Dive Club: Is it worth it?
Have you heard about our dive club?
No, REALLY heard about it?
When we started our dive club membership scheme 6 years ago we knew it would be popular! The format has evolved slightly over the years but remains unchanged at its core. The aim is to encourage divers to meet other divers, dive more, see more, and grow as divers. Yet only 20% of divers we see choose to join.
Maybe you’re reading this as a member already, or perhaps this is the first time you’ve heard about it. Either way I think the information I’m about to share will be a revelation.
The format:
In the dive club you pay a seasonal membership fee of £140 (2024).
For that fee you receive:
6 shore dives
1 shakedown pool dive for yourself
1 try dive in the pool for someone you know
15% off boat dives
10% off equipment hire
5% off equipment servicing
£1 off air fills
Free gift
2 club events with special offers
The membership runs from March to December so it makes sense to join early in the season.
This all sounds good but it’s a lot of money isn’t it? Well it is an investment in a hobby that you’re passionate about, by joining the club you are twice as likely to keep diving regularly, and it actually saves a considerable amount of money.
Now I love crunching numbers so here are three scenarios that I feel most people can identify with.
Scenario 1, a newly certified diver.
So you’ve just finished your Open Water course, congratulations! What now? This is the beginning of a great adventure, yet I see time and time again new divers will stop right here. Why waste such a time and monetary commitment? Don’t let this happen to you, join the dive club!
The new season starts so you dust off the winter with a pool shakedown dive, maybe you practice clearing that mask again. (Savings £70)
You prefer shore dives for now so you use all 6 maybe even a night dive! (Savings £210)
You hire full equipment for those dives (savings £24)
You share your excitement with someone with a pool trydive (saving £70)
Total savings for your diving was £374! That is pretty much a set of regulators!
Scenario 2, intermediate diver.
So you’re an Advanced Open Water diver now and you’ve bought some of your own gear. Let’s see what you can look forward to!
New season starts and you jump in the pool to try out your new equipment. (Savings £70)
You realize you like diving some of the wreck, so you only do 4/6 shore dives (Savings £140)
The boat dives you choose are a mixture of zone 1 and zone 2 and you do 5 of these. (Savings £35.25).
You hire tank and weights for each of these dives (Savings £13.50).
Someone’s birthday is coming up so you give the gift of scuba with your trydive (Savings £70).
At the end of the season you get your BCD and regulators serviced (savings £7.50)
Total savings for you are a massive £336.25 even though you haven’t used all your shore dives!
Scenario 3, the experienced diver.
You’re an old salt by now, several hundred dives or more under your belt, every holiday you plan is a dive holiday. You have more gear than you know what to do with, or where to put it. What benefits can you look forward to?
You begin your season after returning from a warm water trip with a pool dive, maybe you’re trying out that new DSMB or perfecting back finning. (Savings £70)
You join 2 of the shore dives at dive sites you’re not too familiar with. (Saving £70)
The boat dives are your favourite though, so you do a mixture of 10 seeing all the best wrecks and reefs. (Savings £71.25)
Your air fills for those 12 dives (saving £12)
You give your trydive to your friend because they always ask you about your diving and it’s their birthday. (Savings £70)
You have your BCD, regulators, and a cylinder serviced (saving £11.50)
Your total savings for this year were £304.75! That is a good chunk off your next specialty course.
Final thoughts
So there you have it! Most diver will identify with one of the above, and can receive around £300 of value for their £140 investment. The numbers above are a generalised picture, 12 dives per season for some mightent sound like much but the more dives you do the more savings you can expect. We’ve looked purely at the savings that are quantifiable in £ value but there are the other social benefits like meeting other divers, being exposed to an atmosphere of continued learning and progression, and above all else feeling like you belong.
If you’d like to join the dive club this year follow the link below!