What it costs. (scuba diving).

You can sign up for a full certification course at your local dive retail store for $100 to $150. Included in the cost is use of a [1] regulator, [2] weight belt (to keep you from floating to the surface), [3] buoyancy compensator (to keep the weighted you from sinking to the bottom) and [4] tanks. Most courses will require you to buy a [5] mask ($40 to $80), [6] fins ($40 to $100) and [7] snorkel ($10 to $20) plus [8] a textbook and a set of dive tables ($25 to $40) that show how long you can safely stay at a specific depth. All told, you can figure a total of about $300 to become amphibious.

Once you're certified, you don't need to buy any more equipment than the mask, fins and snorkel. You can rent a regulator, buoyancy compensator, weight belt and tanks at just about any dive site in the world. Many beginners do, however, invest in a regulator ($200 to $500) and a buoyancy compensator ($200 to $400).

Other good investments for divers who are beginning to get serious include [9] a dive computer ($350 to $750), which keeps track of your tank pressure, depth, time in the water and time remaining before surfacing; [10] gloves ($30 to $50); [11] wet suit ($150 to $500); [12] dive light ($30to $100); and [13] booties ($25 to $50).

Source Citation:"What it costs." Men's Health 8.n2 (March-April 1993): 48(1). Academic OneFile. Gale. BROWARD COUNTY LIBRARY. 13 Sept. 2009
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Gale Document Number:A13403727

Disclaimer:This information is not a tool for self-diagnosis or a substitute for professional care.