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 To date, $125 is the lowest advertised price Scuba Gods has seen for a PADI Open Water Diver certification course on Maui. Can you really get certified for only $125 dollars? The answer is no. A scuba business, like any other business, exists for one reason, and one reason only: To make money. At $125 a pop, based on what it costs to run a certification course, a scuba business isn’t going to be in business for very long. Unfortunately, there are numerous ways a scuba business can cut corners in order to keep prices low, and none of them will be to your benefit. They can also employ hidden charges for the course, which are conveniently never advertised. For a lowball price, the certification course manual and other materials will definitely not be included, although you may be encouraged to share a store copy manual between 2 people. This has been a common practice over the years, that allows a business to supply a PADI course manual and not charge you extra for it. It’s an extremely confusing practice Scuba Gods has never recommended, as every student needs to have their own individual copy of the course manual, for learning purposes. (PADI now officially implements and validates something Scuba Gods has known for years. Click Here (Adobe required) to see the new certification course standard effective January 1, 2006, requiring each student to have a personal copy of the certification course manual) The equipment for the course may also be extra, and some dive companies on Maui are now requiring students to supply their own masks, fins, snorkels, and wetsuits for their own certification course. (How convenient for you that they just happen to sell masks, fins, snorkels, and wetsuits, eh?) An additional fee to process your certification may also be an added bonus, a charge that is completely bogus, and totally without merit. A lowball price also requires a minimum participation of perhaps 5 or more students in the class, although this number can vary more or less according to season, based on how busy or slow business is at the time. We won’t even discuss the quality of the instruction you’ll receive or the level of equipment you’ll be using, during your $125 certification course. Basing your certification decision on cost alone is a recipe for disaster. Remember, in the end, you always get what you pay for. You already know that scuba diving needs to be taken seriously. Ask yourself, “How much is my life worth?”. Hopefully, it’s more than $125.
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