How come Discovery scuba is so expensive in Key Largo?

I'm taking my family to Key Largo in mid-March, before we go on a W. Caribbean cruise in FLL. I'm going to dive, and my wife and 3 kids (2 boys 17 and 15, and girl 12) to snorkel. My 2 boys are good swimmers and had done 2-tank Discovery scuba 1.5 yr ago in Taiwan. They did well (I was with them) and quite enjoyed.

In the Caribbean port stops, I've seen Discovery scuba at $75, and at most $125. I was going to have my 2 boys try the Discovery scuba again, but was shocked to find the rates in Key Largo at $150 or more. Why is the rate in Key Largo so high? Or maybe I didn't check enoug ops.

Unless I can find better rates in Key Largo, we'll wait and have my boys scuba again during Caribbean port stop(s).

just get them certed and do regular dives

imwright1985:

just get them certed and do regular dives

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Easy for you to say when you're not the one paying.

We live in Toronto. We don't dive in the cold water here. Only when we go to warm vacations would we snorkel/dive. I got the 2 boys doing Discovery scuba before to get them interested. They have lots more time in their future to do their own vacation and certification if they like it. At this time, the dad doesn't have unlimited budget.

Average DSD in the Keys is $150 - $250

Considering you get a ocean dive trip (value of around $80), plus rental gear, plus a full day with an instructor that actually not that unreasonable of a price. With two people though Im sure you can find someone who will give you a bit of a price break if you are diving as well.

The sooner you get them certified, the sooner you won't have to pay additional fees for Discover Scuba, just pay for their diving. And more importantly they will be better & safer divers. Talk to the dive ops in Key Largo about giving you a multi-student break on the certification courses.

I will add that here a Discover Scuba is $75 for a 2-3 hr pool only session. Now add in the cost of a boat trip and the instructors time for a 2-3 hr pool session as well as the 1/2 day boat trip, then $150-200 is a bargain. Many of the tropical resort type DSDs you mentioned, only provide about 1 hr in the pool followed by an 1 hr off the beach, no boat trip, not a full day.

Fully agree with Mselenaous I can think of a couple that would be more then happy to accommodate such a request.

Or take the class where you live and get a referral for vacation checkouts. How much are lessons in your area?

Remember the cost of living in the Caribbean vs. Florida. I think $150 is incredibly reasonable for that service.

I think it is incredibly awesome that you are doing this for your family, lucky them!

Average cost of a referral open water course is the keys ranges from $249 - $349

WOW but at least they'd be done with it once they were certified.

If I had lots of money, and if my sons will be getting lots of diving soon after that, then yes it makes sense to get them certified. But they won't be getting lots of diving in the future (unless I won the lottery.)

Since we'll be going on W. Caribbean cruise right after (if anyone is interested, check out Costa, they have amazing prices lately), that's where we can get much cheaper DSD than the $150 in Key Largo.

My wife and daughter definitely will snorkel. For my 2 sons, if we get much cheaper rates in Key Largo then they can do DSD, otherwise they'll still get to snorkel. They can get to do DSD at better prices at the W. Caribbean ports (Nassau, G Cayman, Cozumel, not Ocho Rios). They did DSD once before in Taiwan (forgot the rate, but it didn't break my bank). So at least I got them exposed to the joy of diving.

As much as I like to get them diving again soon, they also cost me a lot in hockey (Canadian are crazy in hockey), softball, swimming, piano lessons, oh man they do (cost) so much. And yes the 2 boys are growing fast and eating a lot.

So I think the sky is not going to fall if my 2 boys don't dive in Key Largo.