ucfdiver
Contributor
$25/day double rentals *2 (need 2 sets), = $250.So $25/day/person for the boat? Class is what, 5 days? Still hard to see the extra $1000 for cylinder rentals, gas fills, and boat. What gases are being used? I'm assuming just 32% and maybe some O2. A set or two of doubles / day? How does that add up to a grand?
For the trimix classes, where boat charters are more substantial and gas costs can be ugly, I could see higher costs, but I must be missing some expenses here.
In any case, no question these classes are $$$. Instructor fees aren't too bad, but once you add on all the extras (lodging, airfare, rentals, boats, gases, food, covering instructor expenses, etc), everything does add up. So far, for the few courses I've taken, I've been quite happy. That said, none of mine cost anywhere near $4000!
$10/day stage + o2 = $20*5 = $100
2 days boat rental, $50.
Each dive you use about $30 in 32%/o2, so that's $60ish/day or $300.
That puts you at $700 not including a day of warm up diving or instructors tank fills. Add $49 for tax onto that $700 as well.
Add in $32/day at Ginnie ($22 for full cave or c2, but I don't know if you get the discount during class), $15/day at that time for state parks, $20 for JB.
Hotels are running $50-65/night (plus David's room), I bet van rental is at least $50/day. Driving to Madison, Ginnie, and JB (Ginnie to JB is a 5hr drive) plus back and forth to fill shops isn't cheap either in a van, then add the instructors gas to that.
I think her costs are fairly accurate. It's a lot cheaper for "fun diving" where you can meet one of us locals and borrow tanks, carpool, chat up the tank monkey and only pay for half your gas because you kept them company on a weekend, etc.
Because we're too lazy to canoe
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