The Cost of Scuba Diving (Beginner)
If you haven't bought any scuba gear yet, you may be in for a surprise. And if you have bought gear, you've likely already realized that it is an expensive sport. In fact, I don't know any other popular activity that costs as much. And it's not just a one time cost when you buy your gear. Instead, there are on-going costs every time you go out for a dive such as the boat ride and an air-filled tank.
So just how much is a beginner scuba diver likely to spend? Here's a breakdown:
| Training and Materials | |
| PADI Instruction DVD | 35.00 |
| PADI Open Water Crew Pack | 60.00 |
| Confined Water Training Course | 269.00 |
| Open Water Training Dives | 239.00 |
| Entrance Fee for Open Water Dive Site (2 days) | 64.00 |
| Equipment | |
| 3mm Wet Suit (for tropical dives) | 200.00 |
| Pair of Fins | 89.95 |
| Boots | 40.00 |
| Mask | 50.00 |
| Snorkel | 25.00 |
| Mesh Dive Bag | 24.50 |
| 3mm Gloves | 25.00 |
| Compass | 64.00 |
| Sea Snips | 16.00 |
| Defog | 4.99 |
| Total | $1206.44 |
Wow! And the above doesn't even include a regulator, BCD, dive knife, hood, dive light, underwater camera, or spare parts. The regulator and BCD together could easily double the cost!
Please note that it's quite possible you could get the above items for less than what I paid. If you have the time, aggressive price comparison is likely to save you some money.
(3 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)
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Interesting cost listing. In chatting about this listing yesterday with a friend who owns his own dive shop and school, we figured that in the South/Central Florida regions, the total cost would run substantially less than the figures listed here. For example, most places in FL do not charge a Confined Water Training fee, and in large part, wet suits are included with the gear rental that most shops will package into their class fees. One may also find that some shops will include the course materials in the cost of their class fees. Also, most OW students aren't required to purchase a mesh bag, compass, or sea-snips. These types of purchases are normally made after a student is certified and is beginning to amass their non-personal gear.
Further advice for the scuba-curious: Shop around and always get a full cost-breakdown of the items you're expected to purchase during your certification process.
~Idee