Do I need a 2nd mortgage?

[lvnv000]

I've been contemplating getting certified for many years but being married with a single income and 3 kids has kept me from taking the plunge. I can now afford the certification class but am wondering how much I should expect to spend after this. What type of equipment (and how much$$) do I need to purchase (I have a good set of fins but that is it), and what would be the cost of a typical local dive? I live in Nevada close to Lake Mead and own property near Lake Mohave. And how often should I dive to stay up on my technique? Desire is not the problem, only the cold hard cash.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Expect extremely subjective responses. The basic answer is "it depends".

How much would you be paying to get into snow skiing, including lessons, clothing, all new equipment (including goggles, helmet, camelbak and 2-way radio), and ski passes?

You'll likely drop between $1000-$2000 for equipment, depending entirely on whether you buy new, used, wetsuit, drysuit (which can by itself run between $1-2K), two tanks - steel v. aluminum, computer (not necessary but expensive if you opt to get one), etc. etc. If you prefer new gear, estimate to the high end. If you have access to used gear, you might still estimate to the high end... the savings are seldom spectacular...

If you're diving in local lakes, dive day expenses will largely be food, gas, boat costs if you have access to a boat, fills, and the endless miscellany that you'll need in terms of parts, service, annual vips, batteries, gloves that you forgot, etc. WAG = $50-$100@? If you're heading to a destination in Mexico or points east it would of course be much more expensive.

If you want to maintain and expand on fundamental skills, diving one or two days each month would be a good minimum, however this is going to be darned subjective also.

Scuba isn't cheap, but I've found its relatively comparable to sports such as snow skiing. Once you have all your equipment, annual costs level out to what it involves to maintain the equipment and actually go diving/skiing. In both cases, however, there is a relatively high initial acquisition cost to put together your gear.

FWIW. YMMV.

And by the way, welcome to the board!

 

[easyrider]

Well i just got certified the first of Aug. and decided to by my equipment rather than rent
BC,Reg.and Alternate,Comp., Mask, fins, snorkel, wet suit
and spent about $2000.

 

[scubapro50]

OK get the basics first (mask, fins, snorkel) .... then purchase the best equipment you can over several years ..... 1st get a good BC that you really like and rent the tank and regulator for a while ... 2nd purchase a good regulator and know how you are going to use it. Ice diving in you location is a remote possibility so you can start with a good (cheaper) rig. 3th ask for the stuff for presents (birthdays, Xmas) .... a $500 dive computer may be a little much for mom and dad to get you but they probably could afford $100 for a set of gauges.....4th buy you tanks last. It's cheap to rent and expense to buy. If you do traveling overseas you don't fly your tanks with you .. you use the dive operators tanks

 

[DandyDon]

Fins, mask, snorkel required for training.

I hate to hear of renting a Reg. The BCD & Reg are both extremely important to safety. I like to buy them from a LDS I know well and have them service annually. (Know his wife and kids, too.) Need a SPG, Depth guage, and Compass on the Reg.

You don't need a computer. I wear two, but that's my choice and expense. I bought my Oceanic Versa Pro Air & Nitrox for $325, and I keep Oceanic's 800 number for customer service on speed dial.

Wetsuits. I buy mine from Bob3 here on SB. PM him. He doesn't really handle individuals, but you can talk him into it.

Don't buy a tank. Can't take it on any plane easily; expect to rent those if you fly to LA to take a 3-day boat. The locals there usually have their own, but you can arrange a rental.

$30 more: Safety Sausage & Storm whistle. Should be required. $4 more for 4 weight belt keepers. Even if you have weight integrated, you'll need them someday, and while operators will have belts & weights, they never have keepers.
:shades:

 

[Doc Intrepid]

what would be the cost of a typical local dive?

I live in Nevada close to Lake Mead and own property near Lake Mohave.

And how often should I dive to stay up on my technique?

Uh, with respect to renting tanks...

Question of whether it makes sense to own or rent depends on whether you expect to travel or dive locally, and how often.

Sounds like this guy is planning to dive locally (owns property near lake), inquiring about costs of 'typical local dives', etc.

There are costs associated with owning tanks, no doubt.

But check out your costs both ways - if you dive two Saturdays a month for a year, and rent two tanks for each dive day, how much will you pay in rental charges for the tanks over a year?

May be cheaper to purchase two tanks. Dunno, as it really depends on your intentions. But if you're not traveling, having your own tanks can make your schedule much more convenient - not having to run to the diveshop just before the weekend.

Again, YMMV.

 

[yknot]

I've been contemplating getting certified for many years but being married with a single income and 3 kids has kept me from taking the plunge. I can now afford the certification class but am wondering how much I should expect to spend after this.

Affording something is relative to how you justify things. I let sticker shock keep me from diving for 20 years. I always wanted to try it when I was younger but was intimidated by the prices when I walked into a dive store. I wish I hadn't let the money be an issue. If you want to try diving and can afford the cert class go for it and don't give the future expenses a second thought. If nothing else, for the cost of the class you'll be further along than you are today. If diving becomes a passion in your life afterwards then you will find a way to justify the expense. If diving turns out to be only a part time fixation then you can always dive once a year on vacation with rental gear like 90% of certified divers do now. It won't be any more expensive than a couple of rounds of golf.

 

[DandyDon]

Affording something is relative to how you justify things. I let sticker shock keep me from diving for 20 years. I always wanted to try it when I was younger but was intimidated by the prices when I walked into a dive store. I wish I hadn't let the money be an issue. If you want to try diving and can afford the cert class go for it and don't give the future expenses a second thought. If nothing else, for the cost of the class you'll be further along than you are today. If diving becomes a passion in your life afterwards then you will find a way to justify the expense. If diving turns out to be only a part time fixation then you can always dive once a year on vacation with rental gear like 90% of certified divers do now. It won't be any more expensive than a couple of rounds of golf.

Well said :cheering: Yeah, he's right there. My thinking tends to be extreme. All of my titles are hyphenated.

 

[oharag]

I got certified about a year ago. I wanted to spend as little as I could. I've spent about $5,000 on equipment to date. This doesn't include classes, trips etc...

This isn't a cheap sport to get into!

oharag

 

[cmcarver]

I bought my gear over the last year. I bought the mask fins and snorkle when I took the class. Next I bought my wet suit, then regs, after that was BCD, then tanks and lights. This time of year alot of dive shops run big sales usually starting mid october or earily november running thru new years. Here in the mid west local diving is in lakes and quarries. Typically renting all gear except Mask, fins, and snorkle runs about $70-$100 a weekend which includes 2 tanks. The only reason I bought a tank was it was a used tank for $70 and I have a gift card for $25. My gear is higher end recreational gear and I spent about $1500-$1700 including dive computer, lights, tank, bcd, wet suit, regs, and repair kit. I have been diving about 14 times this year since my certification so I think it was worth it for me. My gear has just about paid itself off by not having to rent it.

I would get the certification and go diving once or twice to see if you think you will use the gear enough to warrent spending that much right away. Otherwise you could just peice the gear together.