C-Card

[Wyno]

After Reading a discussion on this board about equipment and getting certified from your LDS, I wanted to know how much should getting certified cost without buying equipment from the LDS? The LDS I’m looking at will cost me $400 that includes the c-card.

 

[Uncle Pug]

... on whether you are more interested in the certification or the training.

I would (and have) gladly pay more for quality training that didn't result in a cert card at the end than pay less for an inferior class that produced plastic.

You need to decide what criteria you are going to be basing your values on.

 

[Dea]

Oh, Uncle Pug, ease up!
Its easy to judge training in retrospect, after many dives and classes. But not first going in. Every dive shop says that they are nice and furry
Besides, he does have to get certified first-- not much training available without it.

Wyno, for OW it cost me $300 for the class and $200 for open water. Not including books and equipment. But there were less expensive shops.
The rest of the classes I did privately with an instructor, as they did not require pool training. And I liked that way better.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Dea once bubbled...
Oh, Uncle Pug, ease up!

Besides, he does have to get certified first-- not much training available without it.

Wyno.... let me put it another way....
Out here in the PNW there is a shop that runs specials on PADI OW certs every now and then... $99 and they supply all the equipment except for mask, fins, snorkle and wetsuit boots & gloves... and you don't have to buy that stuff from them either. Of course the books and video are additional $$ as is the cert fee... but it still is a cheap deal. As you can imagine these classes are quite large so individual attention/instruction is limited and only the minimum for certification is taught. BTW one whole classroom session is given over to trying to sell them $4K of gear under the guise of equipment familiarization... many forego using the shop provided equipment for the OW sessions and purchase the enchilada... the whole enchilada.... and that is how the shop can afford to offer the class for $99.

Another LDS charges more $480... but includes in this mask, fins, snorkle, boots & gloves as well as all other books and materials... plus the use of scuba gear for the class... and if you purchase your equipment from them the class fee is waived! But best of all this LDS limits class size to 6 students with a student/instructor ratio of 3:1... and they teach basic DIR techniques during the class as well.

There is no question in my mind which LDS above produces the better diver.

Perhaps the best question to ask is: what will I be getting for the money and time I spend? It would also be good to actually interview prospective instructors and even sit in on one of their classes.

 

[Wyno]

The $400 includes the class, books, equipment and the OW from them. This is on there dive boat. You even get to stay at there Dive House on the lake for the weekend.

Uncle Pug

I do not know how good there training is, how could I? I do not know any divers in my area. The only way I can make a decision is that I have talk to all the dive shops in town and they seem to be the most customer friendly. They seem to care and be attentive when you ask them questions not like some others I have been at.

I did buy some snorkeling gear from them before I was interested in Scuba diving. He told me to bring in the family and he would fit us. He let us go to the Pool during one of the classes so I could try out what I bought, if it didn’t work out I could trade it out for something that would. While I was there I watched the class and there were about 8 there with an instructor and 2 assistants. I remember one of the students having a problem with clearing her mask after taking it off under water (at least I think that was the Problem). She was upset that she could not do it, but the instructor took her aside and worked with her until she was able to get it.

 

[Uncle Pug]

...sounds like you have the right LDS.

 

[Kayla]

My OW class was about 300.00 and the book/video/divelog was another 75.00. The class size was limited to six or seven, and the instructor spent a lot of time on each person. Plus, the instructor had a Dive Master with him to help the students out. I think they did a really good job, and it was worth the money!


Kayla

 

[dnew1973]

I paid $350 to get certified thats class books and open water fee.Belive it or not there are those out there that truely do it because they love it not just for the money.I would check this shops history and if all seems o.k this sounds like a pretty good price to me.Some LDS would have you buy there gear from them or else so this too sounds like a good deal.
Now the equipment is another story all togeather could run you some BIG $$$$.

 

[jbd]

I agree with Uncle Pug's philoshopy here. Cheap could be wasted money as well as expensive could be a waste or a real value. From what you have said about the particualr shop, it sounds like you found a good one.

Just my humble opinion, but I think $400 to $500 for quality training is a real value depending on where you are located.

 

[Rick Murchison]

I tell folks to budget a grand.
Our classroom & pool course is $248, which includes books, tables, classroom materials, C-Card & equipment except mask, fins, snorkel & weightbelt. We go to the springs for four dives one weekend, and to the Gulf for two more another weekend. We're far enough away that these weekends entail a night in a motel... with boat fees, food, etc, it all works out to about a grand.
I could do it for $400 using the lake, but it wouldn't be near as much fun, and it wouldn't provide near as much real diving experience - there's nothing like those Gulf dives from a boat and all that the trip entails to produce a diver who's actually ready to go it on their own.
Rick