Sas
Contributor
As has been mentioned, don't think that the organizer is just there for a free vacation. There is usually a lot of behind the scenes work that goes on.
Yes I can see this but why are diving trips different to other trips? Most people I know take vacations that are not run by a group and take care of all the "behind the scenes work" themselves, so I find it odd that it is so common with diving. Though, I have noticed it is mainly new divers that book on group led trips locally.
I am not saying that DMs/shop people do not work during a trip but more that I don't get why people find it necessary to have someone do that kind of work. Though I am the type of person to get uncomfortable if someone changes my tank for me
Think about having to deal with a group member going to the chamber, or getting that late night call to bail a group member out of a Cozumel jail.
I'd prefer to be comfortable dealing with problems myself, rather than deferring it to a group leader. But to each their own. I understand people might want to pay others a premium to take care of this kind of stuff... Though major problems do not occur often in my experience (and I have been assaulted a few times on trips and been arrested once in a non-English speaking country, among other things, so am no stranger to dealing with trip related problems... ). Contingency plans are not difficult to put in place on your own for major problems too.
I paid a fair few hundred less for the trip I have organised for a group of six friends, than what I would have paid during a dive shop (that amount is a mixture of overall discount plus extra features included at no extra charge). Do dive guides/shop owners really do enough work on one's behalf to justify that kind of price difference? (not a rhetorical question, just interested to hear what people think...)