I was due to teach some students this morning, having reduced the normal US$425 cost to US$300 each. They turned up, but said they had found (been told of) someone else who would teach them for US$225 each, including manual, certification, everything. I told them that knowing what the costs were I didn't believe them, but off they went anyway.

I was shown a PADI cert card last week recently obtained at a local dive centre. The student described his "instructor" and I worked out who it was, but that person's name wasn't the instructor who appeared on the card. I checked, and the individual who "taught" the course is not even a PADI Divemaster. His boss signed off the certification as if he had taught it.

Does anyone here know what prices are offered on Ambergris Caye for legitimate PADI Open Water certification?

I am glad you brought this up. When I was there in Feb. I checked around and most of the prices I saw were around the $425 figure and I couldn't understand why it was so high. I live in Oklahoma and the shops here charge about $250us for the entire program.I never understood and no one could explain why it was so expensive. I think the $300 charge is more inline with what it should be. I usually have my people get certified at home for this very reason, but I would much rather have them do it there instead of our crappy lakes with 2 feet vis. I mean wouldn't it be better to teach 10 people at 300 than 2 at 425?

Peter if you have a complaint like that i think your obligated as a PADI member to report it.
PADI Members must report in writing all violations of PADI Standards that they witness personally. Use this form
to report only firsthand accounts of PADI Training Standards violations – do not report rumors or supposition. Be specific
and provide as much detail as possible.
http://www.thailand-divers.com/images/pdfs/PADI/English/General_forms/12.pdf

McLovin, about the pricing.
In the States and Canada dive shops sell retail to the students all along the certification path. Some make such a profit on the retailing of new equipment to students they can practically give the course away. Here in the Caribbean we include everything and don't retail the student at all.
If the course is taught like my shop does (and most do) the training dives alone are worth $255.usd.
Thats the price you would pay if you where certified and just went as a certified diver to the same dive locations where the student is doing their training dives.
Add the rental for regulator, BCD, and mask snorkel fins for three days and thats another 180.usd.
Then include the price of a photoID card and the Book, the $475.usd for a course that includes everything is cheap.
Most of the students getting certified here just said No' to the option of doing their training dives in a cold quarry or murky local lake at home and opted to do it in the warm beautiful Carribean Sea instead.
But thats just my opinion :-)

Elbert... stop stealing my opinions! We charge $475 at TBR. However I usually suggest that students take an even more expensive route(and we make less!)! Take the course at home and do the referral dives here. Why study on vacation and why dive in cold murky water! The best of both worlds!

Carlos

I agree the 'study on vacation' isn't fun.

It also means that it has more time to sink in and less is thrown at them at once. More fun and better results/safer divers!

Elbert - I have asked the student involved to complain to PADI but AFAIK he hasn't done so. I don't think my connection is close enough for PADI to accept my complaint - I think it should be, but I know how they operate and I suspect they'll dismiss my letter as "hearsay".

I am not on the island however this seems to be more of a common problem as I am aware of one Instructor already on Padi suspension for doing the same thing so seems its not the first time this has happened in the very recent timeline.

What students tend to forget when they see a certification course advertised in the states is it usually includes the full certification (in wording) but excludes the open water dives which they do on special weekend trips to an open water location.

Many dive shops dont have the open water near to there shop and needs to travel to complete the open water dives.

Peter if you do nothing then nothing will change if you do what you are OBLIGATED to do by Padi standards then that letter will be on file for that Instructor and should it happen again there will be a track record.

If it was me I would follow standards no matter which shop it was or Instructor as it just cost you $2400 bucks.

Another plus for getting people pre booked rather than just telling them to arrive and go shopping using everyone against each other.

This is the problem with no unity and it being so quiet, Peter undercut the advertised rate and in turn got undercut himself if everyone stuck with the normal Comm allowed and used that as a standard max discount in the price they would not be the playing on business's against each other but in these hard times its impossible to address.

$425 is not expensive for a full OW Scuba Certification Course if it is conducted in the correct manner, and with a good Instructor.

Many US dive shops use different marketing ploys to get you in the door with low advertised prices, and as Elbert say they make up the price of the course on other things, for example many Dive shops require divers (in small print) to purchase Mask Fins and Snorkel prior to the start of the course, that alone will tack on $150 additional to any advertised price.

Peter unless you wish to continue to be undercut and not only that but someone who is not even a DM (in your words) is training divers which as you know is dangerous its your responsibility to report what you know to Padi should you choose not to not only will you be breaking PAdi Standards but if something tragic happens then I am sure that is not something that you would want to live with that you could of stopped it.

Gaz

DELETED BY MARTY

IF even half of what he claims is true, he can have the operation shut down today - it need not an internet fiasco.