Perth Scuba has the best pricing in Australia with a ZERO % Increase (in fact- we even brought the prices down on some products!) So now you know the facts, why not use Mr Rudd’s baby gift on that new set of dive gear you always wanted? Once you have it, it only costs $5.00 for each dive. (for the air fill). Don’t forget too… if Mr Rudd didn’t give you a bonus like me… There’s always Scubapro Smart Buy… 12 months to pay NO interest EVER!!! It takes 3 minutes to fill in the form and 1 minute to approve… take your new gear home right there and then and pay it off over fortnightly or monthly payments… no penalties for quick payment and no balloon payments at the end! Just what the price on the ticket says, divided by 12 (monthly) or 26 (fortnightly) payments. What other possible reasons could you need to convince yourself that this Christmas… YOU get the presents that you always wanted