How Much Money Did You Spend In Your First Year of Diving?

[Nikki]

I only certified last month and have already spent a fortune, I will have to send the children out to work!!! At the end of the day its only money, the main thing is to have fun!!

 

[Cave Diver]

My first year I spent prolly close to $5k, which included gear, trainning, lake fees, travel and lodging to a few dive sites, a trip to cozumel, a few out to the flower gardens and my AOW, Nitrox and Rescue certs, plus the required CPR and Firstaid course to earn that cert.... Wait, come to think of it, better make that closer to $8k...

In my second year of diving I added my full cave cert, which I figure cost me roughly somewhere in the neighborhood of another $5k just for that class by the time I figure in instruction cost, travel, lodging and food in Florida, and the additional gear I had bought.

Entering my third year, I already have a couple thousand more invested in equipment, and my training continuing to earn my Advanced EANx while on a trip to the Cayman Islands this Sept.

Looking back at all of the time and money I have spent on diving during the last several years, I am saddened by the realization...


I SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS A LONG LONG TIME AGO!!!!!

Dive often, but dive safe

John

 

[SM Diver]

Should be easy for me, since I have only been certified a month:

Course: $150
Mask, Fins, Snorkel, Weights for Course: $220
BCD, Wetsuit, Reg, secondary $925
Suunto Cobra, with compass, quick conn. $630
Suunto Dive Manager $125
Bag, other misc $200
Hardware for Boat (tank storage) $300
Two additional tanks $300
DAN Insurance for me and family $100

WOW. Just under $3000.00. Like others, I wouldn't have thought I had spent that much. No wonder there's no money to pay bills this month.

:togo:

 

[cpalerm]

Just under $1k, but I just got certified (OW & nitrox) and did a couple of other dives and my budget for this year is gone...
Must finish grad school... get a real job...
But had I gotten everything I calculated I'd need around $3k more...

 

[carbon]

I have spent about $500 on equipment, but that's only on personal-type gear (mask, fins, snorkel, booties, gloves, etc). I still rent the "expensive" stuff (regulator, tank, BCD, computer, etc.).

I've spent about another $500 on O/W and advanced certifications.

Lastly, I've spent multi-thousands on dive trips/vacations. That includes local, not-so-local, and three vacations to the Caribbean.

I have never had so much fun spending money in my life! Is there a cure?

Carbon

 

[Cave Diver]

Originally posted by carbon


I have never had so much fun spending money in my life! Is there a cure?

Carbon

If there is, I dont wanna know...

 

[seawoof]

but I'm sure the total went over 2500.00 and thats probably conservative. In the process of a drysuit purchase right now...terrifying.

woof
ut:

 

[divrnr]

I'm super cheap, I bought mask, fins and snorkel for $50 in '84. I got lead from the local tire shop and gave it to the LDS for credit to buy stuff, 50 cents a pound at the time. I also bought used rental gear that had been refurbed and ready. I still have my fins(my son uses), reg(my wife's), dive bag(mine), knife(mine) and 2 steel 72cf tanks... Good dive gear can last a long time!

 

[durangodiver]

In one year, I've spent close to $9,600.00. I just passed my first year this last weekend and rewarded myself with a new set of Mares Volo fins. *woohoo* Coming this month: NAUI Nitrox, in August: NAUI Assistant Instructor, in January: NAUI DiveMaster. Of course this in not including the new SUV I had to have to transport all of my dive gear + 35K.

~Adam

 

[icebox]

I was actually figuring out how much I had spent since Feb on Diving last night. It is not a pretty sight. I have spent 3000+ on gear. I have spent another 1500 on dive trips. Probably more than 500 on Stress & Rescue/specialty courses and materials for the courses. I guess That puts me in the over 5,000 in 5 months catagory. Dang this is a lot of fun.