The initial costs of diving

[VikingDives]

Scuba really isn't that expensive if you compare it sports like cycling.

When I was competing, I had a road bike (2k), a backup (1k), a cyclocross bike (1k) and all the other stuff that comes along (helmets, pedals, tires, shoes, spandex, cold weather gear...) say another 1k. I easily have 500 dollars in tools as well.

The tools last, but carbon fiber bikes have a limited life. You can get ~5 years out of them. Helmets are good for one crash, and you are going to crash. ER visits for broken bones, concussions, infections (lose 30% of the skin on your leg? no problem!) all add up too.

Add that to road rage drivers who threaten you, regular drivers who don't see you or just turn in front of you....

I just outfitted one of my customers with a mask, snorkel, fins, boots, bp/w, wetsuit and computer for about $1600. Even if he were to get a drysuit (say 2k), that's years of diving for the cost of fills.

If anyone wants to know I can tell them that the profit margin is not high. It's obscene in many cases. That $90 mask cost the dealer something like 22-30 in some cases. $40-$60 dry snorkel? $8-$15 depending on the brand. Boots? 5-6 mm neoprene they are selling for $60-70 MSRP plus? 20-25 is what the dealer is paying.
Some brands also don't allow the dealer to make real deals.

The problem is scuba shops that look at customers as if they are going to walk away and never come back. I have a very high retention rate. I don't stock crap that I wouldn't dive and I don't "sell" anything. I give my customers honest advice, even if it means I lose a sale, but for some reason, they keep coming back. And once or twice a month, one of those customers that walked away from another shop seems to end up at mine through word of mouth.

It's funny, you treat people like they want to be treated and they seem to like that...

 

[Lorenzoid]

Scuba really isn't that expensive if you compare it sports like cycling

Note the post in which the OP said he might look into kayaking or fishing instead. I used to own a sea kayak when I lived in California, and if I recall, that cost me about $2k back in the '90s. Fishing, well, really need a boat, but even a half-day inshore charter is $500+, or a space on a party boat is like $60.

 

[Marie13]

Note the post in which the OP said he might look into kayaking or fishing instead. I used to own a sea kayak when I lived in California, and if I recall, that cost me about $2k back in the '90s. Fishing, well, really need a boat, but even a half-day inshore charter is $500+, or a space on a party boat is like $60.

I was wondering that myself, knowing people who’ve done both and it ain’t cheap.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I was wondering that myself, knowing people who’ve done both and it ain’t cheap.

I did a little fishing with my dad when I was a kid (too bad he wasn't into scuba), and the memories are priceless. Whatever the OP ultimately chooses as a way to share a hobby with his kids will be worth the cost.

 

[boulderjohn]

I go to Florida every winter, and I dive while I am there. We have a friend there who is an avid fisherman, and my non-diving wife goes out with him several times a year.

The day starts with a stop at a bait shop, and he buys live bait. My wife believes they have never caught enough fish to equal the cost of the bait.

Then the boat gets gassed up. My wife believes they have never caught enough fish to pay for the cost of the gas.

That does not consider the cost of owning the boat.

Of course, you could go out on a commercial charter, and my wife went out with him on such a charter several times when his boat was being repaired. On those trips, everyone on the boat had to pay for the trip and the bait, but they never once caught a fish. My wife does not believe anyone caught a fish on those trips.

As for me, I have done just about enough fishing in my life to know better.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Knowing what I know now…
Lets say another big wild fire roared through my neighborhood and burned everything up.
I have no dive gear left, the only thing I have left is my knowledge.
The first thing I would buy is a wetsuit, hooded vest, booties, gloves, mask, fins, snorkel, and a weightbelt which I would buy a mould and cast my own since that would save money. Lead would be obtained at several tire shops that I know.
I would also become an avid garage saler and Craigslist lurker. The word would also be out that I’m looking for any used gear- I’m not picky.
This would at least get me wet and get my face back in the water for some therapy of the soul.
Next would be a used tank. A steel 72 or anything would be fine, and a used reg set that I know I could get parts for. A MK2/with whatever 2nd, or a Conshelf with a metal 2nd, I know I can get parts for those all day long. There is so much used gear out there you just have to look around. Some of it may not be optimal but the objective here is to get back in the water and scuba dive.
If there was even a used poodle jacket free or cheap I’d even take that until I could make my own back pack. Or get an old plastic pack and dive with no bc for a while just off the beach shallow. I would also consider ordering a DGX BP/W setup w/ stainless plate for $399 and use that, then make my own custom plate again when I could get up snd running.
I would run tables until I could get a computer of some sort. Don’t really even need that just doing max 50’ deep dives since air supply usually dictates those dives. A compass is actually more important.
This is ghetto diving at it’s finest, and I would save a lot of money. I’ve been at it a while and know how to do this and I can use any gear, whereas a new diver has no clue about what to look for used or how to work on stuff. This is where there is no replacement for experience.
Total cost could vary depending on what I find and how much I pay. Could be from a few hundred up to a few thousand.
I use the fire scenario because one of my good friends that lost everything in the 2017 Tubbs fire just recently told me he lost all his and his sons scuba gear in the fire. He never said anything about his situation because he didn’t want to be an emotional burden to people. I had no idea that his insurance company was screwing him and wasn’t including a lot of this sort of stuff.
So as soon as I heard this I gave him two steel 72’s with fresh hydro’s, two backpacks for each tank, and two sets of MK5/109’s with Scubapro SPG’s (fully restored and serviced) for him and his son to get them started. They dive old school no bc’s so this was perfect.
All this gear was given to me l, so I restore everything and pass on the good fortune to people in need. This is how it works.

 

[Belzelbub]

The day starts with a stop at a bait shop, and he buys live bait. My wife believes they have never caught enough fish to equal the cost of the bait.

Then the boat gets gassed up. My wife believes they have never caught enough fish to pay for the cost of the gas.

Yeah. Without a doubt, it is more cost effective to buy fish at the market than to go out and get my own. Just not as fun. I can save on the bait cost, but spears and bands can eat up that savings.

Of course, you could go out on a commercial charter, and my wife went out with him on such a charter several times when his boat was being repaired. On those trips, everyone on the boat had to pay for the trip and the bait, but they never once caught a fish. My wife does not believe anyone caught a fish on those trips.

OK. I can understand getting skunked occasionally. But, if no one on the charter is catching fish consistently, that's just a bad charter captain.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Yeah. Without a doubt, it is more cost effective to buy fish at the market than to go out and get my own. Just not as fun. I can save on the bait cost, but spears and bands can eat up that savings.

OK. I can understand getting skunked occasionally. But, if no one on the charter is catching fish consistently, that's just a bad charter captain.

I don’t know, rockfish or “red snapper” as they call it ( which means nothing) is $10 a lb. at the market and it’s been sitting a week starting to get stinky.
I can go out and spear rockfish with a Hawaiian sling that was $29 and get 50 lbs of fish easily. Add it up. Fish that fresh isn’t available at the market for any price, logistically impossible.
Or, I can up grade to a spear gun for around $150 to $200 (new) and get a lingcod that some run 25 lbs each. At $10 to $15 lb for fresh lingcod (if you can find it) that spear gun just paid for itself.
Not to mention scallops, and other seafoods that can be gathered.
If you Do It Right you can hunt and gather a lot of seafood to feed a whole family for pennies of what it would be at the store, have fun doing it, and have the freshest seafood available.

 

[Belzelbub]

I don’t know, rockfish or “red snapper” as they call it ( which means nothing) is $10 a lb. at the market and it’s been sitting a week starting to get stinky.
I can go out and spear rockfish with a Hawaiian sling that was $29 and get 50 lbs of fish easily. Add it up. Fish that fresh isn’t available at the market for any price, logistically impossible.
Or, I can up grade to a spear gun for around $150 to $200 (new) and get a lingcod that some run 25 lbs each. At $10 to $15 lb for fresh lingcod (if you can find it) that spear gun just paid for itself.
Not to mention scallops, and other seafoods that can be gathered.
If you Do It Right you can hunt and gather a lot of seafood to feed a whole family for pennies of what it would be at the store, have fun doing it, and have the freshest seafood available.

That depends a lot on location. Around here, there are some fish you can get inshore, and some that are offshore. Occasionally, you can get an offshore species inshore, but mostly not. The preferred inshore species have a limit of 1. For offshore, it's a bit of a run. The gulf near where I live is more of a gentle slope compared to ocean areas. 7 miles out and I'm in 30'. 12-15 miles will get you into 50-60'. So the runs are long which uses a lot of fuel.

A bit further north, and it's even worse. The slope a couple counties north uses the rule of thumb of 1 foot / mile.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I don’t know, rockfish or “red snapper” as they call it ( which means nothing) is $10 a lb. at the market and it’s been sitting a week starting to get stinky.
I can go out and spear rockfish with a Hawaiian sling that was $29 and get 50 lbs of fish easily. Add it up. Fish that fresh isn’t available at the market for any price, logistically impossible.
Or, I can up grade to a spear gun for around $150 to $200 (new) and get a lingcod that some run 25 lbs each. At $10 to $15 lb for fresh lingcod (if you can find it) that spear gun just paid for itself.
Not to mention scallops, and other seafoods that can be gathered.
If you Do It Right you can hunt and gather a lot of seafood to feed a whole family for pennies of what it would be at the store, have fun doing it, and have the freshest seafood available.

There's nothing like freshly caught seafood. Absolutely nothing. You just need to live in an area where it exists and is harvestable. In Neah Bay, people are able to spearfish while on scuba. I was on a boat where I was the only one not spearfishing. A friend gave me some linkcod. The only time I had such a delicious fish was in Greece with some freshly caught tuna the morning of.