Cost of diving

[meagicano]

I spent about $2,200 to get started, not including course fees. For me to dive locally it's $10 in quarry fees, $15 in gas, $7.50/tank for nitrox. A two tank quarry dive would put me back $40 in expenses. Driving to the river costs about $20-25 in gas, plus tank fills. Sometimes I have to pay for parking as well. Plus one of the best parts of diving is socializing - so I always include food and/or a drink in my budget when we do a big trip.
I bought almost everything used when I started in 2008 except fins, mask, snorkel and regulator. I bought a new computer the next year (2009) and I bought a new wetsuit last year (2012).

I looked at doing my OW course when I was in university but the expenses of diving and the challenge of transportation (it's fairly uncommon for kids in Canada to have cars at the same rate as American kids) meant that I decided to be financially responsible and put it off. I kind of wish I had started diving earlier but I don't regret the decision I made as I would rather dive when I can commit time, money and energy to the sport. I'm 29 now and started in 2008.

Also - don't forget wear and tear on your car. It adds up quick! I don't drive as much in the winter because I don't ice dive (yet) but I easily throw 200-250km per day of diving on my vehicle's odometer.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

It depends on how much you love diving. I used to free dive all the time. I lived near many of the sites I dived, so it was basically free. With scuba, the gear costs and fills can get very expensive. We bought a new boat three years ago so we could dive offshore on days when beach diving used to keep us at home. We went on two warm water trips in the past two years. Underwater camera gear adds even more to the total. I don't make much money at my job, so we don't eat out, go to movies or sporting events or shop for clothes except when the holes in my pants get too big. I don't own an iPad, iPod, iPhone, Kindle, mp3 player or any device other than a cheap cell phone. I drive a 1994 Mazda pickup with nearly 300,000 miles on it. If I gave up diving I could probably afford some of these luxuries but I don't think I would be as happy as I am when I see an animal underwater for the first time.

 

[fjpatrum]

Blah blah blah. Diving gear doesn't have to be expensive. I bought a full kit, with computer and quality regs for $325 used. Another $100-$150 for a wet suit and you're golden. I've bought enough gear to outfit 5 divers for ~$2000, including wetsuits (3 new ones) and a dry suit (used). For the price some people pay for 1 set of regs I had enough gear (including tanks) for me and a buddy to dive for a day for the price of air. I could have brought another buddy by renting a couple tanks.

Diving is only as expensive (or as cheap) as you want it to be. Obviously if you don't have close access to shore dives the cost is higher to get on a boat, but it's not exorbitant.

Look for used gear where you live and that you can afford. Do some research here to find out if the gear is reputable. Find out if your shop (or you) can service said gear. Buy it.

You don't have to choose between your hobbies but you will sacrifice a little of all of them if you don't choose. I have a couple surf boards and a lot of climbing gear that don't get much use these days...

 

[Davidccs]

I agree with fjpatrum I have my own gear and paid less then $700 for oceanic BC with aeris ion reg set, its not the best of the best but it does the job. I only like reef diving/no decon diving so I don't need a computer. I only use a shorty cause I dive tropical waters so my start up with the class was $1000 and that's with new gear. You just have to be smart about what you buy, don't get caught up on the brand war and fads, look for items in sale.
Now if you want to do technical diving then you'll spend a, more than me.

Even after you own your gear the costs to go diving are still higher than most people expect them to be.

I didn't buy my gear right after my class because I wasn't sure I'd like the hobby, I rented until I knew I wouldn't just use the gear 3 times then let it sit in a closet

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[XS-NRG]

The cost to keep diving really is affected by your geographical location and availability of divable water. If you live on the ocean or at a lake with an air station handy then your cost is simply air once you have your full rig. Transportation will be minimal. Some places will have a club you can join and get cheap shore dives etc or you can pay the extra to get on a boat. Like I said before I'm land locked and my closest lake right now is 1.5 hr drive in each direction. It's doable but car costs, fuel etc come into play but then again it doesn't matter what you do for an activity, if you're doing something, anything, you will still have those vehicle maintenance issues to consider anyway. Compare to your horse where you need a truck and trailer to get to different riding grounds if you can't ride near the boarding stables your vehicle costs are going to be much higher. A truck pulling a horse trailer will burn a hell of a lot more fuel than a car with you, your gear and 2 tanks. This all boils down to location and availability. With a full set of gear: fins, mask, snorkel, bcd, regs, computer, drysuit, weights, gloves, hood, boots, and some extras like knife, whistle, dive flag etc (minus a tank) I can dive for $10/tank plus getting to the lake. Pretty cheap if you think about it. Sure I have to get my regs and gear serviced every year but for the $100 that costs spread that over all my dives per year we'll say my cost is $11/tank, not too bad.

If I were you and you are serious about doing both, find a location suitable to do both where transportation is minimal to non existant, do a rental first if you want, or buy used and slowly build up until you have everything. That's what I did. I bought fins, mask, boots and snorkel right off the hop. Then did OW course and only bought a BCD then regs. It wasn't till I was on a dive trip to Australia about 3 months later that I quickly saw the value of a computer and I bought a plain simple one for $300 ish and I was doing alright. I bought a used drysuit from a guy who lost a ton of weight and was now too big for him and slowly bought the little stuff like knives, lights, backuplights, dive flag, weights etc. Drysuit was the most expensive and I was able to pay it on a payment plan. You have many options. If you're serious you'll make it happen and it doesn't have to be all at once, brand new and top of the line. Work within your means and have fun

 

[diversteve]

$650-$1000 gets you in the water in reliable average gear. $750-800 with a computer. Not counting your personal gear (mask, fins, snorkel) which can be $100-300 more. Scuba Packages | Scuba Packages at LeisurePro.com The problem with most packages is that there are some compromises.

Then there's the cost of classes and checkout dives in your area which is often around $500ish or more. For local diving you'll also need to buy/rent a wetsuit - $100-500 more depending on features/thickness. If you certify/dive locally here's one site in your state: Gilboa Quarry Scuba Diving so you can get a sense of their fees/rental prices.

One 2-tank boat dive trip on Maui averages $100-120. With a buddy you can shore dive there for the cost of tank rental/air fills. Or about $12/dive. Maui Dive Rentals | Maui Scuba Diving Rentals | Maui Snorkeling Rentals | Scuba Gear Rentals on Maui

A week at most Caribbean dive locations always seems to be over $2K - often closer to $3K including airfare. The least expensive is something like BlackBeards Cruises, a week of diving for $1000 plus the flight to Nassau, Bahamas. It's a lot like camping at sea. Everything is included except tip/taxes/port fees.

 

[Trexmdr]

Ive been in Maui now for the past week. We have done six shore dives including two at Mala Ramp.
Maui divers sells air cards 10 fills 40$. We brought all our gear except tanks and weights. Just did the night dive at black rock.
Definitely shore dive if you can. It will save you a bundle on costs. I also bought some used equipment. You will be shocked at the deals.
Some people get certified and but great equipment then decide they don't like diving.
So follow the advice of the knowledgeable people on this board. Just read tons of posts on various subjects. It's the best free education you will ever get from some of the nicest and most experienced people who give generously of their time and information simply because they love the sport and want you to love it also. This has been my experience.
RT

 

[rivers]

It really depends what type of diving you want to do and where you want to do it. If you are thinking that you want to stick to warm, clear water, basic recreational diving, then it's a lot cheaper than cold water diving (if you are living in a place where warm, clear water is accessible).
Your biggest initial outlay will be training and gear. When I first started diving, I was working in the Caribbean. I was able to kit myself out with brand new gear for about $800. This included a set of aqualung titan regs with octo and depth gauge/spg, a cressi jacket bcd, and a 2mm shorty. Throw in another say $300 for mask, fins, and a used computer that I bought prior. OW courses tend to run around the $300-$400 mark from what I've seen. Whatever you do, don't pick the cheapest course. So it's about $1500 to get you started. But you don't have to outlay the cash all at once. You can buy pieces bit by bit or you can buy used. If you do buy used, make sure to take someone with you who knows what they're looking at. Used is obviously cheaper.
Cold water is a bit more expensive. I've never dived in the US, so I don't know what prices are like, so from here on out, I'll be using english pounds. Now, I probably have around £3000 in kit. This includes a drysuit, couple of different undersuits, twinset, single tank wing, twinset wing, torches, a stage, regs, dsmbs, masks, fins, etc. But the diving is a lot more demanding (and I'm headed towards technical diving at the moment, so it's only going to get more expensive for me).
Hard boat dives out here cost between £20-£60+ per dive, depending on the site. Most of the dives I do off of a hard boat are around £20-£25/dive, plus cost of petrol to get down. if it's a weekend trip, there is also the cost of accommodation, which ranges from £7 (camping)-£30 (b&b)/night. Then the cost of fills, which are normally £7-£15 for a twinset depending on whether it's air or nitrox. Shore dives are cheaper (usually just the cost of parking). When we can't get out into the sea (which is often in the UK), there is always quarry bashing. Average price for quarries is about £10 for the day.
But I have found ways to make my diving a bit cheaper. I joined a local club. My club fees are £150 for the year. We have our own compressor, which means free air fills and nitrox at cost (about £4 for a twinset). When I finally start diving trimix, it will include helium at a reduced cost. We have our own rib, which we keep near the coast year round (actually we have 2, but one is kept at the clubhouse). For £20, you get two dives. Bargain! Plus, we have the clubhouse. We hold 'meetings' weekly, and it has a fully licensed bar, with cheap drinks. We do club trips (abroad, local, weekends, places a bit further afield in the UK like the Farne Islands and Oban up in Scotland). There is a massive social aspect on top of the diving. And we also have access to a pool on club nights. We run training. But it's also useful if you want to test out kit or just work on skills (handy if you have no interest in cold water diving, can't afford to go out diving for awhile, etc)
Now, I don't own a horse. the only thing I know is that it is expensive to keep a horse. Diving is an expensive initial outlay, but it can be done on a limited budget. You may not get out as much as you want to, but you can do it. It just requires a little planning.

 

[highdesert]

I do own my horse. It is for sure very expensive, but I even work 30-40 hours a week now since it is summer to support my passion. Dive gear doesn't need food and vaccines so I guess the gear is a one time cost, other than if anything needs replaced. I just want to know tht it is possible so I have some hope to drive me there.

I admire your spirit and drive. I am not saying that in a patronizing way. We occasionally run across people in our lives for whom anything is possible, given their determination. I think you're one of those people. I think, given some patience and some time, you'll have your horse and your diving, somewhere that works for you. Plan ahead, grow into it, and best of luck to you!

 

[spectrum]

Mileage and meals do add to the cost of a dive outing but I would hope that for most people the the alternative to diving is not sitting at home watching the grass grow. In other words that money would be spent anyhow on another activity. Also, many dive venues make awsome picnic or cookout sites that you can enjoy on the cheap with groceries from home.