there was a recent thread posted where the conversation drifted a bit towards the cost of tank rentals on cozumel. i was recently on the island and decided to go by the compressor station again to verify the current cost and to share that info here .
i was told it was 91 peso for an allum 80 with 32% nitrox. for those of us that are mathematically challenged, that works out to aprox 6 dollars canadian or aprox 4.50 u.s. now don't nickel and dime me here guys this is the aprox cost depending on the exchange rate you are paying. but it certainly gives you an idea of the cost. we were also told all we needed to do was leave a piece of ID until the tanks were returned. previously i was told my cert card was good enough to use as ID but did not ask this time around.
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i am not 100% certain of the cost of an air filled allum 80 but i believe it was 31 peso. so if it was 30 or 40 peso it would be aprox 2 or 3 dollars.
before any shop owners take offense to any of this info.......i am sure no one is against shops making a profit. if we didn't then we would all be out of business. but when it costs 3 bucks extra to get nitrox vs air, it seems a bit unreasonable (to me at least) that some shops charge up to 15 extra. not all shops charge that much of course. some do not charge anything extra. some 5. some 10.
in defense.....perhaps the reality is that some shops just do not want to be bothered with the extra time/effort it takes when dealing with customers who dive nitrox. including having to provide an analyzer and maintain it in good working order. keeping records. tagging the tanks etc etc so they charge a high mark up to offset some of those costs.
our trip was fantastic btw. a handful of decent boat dives with beautiful coral formations. quite disappointed in the lack of life at some spots though. but had some amazing night shore dives that made up for it. and just for the record.....we paid $6 u.s. per tank for the shore dives at our hotel including weight and weight belts if needed.
i was told it was 91 peso for an allum 80 with 32% nitrox. for those of us that are mathematically challenged, that works out to aprox 6 dollars canadian or aprox 4.50 u.s. now don't nickel and dime me here guys this is the aprox cost depending on the exchange rate you are paying. but it certainly gives you an idea of the cost. we were also told all we needed to do was leave a piece of ID until the tanks were returned. previously i was told my cert card was good enough to use as ID but did not ask this time around.
.
i am not 100% certain of the cost of an air filled allum 80 but i believe it was 31 peso. so if it was 30 or 40 peso it would be aprox 2 or 3 dollars.
before any shop owners take offense to any of this info.......i am sure no one is against shops making a profit. if we didn't then we would all be out of business. but when it costs 3 bucks extra to get nitrox vs air, it seems a bit unreasonable (to me at least) that some shops charge up to 15 extra. not all shops charge that much of course. some do not charge anything extra. some 5. some 10.
in defense.....perhaps the reality is that some shops just do not want to be bothered with the extra time/effort it takes when dealing with customers who dive nitrox. including having to provide an analyzer and maintain it in good working order. keeping records. tagging the tanks etc etc so they charge a high mark up to offset some of those costs.
our trip was fantastic btw. a handful of decent boat dives with beautiful coral formations. quite disappointed in the lack of life at some spots though. but had some amazing night shore dives that made up for it. and just for the record.....we paid $6 u.s. per tank for the shore dives at our hotel including weight and weight belts if needed.
