What is involved in becoming certified in Scuba diving (cost-certification-equipment needed)?
As I read about becoming PADI certified for open water dives, I see different prices for the classroom and pool dives, plus are additional dives required (with extra fees?) neccessary for certification and why do I have to buy certain equipment of my own for certification, like snorkel, fins, boots and mask. Is this typical? Why do I have to purchase this stuff? How much does the gear cost? And I have two teenage daughters plus my husband interested in doing this for our cruise in August- should we pursue this, or just do the "beginners dive" that the cruise offers?
well when iwas taking my course i had to buy my own mask snorkel boots fins becasue this a necessitiy when your diving and you should always buy your own regulator and B.C. becasue these things not all dive sites have them to rent and you wouldnt want to share all that equipment that other people have used i have everything except my dive tank which you dont have to buy beavuse you can rent that anywhere but ive sometimes left some of my equiment at home and find it to very fruasting that i have to rent all this equpiment its really qutie annoying not to have your equipment as for the cruise dive you should only do it if you dont plan to go diving alot becaus the diving equipment does tend to get kinda of expensive but prices vary on what kinda brands you buy hope thid helps
Boots, mask, snorkel and fins are things you cant really find to rent and you need the books for open water certification.
These are only the beginning will need a b.c. and a regulator a divers tool tanks wet suit or dry suit and the list go’s on and on and on diving is a very expensive sport for one person 4 will cost many thousand dollars before long and you may decide you don’t really like it. Go with the cruise ship beginner dive and then go from there.
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I’m gonna start with the last question about the Beginners dive or getting certified.
If you get certified you will stay certified and be able to dive again. The "Resort" courses you can only dive in that location for that one time you are there and will have to be "tied" at the hip to the dive instructor. The other draw back to this is that you will often times be given very easy level dives. Never below 20-30 feet and on sandy bottoms. Where a Open Water Certified PADI diver is certified to go to 60 feet and could end up on much more stunning dive sites with a little more freedom to explore.
As far as gear goes Mask Snorkel and Fins are very common purchases due to the personal nature of such equipment. Your husband may need a pair of longer fins while you may need something smaller so you can move your legs and propel your self effectivly without fatigue (A bigger fin is harder to kick but pushes more mass through the water). Same go for Mask and snorkel. These can also be a great purchase because they can be used for snorkeling anywhere.
I’d say expect to spend $200 ish on each persons basic equipment. Maybe don’t get your daughters the best the shop has unless you think they won’t be growing anymore. And on that it is not necessary to get the best, what you should look for is what is most comfortable for you. Don’t let them sucker you into the expensive stuff.
As far as classes go to start everyone is required to take the same course through a PADI system and that is Recreational Open Water Diver. The class will include your Classroom time and Pool time, but shops are required to have you take Dives in the Open Water, known as checkout dives. These often take place in a local quarry or other calm water body. The reason for the extra fee would be that often quarries have entry fees or insurance fees. So make sure to ask what is included with your check out dive price. Sometimes it could include transportation or lunch so remember to ask the shop what the fee is. It is definitely advisable to find out who your instructor will be and make sure that you are comfortable with them before signing up for any SCUBA class.
And depending on how often you begin diving it will also be advisable to get A regulator and BCD (~$300 a piece) but that’s mostly because after a while rental fees can get astronomical.
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Typically you will pay for the classroom and pool instruction and then pay for the actual certification dives. It may be possible to get a package deal that includes both, but you’ll need to check with your dive shop. For the pool portion of the class, you should be able to rent or borrow the equipment.
It is routine to purchase your mask, snorkel, fins, and boots. Typically you can buy them directly from the dive shop. Many people never buy a regulator or BCD, they just rent them each
time they dive.
References :
well when iwas taking my course i had to buy my own mask snorkel boots fins becasue this a necessitiy when your diving and you should always buy your own regulator and B.C. becasue these things not all dive sites have them to rent and you wouldnt want to share all that equipment that other people have used i have everything except my dive tank which you dont have to buy beavuse you can rent that anywhere but ive sometimes left some of my equiment at home and find it to very fruasting that i have to rent all this equpiment its really qutie annoying not to have your equipment as for the cruise dive you should only do it if you dont plan to go diving alot becaus the diving equipment does tend to get kinda of expensive but prices vary on what kinda brands you buy hope thid helps
References :
i got my license when i was 10
I would suggest you try it out on the cruise first. Don’t spend any money until you are sure you like it. I have been diving for 17 years and went on a cruise with friends who decided try it. Half of them ended up freaking out and couldn’t handle breathing underwater. The dive operator will provide you with all the gear so don’t’ lay out any money yet.
If you then find you like it, spend the time stateside taking a GOOD certification class. SCUBA is potentially deadly so don’t take it lightly. It can be very enjoyable, but things can change in an instant, be prepared!
If you decide to take the plunge (pun intended) start out with the typical mask, fins snorkel. Find ones that are comfortable and affordable. Also, don’t get suckered in to buying gear right away. Take your time, look around and you will find you don’t have to have all this high priced gear. The biggest rip off is the BC. It’s just an air bag! A $150 BC will do the same thing a $600 or $800 one will. Spend your money on the regulator, it’s your life line. Even try renting a couple of times to be sure. You can spend $1,000 pp or more on gear. Look around online, you can get some great deals on gear once you know what you are looking for. The dive shops really hate the websites, because they want to sell you gear for a HUGE mark-up. I bought my gear from a catalog in 1990 and it’s still working just fine (although the BC is finally dry rotting which is normal), and I saved hundreds of dollars.
References :
if you guys wanna take the class in usa the most common thing is the dive shop ask you to get some of you dive equipment because they offer the class little bit cheaper than in a resot place but they make a profit on the gear retail any way fins mask and snorkel is staff that you may have to buy only once in a long time (if you use it once a year or so) and is not exclusive for diving you can also go snorkeling
. the required material for the open water certification is open water diver manual and dive table thats the only material required is also recomendable to get a log book but no necesary (you can make you own)the open water crew pack includes all of it
the course will include all theory class and confined water session after acomplish of this 2 ,you need to take 4 open water dives usually the dive shop will try to take you some where to dive but that will be up to you on where you decide to take this dives
i hope thi info was enough if you have more question i will be happy to answer
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open water scuba instructor
I am currently half way through my PADI open water diver course. I had 2 options for the course – for $225 I could complete all the training and then go somewhere else for my checkout dives (referral), for $275 I could get the training and the 4 checkout dives.
The dive center here requires you to purchase your own mask and snorkel. After my first pool dive I decided to buy my own booties and fins. Comfort is very important in diving. It’s no fun to try to complete a dive with a toe cramp. Now that I have my own booties and fins that fit me properly, diving is easier and more fun. Fit of the mask is crucial also, and the snorkel kind of goes with the mask. I paid $100 for my mask and snorkel and $150 for my fins and booties. The dive shop I go to gives a 20% discount to students, and they also offer cheaper package deals if you buy multiple items together. Try looking around on the internet for dive gear to get an idea of costs – http://www.scuba.com is a good place to start.
You might want to look into a referral course that lets you do your checkout dives at on your cruise, that way you are sort of getting the best of both worlds.
References :
http://www.padi.com