Super Costly Underwater Breathing Adventure

[joe rock]

My husband made the tactical blunder of adding up all scuba-related expenses as of about October . . . came up with something over 10K. That's since we got certified in June. Of course, he included ALL the trips we have scheduled for the next year (into September), all course fees, and all equipment.

This is why I don't understand why he's balking at a simple little $100 SPG . . .

You tell him - what another $100 :icon10:

I refuse to total the expenditure:05:

 

[Mambo Dave]

DR RG2500 Reg/Octo - $350
two AL80's w/DIN valves - $120 (TY Tom!)
Aqualung Rocket II Fins - $106
5/4/3 Evo suit - $140
Hogarthian BP/W - $330
Neop boots - $44
Soft weights - $30 (?)
Hood - $20
Aqualung Wraparound Dive Mask – Free (and Priceless!)
4 yards of shock cord - $11 (?)
Loaner gauge set – Free, but will buy a $50 gauge
Flashlight – at least $33 (exchanging it though)
Dive Rite thigh pocket - $33
Fill card - $70
Training - $280 (can’t really remember the price)
Rentals for training equipment - $65 (again, can’t remember)
2 dive flags - $70
Rubbermaid tub for storage - $8
2 Hangers - $13
Custom Mouthpiece - $20
Reel - $59
Safety Sausage - $79

Total: over $1700

Wow, that’s more than I expected it to be! Ouch!

Comically, most of this was all spent within the last three weeks of December 2005. I'll just have to write up 2005 as the year I couldn't save money. 2006 will be different, I swear!

I’m extremely lucky to have friends with a boat.

I also consider myself lucky to have been given sage advice from those friends and from these forums as to what to buy. Through research I really think (or at least hope) I’m buying equipment that I won’t be ‘upgrading’ within one year or even five. I’m trying to buy the time-tested stuff as opposed to the trendy equipment that gets replaced in 6 months or so. It seems that leaning toward buying tech diving gear will serve me well into the future, plus it keeps stuff simple.

Now for what else is needed:
steel tanks - $650
a computer - now I'm looking at $400 jobs instead of $200
a boat - $ oh God I don't want to know...
a different job to pay for it all.

Best, and Happy New Year

Dave

 

[JohnL]

What else would I do with it? Save it? Put it towards retirement?

Yeah...those are pretty good ideas, but diving keeps me sane.

 

[Nemrod]

Well, let's see, my NAUI class taught by a transplanted LA Co. Instructor was thrity five dollars, twelve weeks long and two nights per week which also included equipment. My first set of equipment which included a steel 72, cloth harness, SeaHawk Knife, Calypso regulator was two hundred dollars total I think, he threw in a capilary depth guage and a few other bits for free--I was after all a kiddo. I bought my mask, six inch Voits oval mask for about 10 dollars and my fins were Voit SkinDivers also about 10 dollars and I had a snorkel that cost a couple of bucks from Montgomery Wards. No BC, no such thing, dived with that stuff for years along with a few other things I bought and was given. I still use some of it, everything else is just extra. Oh, got a wet suit at Wards also, about thirty dollars. Best I remember. You guys seem to be spending a bit much--wink--wink. N

 

[Diver Dennis]

Well, let's see, my NAUI class taught by a transplanted LA Co. Instructor was thrity five dollars, twelve weeks long and two nights per week which also included equipment. My first set of equipment which included a steel 72, cloth harness, SeaHawk Knife, Calypso regulator was two hundred dollars total I think, he threw in a capilary depth guage and a few other bits for free--I was after all a kiddo. I bought my mask, six inch Voits oval mask for about 10 dollars and my fins were Voit SkinDivers also about 10 dollars and I had a snorkel that cost a couple of bucks from Montgomery Wards. No BC, no such thing, dived with that stuff for years along with a few other things I bought and was given. I still use some of it, everything else is just extra. Oh, got a wet suit at Wards also, about thirty dollars. Best I remember. You guys seem to be spending a bit much--wink--wink. N

Nemrod. GREAT avatar. You should join us over in the MOF thread (mask on forehead). You look to happy there to be in distress.

 

[Mustangfreak]

OW: $175
photo: $830
Rented gear to date: $25

Once the CC is paid off from the new Canon, Ill be buying a dive comp and 1st stage.

 

[LI Diver]

i think i have over $30K just in camera crap....

Would hate to think of the airline costs

Unh Unh, dont count for you Mike That be like me listing all my machinery!

 

[LI Diver]

The scary part is I don't even know, the scarier part is my bookkeeper probably does,
and the scariest part is that we haven't talked about her raise yet!
I try to make all the major purchases with the company credit cards so the bills come to the office otherwise I'd be buying sofa's and sub-zero refrigerators for my wife with that other guy who posted!

 

[Nemrod]

Diver Dennis, the moderators jumped on me for being in that thread, I guess there is a double standard, I made reference to it somewhere and they got all unglued. If that thread is so bad---lock it! I think they don't realize it is not a joke--I put my mask on the forehead, have since the beginning, never lost a mask that way and yes, that was a good dive so I was happy, just got my 1966 Royal Aqua Master in the water with new hoses and rebuild kit--how sweet that thing is (one of five or six I own).

Back to equipment, if the money is spent on something a person enjoys then it is worth it. We are not talking about life altering amounts of cash being spent. My main concern is the over all level of low quality and "generic-ness" of modern gear. Have to pick and choose carefully to get stuff that will last years and years.

I know the need to photograph the underwater world is irresitable but if a fellow is not interested in terrestrial photography then maybe investing big dollars in an underwater photog set up is unwise especially if they are also a new diver. Maybe the first thing is to get some water time and get some dives in and then consider about the camera. Cameras are fun but they can severely limit your diving adventures. The best camera out there is your brains memory circuits. I would avoid big dollar camera gear unless you already have a photography interest or until a person matures as a diver a bit--then add your specialty interests. Might help spread the spending out. N

 

[divinginn]

but who wished they would have took up tennis instead? have under 1k invested in gear and training in 25 years