How much should I be spending on PADI training?

[tursiops]

Pick up the rest of the tips on YouTube

Yes, good suggestion, there are lots of good tips on YouTube. Lots of bad ones, too. Follow only the good ones.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Agree. Unless most of your dives are rarely deeper than 30 feet, in which case why risk flooding the expensive thing.

and that applies to what percentage of divers?

 

[TMHeimer]

and that applies to what percentage of divers?

I don't know, but I'm one and I've run into several others. Maybe we should do a poll--wait, polls on SB tend to be skewed, so they say.

I was just replying to Marie's statement that if someone is worried about a DC flooding they are in the wrong sport and should stick to snorkeling. "Tables schmables". I see no point in taking my DC on 30' dives for no reason. And of course, you really don't need tables either unless you manage to stay down 2+ hours. I'm just one of those guys who feels knowing tables can be a good thing in some situations (as explained, square profiles, DC craps out, way deeper than 30'). Very little knowledge is completely useless. Some use technology in some way as part of their teaching of school Band. I have nothing against that, but it's nice to know I could do that decades ago with no technology.
The tables vs. computer thing of course has been discussed to death here for years. Does knowing how to drive a shift car make you a better driver of an automatic? Probably not. Does knowing tables give you different insight regarding limits? I don't know, maybe. When I do use my DC I do get the feeling that it is much easier to do than constantly checking my watch and depth gauge, but that I'm doing what it tells me to do as opposed to really knowing why. I know the "why" is supposed to be well explained in OW course. I suppose it is the last decade or so and I hope those that learned the "whys" review that stuff now and again.

 

[Wibble]

Yes, good suggestion, there are lots of good tips on YouTube. Lots of bad ones, too. Follow only the good ones.

How can you tell good from bad when you don’t know good from bad?

YouTube is a cesspit of nonsense and mediocrity.

 

[Marie13]

Back to the original topic of this thread, you get what you pay for. A while back there was a Chicago area shop that was running a Groupon for OW for $250. That’s about half of what I paid for OW. A former north shore Chicago area dive shop owner (Jack of Frog Pond) referred to it as “predatory pricing” in a post a few years back.

Do you really think you’re going to get decent instruction for probably half of the cost of the probable average in the area?

 

[boulderjohn]

Back to the original topic of this thread, you get what you pay for. A while back there was a Chicago area shop that was running a Groupon for OW for $250. That’s about half of what I paid for OW. A former north shore Chicago area dive shop owner (Jack of Frog Pond) referred to it as “predatory pricing” in a post a few years back.

Do you really think you’re going to get decent instruction for probably half of the cost of the probable average in the area?

The purpose of Groupon is to lure customers in with low prices, impress them with the quality of your service, and make up for the low cost introduction through continued sales. Any business that advertises through Groupon and and provides poor service that will repel the people who use it is run by idiots. They do exist, though.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Here in my area OW runs anywhere from 300-850 depending on the shop. My class is 400 or 600 for a private class plus the student has to provide mask, snorkel, fins, and boots (150 to ? depending on what they choose). Rental gear for checkouts is 75 for the weekend and includes air fills. Quarry fee is 30.00 and the student pays that.
The 850 class includes a gear package of personal gear, rental gear for the checkouts, and the checkouts. I am likely going to raise my OW price to 425 plus the extras.
I'm perfectly fine with a student using their own gear as long as it's safe and works. As a tech and gear tech instructor I can check the gear and let them know if it's ok. If not and it's gear that I don't service, I'll help them find somewhere than can do it.
It will not reduce the cost of the class though.

 

[Scraps]

Seville,

1. Based on your description of your prior training, you may not need to re-take the entire OW course. It's likely you already met the requirements for PADI Scuba Diver, which is a "cert" that lets you dive, but only with a dive professional. Ask your original instructor to process your cert as a Scuba Diver. Once you get that cert, you can ask around a price on completing the following steps to upgrade to OW Diver.

Upgrading from PADI Scuba Diver to PADI Open Water Diver​

Looking at the information above, we can see that to upgrade to Open Water, Scuba DIvers need to:

• Complete the remaining 2 out of 5 confined water (pool) skill practice sessions
• Complete the remaining 2 out of 4 open water dives
• Complete two additional knowledge development modules, a quiz and a final exam
• Scuba Divers will also need to complete a surface swim

2. When considering the price, understand that it takes a minimum of three days of instructor time to conduct a class, regardless of how many students are in it. To teach the way I teach--neutrally buoyant, additional reps to demonstrate mastery, emphasis on diving well instead of checking boxes as skills get performed, lots of time to answer questions--I prefer to work with small classes. Private, semi-private, and small group classes spread the direct labor and overhead costs among fewer people and can cost much more than the classes you see advertised. Not everyone needs or wants this extra attention, but for some divers, it is worth paying extra for.

Best wishes,

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The purpose of Groupon is to lure customers in with low prices, impress them with the quality of your service, and make up for the low cost introduction through continued sales. Any business that advertises through Groupon and and provides poor service that will repel the people who use it is run by idiots. They do exist, though.

But shops who require OW students to buy mask, fins, snorkel, and possibly gloves have enough profit margin to run people through. Stick 'em on their knees, tell them how great they are and after that they dive on vacation. They are like baby turtles hatching. Few survive to become adults/lifetime divers. That profit margin from those sales are key to the dive shop's survival. Most people look at price. How often do we see on social media "where's the cheapest place to get certified?" as they think all instructors/shops are the same. I mean, what is the difference of certification from Slick Eddy vs Proper Training, Inc., as Eddy is a good talker and convinces people that "ah, I teach you the same things as PTI"?

 

[Capt.Bob]

But shops who require OW students to buy mask, fins, snorkel, and possibly gloves have enough profit margin to run people through. Stick 'em on their knees, tell them how great they are and after that they dive on vacation. They are like baby turtles hatching. Few survive to become adults/lifetime divers. That profit margin from those sales are key to the dive shop's survival. Most people look at price. How often do we see on social media "where's the cheapest place to get certified?" as they think all instructors/shops are the same. I mean, what is the difference of certification from Slick Eddy vs Proper Training, Inc., as Eddy is a good talker and convinces people that "ah, I teach you the same things as PTI"?

Back to the original topic of this thread, you get what you pay for. A while back there was a Chicago area shop that was running a Groupon for OW for $250. That’s about half of what I paid for OW. A former north shore Chicago area dive shop owner (Jack of Frog Pond) referred to it as “predatory pricing” in a post a few years back.

Do you really think you’re going to get decent instruction for probably half of the cost of the probable average in the area?

Do a little googling. Yelp, Google reviews, Facebook all provide lots of information. Some shops have less costs and different motivations than others