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I had been working with computers for years before I arrived in Cozumel in 1994. I started to search for a computer based job in the island. After a month of hearing the "mañana" word every day, I asked myself: "well, I´d like to live here, so what else can I do to make a living?" So, I sold my car and used the cash to get scuba diving certified up to divemaster, and quickly got a job. A new career had begun.
I worked as divemaster for 4 years and for 3 years as scuba diving instructor with Dzul-Ha Water Sports with 6K+ dives. After Dzul-Ha was shut down I became the manager for Blue Bubble Divers, which lasted for 3 years and also kept working as a scuba instructor. During the management years I implemented a simple Access program to keep track of diver´s reservations, dives, and employee´s trips. After Blue Bubble Divers was sold and dismantled I went back to my programming roots, but catching up with new technologies took about a year.
Dive Operations Manager had been in my mind for years. I always though, "there has to be an easier way to manage a dive operation". So in 2005 the full time project begun and it was completed in 2006, after many sleeplesss hours.
I never had the gift to compete with the brightest programmers, but consistency and hard work have been my allies, while my inspiration has come from my two young sons. Add my understanding of the dive business and DOM was born.
There are some dive operators who still like to use their "paper and pencil" systems and others who only use Excel. It is difficult to change their minds into a computer dive management system. But, I believe it is the difference between scuba diving multiple dives without a dive computer. Dive tables, or the wheel, in this case, do the job, and you still need to know how to use them, but your dive computer provides inmediate information of your profile and keeps track of your dive history. Inmediate information helps you take educated decisions in advance. This light analogy is similar to the "paper and pencil" and a computer dive management system.
Dive Operations Manager is the product of one programmer, and many contribuitors in the dive business in Cozumel.
I keep morning hours dedicated to customer service, and afternoon and nights to develop and improve DOM and other customer based programs.
Sincerely,
Francisco Gabilondo Boulet
frank@cozumeldiving.com
support@diveoperations.com
Calle 7 Sur 402 #2
Colonia Cuzamil
Cozumel, Q. Roo. 77667 Mexico.
(987) 872-5170 (Please leave a message if you do not find me. I will contact you ASP.)
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