The cost of the actual training course is all that most potential new divers consider when they ask the big question.  While it certainly is one of the costs, it’s not the only one.  But, what goes into the cost of training?

The Open Water course is typically divided into three components – academics, confined water training (pool dives) and open water training.  The academics may be delivered through several channels, with one of the most popular being eLearning.  With eLearning, the student divers complete the background academics at home on their own time and at their own pace.  The quizzes and a comprehensive exam are also completed online.  This leads to a more knowledgeable, better prepared diver at the start of confined water training.  Most instructors will go over some of the key concepts presented in the online course, and go over any missed questions from the quizzes and exam to make certain that the new divers have mastered that material sufficiently.

Confined water training is where the new diver learns all the skills that will make them a competent, comfortable diver in the water.  Often times, this is done over a weekend or several evenings, and may be combined with classroom sessions to review academics (or for lecture if the online course wasn’t used).

During the open water dives, student divers show to their instructor that they’ve mastered the skills learned in the pool over the course of a minimum of four open water dives conducted over at least two days.  The open water dives may be completed locally with the same dive center as the academics and confined water training, on a trip with the local dive center, or by referral with another dive center.  Obviously, the route that a new diver takes in completing the course can greatly influence the cost of training.  Local quarry or ocean dives will typically be much less than a week-long vacation in the Caribbean and the cost of finishing by referral is often two to three times that of finishing locally.

A quick survey of dive centers in the Singapore showed training costs to run between $500 to $750 or more depending on what was included and location.