AOWD Class, Redondo Beach

[num23bulls]

Hey all,

A friend and I are signed up to do the Advanced open water class with Sea d Sea in Redondo Beach July 15, 17, 18. Anyone else planning on doing the same class? Decided on this class after reading positive reviews on this site and the relatively low price.

I should ask - I've done only boat dives in SoCal before - I figured that this would be a good intro to shore diving.

Also, has anyone ever done any of the free Reefseekers classes or know if they're still doing them (they only have an '08 schedule posted online)? I know Ken is running Chamber Day, but no idea what's up with reefseekers recently.

 

[liuk3]

If you are interested in learning more about southern California shore diving, you should also check out LA County's 3R's program. They go to different beaches in the area and do a presentation on the locale and beach diving. Then, they take you in. Check it out. It's virtually free (I think there is some nominal donation amount which is really small), and they feed you lunch too!

Welcome to L.A. County Scuba - 3R's - Rocks, Rips and Reefs

Edit: Are you in Philadelphia or Los Angeles as your location states Philly? I grew up in Cherry Hill, NJ and my parents still live there.

 

[fnfalman]

Hey all,

A friend and I are signed up to do the Advanced open water class with Sea d Sea in Redondo Beach July 15, 17, 18. Anyone else planning on doing the same class? Decided on this class after reading positive reviews on this site and the relatively low price.

AOW dives are not all that instructional, more of a boyscout badge earner than anything else. Unless you have serious problems with basic skills, the instructor isn't going to tell you much other than the very basic stuff required in the class such as reasons for doing a deep dive and basic underwater navigation. I don't know if you have the instruction manual on hand yet or not, but read through it and have a good laugh. The study guide is like it was written for fifth grader. I don't knock Sea D Sea at all, it's my LDS, but it's just that the AOW cert is pretty much a PADI racket. I don't know who your instructor is going to be, but if it is Randy, he might be kind enough to take you and the students on his little boat and do a deep dive at the artificial reef wreck USS Palawan right there at Redondo. That would be awesome.

If you have the chance, talk to the shop owner Barry and pick his brains. That man is a fountain of diving information.

 

[num23bulls]

Yeah, I wouldn't be doing the AOW class except that I'd like to eventually get a DM cert, and because there is the occasional LDS/dive spot that won't let you do certain dives without it. Also, I can't find my way around underwater at all, so the nav stuff should be somewhat useful. Anyway, Sea d Sea was pretty inexpensive, considering you get 5 dives with it.

 

[num23bulls]

Edit: Are you in Philadelphia or Los Angeles as your location states Philly? I grew up in Cherry Hill, NJ and my parents still live there.

Thanks. I'm usually in philly, but I'm in LA for now. I'd like to try diving Dutch Springs but haven't gotten to it yet.

 

[fnfalman]

Yeah, I wouldn't be doing the AOW class except that I'd like to eventually get a DM cert, and because there is the occasional LDS/dive spot that won't let you do certain dives without it. Also, I can't find my way around underwater at all, so the nav stuff should be somewhat useful. Anyway, Sea d Sea was pretty inexpensive, considering you get 5 dives with it.

Yep. Lots of charters won't let you go on the cool dives unless you have AOW cert. Like I said, it's a freakin' racket, but if you wanna play the game, you gotta have the boyscout badges. Sea D Sea tries to be as economical as possible in order to entice divers to do more dives or for beginners to get into the sport. He earns enough to pay for the bills, but that's about it. Besides, it sounds like you're going to do shore dives just down the road from the shop, so that costs nothing but parking meter fees.