Watched a buddy break his wrist two days into a two week trip in Thailand and the hospital wanted payment up front before they would even set it. He paid about $2,400 out of pocket and spent the rest of the trip stressed about money instead of having fun. For 40 bucks a trip, that peace of mind is worth way more than the cost.

Tbh that guy sounds like he watched one too many Navy SEAL videos on YouTube and decided he was gonna reinvent scuba diving single handedly. Doing your checks at 30 feet means you already jumped in with a tank you didn't verify, which is exactly the kind of thing that goes wrong when it goes wrong. Sure, checking regs in the water is a real skill, but there's a difference between teaching that and just being too lazy to let people gear up on the boat. Dude probably made everyone do a giant stride with their mask on their forehead too, just to prove some kind of point. Glad it worked out for you, but that instructor sounds exhausting.