any scuba-friendly pools in the area?

[FrenziedFerret]

My wife and I have a bunch of new gear we want to test before taking a trip. All we want to do is jump in a pool for 10 minutes to make sure it all works. But we don't know anyone with a pool, and suspect we wouldn't be welcome at a public pool (true?).

Diver Dan's has a pool, but they didn't seem to happy about the idea (we even bought some of our gear there!). And they said it will cost us $50/hr + the cost of a dive instructor (what's that, another $50-$100?). :11:

Are there any other places around the San Jose/Silicon Valley area?

Thanks!

 

[scubasean]

My wife and I have a bunch of new gear we want to test before taking a trip. All we want to do is jump in a pool for 10 minutes to make sure it all works. But we don't know anyone with a pool, and suspect we wouldn't be welcome at a public pool (true?).

Diver Dan's has a pool, but they didn't seem to happy about the idea (we even bought some of our gear there!). And they said it will cost us $50/hr + the cost of a dive instructor (what's that, another $50-$100?). :11:

Are there any other places around the San Jose/Silicon Valley area?

Thanks!

When you buy something at Diver Dans that might need a pool test, negotiate the test time into the deal.

They let me test my drysuit in the pool prior to leaving with it for the first time, and put together their own dive gear (tank, reg, weights, etc) for me to use to try the DS out...

Of course, if you buy a light and want to try out your entire new gear set bought from Leisure Pro, that is a different story...heh

 

[Wristshot]

Stan's has a pool on site.
http://www.stansdiving.com/

Pennisula Dive Center has a heated pool on site also. Their web page says that use of the pool is free to students and former students. It doesn't say how much for others, but it might be worth a call.
http://www.pendive.com/

I can't promise that either would allow you to use the pool without a charge since you didn't buy the gear from them.

Pacific Offshore Divers (PODI) uses a local high school for their pool training. You could contact the owner Ernie Bourne and ask him if you can go over while classes are in session to test out some gear. Again no guarantees, but those are my suggestions.
http://www.podih2o.com/

As for Diver Dan's; I am a littel surprised that they would be uncooperative with a customer, but I guess they have to cover the cost of the new pool somehow. I did notice that on their "Make Up Fees" page, it says that the Store Pool Fee is "$25.00 for the first two hours and $25.00 for each additional hour, per person." It doesn't say anything about an instructor.


Wristshot

 

[mossym]

when my girlfriend bought her wetsuit in diver dans they asked straight away while she was trying it on if she wanted to jump in the pool with it, no fees or nothing...

also..i thought when we did our classes there they said we could use the pool anytime to practise...maybe i'm wrong

 

[CALI68]

Stan's has a pool on site.
http://www.stansdiving.com/

Pennisula Dive Center has a heated pool on site also. Their web page says that use of the pool is free to students and former students. It doesn't say how much for others, but it might be worth a call.
http://www.pendive.com/

I can't promise that either would allow you to use the pool without a charge since you didn't buy the gear from them.

Pacific Offshore Divers (PODI) uses a local high school for their pool training. You could contact the owner Ernie Bourne and ask him if you can go over while classes are in session to test out some gear. Again no guarantees, but those are my suggestions.
http://www.podih2o.com/

As for Diver Dan's; I am a littel surprised that they would be uncooperative with a customer, but I guess they have to cover the cost of the new pool somehow. I did notice that on their "Make Up Fees" page, it says that the Store Pool Fee is "$25.00 for the first two hours and $25.00 for each additional hour, per person." It doesn't say anything about an instructor.


Wristshot

Wristshot, I don't want you to be allarmed but your once pollite avatar has been hijacked by some sort of Scuba Devil...reamain calm!


Original Poster: I doubt if any Scuba Shop is gonna let you test out gear on their dime but are you sure the public pool route wont work? Have you tried the pool at Willow Glen Educational Park (Markham Junior High for those who remember...or went there...like me) check it out.

 

[Ishie]

I live an apartment with a little 6 footer pool and I use that to test gear, though I must admit going in the water with a bikini, dive boots, Volos, and an ancient looking Scubapro Ebay BC (laugh it up; it works great) drew some interesting looks from my sun-worshipping neighbors.

Ishie

 

[northcoast_diver]

Stan's has a pool on site.
http://www.stansdiving.com/

Pennisula Dive Center has a heated pool on site also. Their web page says that use of the pool is free to students and former students. It doesn't say how much for others, but it might be worth a call.
http://www.pendive.com/

I can't promise that either would allow you to use the pool without a charge since you didn't buy the gear from them.

Pacific Offshore Divers (PODI) uses a local high school for their pool training. You could contact the owner Ernie Bourne and ask him if you can go over while classes are in session to test out some gear. Again no guarantees, but those are my suggestions.
http://www.podih2o.com/

As for Diver Dan's; I am a littel surprised that they would be uncooperative with a customer, but I guess they have to cover the cost of the new pool somehow. I did notice that on their "Make Up Fees" page, it says that the Store Pool Fee is "$25.00 for the first two hours and $25.00 for each additional hour, per person." It doesn't say anything about an instructor.


Wristshot

Either Stan's on Bascom in San Jose or else Peninsula Dive on El Camino Real in Mtn View is a good place to use their pool. I doubt that either one would charge you, they are both run by nice people.

However you now have a quandry in that you bought from a different store. Diver Dans is usually really busy with classes, so they probably don't want you using their pool. The other two stores are a lot more flexible.

Stan's pool is indoors.

See what else you need to buy for your trip, then buy it at Stans or at Peninsula, then ask to use their pool, and I am sure they would let you.

 

[Wristshot]

Hmmm... . . Ishie, that will give me a mental image that will make it difficult to focus on work for the rest of the afternoon.

Cali,

What . . ? Scuba Devil? Where? Who? ? Argghhh!

I grew up in San Jose so I remember swimming at Willow Glen / Markham when I was a munchkin. Good idea, but I am not sure they would allow tanks.

PODI does their training at Gunderson in the deeper pool (20 feet I think?) It is just a question of who would allow the potential liability.

If I was turned down by a shop for a piece of gear that I bought through them I would demand to see the owner / manager and explain my displeasure. The original post is not specific about whether the gear to be tested was bought at the shop in question, so I am guessing it is not. Hopefully you saved enough money on your purchases to offset the cost of testing them out.

Of course you could play the game of pretending to want to buy regulators someplace and "test drive them" at a shop pool using your other new gear you want to test out, then go to another shop to "test drive a new BC" using your new regs that you wanted to test out. Kinda shaky, but it is another alternative.

W

 

[Ishie]

Hmmm... . . Ishie, that will give me a mental image that will make it difficult to focus on work for the rest of the afternoon.

lol, hey, at least I wasn't wearing the hood...

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Don't laugh about the hood.

I've done a couple of pool dives in speedos and a hood.
They were in support of a strobe calibration class where I
was flipping numbers on a calibration chart for a dozen
photographers. This required between an hour and
45 minutes and two hours of bottom time. The hood
was just enough to keep me warm. Once was at Wallins
and the other was in my back yard.