How much would you be willing to pay?

[TwoBitTxn]

Too many people are answering the question, what did you pay. That isn't the question. If you think you got a good value for your training, then you can say that.

TSandM, I think you hit the nail with your last sentance.

Also, PLEASE do not turn this into an agency bashing thread.

One more question, is the cheap price and short class time the reason PADI is so large and YSCUBA is so small?

Price has NOTHING to do with this.

 

[YellowfinKunkfish]

Well, I ended up paying $500.00 for my OW. I thought it was extremely fair, worth every last penny, and probably would have paid more. But, I agree with TS&M, not every potential diver is going to be so sure they want to dive, that they're willing to pay the extra. I knew exactly what I wanted, and exactly what I would be missing if I didn't get it.

I think what I paid would be the right price for what I got. Which was extra time, a patient instructor, and personal attention to my problems. He also had the time to teach me things that HE thought were important to learn, that other instructors would more than likely have overlooked, due to time constraints. The course doesn't have to be long or complicated to be worth more money. Most new divers, that just want to dive for fun, don't NEED long and complicated, they just need more time, more information, and more personal attention.

While not everyone would be willing, I think there would be a lot of thoughtful potential customers, who might research courses beforehand, who would be willing to pay the extra.

And who knows..... you might also end up receiving free brownies for life.

Rhonda

 

[vladimir]

I got a great intro from the YMCA in 1975 and it was pretty cheap, from what I remember, but it was a big chunk of change for a 15 year old shoe-store stock-boy. When my wife got certified in 1991 I had a little bit more disposable income. I spent about $1500 and took the course with her. The instructor included things like skin diving skills, rescue skills, buddy breathing and ditch-and-dons that, I gather from reading Scubaboard, are often missing from today's courses. My wife had the benefit of my experience in selecting an instructor--otherwise I doubt she'd have paid that much--and I had the benefit of good instruction from the Y that I had pretty much taken for granted as the norm and which informed my selection of instructor.

 

[TSandM]

As Daniel has pointed out, once you have gotten INTO this and have decided to pursue it, you have many options for expanding your education (and spending more money). The sad part is that I'm quite sure there are people who never get that far, because trying to dive with the skills they got from an abbreviated and superficial initial class put them off diving altogether. The only reason that didn't happen to me is that I'm a bit perverse -- make something sufficiently difficult, and you have made it irresistible to me!

 

[vladimir]

You are correct, Lynne. Part of my wife's motivation for getting better instruction was her experience with a resort course on our honeymoon, which scared the hell out of her and turned her off diving. I guess she got tired of me vacationing without her though. But when she returned to diving she was determined to be comfortable in the water before her checkout dives.

 

[Stu S.]

divers who can't dive

In 1977, not everyone starting SCUBA training finished. Some could not pass the swimming test. Some students left during the class, which I recall was nine weeks long. The diving test was not an automatic pass.

Maybe the present system allows people to pass that shouldn't.

Paying more for a beefed-up OW would make those of able mind and body more able. It would not benefit those of marginal ability.

 

[tomboyy]

With all the threads bemoaning poor quality training, skills left out, divers who can't dive, short fast training, etc...

It is repeatedly said that shops lose money on instruction so,

How much would you be willing to pay for a longer more thorough open water course?

I am asking this of non-professionals please. We all know most instructors are poorly paid, AIs and DMs worse if paid at all.

Instruction is generally about $300 around here. Plenty of shops also bemoan that if they raise their prices, then the bulk of thier customers will just go somewhere else. Which is probably true.

I'm just curious...

TwoBit

It might have been mentioned but unless people are REALLY doing their homework or have a close friend that dives, they have no idea how long a course should be. It's the same with a courses thoroughness, Different dive shops (same agency) will have a different level of training.

I think you also have to look at other factors when it comes to pricing. Geography, assuming the same level of training, location has alot to do with pricing. What someone is willing to pay for a certain thing is also dependant on that persons disposable income. Just my thoughts, if they were off base from the question just ignore them

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
How much would you be willing to pay for a longer more thorough open water course?
..snip..

You're asking the wrong audience.
Most posters on SB are already qualified and by browsing the threads here have an idea of what they need to know.

As far as non-qualified people are concerned they just want to get into the water fast and for the cheapest price offered.
Once they get into the water most never progress beyond OW and are quite satisfied with the training they received.
Only a minority start to look beyond the basic training and look to complement the deficiencies.

Many abandon diving after just a few dives. I see that as a good thing because I've picked up some real bargains in practically brand-new used gear that has only been used on a course and then one or two OW dives before the owner gave up and decided to sell.

In the company where I work there must be at least 50 that classify themselves as divers. Out of these 50 less than 6 have more than 50 lifetime dives. The rest only dive occasionally under nice conditions when on vacation and are quite happy with their competence level even though they obviously have an absolutely minimum knowledge. Most wouldn't be able to tell you what a computer does or what a SAC is.

I really doubt if you'd see much demand these days for a longer more expensive course at entry level.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

You're asking the wrong audience.
Most posters on SB are already qualified and by browsing the threads here have an idea of what they need to know.

I see your point, but I don't agree with it. I had hoped a large percentage of the people here would understand the value of a longer course and be able to put a monetary value to it. Similar to the question that Thass posted.

I realize as an instructor, and I really haven't been teaching all that long, that most are simply purchasing access. They really aren't purchasing dive training. If they want dive training, they continue on past OW.

TwoBit

 

[don Francisco]

I think you have this question backwards. While there's a broad spectrum of what folks are willing to pay, especially now that as divers they have some added perspective, the key question should be what are instructors willing to charge.

As your OP pointed out shops feel they can't raise prices, not because higher prices are a barrier to entry into Scuba, but because they'd lose prospects to others in a competitive market. Prospective divers have lots of choices in instruction, and excercise them the same way they do when they buy equipment. They might be willing to pay more but don't have to.

Making money in a competitve environment is the shops/instructors challenge, and they have to contend with others who are either more efficient, teach quicky courses, or are simply willing to work for less. They face the same reality as manufacturers who compete with knockoffs and low cost imports.

One strange thing I've noticed is that the cost of OW is almost independent of class size, so one might pay the same for a class of one or two as for a class of 8 or 10. Certainly trhe economics are different, but the pricing doesn't reflect that.

Lastly, not going into much detail, let's consider what an OW course is about. It's simply to give divers the basic information and skills to deal with the unique hazards of Scuba. Simply put it's to teach new divers not to kill themselves. In a litigeous enviroment the c-card tells sellers that the customer is making his purchase aware of and willing to assume the risks involved. Beyond that is the realm of advanced courses and experience.