Wife needs to finish OW certification, certification dive prices, WACKY?

[poltergiest]

Hi my wife is needing to finish her open water certification, she is going through our lds and they are SDI, she liked their ideas over PADI. Here in Ohio they go to the twin quarries in Circleville but the water temp is too cold for instruction - below 60F. So that stalled her plans, she is determined that I will NOT go diving without her again after our last trip to San Pedro a few months ago.

So we are trying to find an SDI instructor to finish up her certs, she has all the gear just needs a tank and weights. The dive shops that have web sites or email all want almost the same price for a referral as the whole class. $300-$350 one was $425 :shocked2:, humm I get its a business and location, but my lds is $125 anytime of the year including equipment.

Can someone enlighten me and point me to someone that we can save some money to actually go on dives once this is completed.

We will be back to Ambergris at the end of January '14

Poltergiest

~Trying to be a fish since 1993!

 

[Max Speed]

7 mil wetsuit

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Pyro_]

I am going to guess at least part of the difference in cost is due to in belize you are going out on the boats and taking a space on them. So they will charge at least what it would be for any other diver to go out

 

[poltergiest]

I would almost think but at more than one place a two tank dive averages around $70, and I have seen classes near the docks, in "open water". We are going to Ambergris Caye and unless going to the atolls or blue hole most everything is a small boat or mexican skiff, the reef is only a few hundred yards at the most.

 

[Pyro_]

I know when I did my cert on caye caulker with belize dive services their standard was turneff north one day and out near San Pedro the other. When I compare their current dive prices plus equipment rental to their referral price for those it is not that far off

 

[DeputyDan]

Personal opinion here but it seems to me that the real problem is that the $125 is way to low.
I would want that price as well but the $425 is way more realistic (for the entire course bty).

 

[AWMIII]

Amigos Del Mar has SDI instructors and charges $300 for an open water referral.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

I find that the average price for checkout dives at a resort is around $200 - $300. Now some islands may be more expensive then others. For example, I booked a trip to Utila (there is shore diving!) for one of my customers and he is paying $175 to do his C/O Dives which includes his rental. Diving the rest of the week is extra. Bonaire or Curacao sometimes tend to be less expensive (depending on where you stay) as well. Realize that does take around 8-10 hours depending on resort. Factor 1-2 hours review of skills in pool and 2 days diving off the boat (8/9am - 12/1pm) which will be more if the destination doesn't have shore diving.

 

[HIGHwing]

I've yet to receive cheap Scuba instruction that was worth what I paid.

 

[poltergiest]

The entire course is regular $395 at my lds, just if needed the referral checkout dive is $125. Also I have found the prices listed at most shops on Ambergris Caye include a $30 PIC fee, well that is already covered with my lds class fee, we just need to bring back the paperwork to them.

So if I can find a shop that does not force the additional fee that we have already paid,and she is using her own equipment, that gets the price more toward the side of reasonable, for the location at least.

I drove with Amigos Del Mar and maybe I will need to just wait until I get there, they seemed pretty easy going. Well my instructor at least.

Anyone dive with Ecologic? or Steve Bowen aka Scuba Steve?

Once she is certified we will be doing some dives around there, so maybe we can make a package deal.