Want to learn SCUBA in Finland. (Expensive)...

[MWB]

Hi.

I went to this sukelluskeskus.fi in Tampere, Finland.

They want to charge me this price:

460.00 euro for the Open Water One course.
5x pool lessons. 2x books including, The Encyclopedia
of Recreational Diving. And they will teach me in English.

Also I must buy the boots,gloves,fins, mask & snorkel. About 220.00 euro extra.

I know Finland is not exactly the ideal summer beach location - probably why its so expensive - but can somebody give me any suggestions where I can travel to for a more affordable and enjoyable learning experience. (outside Finland).

I ultimately want to become a Dive Instructor. I did my Open Water One at The Whaler - Ponta Do Ouro - Mozambique.

 

[Ste Wart]

I'm note sure how cheap flights are from Finland, but UK options for cheaper dive courses would be either Malta or Egypt.

I'd recommend you get the manual in Finnish though. The videos are all in English with subtitles. So you can catch the English phrases for terms like Buoyancy (I had Danish students have no idea what this word meant until I told them the word in their own language) and the like.

 

[Imla]

Most likely they will teach you to dive using a drysuit.
Compared to Norway, the prices are relatively normal.
Make sure you put into your calculations for OWcoursa AND drysuitcourse when you compare prizes.
If you learn to dive in tropical environments you WILL need a drysuitcourse if you want to dive in Finland.

(Also... If you DO learn to dive in Scandinavia, you can dive just about everywhere, because you WILL learn to dive in silty/murky/dark/cold waters..)

 

[tamas970]

I did my OW in Gran Canaria. With the flight and appartment it of course costed more than here in Switzerland, but its a real fun to dive in 21°C clear water in mid December
Probably you also have reasonable air fares to GC. During summer, if budget is important, I can recommend Croatia, e.g. the Biograd area.

As for equipment: if you want to climb higher in the certification path and dive a lot, you will eventually end up buying your gear anyway. I bought mine right after my OW certification, (full gear, except tank and lead - this usually comes for free if you go on an organized dive in Europe).

Books - here you can save a bit by getting a second hand piece. (also applies for some gear).

I did my Open Water One at The Whaler - Ponta Do Ouro - Mozambique.

- Did it come with any certification? That case you may get a discount in a few schools.

 

[r4e]

In addition to PADI courses organized by reputable companies (e.g. Sukelluskeskus), you might want to consider club based courses. The price might be lower, and, you are likely to get a more comprehensive training. Depends of course on the club and trainers. This will likely take a longer time, but, you should be able to learn a lot more. The training calendar of the Finnish national diving association will show you when there are courses available in your area.
Sukeltajaliitto ry - Etusivu

 

[TSandM]

Does that price include boat charter for the OW dives? If so, it's probably quite reasonable.

Our shop's OW price is about $295, but the dry suit option is another $175. In addition, you have to purchase the materials, which I believe run around $100, and you buy your personal equipment, as you have listed. When you add it all up, it's quite comparable.

 

[tamas970]

The equipment is extra and the OP posted the prices in Euros (= 585$, your price including drysuit training=470$). OW in Europe can be expensive, we have to avoid some countries (e.g. Italy). If the OP wants to dive only in the tropics/warm water, I'd advise to go to the mediterranean or better, the Red sea (our "Caribbean").

Does that price include boat charter for the OW dives? If so, it's probably quite reasonable.Our shop's OW price is about $295, but the dry suit option is another $175. In addition, you have to purchase the materials, which I believe run around $100, and you buy your personal equipment, as you have listed. When you add it all up, it's quite comparable.

 

[TSandM]

I think it adds up to $570, which isn't THAT different from the OP's price -- and he mentioned he got the Encyclopedia with his package.

 

[Storker]

Most likely they will teach you to dive using a drysuit.
Compared to Norway, the prices are relatively normal.
Make sure you put into your calculations for OWcoursa AND drysuitcourse when you compare prizes.
If you learn to dive in tropical environments you WILL need a drysuitcourse if you want to dive in Finland.

(Also... If you DO learn to dive in Scandinavia, you can dive just about everywhere, because you WILL learn to dive in silty/murky/dark/cold waters..)

I can heartily support this. Shortly after our (Norwegian) OW certification, I and my then-16-year-old son (& buddy) went on a couple of LDS-organized day trips. On those trips I met a couple of warm-water-certified AOW divers who were significantly less comfortable and had quite a few more issues with the Nordic conditions and the equipment everybody were using than we had, even if their certs were at a higher level than ours.

If you're at all planning on diving at home, I'd recommend you to either stay away from vacation certification altogether, or, as Imla suggests, budget for a DS course in addition to your warm water cert(s). Myself, I went for the former option.

There's also this thing about being certified in a dry suit: You won't understand what the problem is when wetsuit divers start talking about the challenges of learning to dive dry. It's somewhat similar to learning to ski about the same time as you're learning to walk versus skiing for the first time as an adult :cool2:

 

[Crass3000]

I think it's a better idea to get certified around where you live so you are used to those conditions. You will almost certainly end up diving a lot in what some have said would likely be much worse in Finland (murky, no vis, cold water, etc ?) when compared to tropical conditions. Getting certified in crappy conditions will make you a better diver than those who get certified in tropical waters assuming you keep diving. Later diving in tropical conditions and doing things like navigation will be much easier for you. Vice-versa doesn't work so well.