Scuba listed as one of the 5 most expensive hobbies

[MXGratefulDiver]

Investopedia listed scuba as number 5 in the five most expensive hobbies.

5 Expensive Hobbies - Slideshow | Investopedia

I think they under estimated how much equipment costs.

Ya think?

The cost of equipment is a modest $500, and certification is another $300 to $500. For those who are serious about their scuba, only the most picturesque, exotic locations will do. If you're able to avoid the $1,500 or more plane ticket to get you to such sites like the Great Barrier Reef, your scuba hobby may not be as budget-busting as it could, but how long will the local lakes be enough?

These boneheads apparently don't dive. A decent reg will run you more than $500 ... and just the personal gear (mask, fins, snorkel, booties, and in colder climes gloves) that you're required to purchase for your OW class can run you upwards of $300. Those who are serious about their scuba will dive wherever they can make it to water on a regular basis ... and will pay whatever it takes to make that bucket-list trip that got them into diving in the first place. The truly serious won't think twice about spending over $1000 for a light or a dive computer, and many times that on photography equipment.

My personal annual budget for scuba is $15-$20 thousand a year ... but then, I'm an addict ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[tamas970]

These boneheads apparently don't dive.

A decent reg will run you more than $500 ... and just the personal gear (mask, fins, snorkel, booties, and in colder climes gloves) that you're required to purchase for your OW class can run you upwards of $300.

In my OW training full gear rental was included - that's typical in Europe. I bought everything afterwards.
As for reg, my Scubapro mk19+G250V+Octo sat me ~500$ back (Chrismtas sales )

Those who are serious about their scuba will dive wherever they can make it to water on a regular basis ... and will pay whatever it takes to make that bucket-list trip that got them into diving in the first place. The truly serious won't think twice about spending over $1000 for a light or a dive computer, and many times that on photography equipment.

My personal annual budget for scuba is $15-$20 thousand a year ... but then, I'm an addict ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I do consider budget, but only if there is a real alternative. If I was doing TEC, for sure I would have bought a trimix computer. If I was interested in caves, probably I'd had that nice 55W HID I saw in one of the ads. So far I am fine with a 200$ nitrox comp and an el cheapo Archon D32VR.
For liveaboards there is no alternative - well, yes: you can buy a boat and go there alone... e.g. Antarctica is on my bucket list, both land and underwater. This will be crazy expensive for a reason, but then you can tell the tales to your grandkids, that grandpa dived Paradise bay...

 

[tplyons]

Wow! I do three of the top five!

Scuba, skydiving, and aviation is in my near future. I try to get behind the controls and do an hour lesson in a heli whenever possible.

 

[TSandM]

It was a pretty ridiculous article.

Aviation IS expensive, unavoidably so. Ballroom dancing is only expensive for serious competitors, and the number of people who dance who COMPETE is a tiny fraction of those who enjoy dancing.

Horses make scuba look like chump change. When the purchase price of a green-broke, modestly talented young horse runs 20 to 40K, board (in our relatively cheap area) anywhere from $700 to $1500 a month, training doubling that, and the cost of a two-day local horse show around $1000, the price of a moderate set of scuba gear and the $10 or so to fill a tank start looking like a pretty cheap hobby.

 

[rhwestfall]

The number to play, going back 20 years ago when I started, was $1k to start up, and $1k yearly to be locally active.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Scuba doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.
If a person want's to save money and can manage to get educated on what gear to buy used and not get fleeced by an LDS for all new gear. Also get in with the right club or people to dive locally then it can be done very reasonably.
There's a ton of great used gear out there for pennies on the dollar that's just as good as the $700 brand new reg at the LDS.

Yeah, if a person goes into an LDS and says sign me up for classes and sell me whatever I need and I also want to book that trip to Fiji through the shop, then it's going to cost an arm and a leg. And there are plenty of people who do that because they have money and don't have the time or care about learning the inside of the sport.

Then there's the tech end of the sport with half a dozen or more sets of regs, several sets of doubles, stage bottles, $5000 scooter, $1500 can light, $2500 dry suit, etc, etc.

Then if you get a boat...well that puts you into a whole higher level of money pit.

 

[tamas970]

The number to play, going back 20 years ago when I started, was $1k to start up, and $1k yearly to be locally active.

20 years ago 1k was real money, worth of ~5-8k$ of today... Half of that will buy you an air ticket to a sunny destination, basic gear and an OWD training.

Then if you get a boat...well that puts you into a whole higher level of money pit.

The boat game is just as complex as diving, but agreed, a reasonable entry point lies somewhere between 20 and 100k.

 

[rhwestfall]

20 years ago 1k was real money, worth of ~5-8k$ of today... Half of that will buy you an air ticket to a sunny destination, basic gear and an OWD training.

and what for the other 50 weeks of the year?

 

[doctormike]

that article is really misleading and quite obvious that whoever wrote it didn't bother to do any research, i wonder where they got their figures from lol
i just sent them a message with details

"Know how to create an animated GIF? Can you make a list? Congratulations, here's a journalism degree."

-Tim Siedell

 

[iluvtheocean]

i wasn't sure about ballroom dancing, but i do agree that scuba is in the top 10 -- factoring in basic training of ow & AOW or equiv, basic gear, and travel costs. since not all of us are lucky enough to live near a beach. for at least some places a drysuit is recommended. and of course once the bug has bitten... more training, more gear, more travel... adds up quickly.
yes it's possible to keep it inexpensive, but overall it's not cheap.