And in Austin you get to dive good ol' low-vis Lake Travis. Most likely probably at Windy Point, which means you're not having to take a boat out to a dive site and pay for fuel, etc. And Austin really isn't so much of a touristy destination the way Cozumel is. It costs about the same here in DFW (depending on the shop/agency) as it does in Austin. But you're still diving crappy mudholes, which truth be told adds more to your skills than the 150+ft vis in Cozumel.
I will just add that shops in general here, do NOT even really earn a profit on actual certification course, we pretty much break even - at least I can speak for myself. Because hard costs are so expensive, we can't really mark the courses up because no one get certified then. Thanks to PADI and the excessive e-learning fees, I've actually had to mark DOWN a couple of courses for those who do the e-learning. Not to mention the spot on the boat I have to give up for the instructor. That's a paying diver that I have to displace for everyday I have a student on the boat. Capacity is capacity and crew is not an "exception." Where we hopefully make a very small profit is when they start returning for a 3, 4, 5 day package with a friend or two or three. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE students - but the courses are not where we earn a profit.
It always fascinates me when people villainize a dive shop (which are businesses) for not charging "cost" on everything they do. Let me respectfully remind those of you who are in that mindset that we are businesses and we don't operate on a pro bono or charitable basis. Yes, we exist to serve tourists. But we also exist to make a very modest living and to support our staff and their families. This is not a crime. Is it a crime for a grocery store to charge more for a product than they pay the wholesaler for it? Is it a crime for a lawyer to charge hourly fees for his time (don't answer that - hahaha)? Is it a crime for any other business to mark up the products or services they sell for a profit? Do any of you go to work each day telling your employer, yeh, it's ok if you just pay me what I need to survive, I don't need any extra to save or invest in my future.
And why is it only $80 to $90 average for a two-tank dive here but average in Cayman is $120? Because different locations have different costs of doing business. Unless you actually live in an area (like Cozumel) and have run a business, specifically a dive business - then I maintain that you really would be astonished at the price of doing business legally here. Speaking of doing business legally, I'll illustrate just one example of costs that legal operators have that "illegal" (those operating without business licenses, employees on payroll, and marine park permits) don't have. Here were a few expenses I had last month above and beyond tanks, gas, insurance, marina fees, boat and engine maintenance, and general operating expenses: (and I am a SMALL business, so you can imagine what the larger shops pay out)
$32,000 - IMSS/INFONAVIT (social security): $32,000mx
$16,000 - Utilidades (mandatory profit sharing which is a percentage of actual profit over and above expenses)
$23,000 - taxes (which we pay monthly): $23,000mx
$50,000mx - Nomina and trip commissions (payroll for 2 weeks)
**The only expenses here that "illegally operating shops share is to pay their staff, but they typically pay under the table in cash" and don't have the base salary, only the per trip pay
So in one week, I had over $6000usd in expenses - and with the exception of the Utilidades, this is monthly above and beyond the expenses you may think of. Running a dive shop isn't just gas, staff, and tanks - there are a hundred other things that go into our cost of doing business. So if you see a deal for $65 for a two-tank dive - there's a reason for it. If you get a deal that says "if you pay cash we won't charge you tax" - that's called tax evasion by most definitions. Regardless of your payment method, 16% comes right off the top for the government if you are working with a legal shop.
Just some food for thought.
