Cost of diving

[dfx]

I'm gonna chime in and emphasize that the cost of diving doesn't necessarily equal or even include the cost of give gear. The minimum you need to get started is the course and some basic snorkelling gear (which generally the course makes you buy, anyway). That's all. You don't have to buy anything after that. The obvious downside is that with owning only basic snorkel gear, actually diving is more expensive because you have to rent everything else.

If you don't plan on doing much or any local diving, then there really isn't much point in owning a complete set of gear right away. If you only want to do a handful of dives while on vacation, go ahead and rent everything there. Some people even rent mask and fins, although I don't recommend that.

With that approach, the initial cost is limited and the rental/diving expenses become part of the vacation budget.

 

[SSpiffy]

I've had expensive hobbies, and diving isn't one of them; try flying or sailing or auto racing - I've done all of them and I'm back to diving again. Sure, its initial capital cost is steep if you buy all new gear, precipitous if you buy all new, top shelf stuff. But the ongoing cost is relatively low.

I have a spreadsheet on my computer at work where I track all my diving expenses (and I mean all, right down to the bottle of talc and zipper lube) and in the last 14 months since I took it back up after a 30 year time out is ~$3500. That includes OW, AOW, dry suit and enriched air training, complete rig so I don't need to rent anything (including tanks), and inspection/servicing on anything I bought used that might need it by LDS. Biggest single expense was the dive computer, it was ~20% of the total. I'm lucky enough to live on Puget Sound, so shore diving is easy and fun around here. New gear was computer, assorted accessories, masks (bought two, one with lenses from Prescription Dive Masks), fins, gloves, booties, hood, tank, lights, and plate harness. Everything else was used, mostly eBay and I tended toward the good stuff - Agir wing, Oceanic Omega reg, Mares wetsuit, so forth - even my lead was bought used.

Buy your personal stuff then rent as you learn what you like and don't like. Rent from different shops so you don't end up with the same rig every time after you've dived a while and are comfortable so you can compare rigs. Hook up with your local club and find people who will let you try out their gear. Then start buying - new or used. If you just jump in with both feet and buy a complete rig right after you get certified, I guarantee you'll either be trading some of it in, selling it on eBay or diving with stuff you don't like.

 

[freewillie]

My wife just got my Visa bill for the month. She now knows how much I paid for a new Atomic T3! I also booked for two for Catalina over upcoming Labor day weekend diving with my nephew at $122 per diver (I'm paying both) which also showed up on the bill.

Im not sure if she's mad, but by the look on her face she's not thrilled. I did say my LDS gave me small discount on the reg. She quietly said no more big expenses for the year. Hope to get something small for Christmas besides coal.

But, local shore dives are only $10 per dive to rent a tank at my LDS since I have all my other gear. Air fills would be $5 anyways not including frequent filler cards

 

[TSandM]

The cost of diving will vary wildly, depending on where you are. Some places, diving is dependent on boats, and that makes it expensive. Other places, diving is done in private quarries where the entry fees can be steep.

Here in Puget Sound, the cost of diving is the cost of gear acquisition and maintenance, and the cost of fills. Gear acquisition is a fairly good-sized lump, because for comfortable Puget Sound diving (for most people) that involves a dry suit. But even if you bought absolute top-of-the-line gear, brand new, and everything you could think, the combined cost wouldn't buy you a mildly talented, sound, training level dressage horse.

Fills run $10 a tank for air, and a bit more than that for Nitrox, depending on where you go.

Maintenance is regulator service once a year, which for us ran $100 to $125. Assuming you purchase, rather than rent your tanks, you have to have a visual inspection done on them once a year, which runs about $25 if the tank requires no service. You have to have the tanks sent out for hydro every five years, but you can worry about that when it comes.

DAN membership, which is highly recommended, will run you about $100 a year.

If you don't dive, you don't spend money -- which is VERY different from riding. And dive gear doesn't get sick or injured (or when it does, it costs FAR FAR less to deal with it).

For anyone who is accustomed to the costs associated with horse ownership, diving is a dirt cheap sport.

 

[rhwestfall]

back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and I got certified, the "ballpark" was $1k to start, and if modestly locally active, $1k a year. Everyone has their own way of doing stuff, but for me, its likely $2k-$3k yearly, 20 dives a year, and all diving within 4 hours drive time (no "exotic travel"). YMMV...

 

[corvettejoe]

My first year of diving, I only bought my basic gear (mask/fins/snorkel/booties) and a wetsuit.
I waited a few months until christmas/birthday and then asked everyone for cash only for dive gear.
I think I got about $1000 combined that year. I then put together a nice list of gear and ordered it all at once from my LDS.
Shop around. you don't need the most expensive brands, often many other brands (nothing you will find in magazines) are MUCH better and MUCH cheaper.

I rented until I got my own gear, but costs go WAY down if you dive a lot and have your own gear.... and as mentioned above, the whole shore dive thing.
I shore dive a LOT of caves and local reefs in FL, so cost is just a tank of gas to drive there since I own everything else. Even cheaper if I carpool with a friend.
The only diving expenses after that are a few bucks to refill your tanks, lunch, etc.

For me, it was well worth it to get my own gear with the amount of diving I did. I figured the several times I went after getting certified until I got my own gear.. that was $60+ per weekend for rental gear, after several trips that's $240 I could have put into my OWN gear!

 

[ev780]

I will admit to not reading every post but glanced at them.

Gear is hardly the biggest expense. Use Ebay and Craigslist get used gear and have it serviced and you are good to go. Yeah, yeah, yeah life safety equipment and all that. I bought a used reg on Ebay in 2000 and it is still going strong today. Get it serviced before you use it by a good shop and you will be fine. Upgrade as you go along.

I see you are from Ohio so I suspect you will tire quickly of quarry/lake diving. The real cost comes in trips to warmer climes!!! Make the gear purchases irrelevant. Bet even that is doable you just have to work harder at it. Back when I did not have much money I used credit card miles, scoured websites, and traveled off season. Sometimes a trip to Cozumel can be had really cheap you just have to be ready to accept the last minute nature of the trip. I got a 3 day trip to Cozumel from Denver for $250 once. Included flight and was AI. 2 days of diving got me 6 dives. Grand total was less than $600. Rare but possible. Watch websites, set google alerts, and sign up for airline special offers. Apple Vacations frequently has leftover inventory that goes pretty cheap sometimes.

No matter how you slice it this is an expensive hobby.

 

[mathauck0814]

This is one of those, "How long is a piece of string" questions.

Some people dive inexpensively. I think I've got more money tied up in diving than I spent on my first house. It all depends what you want to do and how far you want to take your hobby.

 

[cb5150]

Money is made to be spent.
Life is meant to be lived.
Horses are meant to be eaten...or ridden, I guess. Depends whether or not you like horses.

 

[mathauck0814]

Horses are meant to be eaten...or ridden, I guess. Depends whether or not you like horses.

And whether what you like about horses is riding or eating them, I assume?