Anaheim Rescue Diver Course

[FishDiver]

I will be visiting SoCal in December for a holiday. The family is doing Disney, which I have done to death. I am thinking of taking a Rescue Diver class to complete my Master Diver rating while they are doing the mouse thing.

Can anyone recommend a good instructor and shop in the area? I would prefer a primary emphasis on recognition and prevention of stress rather than rescue techniques but any referral for good instructors is helpfull.

 

[Jake]

How long are you going to be in town for? I recently finished my RD class at Sport Chalet in Huntington Beach (just down the 22 from Anaheim) and was extremely pleased with the instructors and the class. The reason I ask about length of the stay is because the class is spread over about 3 weeks, I think, and may not have a start date that coincides with your arrival time. My primary instructor was called Suzanne Stehlik, and was simply excellent.

I don't have any first hand experience with the folks at Laguna Sea Sports (located in, surprisingly, Laguna) and their class offerings, but they've always been very nice and helpful in dealing with them as a customer. Maybe they would be a good place to take the class.

According to the class description on their web-site, the class can be taken through them in one weekend. That seems awfully ambitious for the incredible amount of material and training I remember going through, but who knows? Maybe someone else can speak more to their offerings as instructors. If nothing else, their beach is 200 yards from the shop, which makes it very convenient. From the Anaheim area, they're not too far either.

 

[scjoe]

The reason Laguna Sea Sports can probably do in two days what is spread over three weeks elsewhere is their proximity to the beach. Typically a night or two of week night lectures is followed by one pool session and one beach session on separate days. The weekend gives you a lot more time to do lecture, pool and beach and then repeat the sequence the next day. Compared to other programs they probably spend more time "doing" than "lecturing." The instructors there are very good. I believe the owner was formerly a diver in the Coast Guard and a commercial diver. He brings a lot of practical experience to what he teaches.

 

[Robert Phillips]

I believe the owner was formerly a diver in the Coast Guard and a commercial diver.

The Canadian equivalent, eh.

 

[scjoe]

Yep, you're right, my ommission, he does have that accent. But don't go picking on our poor Canadian cousins. They may not have much of a Navy (or Army, or baseball team or ...), but their rescue operations take place in a lot less hospitable environment than the Coasties out of Long Beach.