The Myth of the $99. 00 Scuba Certification

Consumers are always looking for the best value for their money and time. Maximizing the return on our investments is one of the most fundamental qualities of the human being. Whether it is a sale at the mall, driving that extra mile to save ten cents per gallon of gas or clipping a coupon out of the Sunday paper, we love to feel like we are getting a great deal and that we have successfully found a hot bargain in the marketplace. When it comes to getting certified for scuba diving, the process is no different. You look for the best return on your commitment and investment and place trust in the trainer that you will get what is promised.When shopping for a trainer, you are inundated with advertisements all over the dive shop windows and websites:

Learn to Dive Today - $99. 00!!!

If it sounds too good to be true…

The deals that you see sound fantastic. For less than one hundred dollars, you could be floating through the Caribbean, watching colorful fish and seeing new sites in between sipping umbrella drinks and napping in a hammock under a palm tree. So you hurry into the shop to sign up for the deal before it expires. You check class dates and check your calendar to come up with a weekend that works for you. You then pull out a crisp One Hundred dollar bill and present it to the person behind the counter.

“Thank you sir/Ma’am – it will be check or charge?”

“The rest of what?” You ask.

“The rest of the $200. 00,” the cashier says.

As the dive center employee starts to explain the amount, it turns out that books were not included and neither was the actual cost of the cert. You are a little disappointed but it still sounds like a good deal. Then the employee tells you that you will need personal dive gear also – fins, mask, snorkel, booties, etc…

“But we have a special deal here in the shop!” The employee tells you. They show you a package of gear that costs anywhere from $200 to $500. They tell you horror stories of t buying on the internet and in discount stores and that you will not be complete as a human being unless you buy one of their packages today. You decide on the $299 package, against the prodding of the salesman.

You go back to the counter and pull out the charge card to pay the remainder of the balance and mention to the cashier that it is more than you expected but at least you will be certified to dive.

Then comes the final blow

“That is just for the class,” the cashier explains through a toothy smile. “You still have to do your certification dives!”

The salesman begins explaining your open water dives that must be performed at the lake – for $250 – or on a trip that can cost anywhere from $399 (plus a $125 instructor fee of course) to thousands of dollars. Oh and don't forget equipment rental starts at $45 a day.

Your $99. 00 certification just became a minimum of $850. 00!!!

This is when the consumer who is not emotionally involved or caught up in the spontaneity of the moment needs to walk away. There are so many hidden costs in the certification deals that you see out there that it is borderline False Advertising. Make sure to find out all costs before hand. Make sure that, if you have some difficulties on your open water certification dives, that you will not be charged an additional private instructor fee to finish them up.

In a perfect world, there would be a flat fee certification service who sticks to their quote to see you through the certification process and act as a consultant for your equipment purchases, provide loaner gear for free during certification and provide higher quality training than the cookie cutter approach of most local dive centers.

Arizona Dive Training - Welcome to a Perfect World!!!