Groupon Deal Questions

[drifter001]

I just purchased my equipment for my class next week. spent 225 on a descent mask, fins, snorkel, hood, dive boots, and gloves. Plus the dive shop threw in a gear bag and mask defogger as well for making a package plus gave me 15% off

 

[nimoh]

Ok so since we are in the same area and i was in the same predicament as you i will give you my advice. For some reason, tons of groupons have been popping up for scuba diving in our area. I guess the industry is hurting. So i did a lot of research because getting certified is something ive wanted to do for a long time. I went with the Scuba network groupon, and i am so happy i did. The groupon was $150 and it included your open water certification and online academic portion of the course. I found the price too good to be true so i had to do some more research, i just couldn’t help but think there wasnt a hidden cost. Every single thing was included except the wetsuit. So i didn’t have to purchase anything if i did not want to, wetsuit rental was $8 a day. Because a mask, fins, and snorkel are all pretty much customized for the diver i ended up buying those items and a few other things. The day i went to sign up for the course i bought a mask, fins, snorkel, gloves, slap strap, spit for the mask, and booties for my fins. Everything i purchased was good gear (mares and tilos) and i ended up paying around $250 for the gear. Again all the gear is provided with the groupon so i didn’t have to, but i wanted to. I did my certification in a 4 day class that was put together for the New Year holiday, it started on Thursday the 27th and ended on the Sunday the 30th of December. I don’t think they do it like this always, i think other classes are spread out more but the 4 day option is available during holidays i believe.

Day 1- I went in to sign up for the course and received my online access book to start my online course at home.
Day 2(not actually the 2nd day, it took me about a week to finish the online stuff but it can be done online in 8 hours i think) - I had to come back to the dive shop after i finished to do a review with one of the instructors. After my review we started to pick out gear i wanted to buy, and started to fit for my BC and rental of my tank reg and other things.
Day 3- Our first meet up at the pool. It was freezing, but thank god the water was heated. There was 6 people in my class with the instructor. Let me start by saying the instructor was not a slack off and was very serious about diving (instructor Randy). We started with instruction of how to put our gear together and then jumped right into the pool to do our required swim skills. I believe we swam 6 laps so (300 meters), which you were able to use any stroke. Im not the best swimmer but i wouldn’t die if I had to swim for my life, needless to say i did the backstroke most of the way. After the free swim we were given a little bit of time to catch breathes and then we had to tread water for 10 mins if i remember correctly, not floating. The swim test showed me how out of shape i am, lol. After the swim test we got into our scuba gear and started instruction in the pool. I learned so many things that i would of never thought scuba had so much involved. From the stuff we learned, we were then tested 1 by 1 until we did the skill correctly (clear mask under water, no mask swim, etc). We spent 4 hours at the pool and i went home pretty tired but excited.
Day 4- Another day at the pool. We were first tested on if we remember how to put our gear together with no help. After our gear was set up we hoped in the pool, and had a quick review of what we learned the previous day and then started on new skills. On the second pool day we started to learn skills in the deep end, like ear squeeze, what to do in an emergency with a buddy, how to breath a free flow regulator, buoyancy control and lots of other things that i would have to sit here for forever to list. After another 4 hours at the pool i was comfortable with what the instructed taught and i was ready to do my first beach dive. Instructor randy would not give you an OK unless you could successfully complete the important skills needed to safe dive.
Day- My first beach dive! We all met up really early and put on all of our gear except fins to walk to the water. We had to swim a little way to get to where we were going under. We all waited until the other members of the group were close together and the instructor started talking about what we would do once we go under. We went under, and basically performed most of the skills we did in the pool to make sure we were comfortable with being in the ocean. After that, we used a compass to navigate and basically had a bit of free time to get comfortable in the ocean.
Day 6- Ready to boat dive! The groupon included the last shore dive but i wanted to do the boat dive so i paid an extra $60. Needless to say the charter people were great. We were given hot cocoa when we came up from the first dive and pineapple after the second dive. Back to the diving. The first dive from the boat was a wreck around 60ft and it was great. The second dive was on a reef that had LOTS of life, so much I didn’t want to come up. The instructor warned us before the dive that if we could not maintain buoyancy at the safety stop we would fail. All 6 of us passed and went back to the shop that day to have our cards printed.
Every day after the class we went back to the shop to learn how to fill out our log books and went over what we did. I fell in love with scuba diving and actually bought a BC from them after I got my c card. Im not trying to knock other shops but they seriously have the cheapest prices. For example they have the new Mares x treme fins for $115 and I think they usually retail around $160 and up. You might want to buy a wetsuit; I found it pretty nasty knowing I was wearing something other people have peed in. I learned so much from the experience and im so happy I did it. Sorry if some of my terminology is off, im a new diver. But I hope this helped you, seeing as we are neighbors.
In conclusion. The groupon was $150+$8x4 for the wesuit+ and $60 for the 4^th day boat dive if you choose, is all you would be spending. I of course bought a lot of equipment so I spent a lot more but all in all I spent about the same amount to get my certification and all my gear as I would of spent on just my certification regularly, I think the certification is usually around $400. The deal gets no better. The shop is well maintained and can be trusted; they even have a lot of reviews online and have shops in new York as well. The instructor gets an A++++++++++++++ as instructor Randy was top notch and an expert at what he does, along with a passion for what he does. Every instructor there is well experienced and has been diving their whole life from a young age. After 4 days of scuba diving I was pretty exhausted!! But a good sleep brought me right back to life. I’m in the process of my AOW now. The groupon is going to end soon because they got such a overwhelming response from it that they are pretty booked up, so you would have to get it soon. They have 3 locations in Florida so can choose which shop you want to go to. I attached the link below Let me know if you have any questions.

Scuba Network Deal of the Day | Groupon Fort Lauderdale

first report of a positive groupon scuba class that I have seen. I can't imagine this instructor made enough money on this class to justify their time, but that is their choice.

This supports my thoughts on groupon scuba classes -- groupon is not the problem, but it seems that some instructors/dive shops are willing to cut corners to try and make it profitable. In your case, it appears that they were not.

 

[Colliam7]

1. Is this an overall good price for certification? I live in Miami and this is a PADI course that averages around 445 reg price + 75 for materials.

It is a very good price for certification.

2. Is this person trying to take advantage of me and make me purchase an above average quality scuba set?

Not really. For new equipment, this is not unreasonable. You can probably get adequate new equipment for a slightly lower price, but the difference won't be substantial.

Obviously I am not trying to go scuba diving with a walmart set of fins I purchased for 20 dollars but surely as a beginner and someone who merely plans to do this recreationally or may not even enjoy the experience there has to be a cheaper option.

Sure. Buy used. There is always used scuba gear on the market. As one example:
Scuba Diving - Mask/Fins/Snorkel. The challenge with this approach, howver, is finding used gear for sale that fits you. Still, if price is your primary criteria, that is one way to go.

I am really excited to do this especially with the seemingly great price but I am not willing to spend 200 dollars on a set of fins, snorkel, and mask. For all I know I do this and say never again and I am left with expensive gear. I mean if I like it and want to make it a reg thing I would invest in better gear sure but what do you guys think?

I think you should pass on the idea of taking this course. If you are concerned about $200 for the gear up front, you probably won't like most of the diving-associated costs - equipment rental, gear purchase prices, air fills, boat charter costs, etc - that you will encounter as a certified diver. You would also be taking a course with minimal time for instruction, and that is probably not the way to go, particularly for someone who may have time only for occasional diving (based on your concern about 'how much time I will have for scuba in my realistic life between school and work.').

A better approach for you would be to take a Discover Scuba class, and see if you like it. THEN, think about a certification course

 

[ambam]

first report of a positive groupon scuba class that I have seen. I can't imagine this instructor made enough money on this class to justify their time, but that is their choice.

This supports my thoughts on groupon scuba classes -- groupon is not the problem, but it seems that some instructors/dive shops are willing to cut corners to try and make it profitable. In your case, it appears that they were not.

I think their goal was more of keeping the customer at that dive shop and making money off equipment and diving in the future. Like you said the instructer worked his butt off for probably chump change. To make it even more interesting for you, i had 2 dive instructors for 4 days because the class was originally scheduled for 8 people so 4 people each instructor but i lucked out and had 2 instructors for 6 people

---------- Post added January 9th, 2013 at 12:52 PM ----------

It is a very good price for certification. Not really. For new equipment, this is not unreasonable. You can probably get adequate new equipment for a slightly lower price, but the difference won't be substantial. Sure. Buy used. There is always used scuba gear on the market. As one example:
Scuba Diving - Mask/Fins/Snorkel. The challenge with this approach, howver, is finding used gear for sale that fits you. Still, if price is your primary criteria, that is one way to go.I think you should pass on the idea of taking this course. If you are concerned about $200 for the gear up front, you probably won't like most of the diving-associated costs - equipment rental, gear purchase prices, air fills, boat charter costs, etc - that you will encounter as a certified diver. You would also be taking a course with minimal time for instruction, and that is probably not the way to go, particularly for someone who may have time only for occasional diving (based on your concern about 'how much time I will have for scuba in my realistic life between school and work.').

A better approach for you would be to take a Discover Scuba class, and see if you like it. THEN, think about a certification course

I would never buy a regulator used, you just never know. Its not worth risking my life to save $100-200 IMO. But mask and fins i would of bought used.

 

[Reck Diver]

One of South Florida's most respected dive outfits (Pompano Dive Center and Brownies Dive and Paddle in Boca Raton) recently offered these deals:
$200 off the GUE Fundamentals Course; Free Visual Tank Inspections; Free Labor on 1st Stage Regulator Service.

These are actually more cost cutting then "Groupon" deals. Now I don't think you are going to receive shoddy workmanship on your regs, a half-azzed visual inspection or a lower level of instruction on the GUE course. Sometimes these promotions lead to long term sales.

 

[flots am]

I would never buy a regulator used, you just never know. Its not worth risking my life to save $100-200 IMO. But mask and fins i would of bought used.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but all regulators are used, (including the one you just bought), assuming it's been in the water.

They all require periodic service to remain functional.

Aside from cosmetics, there should be zero difference in performance or reliability between a new, out of the box reg and a 3 year old (or 30 year old) reg that was properly serviced.

Service involves complete disassembly and cleaning and replacement of of all the wear parts as well as anything that's damaged.

flots.

 

[fjpatrum]

I think their goal was more of keeping the customer at that dive shop and making money off equipment and diving in the future. Like you said the instructer worked his butt off for probably chump change. To make it even more interesting for you, i had 2 dive instructors for 4 days because the class was originally scheduled for 8 people so 4 people each instructor but i lucked out and had 2 instructors for 6 people

---------- Post added January 9th, 2013 at 12:52 PM ----------



I would never buy a regulator used, you just never know. Its not worth risking my life to save $100-200 IMO. But mask and fins i would of bought used.

Buying a used regulator is exactly like buying a new one. You do research, find out if it's a good reg for service/price/breathability and make your decision. I've now bought 8 regs, used. They have all been fantastic. I've bought enough equipment to fully outfit no less than 5 divers with regs and BCs for less than $800. That's a whole lot better than $100-200 savings. Besides, as others have said here and in many other threads, a reg is used the moment it hits the water, whether you bought it first or someone else did. Get it serviced by a tech/shop you trust and it's exactly the same.

To the OP: there's nothing wrong with WalMart snorkel sets. If you buy the US Divers brand (important distinction) the masks are the same as dive-quality masks and fins are fins, to at least get you started. Why spend $200-$300 when you can spend $40 and decide later what you actually like/need. Some people like split fins, some like Rockets, some like Jets, some like split Jets, and they all cost an insane amount of money if you're buying new. I started diving with a snorkel set I bought for less than $40 and it's still my preferred mask and fins. I don't really use the snorkel much anymore but when I do, I still use that snorkel.

Also, as with regs, used deals can be had for a good price. Hell I just picked up 2 pairs of jet fins in good condition and I'll gladly sell you one for a good price. (Less than the WalMart set mentioned above but without mask and snorkel. I can probably find those too for a few bucks--literally--more though I recommend trying masks on before you buy.) Again, I've just purchased 2 sets of regs, 4 sets of fins, a few masks, 30 pounds of weights and some other equipment for less than $100. All in diveable condition. Some is in better shape than others but still all useable.

Anyone who tells you it costs $200+ for "personal gear" doesn't do a lot of comparison shopping. hell I bought a brand new pair of Tusa Extreme III splits (or whatever they are called similar to that) for $60. You can find the deals if you look. Even shops tend to give a "discount" to students, though they may not provide that for groupon-based classes.

If you're on a budget and especially if you're not sure you'll like diving, why not really save your money? You'll be much better off buying inexpensive equipment than you will be buying inexpensive instruction.

 

[ambam]

But how would i know what the person before did with it? What your saying is that as long as i get it serviced no problem should arise?

 

[fjpatrum]

But how would i know what the person before did with it? What your saying is that as long as i get it serviced no problem should arise?

True enough. As Flotsam said, servicing involves completely disassembling the reg and replacing worn parts (like o-rings, soft seats etc.) As such, it doesn't matter too much what someone did with it before. A decent tech will be able to tell you whether or not you should use it. If they service it and don't red tag it for non-use then you should be fine. I will say make sure you research what gear you're buying and get stuff you can find parts/info for or can get serviced as some gear is much more difficult to get serviced than others.

Like I said in my post I've bought 8 regs and breathed off all of them but the last two. 5 of them I serviced myself and three of those are in regular use. I'm about to service all the ones I haven't yet serviced and one of those is my primary reg. I don't own a single reg newer than 12 years old and I've only been diving for 2 1/2 years. All have been bought from complete strangers off craigslist or ebay.

I don't necessarily recommend everyone service their own gear, but you should have an idea how it works and what a tech is doing when they are servicing it. For this I recommend Woflinger's "Regulator Savvy" or Vance Harlow's "Regulator Maintenance and Repair". Both are excellent books for explaining how regs work.

 

[workinprogress]

Dear Shark Bait
This seems to be a trend driven by the dive shops that do not know how to advertise. In most of these cases Groupon ends up with the upper hand and does not seem to get all that is promised back to the dive shop. Beware of it is too good to be true. It should cost $350-$550 for a open water certification any way you stack it!!! There are independent operations that only teach and sale no gear like www.seattleschoolofdiving.com and there are shops like www.reefseekers.com/ that sale mostly travel or Learn to Dive and Improve your diving skills with our Scuba Certification and Dive Specialty Classes. it is up to you to interview you prospective instructor and decide based on how well you will work with that person. The long of the short of it is that you will do more that just one call if you find you like SCUBA diving.