Question about dive school pricing.

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captsquirrel

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Location
Southern Nevada
# of dives
I'm just getting started in my search for a school. Through online searches I have found two, possibly three, schools I'm going to visit in person. I want to talk to instructors and just get a feel for the operation of each facility before I make a decision.
When I was a student pilot I had been warned by many that one should never do business with a flight school that quotes a firm price. Of the two schools I'm eyeing both quote a similar price. One states all equipment included while the other says some equipment needs to be purchased.
Should I be wary of schools that quote a single price?

Thank you in advance for everyone's help.
I'm looking forward to and getting excited about this new adventure.
 
No, there's really no reason to be wary of that. Flight school is rather different in that the number of hours of instruction prior to your check ride will vary considerably from student to student. Most open water scuba certifications happen in the same number of class hours, pool hours, and number of open water checkout dives.

You will need to buy your own mask, snorkel, boots, and fins. At any shop I've ever seen anyway.

Good luck and enjoy your training.
 
I'm just getting started in my search for a school. Through online searches I have found two, possibly three, schools I'm going to visit in person. I want to talk to instructors and just get a feel for the operation of each facility before I make a decision.
When I was a student pilot I had been warned by many that one should never do business with a flight school that quotes a firm price. Of the two schools I'm eyeing both quote a similar price. One states all equipment included while the other says some equipment needs to be purchased.
Should I be wary of schools that quote a single price?

Thank you in advance for everyone's help.
I'm looking forward to and getting excited about this new adventure.

A single advertised price is pretty typical. But I would be alert for the add-ons that may come later. Talk to them before you sign up and make sure you agree on the "final" cost that puts a c-card in your hand.
 
I'd also take a look at these threads: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ng/287780-how-find-excellent-scuba-class.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ering-diving/283566-who-responsible-what.html

At to the first one interviewing the instructor and shop are critical. The problem sometimes though is just how detailed should that interview be? In my opinion as detailed as you would to select someone to care for your kids. What details though do you ask? Probably not "Do you expect to be allowed to have your boyfriend over?"

I have a list of 21 questions for instructors and 18 questions for shops in my book with the answers I would like to have. There would be some leeway of course in those answers but the basic premise would be the same.

I am hiring a shop/instructor to teach me how to safely enter an environment that is normally hostile to human life. In order to do that I need training in the use of mechanical devices that will keep me alive in that environment. Knowing that said environment can quickly hurt, injure, or kill me in some very creative and nasty ways if I'm not properly educated and prepared for it.

Does price really seem like a primary factor now?
 
I am hiring a shop/instructor to teach me how to safely enter an environment that is normally hostile to human life. In order to do that I need training in the use of mechanical devices that will keep me alive in that environment. Knowing that said environment can quickly hurt, injure, or kill me in some very creative and nasty ways if I'm not properly educated and prepared for it.

With that marketing approach, do you really still wonder why you can't command a higher fee for teaching scuba classes?

As a professor in grad school used to say there's a reason you don't see ads saying "Fly United... we don't crash that much."
 
I would not be worried about a fixed price. For example, the school I went through was $250, including book charts etc... with a $75 rebate on the class for buying your boots, fins, mask, and mouth piece from the shop. The shop has its own pool, so no extra cost there, be carful of that situation, some schools charge for pool time if they have to use a separate pool. I know of several that do that and the cost is $35 per session. For the open water dives we had to pay for entrance to the sites, I believe $30 each day or close to that. We were informed of the open water site fees ahead of time.

I would ask about fees for pool sessions, open water dives and book charts etc... a couple shops try to charge extra for the learning materials. If they try to charge for equipment use, such as wet suits and tanks etc... I would consider another shop, that should be covered by the class fee.

That was my experience. However, different areas of the country may have different ways of doing business. I'm sure there are different business models being used by shops.
 
Thank you for the responses. The schools I'm looking at seem to be pretty up front about all the costs. I just wanted to make sure since my own past experience is all I have right now. @Jim the price itself isn't the issue. Flight schools that do this tend to be unscrupulous and that's what I want to avoid.
Again thank you everyone for your help.
 
Are you in Vegas? You can probably find a recommendation here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/southwestern-region/ This thread is sort of tangential but lists some options/recommendations: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/southwestern-region/453202-las-vegas-any-dive-stores.html

Standard practice is to sell you mask/fins/boots/snorkel at the start of class and either rent or loan the rest. If you do your checkout dives locally at Mead that should be included also - if you travel to SoCal or Mexico expect to pay a rental fee. Also most shops see your certification time/level of interest as the best time to make a harder sell on a full gear package. Sometimes it's what's best for their margins, a good shop sells you what's best for you. It's often best to wait till after you've certified, ask questions here, of other divers locally before you do though.

The reason to buy basic gear at your local shop is fit. You'll be pretty uncomfortable trying to do skills in a leaking mask. Of course in Vegas you've also got the two Sport Chalet's that sell dive gear/training. Another option if you are in the Vegas area is Online Scuba - they have a storefront also. OnlineScuba.com - Buy Scuba Equipment, Diving & Snorkeling Gear
 
Be well aware too that if you are looking at the basic classes of different agencies, you might be measuring apples against oranges.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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