Scuba Diving is expensive …..NOT!!

I hear this message much more often than I care to and I invariably cringe. You see, I really don’t like to tell someone that they’re simply ignorant of the facts. I prefer to assume that they are trying to start an argument so I keep quiet.

However, the fact is that scuba diving is much more affordable than it has ever been in the past AND, relative to other popular leisure activities, it is CHEAP!!

There are two perspectives I want to share with you – historical and then, relative.

I paid $75 for my first scuba gear set – a used wetsuit, tank and regulator. There was no BCD, no pressure gauge or depth gauge and no safe second (octopus). These items were not yet part of the scuba diving jargon.
My course cost $35. I had to supply personal gear and travel 40 miles every Tuesday night for 26 weeks.

At the time I was earning $0.25 per hour working very hard, part time. A good annual wage in 1960 was $5000 – about $100 per week. Lots of people lived on less! Obviously prices were a lot less then - except for the cost of leisure activities.

A scuba course in 1960 cost about $35. You had to buy your basic gear at a cost of about $60. With other necessary expenses, the total cost to become a certified diver was about $120 – at least a full week’s wages, maybe a bit more.
A new set of scuba gear (tanks, reg, suit) was about $175.

So, to become a diver and purchase a set of gear would cost about $300 – three week’s wages.

Today a scuba course is about $300, personal gear is about $250 and with other costs you can be certified for about $700. That’s between ½ to ¾ of a typical week’s wages these days assuming an income of between $35K and $75K.
You can a good new wetsuit, tank, regulator system and BCD for about $1200 – that’s 1 week’s wages for many people, maybe 1 ½ week’s for others. Total cost to become an outfitted diver: $2000 or about one half the relative cost in 1960.

Historically you can see that scuba diving has become less expensive, ½ as expensive today than it was in the past.

More striking is the comparison between the cost of scuba diving and the cost of other sports that so many enjoy today.

Now I don’t want to amuse you with the usual silly comparisons between scuba and say, tennis as is often done although I must admit that it’s interesting to note that becoming a certified diver and outfitting oneself in scuba gear is remarkably similar in cost to taking a few tennis lessons and buying one of those cute tennis outfits!
The fact is that scuba diving is an exciting sport. Some would even call it extreme or an adventure sport but certainly, it hardly fair to compare it with “tennis”.

A fairer comparison is to see how scuba shapes up against other adventure sports. Skiing comes to mind; motocross, mountain biking, snowmobiling, skydiving, windsurfing, etc. It’s neat to google “adventure sports” wherein you’ll find a definition of that term plus a list of the sports that, in the opinion of the authors, qualify. Scuba diving is on the list.

Many of the adventure sports require professional training the cost of which is based on an hourly instructor rate that hovers around $100 per hour. At that rate a scuba course ought to cost about $1200.
Many sports require licensing fees and/or insurance at an average I’d say of $200.

Then we come to equipment – mountain bikes at $2000 plus substantial maintenance costs, windsurfing at $3000 plus lots of extras and we’ve not begun to discuss motocross, snowmobiles or sky diving.

I can add that scuba diving also gives you the greatest return on every dollar invested. You can scuba dive every day of the year, day or night, anywhere in the world!
Not the case for any other sport extreme or not!
Also your investment in scuba equipment is exactly that – an investment. Most scuba gear carries a lifetime warrantee, maintenance costs are minimal and there is an active market for good, used scuba gear.
Have you ever tried to sell a used motorcycle, surfboard or parachute??

You can begin to understand why I see red why someone says that scuba diving is expensive. Maybe they’re including the cost of their dive trip to Hawaii!!

Heck, if you include the extra enjoyment you get as a diver on your travels and deduct that from your initial cost to become a diver, scuba diving is FREE!!!

Now that’s cheap fun!

- The Seahunter

Most modern computers are engineered to allow User Battery Change, the implication being that the user (the diver) can change the computer battery themselves. And I suppose there's some truth to that since the battery door is easy to open.

Hah! But should you do so??

We regularly get dive computers in the shop for service and find that the battery door is terribly busted-up.

The battery door, I should explain, is the general term used to describe the cover that holds the battery in place. In some cases it's a simple, O-ring sealed, screw-in cover. Sometimes it's a cover that requires a special tool to offer a 1/8th turn and then a pull to expose a press-in, O-ring sealed cover. Regardless, the cover is called the battery door.

When I say busted-up, I mean exactly that. The covers that screw in usually have a slot that appears to be the same size as a Looney and I'm thinking that's what most divers use. Unfortunately, some don't and try a screwdriver instead. That guarantees the slot in the plastic door will be destroyed. Even with a Looney, the slot often will break. Trust me when I say that the designers of the battery door did NOT build it to fit a Canadian one dollar coin!!                                                                                                 
The point is that there are proper tools for opening the battery doors. Use them properly and they work. Otherwise the door is damaged.
One dive computer battery door was so badly damaged that we had to drill two small holes in opposite sides of the plastic door so we could insert a C-clip tool to get it out!!

To my point - there is a small charge to change a dive computer battery. I thinks it's about $11 or $12.
The battery costs about $10 depending on the exact model and that's the same as you would pay for it at Best Buy or wherever.
So, for about $15 with tax, you can have a service professional change your dive computer battery.

The benefits are clear:

1. It's done properly with no damage to the expensive computer.

2. The O-ring and sealing edges are properly inspected, cleaned and greased (the right amount of grease is important!).

3. Other problems with the computer (dirty or leaking swivel pin, worn hose, etc) will be spotted and corrected.

4. The face guard will be removed properly, cleaned and replaced if necessary - without damage!

5. The correct battery is installed (don't ask!!).

Now to the biggest reason to bring your dive computer in for service - if you do it yourself and it screws up, who do you blame??
Most dive shops offer a 30 day guarantee on service. It they screw up, you have someone else to yell at!!

Isn't that worth $15?

- The Seahunter

Seahunter here! I'll be posting my thoughts on the Scuba industry weekly! Come back for tips, stories, and maybe an exclusive in-store deal or two.