BalekFekete
Contributor
OW certification here outside of Philadelphia ran just short of $1k for the class, cert. dives at Dutch Springs, and mid-range personal equipment. I tacked on about $500 more for a 3mm wetsuit and dive computer.
Certification Prices
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I've spent well over $12,000 in certifications and have probably $30,000 in gear so far.
If you love the sport, you've only just begun to spend money.
If you love the sport, you've only just begun to spend money.
Welcome to diving! If you shop around a bit, you'll likely find that the OW course typically costs around $400. But the cost can vary depending on the location of your dives (shore or boat? Using a boat typically costs a little more), whether or not rental gear is provided, and other similar factors.
I'm in southern California and the shop I work with charges $475 for the PADI OW course. This includes the use of all necessary rental gear, all course materials and cert fee, classroom sessions, pool sessions, one day of diving from the beach and one day of diving from a boat.
So if you paid $3000 for your cert and gear, then you paid roughly $2500 for your gear. Whether or not that was excessive really depends on the specific gear. A bit of online research for your particular gear will give you an idea of the typical prices.
We charge $250 for the AOW course, which includes classroom sessions, materials and cert fee. We can do the course from the beach, i.e. all shore diving. So boat diving (if our students want it) and rental gear (if our students need it) is extra. Adding these could bring the cost of the the AOW course to around $450.
yikes, I think I may have been ripped off my local dive shop charged $3000 for both my new gear and for the open water certification and they want $700 just for the advanced certification through PADI
I have heard of shops that railroad new students into buying gear with no explanation as to why that gear is suitable for the new diver. On the other hand, many dive shop employees are divers themselves that truly want new divers to enjoy the experience... and know that the best way to ensure this is to provide new divers with gear and training that best suits their needs.
If you have only dealt with one dive shop, it might be difficult to tell into which category it belongs. But listen to your instincts, do some research... and if you find you've dealt with a shop that didn't have your best interests in mind, work on finding a new shop. There are plenty of divers and dive shops out there that want you to be a happy diver!
This happened to my brother many years ago; he was sold $4000 worth of gear before he finished his OW course. He found a different shop and has been an enthusiastic diver ever since.
yikes, I think I may have been ripped off my local dive shop charged $3000 for both my new gear and for the open water certification and they want $700 just for the advanced certification through PADI
That's pretty steep for AOW. Mine was around $250, plus another $100 to do enriched air at the same time. I did mine in Florida though. I know some don't care for it, but doing courses while on vacation in a nicer location (better diving that is), and cheaper per course, isn't a bad idea imo.
SDI OW with eLearning was $450. That included all everything except personal gear ($300 or so) and $20 quarry entrance fees.
Nitrox $150
SDI Advanced (4 separate specialties, not the sampler platter that is PADI AOW) was about $400.
SDI Rescue $250
I’m in the Chicago area with a high COL, so classes will be more expensive here.
You truly don’t want to know what I’ve spent on gear or what I’m going to spend on tech training.
Nitrox $150
SDI Advanced (4 separate specialties, not the sampler platter that is PADI AOW) was about $400.
SDI Rescue $250
I’m in the Chicago area with a high COL, so classes will be more expensive here.
You truly don’t want to know what I’ve spent on gear or what I’m going to spend on tech training.
Barnaby'sDad
Contributor
That's a consistent thing that I've seen while researching course locations and prices. It's either "pay to play" in a pricey area or travel to an area that has a less expensive course. If you're going on vacation anyways, that makes sense. If you're like me and you don't get a lot of paid time off...you aren't going to want to chew up your leave time just to get certified.
I'm doing a DSD course this weekend, but I'm still shopping around for where I'd take the OW course (not wanting to drop ~$700 just to get OW certified).
mcohen1021
Contributor
yikes, I think I may have been ripped off my local dive shop charged $3000 for both my new gear and for the open water certification and they want $700 just for the advanced certification through PADI
WOW... RUN... I put my entire rig together for ~$1100 - BC, reg, octo, gauges, pc, mask fins boots and snorkel.
If you’re going to be a vacation only diver, then take it somewhere tropical. If you’re going to be diving colder waters at home, do the course at home.
Makes absolutely no sense to do the course on vacation, if you’re going to be diving colder waters at home.
Makes absolutely no sense to do the course on vacation, if you’re going to be diving colder waters at home.
My PADI OWD course was about $400, but I did my certification dives in Roatan so that cost $200 more. I did my AOW, Nitrox, and Drysuit certifications all at the same time (well, Nitrox was a separate couple of hours one weekend day) and that was $800 I believe. So $700 for AOW alone seems kinda steep.
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