There's been a little bit of discussion on the forum about the notion that freedivers are a little bit cheap when it comes to parting with their well earned cash. I personally agree with this stereotype. Though there are some noteable exceptions around the world, many of the freedivers i've observed fall into the following categories :are quite careful with their spending, a little bit on the tight side, those whose wetsuits are 95% neoprene glue, stinges that live on pot noodles and marmite, and those that can barter an Egyptian girl down from USD$10 down to AUS$0.20 (you know who you are 
)
I've always (well until this year) had a good steady income and a bit of cash to throw at my favourite pastime (translate: obsession), so whenever reasonable i've done what I could (like a few people I feel morally obliged to throw a bit of money into the sport to support it... though not too much as there's 2 of us making the decisions). Andy Ross organised Seb Murat to come to Sydney a couple of years back for a course and I felt that this was way more important than the elios wetsuit I was eyeing off at the time (still do, it was money well spent).
Anyway the talk on the forums of us being tighter than a frog's ass got me thinking - I bet we've all spent a lot more money than we realise. I have a bit of kit around but the real expense lies in transport and accommodation to the comps i've attended. So i'm making a list of every freediving cent i've spent that I can think of. I want everyone else to do the same, lets see how much we really spend? Write it all down, convert it to Euro and we'll compare notes. I'll put mine down now but i'll edit it over the next few days to get it to Euros and as I remember more. I have a suspicion that Eric Fattah will win this by a landslide but let's see. Oh yeah and Stephan Whelan can't put down DeeperBlue as a freediving cost
Benny's money pit for the last 3 years:
First fins - AUD$240
First Wetsuit - AUD$250
Cressi Matrix Mask - AUD$79 (display model so cheaper)
Snorkel - AUD$30
Weightbelt/Weights - AUD$30
Socks - AUD$20
Freedive Course - $300
pool entry in Aus - AUD$4 twice weekly x approx 50 weeks - AUD$400
First Monofin (WWM1) - AUD$300'ish (need to check this)
Mask: Sphera - AUD$70 on DB store
Tape measure - AUD$20
Bourbon to bribe Judges on DYN record attempt - AUD$40
Drowning my sorrows in beer after failing said attempt - AUD$40
Petrol money on road trips - AUD$40
Neck weights (3 or 4) - AUD$30
D3 (2nd hand) on Ebay - AUD$310 (bargain!)
2nd Snorkel (English scuba ones were crap) = AUD$30
Seb Murat course - AUD$300
Ok... that's all the aussie stuff I can think of, almost AUD$2,500! Now - since the move to London....
New weightbelt/weights - £20
Training pool wetsuit - £100
2x Elios Wetsuits - EUR$400
2nd Monofin (Kershkov) EUR$470 incl postage & bank transfer fees
Speedo goggles - £14
Snorkel - £13
Training fins - £15
Speedo cap - £10
Spare Sphera mask - £20
Nose clip - EUR$40
Underwater housing for camera - £135
3rd Monofin (Hyperfin) - EUR$410 incl postage & bank tsfr
New pool wetsuit - £170
Bits for neckweights £30
Bits for pipe mask - £10
Pool Training (£3 twice weekly for approx 80 weeks...prob more) - £480
Car Hire for Saltfree trips - £120 + £30 petrol x 5 trips - £750
Accommodation at Saltfree (not incl wife who comes most times - £30* 10 trips = £300
Fuel when I scab a lift - £10 x 5 trips = £50
Competition fees - 2 Saltfree comps - £100
2nd D3 at Dive expo - £120
AIDA certification - roughly £200
Judges course - roughly EUR$200
DB Course - can't remember, £300?
Ok, that's all the English stuff I can think of....roughly EUR$5k!!!!! And that doesn't include any of the overseas comps yet, which i'll work out tonight... so much for being a pure, free, cheap sport, what a depressing exercise!
Enough with me.... what about you lot?
)I've always (well until this year) had a good steady income and a bit of cash to throw at my favourite pastime (translate: obsession), so whenever reasonable i've done what I could (like a few people I feel morally obliged to throw a bit of money into the sport to support it... though not too much as there's 2 of us making the decisions). Andy Ross organised Seb Murat to come to Sydney a couple of years back for a course and I felt that this was way more important than the elios wetsuit I was eyeing off at the time (still do, it was money well spent).
Anyway the talk on the forums of us being tighter than a frog's ass got me thinking - I bet we've all spent a lot more money than we realise. I have a bit of kit around but the real expense lies in transport and accommodation to the comps i've attended. So i'm making a list of every freediving cent i've spent that I can think of. I want everyone else to do the same, lets see how much we really spend? Write it all down, convert it to Euro and we'll compare notes. I'll put mine down now but i'll edit it over the next few days to get it to Euros and as I remember more. I have a suspicion that Eric Fattah will win this by a landslide but let's see. Oh yeah and Stephan Whelan can't put down DeeperBlue as a freediving cost
Benny's money pit for the last 3 years:
First fins - AUD$240
First Wetsuit - AUD$250
Cressi Matrix Mask - AUD$79 (display model so cheaper)
Snorkel - AUD$30
Weightbelt/Weights - AUD$30
Socks - AUD$20
Freedive Course - $300
pool entry in Aus - AUD$4 twice weekly x approx 50 weeks - AUD$400
First Monofin (WWM1) - AUD$300'ish (need to check this)
Mask: Sphera - AUD$70 on DB store
Tape measure - AUD$20
Bourbon to bribe Judges on DYN record attempt - AUD$40
Drowning my sorrows in beer after failing said attempt - AUD$40
Petrol money on road trips - AUD$40
Neck weights (3 or 4) - AUD$30
D3 (2nd hand) on Ebay - AUD$310 (bargain!)
2nd Snorkel (English scuba ones were crap) = AUD$30
Seb Murat course - AUD$300
Ok... that's all the aussie stuff I can think of, almost AUD$2,500! Now - since the move to London....
New weightbelt/weights - £20
Training pool wetsuit - £100
2x Elios Wetsuits - EUR$400
2nd Monofin (Kershkov) EUR$470 incl postage & bank transfer fees
Speedo goggles - £14
Snorkel - £13
Training fins - £15
Speedo cap - £10
Spare Sphera mask - £20
Nose clip - EUR$40
Underwater housing for camera - £135
3rd Monofin (Hyperfin) - EUR$410 incl postage & bank tsfr
New pool wetsuit - £170
Bits for neckweights £30
Bits for pipe mask - £10
Pool Training (£3 twice weekly for approx 80 weeks...prob more) - £480
Car Hire for Saltfree trips - £120 + £30 petrol x 5 trips - £750
Accommodation at Saltfree (not incl wife who comes most times - £30* 10 trips = £300
Fuel when I scab a lift - £10 x 5 trips = £50
Competition fees - 2 Saltfree comps - £100
2nd D3 at Dive expo - £120
AIDA certification - roughly £200
Judges course - roughly EUR$200
DB Course - can't remember, £300?
Ok, that's all the English stuff I can think of....roughly EUR$5k!!!!! And that doesn't include any of the overseas comps yet, which i'll work out tonight... so much for being a pure, free, cheap sport, what a depressing exercise!
Enough with me.... what about you lot?
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