How much does the school give to PADI for certification? / Open Water Diver upgrade?

[InGearX]

I was just curious what I paid for...

I went to Dominican Republic and did "PADI Scuba Diver" with Neptuno Dive Center - Training and Education

PADI Scuba Diver was $220
and
Open Water Diver was $395

I started with "Discover Scuba Diving" - $95 (one dive) and then did another dive ($35) (totaled $130)

so they just said upgrade to "PADI Scuba Diver" for $90 more; so I did...

But I did all of the exercises before that and it was just a matter of me watching the video - and paying $90 more to get the card...

I am just curious how certification process should work? I feel that I paid all the money just for the PADI card... and when doing "Open Water Diver" - for $200 upgrade or so - person could know all of the things and know the charts...

So I am curious how much of the money is going to PADI and how much to the school?

And if I found a teacher / friend who could upgrade me "Open Water Diver" - how much would we still need to pay to PADI for an upgrade?

Thank you all...

[rakkis]

First of all, a SCUBA Diver certification has to include completion of the first three Chapters of the Open Water manual and associated Knowledge Reviews and Quizzes as well as the two dives. If Neptuno did not include all this, they short changed you and broke standards. Please report them and your instructor to PADI (800.SAY.PADI).

To get back on thread...
There are a few costs associated with certifying students. PADI (and any other agency) don't get much.

Direct Costs:
-------------
Positive Identification Card (PIC): The paperwork submitted to PADI with every certification. In the order of $20-25.

DVDs and Printed Material: PADI-published media. Varies with course and location. Generally in the order of $50-70 for Open Water materials.

Instructor pay: Generally, instructors are contractors for the shop; not employees. Fees vary by location and course. Anywhere from $40-$200 per student depending on the type of class and local market prices.


Indirect Costs:
--------------
PADI membership: The shop and each instructor and dive master has to pay for this. Cost is in the $100's per year for each party.

Professional Liability Insurance: The shop, instructors and DMs have to hold liability insurance in most places. Generally about 3x membership costs. Varies by country. There are different insurance companies.

Facility Costs and Salaries: Rent, utilities, equipment maintenance, paying shop retail and repair staff, overhead.

Business Liability insurance: Just like Home Owner's.. but for a business.

Pool costs: Rental or upkeep of a pool and related expenses.

[plonske]

More easy to ask Padi themself!

[Dive-aholic]

The PIC is less than $20 in the US. That's all that PADI gets.

However, instructors have to pay annual fees and maintain professional liability insurance.
The shop has to pay fees to maintain PADI status, as well as insurance.
There is an initial investment for instructor materials.
There is the initial investment and annual maintenance of gear, compressor, tanks, etc.

[h90]

Thailand: 2000 Baht for Padi and you need to buy the book as the red envelope for certification can't be purchased without the book.

[InGearX]

thank you all...