Freedivers: Cheap B*stards or Holes in the Pockets?

[Jon]

I'm not going to bother putting a list together, as my wife might read this some day:chatup, but it's a good amount and includes everything from carbonfiber monofins to dive kayaks and scooters- not to mention cameras and spearguns.:head

Anyways, pretty much all of it was funded by selling of my trimix gear. When I think what I would spend on just one day of trimix diving this sport suddenly seems pretty cheap in comparison.

Just not having to hydro/vis/fill the half dozen tanks I would use on every dive would more than pay for what I spend on freediving in a year. When I think about how a good friend of mine just spent close to $20,000 on a new rebreather (damn strength of the English Pound) it makes me almost giddy in what little cash I spend in a year on freediving.

Yes, I am a cheap bastard.:friday

Jon

 

[Lockedin]

Are we talking THIS year? If so, I'm in pretty good shape:

1 Ocean Kayak Malibu II $600 USD
2 Seats for kayak $120ea
1 Harmony Paddle for kayak $180
1 OMER Ice fins $300 USD
1 O'neill Mutant 4/3 (I know it's a surf suit, but it's great in warmer water!) $200 USD
1 Riffe No Ka Oi FREE! Found floating in a kelp bed - no shaft, line, float etc. a bit of cleaning (mussels in the trigger :hmm) and some teak oil will have good as new.

Well, I thought I was in good shape :head I've been talking to my surfboard shaper too.:head:head:head

Now, money spent on diving over my lifetime...

 

[bgill]

I have NO cash to burn...but I'm busy trying to get some...Most of the guys I know have quality gear...Me being the exception...But hey...Ya gotta start somewhere...

Cheap bastards? No...Definately not!

Me YES...But not by choice!

 

[cdavis]

Good thread.

Seems like most freedivers are relatively young and don't have a ton of disposable income. For DBers, a lot of what they do have goes into freediving. I've a little more cash than most, but used to spend almost nothing on gear. Most of my $ still goes into boat or travel, about 4,000 euro a year. That is all freediving expense. Gear has gone up a lot since I discovered DB, Elios wetsuits, pricey bifin blades, freediving courses, D3 etc etc.

Connor

 

[Bill]

I've got all you cheap b*stards beat. My most expensive freedive purchase was a 20 foot Skipjack. $5500. I dove off it about 1200 times and sold it 25 years later for $1000. First tankfull (enough for 4 trips to the islands) cost almost $25.

 

[shoutatthesky]

mask $100
fins $550
elios $650
socks x 2 $60
course $1000 (including travel etc)
camera $600
camera housing $300
noseclip $80
pool training suit(2nd hand) $100
pulse oximeter $60
stopwatch $40
pool entry ???
travel ???
DVDs $60
books $200
gear bag $80
swim goggles x 2 $60
weight belt $40
weights $30
etc, etc, etc

Well thats a very rough estimate of $4010 NZ dollars which is about 2170 Euro and I'm not finished yet.

 

[monkeyhatfork]

I have very poor income so I recently got a second job (temporary)(horrible warehouse job) so that I can take a pfi course in kona and get a new suit.

 

[GreekDiver]

Its really not fair to count people on the forums since most people here are more hardcore. I still agree that most divers are super tight with their money. I spend lots of money on diving gear but we are a small % when you compare it the vast.

 

[BennyB]

Indeed, the people on DB probably spend a bit more than the usual punter on freediving, but what i'm finding interesting is that the people who may have thought of themselves as tight are spending a whole lot more than they realise.

I should have put a proviso at the top of this dangerous thread:

DO NOT SHOW YOUR PARTNERS!!!!

 

[shoutatthesky]

Its really not fair to count people on the forums since most people here are more hardcore. I still agree that most divers are super tight with their money. I spend lots of money on diving gear but we are a small % when you compare it the vast.

I may have some good gear now but I still had a heap of fun in my $2 wetsuit top, donated scuba fins and $20 el cheapo mask and snorkel set when I started out exploring the marine world.

 

[fcallagy]

Cant remeber all the prices but a rough list is

SETT course that started it all E300 or more cant remember plus travel and hotel for me and the missus from Ireland

Cressi Minima and cressi supercomp E250 suit cos the elios suit wasn't going to arrive in time for the 2 star in saltfree.E250 for monofin which i rarely use.
Belt and weights and elios suit E300

E300 for 2 star course plus travel accomodation in van so wasn't too bad but the ferry was around E500 if I remember correctly.
E1500 for travel and accomodation for 3 star in Dahab
E900 for ferry and ancillarys for double dip. New minima x 2 cos i lost the old one and reckoned I should have a spare E50. Camera and casing E400.

Trying to convince Nicola that we/I need to go back to Egypt early next year and the bathroom can wait another while to be done up. Meant to be saving for a wedding in two years as well.
Would really love an F1 if only to support Eric in his endeavours as I thought it deserved support even though I might feel a bit of a twat wearing it but with the price it seems a bit far away at present ( Eric this could be a reason as well if as a mediocre freediver and you land at a comp with THE best kit you better perform pretty well. I see this in Triathlon as well)

 

[flying_spanner]

My list is short so far but consider that I've bought all this gear in the last 4 weeks and I'm presently a student living on $200 per week.

Wild Blue 5mm wetsuit $200
Sub 9 Knife (free with suit, Yay Me!!!!)
Apollo Neoprene Vest With Hood $120
Weight Belt $60
Weights (Free had lead and mould so poured my own)
Apollo Booties $60
Apollo Gloves $60
Float Line $40
Sherwood Mako mask $79
Apollo Snorkel $19
Tiquillio Granti Fins $175
No Bubbles Course $425 not including accomodation + travel that I'm yet to pay for.

The grand total $930 in the last 4 weeks!!!! (NZ dollars roughly divide by 2 = euro's) and I still need a heap of stuff for my kit!!!!

Damn, I hope my girlfreind doesn't see this list, cos she'll kill me!!!!

Megan if you're reading this I love you hun. Did I mention how understanding and wonderful you are. Not to mention beautiful, caring, wise. and I'm sorry that we can't afford to go away this holidays. Or buy your engagement ring yet, you see I'm kinda strapped for cash this month....................

 

[deep thinker]

Megan if you're reading this I love you hun. Did I mention how understanding and wonderful you are. Not to mention beautiful, caring, wise. and I'm sorry that we can't afford to go away this holidays. Or buy your engagement ring yet, you see I'm kinda strapped for cash this month....................

roflroflroflroflThats awesome mate, if she ever sees this I hope that softens the blow a bit roflroflrofl
They say theres no such thing as a strict woman only a scared man rofl

 

[GreekDiver]

i see some of the prices people pay for stuff and its either they are paying a lot of money for it depending on the area they live in or they are getting ripped off. Its probably the area.

 

[Fondueset]

Yeah - the Canadians are really getting screwed.
I have ZERO disposable income. All my gear was acquired by selling computer crap or through sexual favors.

 

[BennyB]

I hope they were virus free.

 

[deep thinker]

What the computer crap or the receivers of the favours roflroflrofl

 

[Fondueset]

I'm pretty sure this is the most confusing possible thing I could say right now:

'Not THOSE kinds of sexual favors'

 

[Waterenthusiast]

Even if i can't compare with the cash volume some people here already burned for freediving, i for myself am willingly throwing out all the possible money i have (after securing the rent for my roof and the food for the month) into expensive monofins, tailor-made wetsuits and the fees for training facilities. I could cry some times as how squeezed the money bag is at the end of the month, but hey i love burning all the cash i have for the greatest life defining passtime (no, not women ).

Christophe

P.S.: But don't get me wrong, sponsors are always welcome

 

[Adrian]

Who was it that said: Throughout my life I spent most my money on women and freediving, the rest was wasted.

Chris, How many types of sexual favours are there? I tried to Google it but the answer came back: "Insufficient memory, please ask Fondueset."