multi day dive packages?

[Dogbowl]

we have been to st lucia (full home made amazing plated lunch and various drinks included), st maarten, coz, playa del carmen, bahamas, dominican rep, antigua, jamiaca, etc etc......usually we pay $30 u.s. per dive when we buy a 10 dive package. dominican last time we were there (it has been quite awhile) was 25u.s. but the sites were very close. i am sure it is more now.
st maarten was the highest we have ever paid at 38u.s. (total - no hidden or extra fees) we have gone there a number of times. and last time we got 10% off that and i got nitrox on all ten dives for 50u.s. extra. you also can have a couple of beers on them after the day is over should you choose to.
btw.....charging 12 to 15u.s per tank extra for nitrox in mexico (which some shops do) is absurd. just sayin. we stopped at the fill station on one trip to coz and were told it was something like 3 bucks extra for nitrox tanks. maybe that has changed somewhat but it certainly is not as much as the shops make it sound.

btw OP.....pro dive offers nitrox at no extra charge if you like to use it. most shops on coz seem to charge 8 to 12 per tank. i was quoted as high as 15 last year. so this is a good savings if you were planing on paying the extra somewhere else.

I've been to Coz, Playa, Cayman, Roatan, Keys...never experienced such good prices. I guess I'm just gonna have to work harder to find better prices next time! But then again, I don't think I've ever chosen a dive shop based on price. But I must agree, it really adds up fast, especially since the Canadian dollar is sooooooo low!

 

[sefuchs]

I've been to several of the places rick00001967 mentioned and never have seen that low of price. I'm w/Dogbowl though and price isn't the 1st priority.

 

[rick00001967]

I've been to Coz, Playa, Cayman, Roatan, Keys...never experienced such good prices.

i googled roatan dive shops just now. first one i picked was coconut tree divers. their 10 dive package is $300u.s. admittedly though, i do spend a lot of time shopping. as you said. our dollar is usually very low so every dollar counts.

 

[blue steal]

I have not dived to many places mostly locally charter boats. My best price is a Friday 3-tank boat here at Catalina Island. Price $110 for 3-tank dive, includes fills, breakfast, snacks, lunch, and more snacks. Nitrox runs about $10 extra but I never use it here at home. I have dove the Philippines many times and the prices have been all over the map from $20/dive at Sabang/Mindoro to Anialo/Batangas that charges everything al la cart; tank, weights by the pound, DM, captan/bangka (boat), marine park fees, **** even a resort fee. That was hitting close to $40/dive 4 years ago.
My current shop in COZ runs close to $40/dive not counting the $11 for Nitrox.

 

[Dogbowl]

Ok, ok, I must admit, not only is the Canadian dollar low, and I don't price shop between shops, I also have a lot of add-ons because I'm a newbie, such as equipment @ USD10 - 30 per trip, and private DM @ USD 50+ per trip.

Dang! Diving is expensive (for me)!

 

[uncfnp]

i googled roatan dive shops just now. first one i picked was coconut tree divers. their 10 dive package is $300u.s. admittedly though, i do spend a lot of time shopping. as you said. our dollar is usually very low so every dollar counts.

So you are comparing prices per dive and not two tank trip? Then your prices are probably about average. Comparing your coconut tree example Tres Pelicanos in Cozumel is 329 for 5 2 tank trips or 10 dives. Both charge 10 per tank for nitrox. I am not seeing that much difference.

My cheapest divng is Bonaire at about 8.75 per dive. Next is Florida at 65 dollars per 2 tank trip and my own tanks so just pay for fills. But neither of these are really fair comparisons.

 

[rick00001967]

Tres Pelicanos in Cozumel is 329 for 5 2 tank trip.

$329 plus the 16% tax. but agree they are one of the better priced shops with a very good reputation

 

[Dave Dillehay]

$329 plus the 16% tax. but agree they are one of the better priced shops with a very good reputation

Just for the record for all who worry about every cent, the main fill station in Cozumel, Meridiano 87 charges us about $12 per tank for our HP 120s. I guess those with smaller 80 cf tanks get charged less but not much. Given the cost of airfare, lodging, food etc—it seems, on the surface, that to decide the quality of your dive vacation on the cost per dive, rather than the length and quality of each dive to be rather inconsequential.

Dave Dillehay

Aldora Divers

 

[rick00001967]

please remember the op said he was on a budget so price is certainly relevant to the conversation.

i agree that service, quality of the sites, the comfort of the boat, dive time etc etc are all factors to consider. but some people have to sacrifice some of those things to be able to afford to travel. i would also like to book the shortest most direct flights too, but i have to take what i can get that fits in my budget. and sometimes that means flying 12 hrs with 3 stops and then taking a bus and a ferry to the island. the fact is that it all adds up. if we were not willing or able to make those types of sacrifices we would never have been able to travel as much as we have. i am sure we are not the only ones in that position.

btw.....i am shocked to hear your cost on fills. those prices are much higher what i was told i could rent tanks for a couple of years ago. things change quickly i guess.

sorry to the op.....i didnt mean to monopolize the conversation. good luck planing your trip. i'm out.

 

[simcoediver]

Just for the record for all who worry about every cent, the main fill station in Cozumel, Meridiano 87 charges us about $12 per tank for our HP 120s. I guess those with smaller 80 cf tanks get charged less but not much. Given the cost of airfare, lodging, food etc—it seems, on the surface, that to decide the quality of your dive vacation on the cost per dive, rather than the length and quality of each dive to be rather inconsequential.

Dave Dillehay

Aldora Divers

Dave, I thought Aldora filled their own tanks?