So here's a question coming from a newb within the tech world. I have become addicted to diving and know I want to further my diving knowledge base. I am interested in getting into tech diving in the near future. Just registered for my DM course and know the gear and cost with that. I have talked with my local dive shop about the cost of getting into tech diving, specifically equipment..and his only response was take the class and find out...I find this to be less than helpful especially since I am expecting to shell out a good chunk of change. Any helpful suggestions as far as price range. I know that this is a general question, but here is what I am hoping. I am going to be diving locally and hopefully eventually get into cave diving. What is the "general" price range to get into this end of the sport and not have to buy and replace all new gear to accomodate further exploration. Instead it would be nice to just add on to my ever growing collection. Are we talking a few thousand, ten thousand..? Thank you for your help.
Tech Cost
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Well, I don't know what you have, or what you would have to buy.
Generally, you're going to need some kind of BC that will support doubles, and most of us use a backplate and wing system. Buying new, that's going to run you in the $500 to $600 range (or more, depending on brand). Used, you can manage at least a couple hundred dollars less than that (haunt The Deco Stop, where tech gear goes up for sale regularly).
You will need at least one set of doubles, and the cost of those depends on what you buy. Where are you going to be tech diving? (Because that will affect your choice of tanks.) If you are going to be tech diving off the California coast, you probably want steel tanks. If you can handle low pressure tanks, you'll save money. I bought my LP85s used for $500, and a set of LP72s (which I would not recommend for technical diving, but they were my first doubles) for $350. If you put everything together brand new, it will be substantially more, and if you go for HP tanks, it will be more. A set of HP100s with bands and manifold will come close to $1000 if done entirely new.
You will need doubles regs. If you are going to dive nothing but doubles, you may be able to use your existing singles regulator as one of them, depending on what it is. If you are going to continue to DM and need a singles reg, you'll need two regulators for your doubles. Buying used, you should be able to get good quality regs in the $600 range (I have, twice) but new will be substantially more. If you are tech diving, you will also need at least one deco bottle (Al40) and a reg and gauge for that, which is several hundred dollars more.
You will need a good light, and a canister light will run you anything from $500 (lucky, used) to $1500 or more (high-end, new). For cave, you will need two good quality backup lights, which will run in the $150 to $200 range, and a reel (about $150) and a bunch of spools (these can be fairly inexpensive, if you find a sale).
So, for a very rough estimate, we're talking
$1500 - 2000 tanks and BP/W
$1000 regs (minimum for three)
$1000 - 2000 for lights
$500 for miscellaneous stuff (reels, spools, SMBs)
And this is assuming that your exposure protection and fins and mask are still suitable.
Cave classes will run in the thousand dollar range -- My cavern and Intro was $1100, my Cave 1 was $1800. That doesn't include travel expenses or lodging or car rental, and that was in Mexico.
I think tech classes tend to run in the $1000 range, too (plus or minus a couple hundred, but it sounded as though you were looking at order of magnitude estimates).
It ain't cheap. But there are more expensive sports, and costs can be controlled to some degree by careful shopping.
Generally, you're going to need some kind of BC that will support doubles, and most of us use a backplate and wing system. Buying new, that's going to run you in the $500 to $600 range (or more, depending on brand). Used, you can manage at least a couple hundred dollars less than that (haunt The Deco Stop, where tech gear goes up for sale regularly).
You will need at least one set of doubles, and the cost of those depends on what you buy. Where are you going to be tech diving? (Because that will affect your choice of tanks.) If you are going to be tech diving off the California coast, you probably want steel tanks. If you can handle low pressure tanks, you'll save money. I bought my LP85s used for $500, and a set of LP72s (which I would not recommend for technical diving, but they were my first doubles) for $350. If you put everything together brand new, it will be substantially more, and if you go for HP tanks, it will be more. A set of HP100s with bands and manifold will come close to $1000 if done entirely new.
You will need doubles regs. If you are going to dive nothing but doubles, you may be able to use your existing singles regulator as one of them, depending on what it is. If you are going to continue to DM and need a singles reg, you'll need two regulators for your doubles. Buying used, you should be able to get good quality regs in the $600 range (I have, twice) but new will be substantially more. If you are tech diving, you will also need at least one deco bottle (Al40) and a reg and gauge for that, which is several hundred dollars more.
You will need a good light, and a canister light will run you anything from $500 (lucky, used) to $1500 or more (high-end, new). For cave, you will need two good quality backup lights, which will run in the $150 to $200 range, and a reel (about $150) and a bunch of spools (these can be fairly inexpensive, if you find a sale).
So, for a very rough estimate, we're talking
$1500 - 2000 tanks and BP/W
$1000 regs (minimum for three)
$1000 - 2000 for lights
$500 for miscellaneous stuff (reels, spools, SMBs)
And this is assuming that your exposure protection and fins and mask are still suitable.
Cave classes will run in the thousand dollar range -- My cavern and Intro was $1100, my Cave 1 was $1800. That doesn't include travel expenses or lodging or car rental, and that was in Mexico.
I think tech classes tend to run in the $1000 range, too (plus or minus a couple hundred, but it sounded as though you were looking at order of magnitude estimates).
It ain't cheap. But there are more expensive sports, and costs can be controlled to some degree by careful shopping.
Rainer
Contributor
And TSandM's numbers are really rather low estimates. First, they don't include any backups, which you'd surely want (regs, exposure protection, lights, etc). If you're going to pay big money to make the dives, you don't want to miss them due to inevitable gear issues. They also ignore the cost of dive mixes (He isn't cheap), the costs associated with training to get ready for the courses, deco cylinders, gauges, O2-cleaning, etc, etc.
Really, the costs to tech dive are high (in terms of money, commitment, and risk). For those who do it, however, the benefits outweigh the rest.
Really, the costs to tech dive are high (in terms of money, commitment, and risk). For those who do it, however, the benefits outweigh the rest.
Training:
Training cost varies. I paid $700 for a combined Cavern and Intro to Cave course from one instructor and just paid $725 for a combination Apprentice and Full cave course from another instructor - so cave training to date through Full Cave was "only" $1425.
You will also want Deco Procedures and Advanced Nitrox courses. Cost varies. I paid $400 for a combined course but I have seen instructors charge $350-$400 for both of them.
Many divers also take an intro to tech course, fundies, etc and that could cost you another $200-$400. How much you learn from that really depends on your previous dive history, experience and exposure/mentoring from other technical divers.
Trimix certification costs around $1000-$1200 for a normoxic trimix course plus maybe $125 for an intial trimix fill and about $80 for subsequent fills for 2 or 3 dives during the course.
Equipment:
It is not uncommon for me to jump in the water with $6000-$7500 worth of equipment. The stuff I took on my last dive adds up to $6500 with the actual cost of a combination of retail, used and key man discounts. Basically it was the cost of three regs, a BP/wing, double 95's, deco bottle, primary and back up lights, primary and jump reels, mask, fins, drysuit, three gas computer, bottom timer and about $100 in odds and ends.
The good news is that if you know what you need, what it is worth and where to find it, you can get most of what you need used without skimping on quality. The other good news is that you don't need it all at once and can spread much of it out over time.
The biggest single chunk will be doubles, a BP/wing set up for doubles and the two regs you will need for doubles. Double AL 80's are a good choice as they tend to sell cheap in the $300-$400 range and the tanks can later be used as stage/deco bottles, while the bands and manifold will work on any 7.25" diameter tanks so there is no wasted investment when you move up to something large and more suitable for deeper/longer technical diving, but minimal investment to get you started and comfortable in doubles - something you want to be before you start task loading yourself with technical diving courses.
Be careful buying gear for a DM course - much of it may not be optimized or suitable for technical training/diving.
Training cost varies. I paid $700 for a combined Cavern and Intro to Cave course from one instructor and just paid $725 for a combination Apprentice and Full cave course from another instructor - so cave training to date through Full Cave was "only" $1425.
You will also want Deco Procedures and Advanced Nitrox courses. Cost varies. I paid $400 for a combined course but I have seen instructors charge $350-$400 for both of them.
Many divers also take an intro to tech course, fundies, etc and that could cost you another $200-$400. How much you learn from that really depends on your previous dive history, experience and exposure/mentoring from other technical divers.
Trimix certification costs around $1000-$1200 for a normoxic trimix course plus maybe $125 for an intial trimix fill and about $80 for subsequent fills for 2 or 3 dives during the course.
Equipment:
It is not uncommon for me to jump in the water with $6000-$7500 worth of equipment. The stuff I took on my last dive adds up to $6500 with the actual cost of a combination of retail, used and key man discounts. Basically it was the cost of three regs, a BP/wing, double 95's, deco bottle, primary and back up lights, primary and jump reels, mask, fins, drysuit, three gas computer, bottom timer and about $100 in odds and ends.
The good news is that if you know what you need, what it is worth and where to find it, you can get most of what you need used without skimping on quality. The other good news is that you don't need it all at once and can spread much of it out over time.
The biggest single chunk will be doubles, a BP/wing set up for doubles and the two regs you will need for doubles. Double AL 80's are a good choice as they tend to sell cheap in the $300-$400 range and the tanks can later be used as stage/deco bottles, while the bands and manifold will work on any 7.25" diameter tanks so there is no wasted investment when you move up to something large and more suitable for deeper/longer technical diving, but minimal investment to get you started and comfortable in doubles - something you want to be before you start task loading yourself with technical diving courses.
Be careful buying gear for a DM course - much of it may not be optimized or suitable for technical training/diving.
Technical diving is a lot of things, but cheap ain't one of them. TS&M's list will get you into an advanced nitrox & deco class (add a drysuit if you don't have one already). Once you move beyond that, you will need more and more gear. Trimix, Advanced Trimix, Full Cave + stages, etc. required several more deco/stage set-ups. I finished advanced trimix recently. Here's the gear I used JUST in class:
2 sets of doubles
4 deco tanks (2 O2, 2 50%, 1 35/25)
4 sets of deco tank rigging
1 O2 Analyzer
1 TMX Analyzer
1 argon set-up
6 regualtors (2 BG, 3 deco, 1 argon)
1 BP/W (although you will prob end up with a few wings, application specific)
1 Canister Light
2 back-up Lights
1 drysuit/ undergarments
1 Shearwater Pursuit
1 Uwatec Back-up
1 Slate (don't forget your software that may need to purchase for cutting tables)
1 Wetnotes
2 lift bags
1 Primary reel
1 back-up reel
2 masks (1 primary, 1 back-up)
Various and sundry hardware (somewhat significant once you add it all up)
I'm sure I'm missing something
Once you get out of class you will need more gear, especially when you start diving trimix. This assumes that you will doing regular technical dives. What if you plan for a big dive and you get blown out? Your doubles will be stuffed full of expensive trimix that you are not going to want to dump for a nitrox dive or use at the quarry. That means more doubles. I have 4 sets and sometimes that feels inadequate. You will also need more deco tanks and stages, depending on what kind of diving you will be doing. Once you start stacking 3 and 4 bottles, a DPV starts to make a lot more sense. Cave diving? Lots more gear- reels, spools, markers. If you set your gear up right the first time most of it will translate to caving as well.
Then there are the other costs:
- Training- classes get more and more expensive as you climb the ladder
- Gases- He is not cheap. I paid almost as much for gas in my advanced trimix class that I did for the class.
- Travel- Trips to the coast, trips to cave country, trips to wherever you are training- it adds up
All said and done, with all the equipment, training, and travel I would say it has cost me around $30k and a lot of good memories to get where I am (Full Cave/ Advanced Trimix). Maybe more.
Wow, seeing it here in writing makes me want to vomit
2 sets of doubles
4 deco tanks (2 O2, 2 50%, 1 35/25)
4 sets of deco tank rigging
1 O2 Analyzer
1 TMX Analyzer
1 argon set-up
6 regualtors (2 BG, 3 deco, 1 argon)
1 BP/W (although you will prob end up with a few wings, application specific)
1 Canister Light
2 back-up Lights
1 drysuit/ undergarments
1 Shearwater Pursuit
1 Uwatec Back-up
1 Slate (don't forget your software that may need to purchase for cutting tables)
1 Wetnotes
2 lift bags
1 Primary reel
1 back-up reel
2 masks (1 primary, 1 back-up)
Various and sundry hardware (somewhat significant once you add it all up)
I'm sure I'm missing something
Once you get out of class you will need more gear, especially when you start diving trimix. This assumes that you will doing regular technical dives. What if you plan for a big dive and you get blown out? Your doubles will be stuffed full of expensive trimix that you are not going to want to dump for a nitrox dive or use at the quarry. That means more doubles. I have 4 sets and sometimes that feels inadequate. You will also need more deco tanks and stages, depending on what kind of diving you will be doing. Once you start stacking 3 and 4 bottles, a DPV starts to make a lot more sense. Cave diving? Lots more gear- reels, spools, markers. If you set your gear up right the first time most of it will translate to caving as well.
Then there are the other costs:
- Training- classes get more and more expensive as you climb the ladder
- Gases- He is not cheap. I paid almost as much for gas in my advanced trimix class that I did for the class.
- Travel- Trips to the coast, trips to cave country, trips to wherever you are training- it adds up
All said and done, with all the equipment, training, and travel I would say it has cost me around $30k and a lot of good memories to get where I am (Full Cave/ Advanced Trimix). Maybe more.
Wow, seeing it here in writing makes me want to vomit
Oh ya, back-ups are another thing. For me, I would buy gear to get me going (used off of the deco stop or something like that) until I figured out what I really wanted. Then I'd buy that and the old stuff would become my back-ups. When you have $500 invested in a dive, you don't want a dead battery or bad buld to can the dive.
BabyDuck
Contributor
argh. don't write it all out like that, guys - i'm getting nauseous!
hint - get decent stuff when others are selling it to upgrade. if you have buddies who tech dive, you can get lots from them while you figure yourself out, and sell it later when you yourself upgrade. i've sold stuff and got back what i paid 2 or 3 years ago.
hint - get decent stuff when others are selling it to upgrade. if you have buddies who tech dive, you can get lots from them while you figure yourself out, and sell it later when you yourself upgrade. i've sold stuff and got back what i paid 2 or 3 years ago.
Not sure if this is off topic or not, but when I decided to take some intro to Tec classes, the biggest factor for me (apart from it being in warm clear water, like I am used to) was whether they would supply gear or force me to buy my own before the course started.
The way I figure it, I am going to be unfamiliar with the new rigs either way when I commence the course whether I own them or not, but if I decide afterwards Tec diving is not for me, then I have not committed large sums and I can just walk away.
Still room on the course in February if you are interested...
The way I figure it, I am going to be unfamiliar with the new rigs either way when I commence the course whether I own them or not, but if I decide afterwards Tec diving is not for me, then I have not committed large sums and I can just walk away.
Still room on the course in February if you are interested...
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