Best & cheapest place to get scuba licence

[orm]

Looks for somewhere with a large concentration of Diveshops. Unless they have a system of price matching or it's an expensive place to live, you usually find you can get good discounted courses if you shop around, comparing prices and playing one shop off against the other.

Good luck.

 

[peterrobbemond]

You could do your course abroad like I did. I live in the Netherlands but did my course in Mexico. This was cheaper because of the valuta difference and also got to see some nice fish while I was there. Don't forget, I was taking a holiday as well...

 

[TartanFrog]

Cheap is definitely not a good thought process when it comes to learning life saving skills. I would go to some of the local dive shops and see how you feel about the staff and especially the instructors. I am in the Northern VA area and have several shops available and went to almost all of them. There were a couple that I walked away from almost immediately because of the attitude of the staff.

I found out that by checking the various shops they were all similarly priced. I eventually ended up with a shop that is close to home, and has very friendly and highly competent staff.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is you may be taking your own life in your hands by looking for the cheapest path. YOU have to consider whether or not you are getting the training necessary to stay alive and healthy! Then again, I would not buy the cheapest equipment either. But that is just me...

 

[muddiver]

Actually, there is no such thing as a scuba diving "license" in North America. Now I understand there are some countries that the government has gotten into the recreational diving industry and you are required to have a license, but not in the Americas, as far as I know. You might go try one of the socialist countries, I think Spain was one that requires a government "Nanny" pass for diving.

Now, if you want a scuba diving certification, just look for the nearest PADI scuba diving shop and you'll be good.

 

[Brian Sharpe]

Did you also look for the cheapest driving school when you learned to drive? Low price and good value are not necessarily the same thing.

That's not to say you can't find a shop that will do a competent job of teaching you at a fair price but don't expect champagne service for a (domestic) beer price.

 

[JerseyMike]

I'd like to get a scuba qualification - I'm currently in North America. Any recommendations on the best and cheapest place to do it?

Be careful about finding the "cheapest". You might get what you paid for and get yourself hurt in the process. Cheapest is not always the best.

 

[SangP]

Interesting... diving is an experience, going cheap usually means a cheap experience.

SangP

 

[PhilEllis]

I'd like to get a scuba qualification - I'm currently in North America. Any recommendations on the best and cheapest place to do it?

I will answer you directly. Dive Sports in Decatur Alabama. North America.

Phil Ellis
Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com - Buy Scuba Diving Equipment & Snorkeling Equipment

 

[TSandM]

TrooperLauren, are you asking for a local shop, or are you thinking of going and getting certified at a resort somewhere?

I think a lot of us would recommend getting certified at home, wherever that is. For one thing, you can take more time, if you need it -- and sometimes people discover they have issues with mask clearing or equalization and can't run through a class on sequential days. For another thing, you can do a little more research into the shop and the instructors (see Walter's thread on choosing a good class, which I believe is a sticky in this forum). And finally, none of us has unlimited vacation time, so spending several tropical diving days doing skills may not be the best use of those resources.

 

[Mike Boswell]

I'd like to get a scuba qualification - I'm currently in North America. Any recommendations on the best and cheapest place to do it?

Hi Lauren,

I think your question deserves a serious answer, so I'll do my best. You will likely get the "cheapest" entry-level course in a warm-water location like Florida where there are plenty of dive shops, ideal diving conditions, and minimal gear requirements.

IMHO you will get a better, more comprehensive course in a cold-water area (East or West Coasts) where you will have to learn to manage cold water, low visibility, heavy exposure suits, and adverse diving conditions.

If you learn to dive in cold water, then warm water will be a breeze. But if you learn in warm water you will not be qualified to dive in cold water.

If you want the best training, you need to shop around and ask questions. Before you do that, read Walter's sticky on this forum.