CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
So cave training is something that can cost you from 1200 USD to 5500 USD for full cave. As we go through instructor resumes and reviews by students, it becomes apparent that there are some very good instructors who are in the bottom of this price chain. While I have heard of bad experiences with open water training, I have really not come across a lousy cave instructor. My experience is limited but I have yet to find a cave diver who would say that I had to retake my course elsewhere because my instructor was not good. This is strange because in open water courses you will not find that level of price deviation across US but quality is all over the place. Cave diving community seems to have standardized the final output of their training much better than other branches of scuba training but they seem to be horrible in standardizing the prices. Why is that?
At least from my humble vantage point, everyone who dives deep into caves, all do some very high level dives. What would cause one to be more expensive than the other? While some organizations have strict quality control and have also built a certain legacy so there is the "brand value" and that I understand. Besides that, the time that a student spends under the instructor is not that different. the skills they learn are also not that different. The standards for passing are not that different either. Does is all come down to the legacy that the instructor perceives for him or herself? Or do some instructors pride themselves for developing unique teaching methods like special slides or videos, training drills etc?
Thanks.
At least from my humble vantage point, everyone who dives deep into caves, all do some very high level dives. What would cause one to be more expensive than the other? While some organizations have strict quality control and have also built a certain legacy so there is the "brand value" and that I understand. Besides that, the time that a student spends under the instructor is not that different. the skills they learn are also not that different. The standards for passing are not that different either. Does is all come down to the legacy that the instructor perceives for him or herself? Or do some instructors pride themselves for developing unique teaching methods like special slides or videos, training drills etc?
Thanks.