Like any hobby or sporting activity...you can make it VERY expensive. ...here we must stop and have a fairly lengthy discussion on value for money. You can't really go diving on the cheap if you want to own your own gear. And how do you know if it's worth investing in your own gear? At the end of the day...it all comes down to how much disposable income you have to spend on your hobby. Can you afford to spend $500 on a new rod and reel to go bass fishing? Or are you heading to Walmart and spending $50 on a new one? Nothing wrong with either...but be honest with yourself on how much you are going to do it and how much convenience matters.
The cheapest you can get into diving with your own NEW gear is truthfully ~$2,000. The local rental prices in Chicago are ~$100/day for appropriate exposure gear and basic equipment. Basic Return-On-Investment (ROI) math tells you that if you plan to do >20 dives in the next 5 years...you would be better off buying your own gear. ($2,000 / $100 = ~20 days of diving). I'm generally against financing purchases, but if you want to justify $100/month of financing instead of renting...that wouldn't be a bad argument.
However, let's break down a couple different hobbies/sporting activities I personally have participated in the past 10 years and see how comparatively expensive they can be.
To do this we will have to agree on the basic analysis, which I would consider to be:
- Cost of reasonable minimum equipment for the thing to be enjoyable
- Cost of reasonable amount of training so it doesn't take a life-time to learn
- Cost of doing the thing for a year on a consistent basis (May 1 to Oct 31)
- Any yearly maintenance that would be reasonable
| Activity | Start Up Costs | Annual Cost | Cost 5 Years | Cost 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scuba | $2,900 | $1,600 | $12,460 | $20,460 |
| Bass Fishing | $770 | $170 | $1,620 | $2,470 |
| Golf | $1,750 | $2,106 | $14,386 | $23,166 |
So what did we learn? Scuba is certainly more expensive than Bass Fishing and slightly less expensive than Golfing. Scuba has a higher initial cost to begin than both because of the technical nature of the equipment, but has less annual cost than golf because of the green fees. So anyone who says Scuba diving is an expensive hobby should qualify compared to what?
Recreational Scuba Diving
Generally speaking to do this on a consistent basis in Chicagoland would mean you were diving twice ("2 tank dive") once a week...probably Saturday, and not during the winter months. So we will go with 26 times a year. To be "reasonable" we will also assume you purchased the full kit of basic stuff.| Cost | Justification | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | $2,300 | See Basic Gear analysis |
| Training | $600 | See How to Begin |
| One Year | $1,300 | 26 x $20 ($20 for air fills) 26 x $30 dive park entry fee |
| Annual Maint. | $300 | Reg, BCD, VIP for 2 tanks, etc |
| First Year | $4,460 | Does not include annual maintenance because it is the first year |
| Two Years | $6,060 | $4,460 + $1,600 (annual items) |
| Five Years | $12,460 | $4,460 + ($1,600 x 5) |
| 10 Years | $20,460 | $4,460 + ($1,600 x 10) |
Pond or Bank Bass Fishing
Well actually...I have a bass fishing education portal as well so this analysis has also been done. You can see that here if you wish. Like scuba diving above, we will assume this is a once a week activity and not during the winter months.| Cost | Justification | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | $750 | $600 for 3 rod/reel combos and $150 in tackle |
| Training | $0 | A ton of YouTube videos and my bass fishing portal |
| One Year | $20 | Fishing license |
| Annual Maint. | $170 | $150 tackle/plastic baits and a fishing license |
| First Year | $770 | Equipment + license |
| Two Years | $940 | $770 + $170 (annual items) |
| Five Years | $1,620 | $770 + ($170 x 5) |
| 10 Years | $2,470 | $770 + ($170 x 10) |
Golfing
Same as before, we will assume this is a once a week activity and not during the winter months.| Cost | Justification | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | $1,000 | Clubs, bag, shoes and glove |
| Training | $750 | 5x 1 hour lessons with a pro |
| One Year | $1,950 | Green Fees $75 for 18 holes |
| Annual Maint. | $156 | 1 sleeve of balls per 18 holes so 78 balls a year @ $2 a piece |
| First Year | $3,856 | |
| Two Years | $5,962 | $3,856 + $2,106 (annual items) |
| Five Years | $14,386 | $3,856 + ($2,106 x 5) |
| 10 Years | $23,166 | $3,856 + ($2,106 x 10) |