Average set up costs for diving?

[Tyler2142]

Ive spent around $2500 total so far. Thats including my OW class. I will be dropping some more $ here soon for my nitrox and aow classes.

 

[Banyan]

You can go bargain basement for about $500-$600 for perfectly serviceable gear, or several thousand. I advise taking your training and renting for a while to make sure that diving is really for you, and figure out what kind of diving you will do.

+1 on renting for a bit. My local Craigslist is filled with people trying to get rid of gear packages that have been used less than 20 times and probably bought when they were all excited right out of OW. The two items I think are clearly worth buying immediately are the mask and exposure suit, especially if you're in cold water, since diving can be truly miserable if these don't fit right.

In general I recommend buying cheaper, simple gear that will be fine as you gain more experience and decide if you need more expensive gear with all the bells and whistles.

 

[imwright1985]

I say rent a variety or borrow some gear here and there, then buy. If not then you can shop around and figure about 800-1200 for a decent computer, nice BC and nice reg. You can always buy used or clearance stuff. Tanks are something that the savings of buying them takes time to build up enough use to where it is worth buying them so I would hold off on those.

 

[Bombay High]

If I was you, I would include my father in this conversation.
As an experienced diver from your neck of the woods, and as someone with your interests at heart, he would possibly have great advice.
As far as certification goes, look for someone with a good reputation. In the days that i worked in the UK (Scotland) as a diver, I always thought BSAC had very high standards for their recreational curriculum.
British divers who dive in Britain, are generally of a very high standard, so I am guessing that the quality of instruction you get at home will be good.
I know a few commercial divers who retired and teach recreationally in Scotland, although I imagine the North Sea is not the best place to get youropen water cert
Good luck and I think you have chosen a great way to bond with your father.

Hello,

I'm trying to get a rough idea of how much it's going to cost to get set up for diving.
If someone has the time, a list of what I'd need would be hugely appreciated.

Me and my father didn't really get to do much stuff when I was younger, but I know he used to dive a lot. So anyway, I figured that now I got my new job sorted and a stable income again, I'd take the leap and invest in some gear and lessons so that me and my father can go diving together and also to give me a hobby on top of my current hobbies.

I know this may be a pretty generic question and that I could probably google a list, but when I do that it's only one persons view generally. It would be nice to hear peoples suggestions.

Thanks in advance,

Mike.

 

[buddhasummer]

If you're based in the UK have a look through these websites:

Diverswarehouse
Scuba Gear & Accessories / Deep Blue Dive
DiveLife | Scuba Diving Equipment | PADI Scuba Diving Courses | Apeks | Suunto | Scubapro | Fourth Element

You should be able to find some good prices on package deals. Stick to good Brands, Such as Aqualung, Apeks or Scubapro when it comes to Regulator and BCD combos.
With Masks, you need to go to a shop and try and find a good fit. If that's the £20 mask, then great, if it's the £50 mask, well that's the one you need.
Fins or Flippers (real divers call them flippers to annoy other divers ) Mares Avanti Quattros they will run you about £80, but will last. Mine are 10 years old this year and have lasted me over 2000 dives. Divide the 80 by 2000 and its pretty good value.
Exposure suit; If you're going to dive in the UK then a Drysuit is a must. Have a look around, the UK has got a lot a cottage industries making great suits. UK super brands are Otter and O3 but these bad boys cost close £1000. I've just got a made to measure from Robin Hood Watersports for just over £500 including undersuit. Cheap and cheerful.
However if you're only going to dive abroad look for a solid 5mm semi-dry wetsuit. Again Scubapro and Aqualung are good, so to 4th element, Pinnacle and a few others. And these will run close to £200.
Computers: For starting out, get a Suunto Zoop Suunto Zoop by Suunto This will have all you need for your first few years off diving and then some.
So for a complete kit, I'd look at budgeting close to £1000. Luckily a lot of dive stores realise this is a big outlay and are now offering finance on purchases to make starting out easier.

Another option is to think about getting 2nd hand Regs & BCD's from your local dive shop. Dive shops will replace shop kit every few years and sell it on at great prices. This was how I got my first kit, a well -used Aqualung Reg and Wave BCD. I used that kit for the next 4 years before upgrading to actual new stuff!

Don't let the price put you off. Dive equipment is expensive because it is usually a one time buy. Your equipment can last a lifetime, most likely you will never need to buy this stuff again.

Add to that list Scubastore.com I have always found their prices to be some of the cheapest in the world.

In answer to your question if you take your time get some experience do some research you may be lucky and only have to buy one set of gear, I rushed in after certificaton and bought what the shop I did my course with recommended i.e what they sold. I have since pretty much bought all my gear again. So for me it was very expensive, but not a watse as I learnt much along the way. Appropriate thermal prtection would be high on my list for first purchasing. Renting gear is a good way to assess what you like and what will suit your indivudual diving needs. Renting good well fitting thermal protection is often very difficult, and NOTHING ruins a dive more than being cold, except maybe running out of air. Have a good look around this board in the equipment section, there are LOTS of opinions and some good reviews. Good luck and start saving you have not chosen a cheap sport, but it is a great one.

 

[billmas]

Hi Mike,

I read on Yorkshire-Divers of a chap who got fully equipped with second hand gear for £600 quite recently... check out post #12 in this thread

I think that PADI course fees are similar(ish) worldwide, but expect around £400 here in the UK for an Open Water diver ticket. BSAC is also an option, run on a club basis you pay your membership and thereafter the training is free (but takes a lot longer).

Whether to buy new or second hand kit is very much a personal choice. I bought new as I did not know enough about equipment to make any informed choices on second hand (probably not on the new either!). If you do buy any second hand kit, make sure you get it serviced (for regs, bcd etc).

If you plan to do any diving in the UK, I would also strongly suggest you certify here in the UK.

Hth
Bill

 

[MNWinter]

I also recently got into diving and just bought my own gear. Below is what I have into it:

Open water course $325

Rental for about 12 dive to figure out what I wanted to buy, $250 (this was well worth it)

After figuring out what I wanted I ended up buying more high end items, I figured this was a one time buy and plan to keep it for years: $3333 this includeds everthing: 7mm wet suit, hooded vest, mask, fins, snorkel, boots, a bag, computer, regulators, BC, 2 tanks, weights and a few more misc items...

Before buying your gear I would try as many differant things out as you can get your hands on, not all items are made are the same.

 

[Diver0001]

Hello,

I'm trying to get a rough idea of how much it's going to cost to get set up for diving.
If someone has the time, a list of what I'd need would be hugely appreciated.

Me and my father didn't really get to do much stuff when I was younger, but I know he used to dive a lot. So anyway, I figured that now I got my new job sorted and a stable income again, I'd take the leap and invest in some gear and lessons so that me and my father can go diving together and also to give me a hobby on top of my current hobbies.

I know this may be a pretty generic question and that I could probably google a list, but when I do that it's only one persons view generally. It would be nice to hear peoples suggestions.

Thanks in advance,

Mike.

Mike,

In the UK you have two main avenues for becoming certified. PADI and BSAC. I suspect the BSAC option will initially cost less because they have a club model that would require payment of a club-due instead of a lump-sum for training. In the long run the club system will probably cost you more but it has other benefits as well, including, but not limited to, the fact that your club will provide you with a ready source of buddies. How long the training takes can vary a lot from club to club so you need to get well informed about the approach a particular club takes. I've heard stories in the Netherlands, which has a similar club system, of divers taking more than a year to get certified via this approach. With the new European regulations these extremes shouldn't exist anymore but do yourself a favor and ask for details.

As far as PADI training goes, In the Netherlands it would run you about €400 (whatever that is in pounds), which would include all of the gear needed for the course. (A BSAC club may require you to own your own gear unless they're large). The advantage to the PADI system is that you pay for training once (up front) and the training is organised such that you should be done learning how to dive in about 6 weeks.

As far as gear goes, the sky is the limit. You should be able to get starter's kit for about £1000-1500 if you buy it new (that would not include a drysuit, btw) and you can cut down that cost by about 1/3-1/2 if you buy certain pieces (bcd, regulator) 2nd hand. A word of caution though, if you buy second hand then get someone to help you or you'll get screwed. About 90% of what's for sale online is either crap or completely worn out.

R..

 

[Deanofish]

I've recently qualified in the UK. I did the PADI OW course which cost me almost £500. My AOW will cost a further £290.
All the gear I needed was supplied for the duration of the course, except a shortie wetsuit which was needed for the pool sessions.

I have also started accumulating some gear. I've got a mask, snorkel, BCD, regs, gauges, fins, gloves, computer, compass, weights and a cylinder for just shy of £860. I stuck to brands like Scubapro, Hollis, TUSA and Suunto. Some of it was 2nd hand (BCD, weights, compass, cylinder and fins), but like others have said, you have to be really careful with 2nd hand stuff.
My advice would be to make sure your LDS will service the gear you buy. Some LDS only service certain brands. For example, a tank and regs I bought needed to be sent to England for servicing (not economical as I live in NI). Also, be wary of cheap gear. It may cost you more in servicing, repairs and replacements than buying decent new gear in the first place. If you can, wait to get the specials offers from your LDS or websites such as Dive Life, Kent Diving or Aquaholics. All three offer free delivery.

+1 for good thermal protection. Everyone I dive with has a drysuit even in summer so that is next on my shopping list along with a hood. This can cost anywhere from £300 to over £1000. Once you've qualified, what you don't have, hire so that you can get to dive. You should be able to hire everything you need for a day's diving for about £50-£60.

 

[Malpaso]

We're in wreck diving country, so were required to buy a good knife ($75). But for basic Open Water, that was it.

Was this a requirement for your basic open water? Is this a requirement only in wreck diving areas, as I've not heard of it where I am.