Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[TMHeimer]

Canadian tuition (from what I have heard) has always been about the same as State Universities in the U.S. My step daughters' tuition at Brandon U. and U. of Manitoba (including room and board) about 15 years ago was about $10K per year CAD. That's a far cry from whatever Indiana U. or other private US schools was. I was accepted to U. Hartford in 1976 and recall the tuition more like $50K US--back then. So it was Queens College in NY for me at $500-$1K. For 139 years CUNY was FREE to NYC residents (big uproar about 35 years ago when THAT changed). My tuition was so low however that it just didn't pay to fake a address 1.5 miles further South in The Bronx. After one year of teaching I paid off my $1K student loan. So, it depends where you go.

 

[gcarter]

My daughter is currently paying $9,600 tuition / year, NOT including room & board. Her residence plan last year cost us just over $8,000, not sure of the exact number now, and was housing only with no meal plan offered or available.

Sheridan College, Oakville, Bachelor of Animation 4 year degree program.

 

[TMHeimer]

g, I hear ya. I believe univ. tuition in NS is highest in the country, and at times a touchy subject here. So you're looking at $17,600 plus food. Maybe a bit steep, but the $10K total we paid was 15+ years ago also. You'd have to check if inflation nearly doubled in that time.

 

[redacted]

Does CA have anything like the US GI bill:? How much do you want to do college with little or no debt?

 

[gcarter]

g, I hear ya. I believe univ. tuition in NS is highest in the country, and at times a touchy subject here. So you're looking at $17,600 plus food. Maybe a bit steep, but the $10K total we paid was 15+ years ago also. You'd have to check if inflation nearly doubled in that time.

My last semester of university undergrad at MUN was IIRC a hair over $500.

 

[Hawkwood]

My last semester of university undergrad at MUN was IIRC a hair over $500.

First year at Dal in 1976 was $750, that was the value of the Entrance Scholarship and it covered the tuition.

 

[Shotmaster]

The owner of my local dive shop had a dozen dive shops here in Florida 8 years ago. Now he has one, with one full time employee, and some part timers who do the hydros and fills. He has a full time job with a large company, and comes to the shop in the evenings and weekends to do the regulator repairs. It's really the economy, along with changing demographics. I recently drove down to Key West and stopped at a few dive shops along the way. Things have improved as all the shops I visited were well stocked and very upbeat, which is a nice change from previous years. Several conversations I overheard the most were "we are staying at the cheapest hotel we could find", "left the kids at home so we could get to go diving", a group of guys "we left our wives at home and made this a guy trip", a lot of talk about economizing to be able to visit.

 

[boulderjohn]

Several conversations I overheard the most were "we are staying at the cheapest hotel we could find", "left the kids at home so we could get to go diving", a group of guys "we left our wives at home and made this a guy trip", a lot of talk about economizing to be able to visit.

I have experienced this myself, but a lot of the problem you describe in that area has less to do with the cost of scuba than with the overall cost of living there. Motel and restaurant prices in that area are extremely high. I spend much of each winter in the Pompano Beach area, and my wife and I have some old friends who visit each year. Two years ago we decided to do some diving in the Key Largo area, so we booked a motel for a few days. It cost us a small fortune just to stay there, and the weather was so bad we could only dive half the days we were there. This past winter we wanted to go to Key West and dive out of that area. We scrubbed that mission after checking out the prices for food and lodging, too.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yes. That is why we have always snowbirded up on the panhandle or AL or MS. We would love to spend 2-3 months in S. FL, but the condo prices are maybe double. I know there is much better diving, and a casino or several for my wife down there.

 

[kensuf]

I have experienced this myself, but a lot of the problem you describe in that area has less to do with the cost of scuba than with the overall cost of living there. Motel and restaurant prices in that area are extremely high. I spend much of each winter in the Pompano Beach area, and my wife and I have some old friends who visit each year. Two years ago we decided to do some diving in the Key Largo area, so we booked a motel for a few days. It cost us a small fortune just to stay there, and the weather was so bad we could only dive half the days we were there. This past winter we wanted to go to Key West and dive out of that area. We scrubbed that mission after checking out the prices for food and lodging, too.

Agreed. For just a small amount more than it would cost to spend a week in the keys, I can fly to Grand Cayman and have some incredible wall diving. And it'll take me less time to get there.