How Much Should Certification Cost?

[Dive-aholic]

Welcome to the 'Board, soxgirl! When you take into account everything that you'll need to purchase to get certified, it should run you between $600-1200. This will depend on the price of the course, price of the gear you must purchase before class (mask, snorkel, fins, booties), the course manual, rental gear for the check out dives, boat fees if there are any or entry fees to the dive site. Then after you get certified you need to consider the gear you will need to purchase or rent in order to continue diving. Scuba diving is not a cheap sport, nor should it be. The equipment you use is life sustaining. The training you receive is also life sustaining. It's a fun sport, but it can be expensive. My wife and I have spent well into 6 figures since we got certified...but then again we do specialized diving that cost even more than your basic recreational diving.

 

[shellbackdiver1]

Lets break this 250US class down. For giggles let's say that I teach a 24 hour class.

Not really very much time if you think about it. This includes 4 sessions of 6 hours per day. Each night 2.5hr lesson and 3.5 hour pool. Each pool visit cost (here anyway) 12US per person plus 3US for a tank. That is 60US for the diver already. Instructors dont go for free either so lets say it cost them half that (30US). Were down to 250US-90US = 160US. Forgot about the books which cost 50US (yes its cheap but for now lets let it be). 160US-50US=110US.

Now were off to the open water dives where you can put your newly found skills to use. Not even going to get into the cost of driving to the site, cost of rental gear or up keep of it, food and living expenses for the weekend. Again to keep it simple, 2hours for predive, dive and post dive. 1hour SI and then again 2 hours for predive, dive and post dive. Each day consist of 5 hours for 2 days is 10 hours total. Total instruction equals 34 hours. Forgot about the 8 tanks of air it took for the instructor and student to do the checkout dives. Lets say instructor got a great silent deal and the LDS gave the tanks away for free (Fat chance of that happening by the way).

110US left over for 34 hours of instruction. 110/34=3.24US per hour. Instructors are getting rich! Seriously if they are charging only that much then the instruction time and quality surely is going down.

Your class should consist of atleast 30-40hours (and that is minimal) of class/pool and then a weekend of diving. Expect to pay beyond 500US. Locations in the world may vary the price a little.

 

[Dive-aholic]

shellback, what you neglected to include is that most classes are not 1-1. Your costs are low, but so is the hourly pay. However, provide accurate costs of everything, including the professional liability insurance that is mandatory for US instructors to carry and the result is about the same, actually probably lower.

 

[shellbackdiver1]

$250 class equals a weekend that maybe you got a couple of hours in the pool, demonstration of skills by the instructor, little to none one on one help with your attempt to perform the skill. Lots of other students. I dont know how this is possible to meet the training standards.

$300 class equals a class/pool session and a weekend of diving. Demostration of skills by the instructor, one or two times you can try the skill, minimal class time taught to pass the test. Possible to meet the training standards for a few skilled people. Most end up getting a card but did not meet the standards.

$350-$400 class equals 2 to 3 class/pool sessions and a weekend of diving. Class will cover most of the learning materials. Demonstration of the skills, minimum one on one with the instructor but you may have time to practice your skill more then twice. Again just able to pass the class knowlegde and skills. Borderline meets the training standards of most certifying agencies.

$500 and up should equal more then 4 class/pool sessions. The instructor will take the time to develope you as a scuba diver rather then teach you how to pass the skills. There will be plenty of time to discuss all aspects of the training material. You should have ample time to practice in the pool to master your skills. Your actual open water dives will be more enjoyable.

 

[ucfdiver]

I think you're going about this a bit backwards. Find an instructor that you feel is competent and that you "connect" with, and go with the certification agency that he or she uses. Remember, you're trusting your life on this person's training ability, $150 extra for a course is no big deal!

 

[PvtStash]

$250 class equals a weekend that maybe you got a couple of hours in the pool, demonstration of skills by the instructor, little to none one on one help with your attempt to perform the skill. Lots of other students. I dont know how this is possible to meet the training standards.

And yet we are not awash with the dead bodies of poory trained OW students...

My LDS charges $150 /person (+gear, +book/materials)
Is this "substandard/impossible" charge a sure recipe for my death ?

Of course not.

Would it be great if OW course WERENT a loss leader for LDS's to be able to get new customers? sure.

But they are, or at least they are for LDS's that wish to ENCOURAGE diving/new business.

 

[ucfdiver]

And yet we are not awash with the dead bodies of poory trained OW students...

My LDS charges $150 /person (+gear, +book/materials)
Is this "substandard/impossible" charge a sure recipe for my death ?

Of course not.

Would it be great if OW course WERENT a loss leader for LDS's to be able to get new customers? sure.

But they are, or at least they are for LDS's that wish to ENCOURAGE diving/new business.

Diving is extremely easy, or we'd have more bodies floating around. As long as everything goes as it's supposed to, those weekend courses work fine. When SHTF, I question a diver's ability to react who is just out of those courses. Experience can cure a lot of inadequate training. I've had a lot of friends go to the keys or mexico over spring break or summer vacation, get certified, and never dive again because they were uncomfortable the entire time. I'd rather back students up a step, and give them a full tank of just breathing off a scuba bottle in the pool before requiring anything more of them. It seems like such a basic principle to have a "saying hello to the water" session, yet it appears to be skipped frequently.

 

[Clammy]

Around where I am (Los Angeles), I've noticed that most of the classes are roughly the same price, give or take $50. That's only if you take into consideration what people are offering and what comes with the class. For example, my OW class cost $500 but other than the class, pool, and OW, it included books, rentals, boat for 2nd day of OW dives, Round trip ferry ticket to Catalina island, AND a night at a hotel in Catalina. To me, that was a steal even if I still had to buy basic gear separately.

Conversely, when I was "shopping around", I saw courses for $250 that didn't include boat or sometimes books and all dives were off a nearby beach. If I wanted boat dives for the second day then I had to pay roughly another $100. I also saw ones that cost between $300-$400 but no Catalina etc. So if you really break it down, it's pretty much the same with different "options". At least from what I saw anyways.

 

[shellbackdiver1]

My LDS charges $150 /person (+gear, +book/materials)
Is this "substandard/impossible" charge a sure recipe for my death ?

Darn! I was hoping all the places around your area charge $500 or more.

 

[Potapko]

to keep the initial costs down for the interested potential diver...

I think a basic OW course that was $500 or more would turn me off to diving altogether; it doesnt have to cost that much. The idea should be to get me wet and interested cheap and then let me spend incrementally as I get more into the sport. You scare me away before I even get a chance to start with a teaching fee of $500 (+gear? really?).

I understand the logic behind "its not the certing agency its the teacher" and I agree, but I dont Need Sheck Exeley for a teacher either... I've done Alot of reading/self instruction on my own in preparation for my classes and I feel as if I could almost go in and take the test Sans classes and still do fine, thus I dont wish to Pay Big Bucks for Super Instructor when Anyone who can sign thier name to my card will do.

I agree completely!
Anybody that can read with a basic level of comprehension can learn the theory. My instructor provided basic safety and instruction in the pool and introduced me safely to the open water environment. OWD was for me only the right to fill tanks and begin to learn. Practice practice and more practice made me a competent diver.