We all know the saying "you get what you pay for" BUT we know it can be hard to swallow when you can find courses cheaper with other PADI centres and resorts in the UK. Let's be honest few of us have lots of money to splash around and scuba diving is not a cheap activity!

 

We make no apologise for our prices being higher than many others - here's why:

​

STUDENT : PRO RATIO

You'll likely have 1:1 instruction or max 1:2 - by contrast you'll find most centres run this as 6 - 8 students per instructor. This means you spend most of the time on your knee's / hovering waiting your turn rather than actually practicing the fundamental ability to dive and control your buoyancy. 

If you're doing your Open Water with us you'll normally have a dedicated Divemaster AND Instructor!

​

LEARN IN THE SEA

We never use a swimming pool - not even for Discover Scuba Diving! Most dive centres will do all 'confined water' skill sessions indoors but why would you want to learn in an environment that isn't where you'll actually dive? ​By learning from day 1 in the sea you'll face into the unknown, get used to salt water and experience the normal water movement associated with scuba diving. You also get to see incredible wildlife even before you hit the water; not to mention the sights that wait just below the surface.

​

Fresh Water vs Sea - there are some amazing in-land dive sites across the UK; whilst we love them they do not prepare you for the reality of saltwater diving. It's much harder for our professional divers than a warm and clear pool so they have to work even harder to keep you safe as you learn the ropes. 

​

PASSION

Our team are mostly volunteers who give up their time to teach and support; they do this because they love scuba diving, want to share their experience and help you make the most of this incredible world. Because they choose to work on days off, give up time with family or re-arrange their week you know they actually want to be there ... not because they have to. ​

​

Our students leave with more than the minimum every time; if we think it will add value then we'll cover it - even if this see's us straying into knowledge and skills that others charge for.

​

FAIR INCOME

Our prices actually cover our running costs, allow us to re-invest in kit and ensure we can keep this island operation afloat. The only way we could lower our prices would be to increase student numbers ... reducing quality for quantity is not how our team operate. ​

​

The Dive industry is grossly underpaid and under valued - professional level divers will have easily paid out well over £15k (at the very least) to get where they are today in kit and courses. We did the maths and our lead instructor has invested over £24k over his time already ... as students you benefit from well trained dive professionals with broad experience and teaching capabilities.

​

COST

You may wonder where all that money goes? Providing scuba training in small often 1:1 environments is not going to be cheap but lets give you an example of some (not all) of the costs involved in providing scuba diving courses:

​​

• Pre-Admin : from initial contact through to in-water day is on average 60 mins per student

• E-Learning : we pay anywhere between £65-£200 to PADI per student per e-learning package

• Air Fills : each cylinder filled with air costs between £5-£7 + 30 mins to fill + 20 mins setup/shut down

• Kit Prep : about 30 mins of checking and assembling student kit prior to a course

• Teaching Day : 9 hours per day on average for most courses

• Post Kit Wash & Dry : 45 mins to wash hang / dry student kit each day

• Post-Admin : paperwork, processing certification and post course pictures / comms around 40 mins per student

• Equipment Repairs and Replacements : £1000 per year average

• Vehicle Mileage : 3000+ miles per year on average 

• Annual PADI Resort Fee : £500+

• Annual HSE Medicals : £300+ per professional diver

• Annual Liability Insurance : £150 - £300+ per professional diver

• Annual Pro Skills/Drills : 18+ hours per professional diver per year (for your safety and ours)

• Annual Risk Management / Site Reviews: 9+ hours per year

​

For an average Open Water 3 day course with 1 Student this boils down to:

• Instructor : 35 hours combined time

• Divemaster :  27 hours combined time

• E-Learning : 2 x packages

• Cylinders filled : 19 

• Distance driven : 58 miles

 

Why do we share this? We think it's important to understand what you pay for and the costs involved in running a small scuba operation here in the UK. It's one of the reasons why UK diving has struggled and seen more operators closing over the last few years - however we want to be here in the long run but to do that the operation needs to be viable. So when you see courses at 1/3 or 1/2 our price you need to start considering 'how' that can be the case ... it's simple ... larger class sizes and less focus on quality.

​

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

We're one of only 2 Island based operations in the UK - we think on the most beautiful island with some of the best conditions found anywhere in the country. This means we have increased operational costs and constraints not faced by other main-land operations. BUT this also means you get to learn somewhere that many others could only wish for!