Equipment hire prices

[Altissimus]

Hey,

Just come back from diving in Dahab which, mosquitos aside, was great.

However, was a bit dismayed when I got my final bill from the LDS to see just how much was being charged for equipment hire. My fiancee` and I both have our own fins, suits, computers and masks, but hire belt, reg and bcd. I also hired a shortie from them for half the week because my long was unnecessary (and a pain to get into in comparison).

We're planning another trip in May - this time to Mexico. I've been in touch with the LDS there and the equipment hire prices appear to be a fraction of what they are in Dahab.

Has anyone noticed significant differences in cost from one place to another? Is Dahab overly expensive, or should we be concerned that Mexico is so cheap?

Cheers,
A.

 

[Crowley]

can you put a price on the rental?

It does vary from location to location. I can give you three examples from my own company - equipment rental varies from 25 - 10 Euros per day depending on location.

Equipment rental prices are based on how often the equipment needs to be replaced - based on the volume of traffic and the regularity with which it needs to be serviced. A rental regulator at a busy dive centre in Sharm, for example, will be used many more times than a rental regulator at a small shop in Dahab. Local prices in general will depend on availability of parts and replacements.

Should a customer be concerned over cheap rental equipement? Yes and no. There are so many variables involved that cheap does not necessarily equate to bad and expensive does not necessarily mean good. The human greed factor can never be predicted

I would also like to make an aside point - as I am wont to do - which is that yes, a lot of rental equipment looks old and beaten up but a good dive centre will ensure it is correctly and safely maintained. Looking good does not necessarily mean being reliable. There are a lot of beat up VW bugs out there that have never seen a mechanic in their lives - and there's a lot of expensive Ferraris out there waiting on delivery of spare parts from Italy...!

Cheers

C.

 

[JohnN]

YEOW!!

I was diving in Roatan for US$ 25 a dive (boat dive) and although I had my own gear, full rental gear would have been no additional charge (I do believe there was a 10 dive requirement to get the 'free' rental equipment)

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I was in the Dominican Republic recently. Renting a BC was $3/d, reg was $3/d, wetsuit was $3/d, and fins/snorkel/mask was $3/day. This is pretty cheap, in my opinion.

You have to consider that regs and BCs are the most expensive items, so they'd cost a fair amount, while fins, snorkel, mask, and wetsuit are relatively inexpensive and would probably not save you a lot. Without giving me prices that you paid, it's hard for me to make a comparison.

 

[supergaijin]

We rent Mares full set of equipment for US$ 20/day. Doesn't matter if you use is once or 3 times. Considering the price of buying sets of equipment here.... $20 notes is not a lot.

But in order to compare... The OP needs to chime in with what he paid in Dahab.

 

[GrimSleeper]

What you'll pay is, as others have said, dependent on many factors. Rental might often seem staggeringly expensive until you factor in what the operator is paying to buy the stuff, ship it somewhere, often remote, import it - the last lot of kit I brought into the Solomons ended up with 42 per cent added just in duty and taxes - and eventually replace it. Or the operator might just be being greedy.

Probably the most valuable lesson is one it looks like you've already learned - ask what it's going to cost before you rent it. And don't be afraid to negotiate - if you're doing enough diving, most ops will happily do you a deal on kit rental.

 

[freeze43]

In Sydney, Australia, we've gone to all the places we can find for hire. It ranges (for a full set sans mask, snorkel, and fins) from $90-$60 AU. Club diving makes it cheaper, you can hire from the UNSW Underwater society for $30 a week.

 

[Altissimus]

Yeah, I agree, lesson learnt.

For the record we dived 13 dives over 8 days. Our diving came to €292.50 pp. Our equipment rental came to €426.80 for the both of us (it was slightly more for me than my fiancee` due to the added suit for a few days. €426.80 is $543, for comparison with the other posts here.

In other words, the rental charges were another 80% again of the dive charges.

As an aside, I got through three regs while I was there - the first one the rubber on the mouth-piece split on day one. The second one leaked (significantly) at the attachement with the first stage. The third one was ok and I used it, although part of the rubber tubing was loose. Just ironic when paying that much for them to maintain their gear

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Rentals at most dive destination resorts in the Caribbean are substantially lower than in Hawaii or South Pacific. Mexico offers prices among the lowest anywhere. However, the best value for active divers is owning your own gear. That assures not only availability, but also quality, proper maintenance, and familiarity ans comfort of use.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Altissimus]

Rentals at most dive destination resorts in the Caribbean are substantially lower than in Hawaii or South Pacific. Mexico offers prices among the lowest anywhere. However, the best value for active divers is owning your own gear. That assures not only availability, but also quality, proper maintenance, and familiarity ans comfort of use.
DivemasterDennis

...only if you dive often enough...