Last week I found myself in the market for some new scuba diving equipment. Well to be honest, my wife was in the market for some scuba diving equipment for me as it was my birthday (thank you to all those who sent messages and tweeted! 😉 )
Items on my list were a new shorty, some fins and a new SPG to replace a leaky one.
The SPG is obviously an easy one and not a difficult decision to make when choosing. The suit and the fins are clearly something a little bit different. At Aqua Lung I was able to try a variety of suits in different styles and sizes and nothing was too much trouble for all the staff. They genuinely wanted to help.
Trying on the suits proved to be essential. The one I selected from the rack which looked very cool indeed was definitely not the one I decided to buy. I felt like I was wrapped in cling film and despite the fact that I am not what anyone would call “Fat”, it certainly gave some very unflattering bulges in all the wrong places. Just goes to show how important trying a suit on is before making a purchase.
Buying fins is a very personal thing. Everyone looks for something different when choosing and I confess to being a little concerned before buying that the ones I chose might not suit my style of finning or may not feel as nice in the water as they did in the shop. How ideal it would be to try a set of fins in the water before handing over some hard earned money. Before I even had chance to vocalise this thought, Jacopo (GM at Aqua Lung Egypt) immediately offered to lend me a pair of the ones I liked so I could try them in the water. This was done on the basis of if I liked them, return the loaned pair and buy the brand spanking new ones. I couldn’t have asked for more.
The pair I was trying were the Aqua Lung Express (which were actually the ones which Jacopo recommended). Whilst I didn’t have time to actually go diving last week, I did try them in the pool and they were exactly as good as Jacopo said they would be. Perfect for me, very powerful but still quite soft. I now can’t wait to try them on a proper dive.
As arranged, I returned the loaned pair and received my brand new ones in the colour of my choosing. In fact, Jacopo even saved me a trip to the shop and met us in a restaurant the following evening to make the exchange.
Now I will be honest, I know Jacopo personally and we have enjoyed an occasional dinner together but from what I saw in the shop, I did not get any special treatment. Jacopo and the whole Aqua Lung team provide outstanding customer service to everyone who enters. He knows what he is talking about and offers the best advice possible. I can not recommend them highly enough.
In conclusion, next time I am in the market for some new equipment in Egypt, Aqua Lung will most certainly be my first phone call.
Thanks to all the staff who helped me and I have no hesitation in recommending Aqua Lung to anyone in Egypt looking for dive kit.
(and obviously thanks to my wife for these items being part of my birthday present) 🙂
Learn more about Aqua Lung Egypt at: http://www.aqualung.com/eg/
