Water recreation & marinas
Books and taxes for scuba dive shops.
Retail gear on the shelf, certification courses billed as a package, air and nitrox fills, and a dive boat that needs its own line from the retail side. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July made $18,700. The shop's new compressor from Bauer went in as equipment, not a repair, since it replaces the old one rather than patching it.
- Retail counter salesRetail gear sales
- Open water course, 6 studentsCertification course fees
- Bauer compressor purchaseShop equipment
- Dive boat fuelCharter boat fuel
- Tank hydro testing serviceTank service and testing
Why your books are different
A dive shop's books go wrong in the same handful of places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. A dive shop is retail gear sold off the shelf, certification courses billed as a package, air and nitrox fills sold by the tank, and a charter boat with its own fuel and repair costs. When the books do not separate those, nobody can see which part of the shop actually carries it.
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1
Retail gear inventory gets mixed with service income
A wetsuit sold off the rack and a regulator servicing fee both ring up at the counter, but they cost the shop very differently to provide. Lumped together, nobody can see if retail or service is actually the stronger side of the business.
What we doKeeps retail gear sales separate from service and course income, so each side of the shop shows its own number. -
2
Certification course packages hide their real cost
An open water course often bundles instructor time, pool access, books, and sometimes gear rental into one price. Booked as a single lump, nobody can see whether the course price actually covers what it costs to run.
What we doKeeps course fee income against instructor pay and course materials, so the real margin on certifications is visible. -
3
Air and nitrox fills get lost inside retail sales
Tank fills are a steady, repeat source of income for a dive shop, but if they ring up the same as a t-shirt sale, nobody can see how much of the shop's traffic is fills versus gear purchases.
What we doKeeps air and nitrox fill income in its own line, so this steady revenue stream is visible on its own. -
4
The charter boat's costs blend into the shop's overhead
Fuel, dockage, and repairs for a dive boat are real, ongoing costs that are different from running a retail counter, and if they sit in one general expenses bucket, nobody can tell if charter trips are pulling their weight.
What we doKeeps charter boat fuel, dockage, and repair in their own line, separate from shop overhead, so the boat's real cost is visible. -
5
A compressor or tank purchase looks like a supply order
A new compressor or a batch of rental tanks can cost as much as a car, and filed as shop supplies, it flattens a month's profit and misses how the tax code treats real equipment.
What we doFlags major equipment purchases the day they happen, logs them separately from routine supplies, and gets the accountant's call on how they are written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a scuba dive shop.
Set up once for how the shop gets paid and what it costs to run. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail gear salesWetsuits, masks, fins, and dive computers sold at the counter.
- Certification course feesOpen water, advanced, and specialty course packages.
- Air and nitrox fillsTank fills sold to certified divers.
- Charter trip faresBoat dive trips booked for certified divers.
- Gear service and rentalRegulator servicing and rental gear for divers without their own.
Money out
- Retail inventoryWetsuits, masks, fins, and gear bought for resale.
- Instructor wagesPay for course instructors, kept apart from any dive guide pay.
- Shop equipmentCompressors, rental tanks, and major gear purchases.
- Charter boat fuelFuel for the dive boat, kept apart from shop fuel or vehicle costs.
- Tank service and testingHydro testing and visual inspections required to keep tanks in service.
- Boat maintenanceEngine, hull, and dive deck repair for the charter boat.
- Dive liability insuranceCoverage specific to running dive courses and charter trips.
What we watch for you
- Retail versus service split
How much of the shop's income is gear sales against courses, fills, and trips, since each has a different margin.
- Course margin
Certification course income against instructor pay and materials, so course pricing keeps up with what it costs to run.
- Charter boat cost per trip
Fuel and maintenance against trips run, so charter pricing covers what the boat actually costs.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things dive shop owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Often it can. I logged it as equipment, not shop supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
This month, yes, by about $1,900 across six students. I keep course fees against instructor pay so you can see that margin clearly instead of guessing.
That is above my pay grade and varies by state. The accountant is looking at how rentals, retail, and services should each be handled where you operate.
The tax side
The tax side of running a dive shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is mixing retail, courses, and charter trips into one number. Getting the categories right most of the year makes the return simpler.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Compressor and boat equipmentCompressors, rental tanks, and dive boat equipment can usually be written off in the year they are bought, up to current Section 179 and bonus depreciation limits, or spread out over time depending on the year.
- Sales tax on retail and servicesRetail gear, courses, fills, and rentals can each be taxed differently depending on the state, and it is worth checking locally. Gus keeps each split out so the accountant can apply it correctly.
- Instructor worker classificationAn instructor who teaches your courses on your schedule with your gear is usually an employee, not a contractor, even if paid per course rather than hourly.
- The pass-through deductionMost dive shop owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when retail, courses, and charter income are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions scuba dive shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Regulator and gear servicing tools
- Tank hydro testing fees
- Dive boat fuel and dockage
- Instructor certification renewals
- Rental gear replacement
- Dive liability insurance
- Shop signage and displays
- Continuing education materials
- Boat maintenance supplies
- First aid and oxygen kits
- Marketing and social ads
- Point of sale software
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A dive shop's year, kept every month.
Retail and courses run steadier than charter trips, which peak with the warm season. Taxes come on their own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, instructor 1099s are ready if any contract teaching was used, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, ahead of the season's busiest diving months.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer courses and charter trips are on pace to cover the whole year.
- October
Before the season slows
Before charter trips wind down, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for scuba dive shops. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions dive shop owners ask first.
Can Gus tell us if our retail counter or our courses actually make more money?
Yes. He keeps retail sales, course fees, and charter income in separate lines, so you can see which part of the shop is really carrying the business instead of guessing from one deposit.
We just bought a new compressor. Does that write off right away?
Often it can. Equipment like a compressor can usually be deducted in the year it is bought, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
Our instructors are paid per course, not hourly. Does that change how they're classified?
Not usually. An instructor who teaches your courses on your schedule with your gear tends to look like an employee no matter how the pay is calculated. The accountant looks at your specific setup before anything is decided.
Do you handle the tank hydro testing and inspection schedule?
No. Gus tracks the cost of testing once it is paid, but scheduling and performing the inspections themselves is outside the subscription.
Our books from last season are a mess. Can we still start now?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Do you manage our PADI or other certifying agency paperwork?
No. Certification records and agency paperwork stay between you and the certifying agency. Gus handles the books and the tax side, not the diving credentials.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever