Undercurrent subscriber Tom Harvey (Hillsdale, NJ)
wrote in about a topic that no doubt many of you have
pondered while planning a dive trip.
Dear Ben,
This letter is about a sticky problem. Dive travel is
getting out of reach for the less than affluent – prices are
huge.
In planning a trip to Indonesia for my wife and me,
I learned that a large local dive shop was taking a group
there, so I checked it out. Nice people, but the price was
a rip-off. A 10 percent discount for a group is pretty standard,
as are free spaces for the organizers. I do not know
what the airlines do for bulk rates. The shop put $1,404 as
the rate per person, excluding the fact that two of them are
traveling free.
A lot of less-than-worldly travelers might be willing to
pay for [dive shops’] booking services. But I think they
should be aware of the true costs involved and not be treated
as “dive shop groupies” who have the honor of traveling
with their betters. I think this issue might be a little thorny for you to handle, but it was bothering me and I needed to
let it out. Many of these operations are unethical.
* * * * *
Dear Tom,
There’s no question that dive travel costs have
increased dramatically, but all travel costs have. In many
cases, the weakness of the American dollar alone has
pushed up land cost 25 percent or more in just a few years.
When it comes to “unethical,” I think a couple of bromides
apply: for the seller, “charge what the market will bear,”
and for the buyer, “buyer beware.” If the costs are fully
stated, there are no hidden costs or later add-ons, it seems
to me that it’s an ethical business transaction.
The loss of business to the Internet has thrust many
dive shops into the travel business so they make their
money where they can, which includes selling the free spots
they get and marking up packages to pay for their costs
and make a profit. For example, a dive store selling out the
Galapagos Aggressor can earn more than $11,000. In return,
travelers get a hassle-free trip with like-minded people from
their community. If those benefits aren’t worth the extra
cost, then divers should do as you did and say “no thanks.”