Dive Guide Cost Structure

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KDAD

Contributor
Messages
758
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Location
Northern New Jersey
# of dives
50 - 99
When using a dive guide they charge a certain amount, usually per person. A guide most likely has limited expenses for that dive being conducted - no boat expenses, etc. so is it unreasonable to ask for or expect a flat fee opposed to per person pricing.

As an example, some guides charge $100 per person for 2 dives for a shore dive. I can go solo and pay $100 but if I bring a family member or two along I would have to pay for each which adds up quickly for a dive with a limited scope and overhead and little additional cost for the guide.

Thoughts?
 
everything in life is negotiable.

i wish i got paid $50 per dive per diver.
 
Double the people, double the fee. Twice the responsibility for the guide. Twice the stress. Twice the risk of someone doing something stupid that could come back on me if I didn't respond quick enough.

Now I have to look out for two people. Most guides are probably grossly underpaid for what's expected of them. I expect one to just point out things I want to see but may not want to hunt for.

I don't expect them to lug gear, check gear, plan the entire dive, keep track of my air, etc.
If someone expects or needs all of that. I'd think 100 per dive per diver would be the minimum.

If that were the case, it might be better for the entire industry. People would want more comprehensive training and be willing to pay for it. Pro's could make a living wage.

Best way to save money on a guide? Get the training and gain the experience to not need one. Do the research of the site and set reasonable goals for the dive that can be met without hiring a guide. If one is still required after this, maybe a more reasonable expectation of what they bring to the table will be realized and now will justify the expense.

If a garage has to fix two flats, I expect to be charged for both.
 
Double the people, double the fee. Twice the responsibility for the guide. Twice the stress. Twice the risk of someone doing something stupid that could come back on me if I didn't respond quick enough.

Now I have to look out for two people. Most guides are probably grossly underpaid for what's expected of them. I expect one to just point out things I want to see but may not want to hunt for.

I don't expect them to lug gear, check gear, plan the entire dive, keep track of my air, etc.
If someone expects or needs all of that. I'd think 100 per dive per diver would be the minimum.

If that were the case, it might be better for the entire industry. People would want more comprehensive training and be willing to pay for it. Pro's could make a living wage.

Best way to save money on a guide? Get the training and gain the experience to not need one. Do the research of the site and set reasonable goals for the dive that can be met without hiring a guide. If one is still required after this, maybe a more reasonable expectation of what they bring to the table will be realized and now will justify the expense.

If a garage has to fix two flats, I expect to be charged for both.

Exactly. Would you (OP) expect a babysitter to charge the same price for three kids (you and two family member) as they charge for one (just you)?

$50/dive for a guide isn’t out of line. I wouldn’t expect that person to take on the added stress of keeping track of additional divers for free.
 
I have never worked s a dive guide, so I don't know how they get paid, which probably varies from one operator to another. I did, however, work as a divemaster conducting Discover Scuba classes in the dive shop's pool, and I would guess you would have the same argument, since the price for the customers was the same per person, no matter how many were there.

What was also the same was what I got paid--I got the same amount for the class, regardless of how many customers I served. The extra money for extra customers, every penny of it, went to the shop's general funds, not to me. I got $20 total. Occasionally, and only occasionally, someone who brought in a large group, like a birthday party, would give me a tip, a "little extra" for the work I had done. That tip was usually $20, thus doubling my income for that class. I am sure they thought that tip was a fraction of what I was paid, based on what they had paid for the class.

That class required about 2 hours of contact time, but a big difference between guiding a dive and doing a discover scuba is that the discover scuba students cannot setup or break down their gear, so I had to come early to set it all up and stay late to break it all down, clean it, put it away, etc. The whole effort, therefore, took about 3 hours or more, so I got a little less than $7 an hour. That made that rare tip a very nice bonus indeed.
 
So certainly not expecting the a fixed fee for 1 diver or more but maybe at a lessor incremental cost. A cost of $50/dive for a guide is reasonable but multiply that by additional family members and now it is $100 or $150 per dive, at 2 dives per day times multiple days...

I don't begrudge guides making money but the cost can be prohibitive to take the dives. In my specific case I will ask for a discount. Guides at this location are required; I don't need (or allow) equipment set up assistance.
 
Guides at this location are required

do you mind sharing where this site is that "requires" a guide ? thx.
 
Cenotes. We are not cavern or cave certified.

I was trying to be general as I have had this same concern about guided dives at Tunnels on Kauai where a guide does seem to be highly recommended at least for the first dive due to the unique nature of the site.
 
do you mind sharing where this site is that "requires" a guide ? thx.

I'm not the OP but can provide an example. Many of the cenotes in the Yucatán require a guide for any scuba diver who doesn't have full cave certification.
 
So certainly not expecting the a fixed fee for 1 diver or more but maybe at a lessor incremental cost. A cost of $50/dive for a guide is reasonable but multiply that by additional family members and now it is $100 or $150 per dive, at 2 dives per day times multiple days...

I don't begrudge guides making money but the cost can be prohibitive to take the dives. In my specific case I will ask for a discount. Guides at this location are required; I don't need (or allow) equipment set up assistance.

Be willing to pay per person but ask for a couple's or family discount. The guide is doing some extra work but not double.

My old shop had the problem they wanted guides for even one customer but the guide was loosing money until the 3rd or 4th customer joined in. The guide probably sees a fraction of what you're paying. Eventually they changed their pricing structure and the shop wrote off the loss as customer relations instead of the guide.

As a father who used to try to pay for six heads on a single income I feel your pain. Still a father but now its six heads with six incomes; I just can't get them in same place at same time.

Sam
 

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