Best shop in OC area for AOW?
- Thread starter scubawrx
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scjoe
Contributor
Depends on where you live. There is Ocean Gear in Huntington Beach and ScubaWorld up in Orange. Both are NAUI. Pacific Wilderness is a little bit south of Scuba World in Orange and
Liburdis is in Newport Beach/Irvine. Both are PADI.
Liburdis is in Newport Beach/Irvine. Both are PADI.
How about this approach if going the PADI route: Call the shops and ask them what specialties their instructors teach and which ones they would recommend for your AOW.
You could get a great shop, but if you elect to do 'ice diver' or 'digital photo' and they dont have any instructors on staff that have either been under ice, or own a digital camera, then you arent going to get much value out of the class.
I match customers to specialists. Im really into wreck and deep diving for example, but I dont do fish ID, photography or underwater naturalist. I dont know the names of all the fish and I have a marine biologist on staff, so it makes sense that she should get those dives if the customer requests them.
You could get a great shop, but if you elect to do 'ice diver' or 'digital photo' and they dont have any instructors on staff that have either been under ice, or own a digital camera, then you arent going to get much value out of the class.
I match customers to specialists. Im really into wreck and deep diving for example, but I dont do fish ID, photography or underwater naturalist. I dont know the names of all the fish and I have a marine biologist on staff, so it makes sense that she should get those dives if the customer requests them.
This is exactly what I want to do, like a weekend package on Catalina. I'd much rather just take the express there for the weekend rather than do laguna beach dives/day long boat dives. Does anyone know if the dive shops on Catalina island or here for that matter offer this kind of package?
My OW is PADI so I'll be going the PADI route.
Catalina Divers Supply are the same crowd who provide the air/fills behind the Casino and have instructors on staff. I would also recommend doing the extra course work for Nitrox. I completed AOW + Enriched Air Diver. Its a breeze and Avalon and the dive park are perfect for AOW.
Dwayne
Dwayne
Megalomegalodon
Registered
Pacific Wilderness does a Catalina weekend AOW package that includes accommodations. Check it out.
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