Storm
Contributor
My wife and I certified last year. We paid 225.00 for our OW course. This included our student kit (book, tables) and the basic gear (BC, Regs, Tank w Air), and pool time. We had to pay an additional 75.00 for our open water weekend check out dives, which included the above mentioned basic gear, a 7mm exposure suit, weights, and 2 tanks each and free fills for the weekend.
We had to purchase (before the first pool session) our fins, mask, snorkel, and weight belt. (Approx 260.00).
So our total course costs ran 560.00 CDN.
Similarly,
For our AOW, the course cost (5 dives) cost was 125.00, which included the AOW book. But then there was the extra 75.00 for the weekend gear rental (exposure suit, BC, tanks w free refills) and 65.00 for the day 2 charter service. You were required to supply your own compass, timing device, and dive lights. (Another 360.00) by the time you were done. So what was "marketed" as a 125.00 course, actually cost closer to 625.00.
So before even buying a BC, exposure suit, or tank, we spent almost 1200.00 to get certified up to AOW.
Not sure if this is typical, but from my own personal view, if they had told me, upfront, what the total cost was, we wouldn't have changed our minds (cost would not have been a deterrent), but we may have shopped around first, to find out the best instructor.
A DI is a DI, on paper (meaning that they all hold the same certification) at least, whether or not theyve been teaching for 1 month or 10 years. Now of there was a required re-cert period, and level or ranking system for DIs then the shopping would be easier as would the marketing.
For example, I am a contract technical writer with 12 years experience. I charge (for the sake of discussion) say 65.00 an hour. A junior would probably charge about 30.00 an hour. I don't work down to a junior's level (its unfair to the junior, and reduces my market value, and do not expect a junior to hold himself out as a senior writer. In this case the client can select, based on their needs, what level of experience they want, and how much they want to pay.
In the dive world, there is no official ranking for DIs so you never really know what you're getting. You can ask for his (or hers) experience, and references, but these are subjective. If there was a basic DI level 1, then say an Advanced DI level 2 (based on years of experience and retesting scores, added DI training, number of divers certified etc), up to a Master DI then the LDS could market their courses based on the DI's level. A 99.00 course would get you a level 1 DI and bare bones training. The higher the ranking DI, the higher the course costs.
Then let the students decide who they want, and what they are willing to pay, for their dive training. This would be truly applying a free market to dive instruction with the consumer supporting multilevel pricing based on competency, experience, etc. The way it is now, DIs are undercutting each other, and the end result is an overall lowering of the intrinsic value of the work.
Perhaps some small structure would be in order, but thats just my opinion.
We had to purchase (before the first pool session) our fins, mask, snorkel, and weight belt. (Approx 260.00).
So our total course costs ran 560.00 CDN.
Similarly,
For our AOW, the course cost (5 dives) cost was 125.00, which included the AOW book. But then there was the extra 75.00 for the weekend gear rental (exposure suit, BC, tanks w free refills) and 65.00 for the day 2 charter service. You were required to supply your own compass, timing device, and dive lights. (Another 360.00) by the time you were done. So what was "marketed" as a 125.00 course, actually cost closer to 625.00.
So before even buying a BC, exposure suit, or tank, we spent almost 1200.00 to get certified up to AOW.
Not sure if this is typical, but from my own personal view, if they had told me, upfront, what the total cost was, we wouldn't have changed our minds (cost would not have been a deterrent), but we may have shopped around first, to find out the best instructor.
A DI is a DI, on paper (meaning that they all hold the same certification) at least, whether or not theyve been teaching for 1 month or 10 years. Now of there was a required re-cert period, and level or ranking system for DIs then the shopping would be easier as would the marketing.
For example, I am a contract technical writer with 12 years experience. I charge (for the sake of discussion) say 65.00 an hour. A junior would probably charge about 30.00 an hour. I don't work down to a junior's level (its unfair to the junior, and reduces my market value, and do not expect a junior to hold himself out as a senior writer. In this case the client can select, based on their needs, what level of experience they want, and how much they want to pay.
In the dive world, there is no official ranking for DIs so you never really know what you're getting. You can ask for his (or hers) experience, and references, but these are subjective. If there was a basic DI level 1, then say an Advanced DI level 2 (based on years of experience and retesting scores, added DI training, number of divers certified etc), up to a Master DI then the LDS could market their courses based on the DI's level. A 99.00 course would get you a level 1 DI and bare bones training. The higher the ranking DI, the higher the course costs.
Then let the students decide who they want, and what they are willing to pay, for their dive training. This would be truly applying a free market to dive instruction with the consumer supporting multilevel pricing based on competency, experience, etc. The way it is now, DIs are undercutting each other, and the end result is an overall lowering of the intrinsic value of the work.
Perhaps some small structure would be in order, but thats just my opinion.
