Has anyone had to pay extra to rent weights in addition to a dive tank fee?

[Rob9876]

There's a quarry near me that charges $1/pound for weight rental. Being that I need about 20 lbs that's been motivation to find used weights on Craigslist.

I'd say their prices are unreasonable, given the cost to rent versus the cost to purchase. For the mine, it's certainly not fun to have to fly with weights.

 

[JackD342]

I know of 4 Illinois quarries. Two do not rent at all. One charges 25cents/pound, the other charges $5 flat fee.
So charging for weights does not surprise me. Now, $20 at Bonne Terre is certainly higher than the quarries are charging, but it is a substantially different business. I have no idea what their cost structures are. I strongly suspect that their customer capacity may be quite a bit lower than a local quarry, so no surprise if limitations on volume result in higher per diver prices.

Maybe you can find another shop in the area where you can rent weight for a lower price and drive it there and back. But is that savings really worth the time it takes?

 

[Johnoly]

... Seems extremely excessive to me ....

LOL,,,Epcot = $190 at 1 tank.

 

[chickuita]

The guys in Catalina at the dive park charge separately for renting weights and a tank, but they're much much cheaper (~$60-80 for a weekend of diving with 5 - 6 tank fills and weights)

I live in California and dive the park a lot but I at least have the opportunity to bring my weights from home. But you are right, for someone who isn't local at least Catalina rentals are reasonable.$30-$40 a day is much different than $240 a day plus weight fees.

 

[chickuita]

LOL,,,Epcot = $190 at 1 tank.

Same goes to dive the shark aquarium in Las Vegas.

 

[markmud]

Hi chickuita,

I agree with others who wrote that it is a unique experience. I have paid that much for guided dives. I scrolled their internet site, saw the pictures, and videos.

It is a unique site.

If I were there, I would suck it up, pay their fees, and follow their rules.

dive on,
markm

 

[caruso]

If I were there, I would suck it up, pay their fees, and follow their rules

Ah but there's the rub, "if you were there". This place is in the middle of nowhere, to get there takes time, effort, and money. If you read the negative reviews there's a boatload of divers who have spent hard earned cash and bailed after not even completing one dive because it was so bad, for reasons beyond their control. That's what has kept me away from that place. You need to pay in advance for each dive and there are no refunds even if things go wrong that aren't your fault. The owner appears to have a real attitude/customer service problem which makes the high rental fee for weights, nothing more than the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

 

[BlueTrin]

It seems expensive but ... not only you are gonna have a great time and you are helping these guys to maintain a fantastic site.

(I didn’t know about this place until now and after checking the pictures I am very jealous ... lucky you )

 

[runsongas]

in socal, almost all the shops charge for weight rental separately from tanks unless if you get a full rental package.

 

[k4kafka]

Hello,
I was in the process of making a reservation for a trip to the Bonne Terre Mine and was advised I had to pay a $40/per weekend additional fee on top of my $80/dive tank fee.
Has anyone had to pay a extra fee to rent weights when already paying for a tank? I find this very unusual. In all my travels I have never encountered this before.

Was charged separately for rental tank(s) and lead in Jupiter,FL.