Why is learning to scuba so expensive?

[DevonDiver]

How about compared to the costs of scuba training 15 to 20 years ago.

In the mid '90s, OW training ran about $100. A couple years later, I paid less than $50 for Nitrox training.

What has caused the cost to go up 4 fold in less than 20 years?

Those were the prices, as far as I can remember, in GBP, back from the early 90's. Given inflation, I expect it to cost a little more now.

I never saw a $100 OW course back then... wish I had! It's probably a very regional thing... cheap costs in very active holiday markets, where competition drives prices down... and low cost of living/business operation allows those costs to hit a very low threshold allowing minimal per-course profit (balanced against bulk selling courses... not so nice).

Koh Tao, Thailand is the cheapest place I've seen (not been to Mexico/Honduras etc though). Lowest OW prices there are around the $150 mark... very crappy sausage factory approach though.

Often, the truth is common-sense... you get what you pay for.

 

[rhwestfall]

my OW was a $20 lab fee (college physical education class - instructor was on staff of the university, and school had its own gear & compressor)...... covered everything, including all gear, and for the check-out dives it covered travel, lodging & meals....

 

[redacted]

Those were the prices, as far as I can remember, in GBP, back from the early 90's. Given inflation, I expect it to cost a little more now.

I never saw a $100 OW course back then... wish I had! It's probably a very regional thing... cheap costs in very active holiday markets, where competition drives prices down... and low cost of living/business operation allows those costs to hit a very low threshold allowing minimal per-course profit (balanced against bulk selling courses... not so nice).

Koh Tao, Thailand is the cheapest place I've seen (not been to Mexico/Honduras etc though). Lowest OW prices there are around the $150 mark... very crappy sausage factory approach though.

Often, the truth is common-sense... you get what you pay for.

Yes. I think we need to acknowledge the changes in the business model which contributed to this cost growth. Shops were running training at a reduced cost (little to no profit to the shop) expecting to make it up with equipment sales. DMs probably worked for free (and often still do). Scuba Instructor was a hobby, a sideline, so low pay was acceptable. But the rise of mail-order and the internet competition ate into the store profits to the point where profitable training became a necessity and eventually the norm.

 

[boulderjohn]

If I had to pay as much for scuba instruction as I have paid (on an hourly basis) for golf and skiing lessons, I never would have been certified.

When I got my cave training, I added up all the costs and divided it by the day. The instructor provided my tanks (I had to fly in for it and could not bring my own) and the gas as part of the fee. The year before I had spent a week of pleasure recreational diving in Hawai'i. My cave instruction costs per day were very close to what I paid for the Hawai'ian recreational diving. That's pretty cheap for that kind of instruction.

Somehow this reminds me of people complaining about the price of gas while sipping on bottled water (maybe $16-$20 per gallon).

 

[Ste Wart]

There's lots of short cuts you can take.

Myself personally I got Assistant Instructor & IDC Staff Instructor for free, yes free perks of the job (I would have got EFR instructor for free as well but that morning I was busy with a customer )
My main regs (Apeks XTX 200's) were procured at cost, thanks to the same dive center. I saved myself over £400 when compared to the retail price.
My Trimix course was discounted 20% because I was a local.
So savings can be made.

There's jobs available in Greece over summer where you can get AOW, Rescue maybe even DM for free. They will also provide accomodation. The job might not be any fun itself but that's a possibility.
If you slave yourself over in Cairns, Australia i.e. work as the dishy on the liveaboards, you can get your DM for free.

There are ways.

As to quality of instruction. There are two parts. Instructor and student. The best instructor in the world will make no difference to a lazy student an vice versa. A good example is my first employer. She (now a Master Instructor) had a terrible DM internship, her Instructor was usually hungover and she had to wake him up every morning for class. However because of this shortfall she quickly learned how to organise the class, set everything up, so literally all the instructor had to do was turn up and demo skills. To this date she is one of the best instructors anyone will ever meet, and not to be messed with on PADI standards.

So a bad course does not necessarily mean a bad output and vice versa. It's how you choose to use the opportunity given to you.
EDIT: Here's one on the PADI website at the moment

Internship Position (Only 1 of the 5 remaining) - Greece. You don't even pay for your PIC's - check out the terms and conditions on Camp Phoenix - Home - and if you are interested email a CV and photo to info@campphoenix.co.uk

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Why is diving certification so expensive?? Because it's worth it. Learning to be a safe and competent diver, growing at every level, and at the DM level to be able to be responsible for others in and adventurous activity, is not the kind of thing one does "on the cheap." Compared to college, or trade school, it is cheap to become a Professional. If you get a job in a dive shop, you may be able to get discounts on training and gear. If you are a veteran, I believe professional level training calculated to lead to a career may qualify for some grants, but am not sure. Find a way. It's worth it.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Reck Diver]

Why is diving certification so expensive?? Because it's worth it. Learning to be a safe and competent diver, growing at every level, and at the DM level to be able to be responsible for others in and adventurous activity, is not the kind of thing one does "on the cheap." Compared to college, or trade school, it is cheap to become a Professional. If you get a job in a dive shop, you may be able to get discounts on training and gear. If you are a veteran, I believe professional level training calculated to lead to a career may qualify for some grants, but am not sure. Find a way. It's worth it.
DivemasterDennis

Certifications do not make divers and divemasters competent..... Experience makes divers and divemasters safe and competent.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Well ross everything has gone up, even devons prices seem high for awhile ago. Now look at it this way, do you know how much free info you get while taking these classes, getting air fills, you will ask ?'s at dive shop, out doing charters. lets say a year to complete, depending how many dives you get in a short time to start the DM program.

Now when I say this matt beckwith's thread is about interacting with divers to learn and ask ?'s. You have youtube for visual, but when it comes to you not figuring things out it takes One on one to fill you in on what they see that will cure your problem.

The cost is merely what you think your time is worth, not the other way around, and one thing that has killed continuing education here in the PNW, is when the instructor needs free help, he trades with free classes, so you pay for OW, AOW, RESCUE, DIVEMASTER, now the instructor trades all the other classifications.


You actually get a whole lot for 4 grand, like a dive partner if you do not have one.

 

[Wookie]

How much did it cost you guys then to get to divemaster level or better? if you calculate everything I mean absolutely everything? because you have to have a certain amount of dives as well don't you? as for getting my driving licence it cost me about £300, horse riding unknown. I've been quoted £4,000 to get to divemaster in egypt that incl everything. I would be happy to pay £1700 for everything up to divemaster is that possible?

Hell, the boat alone was $650,000. I mean, if you're gonna step up....

 

[Pietsweis]

For now it could probably sound like a lot of money but as soon as you have hit dm or instr level and want to work in the dive industry you will be wondering why diving is so cheap....