Why is learning to scuba so expensive?

[Blackwood]

Hi, just wanted to know how to get to divemaster level without taking out a personal loan or performing a hit on someone? Seems like you have to pay loads and there's no way round it?Does anyone know a place/way you can work for your training? If not whats the cheapest and best place to do it? when I ask for the cheapest i mean price of absolutely everything including all padi fees required dives, accom, flights?Some of you guys on here must have got to divemaster level or higher on the cheap?Just really want to learn how to dive but I'm not bill gates.

If you just want to learn to dive, why are you worried about the cost of becoming a dive professional (dive master)?

Just learn to dive and enjoy it.

I find this funny.

Expensive compared to what?

Compared to driving lessons, horse riding, evening classes at college etc etc... on a per hour basis.... it's as cheap as it gets!

Come on, be fair. "Expensive" is relative to what one can afford. It's easy to name activities that dwarf the cost of horse riding or night school, but doing so doesn't improve their affordability.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

Andy - 10 years? I thought the "zero to hero" route was much faster!

 

[grf88]

As a member of a dive club my course costs were quite a bit lower than those quoted by DevonDiver, the other costs are very similar.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

There actually is no one way to calculate everything because each persons needs and interests are different. By the time I became a DM I had probably $8,000 USD in gear alone. Did I need all of that? Maybe not, but it sure made things easier when I did not have to rent anything for any dives I wanted to do anywhere. From the Florida Keys in 85 degree water to under the ice in 36 degree water. In prep classes there was at least another $2000.00 USD including my initial cert. Not to mention the travel, meals, lodging,etc. Again was all this necessary? Perhaps not until I see some of these fast track to DM and even instructors that I would not let anyone I cared about dive with.

Looking for the cheapest way to DM does not inspire much confidence in me as to your reasons for becoming one. If you think you'll make money at it good luck. If you think it will help pay for your diving, well maybe a bit. If you think it will get you respect as a diver- forget it. Only experience and a genuine demonstration of knowledge, skills, dedication to improving those, and a lot of dives in as many environments as possible will do that. Going the professional route on the fast and cheap can be done. But as an instructor I have to say if I found out that's what you did I would be very reluctant to use you as a DM.

I expect DM's to have some patience as well as skills and knowledge. That includes with themselves. I would also expect you to own or have easy and dependable access to gear suitable to every environment we train in. Warm water, cold, low vis, etc. I'd want to see you have skills that are above those of the average diver before starting DM training. That means at the least solid AOW skills that meet my standards, rescue, and lots of time in the water.

Why do you want to become a DM? And do you want to become a good one? Cause if you do, trying to do it as cheap as possible is not the way.
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[Ross Be]

Really good advice thanks! I just wanted to get more involved with the whole diving thing and wanted to possibly work for a dive centre or a liveaboard. I definitely get what you all mean about different environments underwater and trusting in a divemaster. It's also that I enjoy working and training at the same time because i think it is the best way to learn something, especially something practical like diving and was getting a bit frustrated when I couldn't find anywhere.
Maybe I'll just do the next course and see how it goes but at this rate it could be a while till I'm able to work in the industry! I'm actually not bothered about making money out of it just would really like a job that I actually enjoyed doing.
Thanks for the previous update of all those prices as well that was great!

 

[Jax]

Really good advice thanks! I just wanted to get more involved with the whole diving thing and wanted to possibly work for a dive centre or a liveaboard. I definitely get what you all mean about different environments underwater and trusting in a divemaster. It's also that I enjoy working and training at the same time because i think it is the best way to learn something, especially something practical like diving and was getting a bit frustrated when I couldn't find anywhere.
Maybe I'll just do the next course and see how it goes but at this rate it could be a while till I'm able to work in the industry! I'm actually not bothered about making money out of it just would really like a job that I actually enjoyed doing.
Thanks for the previous update of all those prices as well that was great!

Excellent plan!

 

[DevonDiver]

As a member of a dive club my course costs were quite a bit lower than those quoted by DevonDiver, the other costs are very similar.

Those were just the PADI associated costs.

I dived BSAC as well - first at college, then in military clubs. That was a lot cheaper (per dive cost) and many of the later courses (rescue diver - instructor) were provided through the military training system. Kit costs were the same though.

The OP is based in the UK, so I'd recommend that he investigates his local BSAC clubs. He can do the initial diver training with them, up to Dive Leader level - including the 'specialty' courses that cover diver first aid. At that point, he can enroll directly onto the PADI DM course as a cross-over step. With a good, flourishing local club, that should be considerably cheaper and keep him active and experienced as a diver.

Alternatively, many of the PADI dive centers in the UK now also run a diving club. There'd be cumulative benefits to joining one.

One of the real benefits of diving in the UK, rather than just on holiday, is that the per dive cost can be reduced. Find a decent buddy, get your own kit... and the only cost to dive needs to be air-fills and transport costs - there's a bunch of great shore dives around the UK, that'll give you hours underwater to gain experience and become more self-reliant. I used to live in Devon...and had a lovely shallow bay just 5 minutes walk from my house... I was down there with scuba kit every sunday morning to get scallops for lunch BBQs. There was even a nice old wreck dive from the shore, just 15 minutes drive from my house. Add a few boat charters to reach the nice wrecks... that ups the cost, but expands your experience a lot also. On holiday, you'll be paying for DMs, boats etc on every dive.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

And since this is in Introductions, welcome to ScubaBoard!

 

[DevonDiver]

Really good advice thanks! I just wanted to get more involved with the whole diving thing and wanted to possibly work for a dive centre or a liveaboard.5

What you need to be aware of is... so do another 100,000+ people.

There are some good threads on Scubaboard about working in the scuba industry - particularly in regards to divemaster training and employment. You have access to an awful lot of combined knowledge and experience here.... so it'll definitely help you with your planning.

 

[redacted]

Hmm... let's see.. a rough approximation of the costs up to, and including, DM training (total diving spend) - over the space of (the first) 10 years:

Courses
Open Water - 450.00
Advanced Open Water - 300.00
Rescue Diver - 350.00
Deep Diver - 250.00
Drysuit Diver - 200.00
Nitrox Diver - 250.00
Wreck Diver - 300.00
EFR w/AED - 250.00
Divemaster - 750.00

Sub-Total -3100.00 GBP

Equipment
Apeks Regulators - 550.00
AP Valves BCD - 450.00
Mares Fins - 55.00
Cressi Mask x2 - 75.00
Suunto Vyper - 250.00
Bodyglove Drysuit -850.00
4th Element Undersuit - 85.00

Sub-Total -2315.00 GBP

Diving
240 Dives (@ 30) - 7200.00
Air Fills x 240 (@2) - 580.00

Sub-Total - 7780.00

Approx Total Spend (10 years from OW to Divemaster), mostly diving in the UK -13,195 GBP

*Not including air-fare, car petrol, dive insurance, small items and maintenance/service of kit.


Really.... that was cheap. It didn't start getting expensive until I started on the technical diving route. Post-Instructor/DM qualification (the last 10 years), I spent a lot more on kit, but most of my (4500+) subsequent dives were free/paid for.

If asked how much of my money I've spent on scuba diving in the last 20 years, my honest answer would have to be "most of it".

Seriously....

How about compared to the costs of scuba training 15 to 20 years ago.

In the mid '90s, OW training ran about $100. A couple years later, I paid less than $50 for Nitrox training.

What has caused the cost to go up 4 fold in less than 20 years?