Average price for beginners course, diving??

[Miriamkhalifa]

The heading says it all Have never dived before but would love to take a beginner course next year. What must I expect to pay for that??

[Egyptdiver]

You couldn't choose a better place than the Red Sea for your first experience of scuba diving.

The water is warm and clear with plenty of fish life and beautiful corals there are several excellent dive schools with encouraging and incredibly knowledgeable instructors.

There are several different diving authority's BSAC, SSI and PADI being the most popular. So I'll give you the info for PADI.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving
Duration: 1 Day
Minimum age: 10

You will master some of the basic concepts of diving in confined water (pool or shallow sea) and then head off on an open water adventure at an inviting 'shallow' reef. Experience the feeling of weightlessness in a new environment and enjoy the vibrant colours and amazing variety of the Red Sea Riviera's marine life. Depending on which of our centres you visit, the open water dive included in this program will be from the boat or shore.

Price: £45 - £70

PADI Scuba Diver
Duration: 2-3 Days
Minimum Age: 10

The PADI Scuba Diver program is an entry level certification, which is perfect for when you're on holiday and plan to dive just a couple of times a year.

With this certification, you can dive under the direct supervision of a PADI professional anywhere in the world to a max depth of 12m - a wonderful opportunity to explore your underwater kingdom in comfort and safety with an experienced guide accompanying you. You can also, at any time after certifying as a Scuba Diver, take a short upgrade course to become a PADI Open Water Diver.

The knowledge and skills you learn in this program are just the beginning of an exciting array of courses and programs that await you.

Course Price: £120 - £160

Additional charges

Open Water Manual & Dive Planner: £35
Logbook: £2 - £20
Certification Fee: £30


PADI Open Water Diver
Duration: 4-5 Days
Minimum age: 10

This is the course you need before moving on to further training. Armed with your PADI Open Water Diver card, this certification is recognised at dive centres worldwide and you will learn to dive safely to a depth of 18m with a buddy (12m for 10 & 11 year olds).

Throughout the course, you'll learn the theory of scuba diving, extend your knowledge of dive equipment and improve your diving skills. The course is made up of 5 theory sessions, 5 dive skill sessions in confined water to practice skills and 4 open water dives in the Red Sea from the boat or shore depending on the resort. You will also be asked to complete water skills including a 10-minute float and a 200m swim.

Course Price: £220 - £300

Additional charges

Open Water Manual & Dive Planner: £35
Logbook: £2 - £20
Certification Fee: £30


All courses usually include equipment hire and can be cheaper booked online. There are other courses geared at younger children PADI Bubblemaker and PADI Seal Team both age 8+.

There are several very good company's out their and some not so good please choose carefully. Hope you have fun diving It's awesome!

[Wellheld]

So we've got the costs, more or less, but where is the best place to go, how do I know who has the best sefety record/instructors and can instruct in good English.Are lessons in groups or one on one? and is everything provided? At what stage are you expected to buy your own stuff?

[Silent Diver]

Well really it varies depending on how much you are willing to spend. If you look for the cheapest deal then you are quite likely to be getting a service which may not be of the highest standard.
Group size varies depending on whether you want to pay for private tuition, or if you are lucky you may get a class size of just 1 or 2 anyway. The maximum number of students to a single instructor is 8 on an open water course. Ask in advance how many people are in the class.
There are english dive centres in Hurghada with english or fluent english speaking instructors, again just check beforehand.
All equipment should be included in the course fee and I would recommend against buying anything until you are sure you enjoy diving!! The kit is not cheap, although having a comfortable mask is probably a nice thing to start with.
When choosing a dive centre/instructor look for the standard of the equipment and boats, the general appearance of the centre itself, and the friendliness of the staff there. All these first impressions are good indicators of the quality of the centre.