What's in an 'all-inclusive' dive price?
Two centers can both say 'all-inclusive' and mean very different things. Here's the checklist that turns a vague promise into a number you can trust.
'All-inclusive' is one of the most abused phrases in travel, and diving is no exception. One center's 'all-in' Open Water course includes gear, materials, certification and tax. Another's 'all-in' quietly excludes the certification fee and the wetsuit. Same words, very different bills. This is the checklist that lets you compare honestly.
What a genuine all-in price should cover
For a course or a guided dive, a truly all-inclusive price should bundle every mandatory cost you cannot avoid. At minimum:
- Instruction / guiding — the instructor's or divemaster's time in and out of the water.
- Equipment — mask, fins, wetsuit, BCD, regulator, tank, weights and ideally a dive computer.
- Learning materials — eLearning or manuals for a course (the PADI material fee is a classic omission).
- Certification — the agency processing fee and your C-card for a course.
- Taxes — VAT and any local levy (Egypt's diving tax is the textbook example).
- Mandatory fees — marine-park or national-park access where it applies.
The two-label system
On DiveCost, every price is tagged all-in or base price, with structured inclusions listed. A bare 'base price' isn't dishonest — but it's only comparable to another base price, never to an all-in one.
What's reasonably extra (and that's fine)
Some things are genuinely optional and don't belong in a like-for-like price. As long as they're disclosed, that's fair:
- Tips for guides and boat crew — customary, but discretionary.
- Underwater photos or video as a paid add-on.
- Private guiding or one-to-one instruction at a premium.
- Accommodation, transfers and meals, unless explicitly part of a package.
The five questions that expose a fake all-in price
- Is equipment rental included for every dive — or do I bring my own?
- For a course: are materials and the certification fee included?
- Is tax (VAT and any local diving levy) already in this number?
- Are marine-park or boat fees included or added later?
- Can I have this total in writing before I arrive?
Why we built around this
The gap between a marketing 'all-inclusive' and a real one is the whole reason DiveCost exists. We itemize inclusions, label the price type, and date it — so 'all-in' actually means all in.
See the labels in action on our Koh Tao, Makadi Bay and Dahab pages, and read more on the hidden costs of diving.
Bottom line: don't trust the words 'all-inclusive' — trust the itemized list behind them. If a center can't tell you exactly what's in the number, the number isn't all-in.