Average cost of OW Cert??

[Rick Inman]

Our PADI LDS charges $250, incl all gear for the class.

I wish the going rate was higher. If LDS's charged 1500.00 for the class (not incl gear), there would be a higher profit margin for instruction and shops could lower the heat on gear purchases. Students and instructors would both take the training more seriously, producing safer, better trained divers. Heck, shop owners might even teach you how to purchase online, and then say, "And anything you buy online, we'd love to service here for you."

As it is now, the cost of training is often a break-even / loss deal for the shop, which means that if you students don't buy large amounts of gear (whatever brand the shop is pushing) at exorbitant profit margins, they can't stay in business.

 

[Ron Brandt]

We have an LDS up here that charges around $400 for the classroom and pool work. If you choose to finish off here in the murk, it's another $80 PER DIVE and he's going to start charging more! Count in another $400+ for personal gear.

Ron

 

[rainmaker]

I paid $238 for SDI cert in Feb. 05 in Greenville, SC. That included everything, except for two $10 donations for boat expenses for the OW dives.

 

[skybird]

I just read one post that said that their OW class was over the course of one weekend. I know that mine was more casual than a formal class, but I can't imagine being certified in one weekend. I know that I am just beginning and have had much more than that before certification......and I know I am not THAT slow.

SkyBird

 

[JRScuba]

Plan a vacation to South Florida. Certifications are reasonable.
You can get certified and have a great vacation all wrapped up in one package. You dives will be in the ocean, which beats a quarry and day of the week..

 

[Rick Murchison]

I just read one post that said that their OW class was over the course of one weekend. I know that mine was more casual than a formal class, but I can't imagine being certified in one weekend. I know that I am just beginning and have had much more than that before certification......and I know I am not THAT slow.
SkyBird

A proper course (my opinion) takes about 20-25 hours of classroom/pool time and a minimum of 5 open water dives. Students should be limited to no more than three open water dives in a single day until certified.
So for me, a one weekend class is just not possible; two weekends is mighty tiring - I like to stretch the class over at least seven days if possible.
Rick

 

[logic]

Since everyone else is relating their experiences: my certification work (PADI Open Water Diver) consisted of a week of home study with the book, followed by an evening classroom session, video, and skills tests, and then a pool dive over the weekend. We repeated that for the next week; home study during the week (finishing off the study materials), an evening class/video/quiz (plus final exam this time), and weekend pool work. The next weekend, we did two dives on Saturday and two dives on Sunday, at which point I received my certification.

I was pretty happy with the pace; we were the only two students in the classroom sessions, so we were able to set our own pace (and we're usually pretty quick with that kind of thing; I found it pretty easy to get through the "dry" material, pun intended). The pool work moved along about as fast as could be expected; I don't think anyone felt rushed at all, and everyone was given plenty of time to work on things if they had trouble. After the first pool session, we had a bit of air and time left, so we had a chance to just play around in the pool for a while, which was great for practicing buoyancy and descent, ascent, equalizing, etc. on my own.

The open dives were a bit rushed; this was the first time a few of us had put on the full-length wetsuits before, and I underestimated how long it would take, so I felt a bit rushed getting out to the water where everyone was waiting. This wasn't any fault of the instructors, either; they were very insistant on everyone taking their time, but you still feel like you're holding up the group if you're "that guy" who takes forever. Once in the water, though, I think the pace was pretty good, and I knew for the next day that I needed to start getting ready a little earlier. At the end of the weekend, I was completely and thoroughly exhausted; we had all the gear for the weekend, but there was no way I had the energy to do any more dives on either Saturday or Sunday.

Anyway, I'd probably consider what we did the "bare minimum" investment of time into getting certified; it's not about getting the little card with your name on it, it's about learning to dive without hurting yourself, those around you, or the environment you're diving in. I can't see how you'd pick up the necessary physical skills (let alone absorb all the classroom material in a meaningful way) by squeezing it all into a single weekend. And frankly, I'd think that it's a heck of a lot more fun having more dive sessions to look forward to.

 

[diverkristi]

A proper course (my opinion) takes about 20-25 hours of classroom/pool time and a minimum of 5 open water dives. Students should be limited to no more than three open water dives in a single day until certified.
So for me, a one weekend class is just not possible; two weekends is mighty tiring - I like to stretch the class over at least seven days if possible.
Rick

I believe was $275 plus books etc totalling just over $300.
Mask snorkel, fins and booties, $300
Checkout dive trip to the keys was about another $400 (could have done the local quarry, but with gas (4 hours away), overnight stay etc, it would have been darn close to the all inclusive keys trip).

So $1000 is a good # in my opinion. And as you saw, just the tip of the iceberg.

RE time. My class was 10 weeks and ran from 6 PM to 11 PM. After carrying tanks etc out we didn't get home till midnight

2 1/2 hours in the classroom for a total of 25 class hours
2 1/2 hours in the pool for a total of 25 hours.

50 hours of instruction, and I felt well prepared to dive. Getting a good class and a good instructor is critical!

 

[kidspot]

My BOW course was held over 3 weeks for water and 1 more for classroom (after all the water lol) We met Monday afternoon and all day Saturday. A total of 32 hours. As much as I wanted to finish it and get out diving I was very glad to have time between classes to "mull" over what I had learned.

Back to the original question... Classes in my area go from $125 (without cert fees or books) to $599 for private instruction with everything included. My class was taught by a friend "at cost" and was $150 (including all materials, air, gear, etc..) - I don't know how a business can charge $125 and make anything at all. The average around here seems to be about $350.

Aloha, Tim

 

[shooter226]

I just read one post that said that their OW class was over the course of one weekend. I know that mine was more casual than a formal class, but I can't imagine being certified in one weekend. I know that I am just beginning and have had much more than that before certification......and I know I am not THAT slow.

SkyBird

I believe that you were referring to my post.

We do teach a PADI ow class in on weekend. Our store has 3 on site pools (2 indoor) and a private training lake. There is some home study involved. About 5 1/2 hours watching the DVD's and doing knowledge reviews in the book. This leaves 2 full days for training. Not holling (sp) equipment around waiting for air fills driving to pool sessions exc.

We also have small instructor / student ratios in the water.

PADI requires you to teach to their standards. This is so a 10 year old can understand. There are no strenuous swimming involved any more either.

The militaristic teaching methods are a thing of the past! Scuba class should be a fun learning experience.

If you are having a problem with something having 1 on 1 instruction should be expected. This is not possible with an independent instructor trying to teach a lot of students in a class.

You should ask questions before paying anywhere for your class.