Visited a dive shop in Galveston last month, weird vibe inside

Walked into this place called Gulf Coast Divers off the seawall. Owner was sitting in back watching YouTube, barely looked up. Had a used drysuit hanging up with a visible tear in the knee seam. No tag, no discount sign. Asked about it and he said "it'll patch fine." You charging full price for damaged gear? Has anyone else run into shops like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.margaret1d ago

Look, I'm going to play devil's advocate here on that phrase "it'll patch fine." If you've ever actually patched a drysuit before, it's pretty standard repair work. Neoprene or even some shell suits, a good glue job can last years if done right. I've fixed tears in my own gear that way and never had a leak. The owner probably sees it as no big deal because for him, it isn't. Maybe he should have knocked ten bucks off, but asking full price for something that's still functional isn't that crazy to me. You're paying for the drysuit itself, not the tiny blemish.

stella27915h ago

@grant.margaret makes a fair point about patching being standard. I actually read a forum post once where a guy tested a secondhand drysuit with a repaired knee and it held up fine for a few years. Still, charging full price for damaged gear seems off to me, especially if they didn't mention it upfront.