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@BarrelRoll: Perhaps you have more experience than I do in sizing up the "quality" of scuba instructors. My interactions with the staff at my local Sport Chalet have always been very positive. I know great instructors who are affiliated with different dive shops in my local area. A few happen to work for Sport Chalet.To be fair I don't live in California any more, I've just been in the Sports Chalets around Southern California.
I'm sure there's some good instructors that work there, just like I'm sure there's some pretty bright guys wearing a Wal-Mart apron in random places around the country. To someone brand new, though, I can see a far higher probability of getting a generic, cattle processing instructor from a place like that.