I totally agree with the comments about just having fun and enjoying the experience. At age 62 I decided to do the DM training just for the experience and quickly decided to go for an Instructor rating. The entire experience on Utila was just unbelievable. I never had any intention of making a living at diving. I only did all this because it was fun and I kept meeting great people from around the world. I did work as a professional for a few months on Roatan and in Truk Lagoon. Both were money losing propositions but the experience and rewards were beyond anything money can buy.
From the comments I've read over the last couple of years, Utila is slighly less expensive for training but Roatan and Thailand are close seconds. I've spent some time with trainees on West End when I worked on Roatan and they didn't seem to be spending much more than I did on Utila. lot depends upon your eating and drinking habits. I didn't keep close track but I spent $200 a month splitting an apartment with another guy, about $10 to $12 a day for food and another $5 a day for Salva. I did cook a few meals and also made a few sandwiches now and then to save some money. I'd say the budget could be from $700 per month to whatever you can afford plus of course the DM fees. You'll like take a few extra courses too so plan on spending a little more than you think on training.
You only live once and you'll never do anything more fun than this so do whatever you can to make it happen.
From the comments I've read over the last couple of years, Utila is slighly less expensive for training but Roatan and Thailand are close seconds. I've spent some time with trainees on West End when I worked on Roatan and they didn't seem to be spending much more than I did on Utila. lot depends upon your eating and drinking habits. I didn't keep close track but I spent $200 a month splitting an apartment with another guy, about $10 to $12 a day for food and another $5 a day for Salva. I did cook a few meals and also made a few sandwiches now and then to save some money. I'd say the budget could be from $700 per month to whatever you can afford plus of course the DM fees. You'll like take a few extra courses too so plan on spending a little more than you think on training.
You only live once and you'll never do anything more fun than this so do whatever you can to make it happen.