Babydamulag:
Here is one for the group --- what (or where can I find) is the normal schedule of diving fees for dive sites in the Philippines. As we research the local ordinances in our municipality, I am discovering there is not a "standard" for diver fees. As we develop our dive sites and learn more about the area I am concerned that the local ordinances are not adequate or are not written well to support the diving industry. Please share you knowledge of "SCUBA DIVING FEES" throughout the Philippines. We are writing a memorandum of agreement now that will better define our role and the role of the LGU's in the SCUBA industry in our area. This is an important issue since revenue will go to improving the local environmment, boat moorings, etc. Thanks.
PG has a "dive op assoc." and they've all agreed to keep their rates in on and around $20/ dive... +/1 a couple of $ depending on whatever
this takes into account covering equip maintenance expenses, compressor costs, boats, gas and of course the dive op's profit margin.
anilao can charge $5/ dive because it has a steady local crowd BUT diver covers boat and DM costs (w/c can kick the charge up to $10-$20 or more depending on the # of divers, etc.)
a PG op OTH charges $20 and that's whether there's 1 or 100 of you on the boat... also overhead on PG is more expensive because of land values and utilities
how would this affect your op in culasi? if you have a large volume of traffic you can give it at a very low cost because volume will cover your expenses...
low cost though has its shortcomings - you MAY lose out on a premium market since you don't offer exclusivity - not a major problem since diving is not a mass-affordable activity but you can still get a lot of jologs nonetheless
beyond dive fees is your actual resort and its accompanying costs - take the examples of anilao resorts:
eagle point/ solana - expensive, exclusive, you get what you pay for
aquav/ balai - mid range, mixed crowds, good compromise between posh and practicality
vistamar - don't even get me started, and yes you also get what you pay for
there's also competition - how many dive ops are around you? if you charge $100/ dive and your neighbor charges $10 for the same divesite guess who's gonna have more business (assuming most things being equal)...
there's also what you offer - is your location a top dive destination? will people travel to get there? do you have a regular crowd? is there supporting infrastructure to get to where you are? in PG alone sabang and lalaguna dive ops run all year, while 1/2 an island away in white beach most dive ops only run during the peak season
carribean diving may suck compared to, let's say, camiguin - but people know of the carribean because of aggressive marketing. most filipinos don't even know where camiguin is, much less a european looking to spend a few thousand euro for the dive of a lifetime...
so although discussion on having consolidated and uniform dive fees has merit, the reality is that many of our paradisial dive spots have yet to offer even anilao-level infrastructure and amenities, let's not even consider yet the accessibility to travel like airports and decent ferries and transports - and this will throw any real, honest-to-goodness discussion on this matter into chaos
personally, i wish diving could be even cheaper, but that's not possible... at least not according to the laws of economics :biggrin:
Jag
