Silent World (in Key Largo) charges $65 for a 2 tank dive--and that includes tanks and weights. If you purchase a 3 or 5 dive package--the rates drop even lower.
Inexpensive boats?
- Thread starter Crazy Fingers
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MichaelBaranows
Contributor
If you want to go less than a mile offshore I would suggest a kayak.
I am not in FL., I would like to just say what the cost of our trip was yesterday on my dad's boat. We had three drives on the boat. Since it is my dad's boat he used his truck to tow the boat. Everyone paid for there own food, drinks, and air. Me and the other diver split the cost of fuel. Here in Texas the boat rides are a littel farther than those in FL. The place we were going to dive was about 30 miles offshore. So basically the only cost of the trip was fuel which was about $160. So for two dives it was $80. I don't figure that to be too bad for a two dive spearfishing trip.
Other words for advice is to start looking for friends that have boats that might be will to take to diving when they go fishing. Or boat owners that my be interested in learning to diving and you can show them the ropes.
I am not in FL., I would like to just say what the cost of our trip was yesterday on my dad's boat. We had three drives on the boat. Since it is my dad's boat he used his truck to tow the boat. Everyone paid for there own food, drinks, and air. Me and the other diver split the cost of fuel. Here in Texas the boat rides are a littel farther than those in FL. The place we were going to dive was about 30 miles offshore. So basically the only cost of the trip was fuel which was about $160. So for two dives it was $80. I don't figure that to be too bad for a two dive spearfishing trip.
Other words for advice is to start looking for friends that have boats that might be will to take to diving when they go fishing. Or boat owners that my be interested in learning to diving and you can show them the ropes.
Crazy Fingers. What would you consider a 'fair price' for a boat to take you out?
I don't think in the South Florida area you are going to find any boat that launches for less than $45. And realistically, how far a boat goes out doesn't mean anything. Most of the best diving in SF is within two miles of shore. Anything further out than that, and you will be doing deeper dives and possibly even tech/deco dives which will probably run you more $$$ anyway.
My suggestion is...get a better job and make more $$$ to pay for this expensive habit we all share, or start working out like a horse, and surface swim a mile to get to those spots without a boat. Buying tanks will offset your per trip costs also.
My average cost per dive with an operator is $80 including two tanks and a $10 tip to the divemaster(upon deserving service).
I don't think in the South Florida area you are going to find any boat that launches for less than $45. And realistically, how far a boat goes out doesn't mean anything. Most of the best diving in SF is within two miles of shore. Anything further out than that, and you will be doing deeper dives and possibly even tech/deco dives which will probably run you more $$$ anyway.
My suggestion is...get a better job and make more $$$ to pay for this expensive habit we all share, or start working out like a horse, and surface swim a mile to get to those spots without a boat. Buying tanks will offset your per trip costs also.
My average cost per dive with an operator is $80 including two tanks and a $10 tip to the divemaster(upon deserving service).
SteveTim is correct, the distance is the least of the cost. The biggest contributing factors to cost are:
There you have it, whether they go to the reef just out of the port or run for a few miles, the distance in their cost isn't that much.
I wonder if you really think they are too expensive or if it's just that you can't afford it. When I was a new diver, I couldn't afford boat charters either so I worked toward becoming a SCUBA instructor. Sure, I was broke all the time, but I never paid boat fees either! :14:
Want to save money on charter fees? Get your DM cert and get a weekend job on a charter boat. It's a lot of work and a lot of fun.
- Purchase of the boat
- Insurance for the boat
- Dockage (incredibly high here in SoFla)
- Regular boat maintenance
- Salaries and benefits
- Liability Insurance
- Licensing and certification fees
- Advertising
- Profit (if they don't make a profit they won't stay in business! I wonder how they make ANY money at less than $100 a trip, but I digress...)
- Last but not least, fuel which is much higher to purchase on the water than at your local gas station but is the cheapest part of owning and operating the boat!
There you have it, whether they go to the reef just out of the port or run for a few miles, the distance in their cost isn't that much.
I wonder if you really think they are too expensive or if it's just that you can't afford it. When I was a new diver, I couldn't afford boat charters either so I worked toward becoming a SCUBA instructor. Sure, I was broke all the time, but I never paid boat fees either! :14:
Want to save money on charter fees? Get your DM cert and get a weekend job on a charter boat. It's a lot of work and a lot of fun.
I'll say it... owning a boat is awesome. It's cool to be able to do the dives you want, when you want to do them and with people you want to dive with. I don't always get to work it that way since the boat is also my business but on days or afternoons I don't have a charter, I go diving for fun. I've been able to hit sites I don't normally get to or explore areas that look like they might be good without risking a charter's fun because the site didn't turn out the way I thought. It's not cheaper than going out with an operator though.
A couple of things that haven't been mentioned about boat ownership that bear mention are things like life jackets, safety kits, first aid kits, O2 kit, VHF radio, GPS, save a dive kit with enough stuff to really save a dive and be able to do field repair, the tools needed to do field repair and a biggie... directions to sites you want to dive. You can spend a lot of time wandering around in the ocean trying to find a good dive site. I probably do 3-4 dives for each new site I find that's worth plugging into the GPS and saving for future use. A charter operator (should) already have all that stuff on hand and the right numbers to give you a good couple dives.
Back to the original question, there's no such thing as a truly inexpensive boat. Small boats are less expensive than big boats but you need to find something that can be used as a dive platform and since most boats are going to be designed more for fishing than diving, it may take some work to make a boat "dive ready". Think about things like where the tanks will go, how are you getting into the water, how are you getting OUT of the water? How many divers do you want to take out at a time? How much weight can you carry without swamping the boat? What's your range? Are you going to want to do anything besides dive off the boat? Are you able to keep it in the water somewhere or do you plan to keep it on the trailer? Will your truck pull a boat with that hull weight? The best smallish boats are still going to be in the 21-25' range otherwise you won't be able to take them offshore in anything but perfect conditions. IMO the 25' Parker or Privateer is bar none the perfect small dive-dedicated boat out there. They're not cheap though and do require a reasonable amount of power get them going and keep them going. Hulls are cheap, power is not.
I know this didn't really answer your question, but it might help you understand what you need to take into consideration when you do go boat shopping. I highly recommend picking up a Boat Trader and just look at it to try and get a feel for your market. Go look at boats, drive boats, talk to boat owners. This isn't something you can do in a weekend. If you try you'll probably regret it.
Oh, and if you're not already able to drive a boat, get a canoe and start practicing with that. No, I'm not kidding.
Rachel
A couple of things that haven't been mentioned about boat ownership that bear mention are things like life jackets, safety kits, first aid kits, O2 kit, VHF radio, GPS, save a dive kit with enough stuff to really save a dive and be able to do field repair, the tools needed to do field repair and a biggie... directions to sites you want to dive. You can spend a lot of time wandering around in the ocean trying to find a good dive site. I probably do 3-4 dives for each new site I find that's worth plugging into the GPS and saving for future use. A charter operator (should) already have all that stuff on hand and the right numbers to give you a good couple dives.
Back to the original question, there's no such thing as a truly inexpensive boat. Small boats are less expensive than big boats but you need to find something that can be used as a dive platform and since most boats are going to be designed more for fishing than diving, it may take some work to make a boat "dive ready". Think about things like where the tanks will go, how are you getting into the water, how are you getting OUT of the water? How many divers do you want to take out at a time? How much weight can you carry without swamping the boat? What's your range? Are you going to want to do anything besides dive off the boat? Are you able to keep it in the water somewhere or do you plan to keep it on the trailer? Will your truck pull a boat with that hull weight? The best smallish boats are still going to be in the 21-25' range otherwise you won't be able to take them offshore in anything but perfect conditions. IMO the 25' Parker or Privateer is bar none the perfect small dive-dedicated boat out there. They're not cheap though and do require a reasonable amount of power get them going and keep them going. Hulls are cheap, power is not.
I know this didn't really answer your question, but it might help you understand what you need to take into consideration when you do go boat shopping. I highly recommend picking up a Boat Trader and just look at it to try and get a feel for your market. Go look at boats, drive boats, talk to boat owners. This isn't something you can do in a weekend. If you try you'll probably regret it.
Oh, and if you're not already able to drive a boat, get a canoe and start practicing with that. No, I'm not kidding.
Rachel
peengers
Registered
DebbyDiver:
All the more reason to find friends to go out with.
peengers:
I used to have a (non-charter) dive boat. I sold it two years ago and the costs are likely higher now. Monthly costs:
$250 boat payment
$450 indoor boat barn (near the port to save on fuel and travel time)
$150 insurance
$850 monthly out of pocket before leaving the dock!
That is before maintenance, repairs, equipment, upkeep, etc. etc. etc. Down payment was $7500 and equipping it for diving (tank racks, GPS, etc.) another couple of thousand.
The twin engines used 10-20 gallons per hour each depending on speed. I'll let you do the math for how much it cost to take it out for a two tank dive that lasted a few hours. Yes, my friends used to chip in for gas, but it never came anywhere near compensating me for the cost of boat ownership.
I am a fourth generation boater and I have a feeling that some of the folks who have posted in this topic have never owned a boat. It is amazing that some of you think that boating is such an inexpensive endeavor. If you find some friends to take you out boating, I do hope you are very generous in compensating for gas and that you remember to bring the food and beverages, and then stay and help them scrub the boat afterward.
Bravo Debby
peengers
Registered
I certainly don't recall saying that, and I still advocate finding a friend that has a boat and going out diving with them. There's no reason why a diver should shell out $70+ unless he or she likes the cattle experience, and many people that claim otherwise have a vested interest in getting divers into their boats.
Find a friend, cut in your share of the gas, and have fun diving. You can dive as many tanks as you want, the experience is on average friendlier, and you don't have lots of inexperienced divers from out of town stepping on your toes to get into the water.
JRScuba
Contributor
To answer your question, there are dive boats cheaper then $75.00.
Parrot Island should be cheaper then that. I believe there is a post on
this board that has a list of dive boats. Find it and give them a call.
Actually go back to where you posted this thread and you will see the thread for
south Florida dive boats.
Here is Parrot Islands web site: http://parrotislandscuba.com/
To save on tank rentals purchase 2 tanks. PM me, I know
where you can get a deal on used ones. If you buy new ones
it takes about 40 dives to pay for themselves depending on where
you get your rentals. Not a bad deal if you are going to dive
on a regular basis.
If I can be of more help feel free to PM me.
This should be put in the Whine and cheese section.
Parrot Island should be cheaper then that. I believe there is a post on
this board that has a list of dive boats. Find it and give them a call.
Actually go back to where you posted this thread and you will see the thread for
south Florida dive boats.
Here is Parrot Islands web site: http://parrotislandscuba.com/
To save on tank rentals purchase 2 tanks. PM me, I know
where you can get a deal on used ones. If you buy new ones
it takes about 40 dives to pay for themselves depending on where
you get your rentals. Not a bad deal if you are going to dive
on a regular basis.
If I can be of more help feel free to PM me.
This should be put in the Whine and cheese section.
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