certification
 

so, im not really planning on getting certified any time soon, its just something that i may want to do some day, but i had a few questions. how much does it cost to get certified and how long does it take????

Totally depends on WAAAAAYYYYYY to many variables... but
class ~500 (I am going to pad the bill just a bit to be on the safe side)
(for this price it should be an all inclusive deal with tuition, books, gear rental, pooll time, open water check out, and paper work

Personal gear (mask, fins, snorkel, gloves, booties)
mask $55-$125 totally depends on fit, and fit alone what you spend
Fins $65-$200 Paddle fins are less expensive, if you want the fancy split fins, they are about $170. Easier on the legs, higher top end, but the old fashioned style have much more torque and fine control.
Snorkle $15-way too much for a freekin tube to breath through You dont need or want one with the ping pong ball extra arid dry BS, just a basic snorkle , maybe splurge for one that folds up into 1/3s...$35
Gloves $30-$60 basic to kevlar palms wrapped up over the finger tips
Booties about the same as gloves but can be even high priced for Morino lines extra toasty with basketball shoe soles.... only go with the tennis shoe sole style if you plan on doing a lot of rocky entries.

I used to tell customers if they want good quality gear that will last them, then be prepared to spend $1,000 by the time you're done. For the shop I worked at, that was the class, personal gear, air fills on the island for the weekend of check out, food and beer money (celebration afterwards) and some spending cash for odds and ends you will want

Class 500
Mask 100
Fins 200 **** assuming you want the pretty neon colored splits instead of good ol' Scuba Pro Jets
gloves 50
booties 50
snorkel 30
4 air fills 20
food and beer 50
again you can buy cheaper gear, but I just don't want to be underwater relying on the cheapest piece of equipment I could get by with....

As far as time, most PADI shops now crank you out in two weekends. Self study, half day of class with knowledge reviews, half day of pool session, repeat for the second day. Next weekend you are out doing the open water dives and having fun!

I took my course through a local community college. I paid $150 for the course, $50 or so for material, and maybe a few extra fees for use of the pool at the college. My class included all gear rental, and pool time. I spent an extra $50 for access to the park where we did the check out dives, and that was pretty much it.

If you can find a school that does it, that may be the cheaper way to go. I spent around $250 (before my personal gear, but it wasn't required).

I've taken all my clases through my University each has been about $150 each. After I was certified as a dive master I went out a bough my own gear includeing a computer for a total of about $1100. A computer really helps btw :bum:

This semester I'm taking the instructor class which is about $200. Its not cheap but its ALOT cheaper then taking it at a dive shop.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11544941#post11544941 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ShootMe [/i]
[B]I've taken all my clases through my University each has been about $150 each. After I was certified as a dive master I went out a bough my own gear includeing a computer for a total of about $1100. A computer really helps btw :bum:

This semester I'm taking the instructor class which is about $200. Its not cheap but its ALOT cheaper then taking it at a dive shop. [/B][/QUOTE]

Just curious, something what you just said gets me wondering... you bought your gear AFTER you became a DM... if I remember right, you have to have 60 dives to finsh DM... computers help (very arguable, but Ill skip that) .... just curious, how many dives do you have logged, and how many are outside of the college classes?