Friends looking to get OW certified in LA

[Gunpowderboy]

On a completely different note, Since I just moved here I'm looking to meet up with some locals and go diving. The club part of the SoCal board seems pretty dead, any tips on active dive clubs in the west LA area?

 

[geoff w]

On a completely different note, Since I just moved here I'm looking to meet up with some locals and go diving. The club part of the SoCal board seems pretty dead, any tips on active dive clubs in the west LA area?

There are many dive options here almost every weekend, but nothing overly organized. Channel Islands Dive Adventures and most dive shops have local trips throughout the year. Ken Curtis (look for This Week at Reef Seekers) has a couple of activities every month, usually including shore diving. There's an active group of beach divers at Vet's Park. Local dive shops can usually put you in contact with active beach divers. A bunch of buddies and I usually try to do a beach dive most weekends in Malibu if conditions are decent. A lot of people have pointed divers to me to get started with beach diving. The dive club scene is kind of hit and miss (except for Power Scuba in San Diego). PCH Scuba just started a dive club that should be more active than most in terms of beach dives, and they have organized local dive boats several times a month. In 2 Deep and Eco also have dives going on often. The Whalers don't seem to do much with local diving. I see Pacific Explorers Dive Club doing beach dives in Malibu sometimes. With lobster season quickly approaching you should have no trouble finding dive buddies

 

[drbill]

On a completely different note, Since I just moved here I'm looking to meet up with some locals and go diving. The club part of the SoCal board seems pretty dead, any tips on active dive clubs in the west LA area?

Check the dive club section in a recent issue of California Diving News: Dive Clubs - California Diving News

 

[Sam Miller III]

Some years ago Dale published article in CDN "Where are all the divers with patches ?"
Which implied that the dive clubs were slowing disappearing-- and at that junction in time I suspect they were

Now it appears that many possibly most of the original clubs have disappeared but new ones have been formed and taken their place
SoCal dive clubs are alive and well and apparently increasing in numbers

There are multitudes of clubs and divers to hook up with

Sam Miller, 111

 

[Power Scuba]

Sam, it sounds very self-serving, I admit, but when Power Scuba was founded (ten years ago next month) the state of San Diego dive clubs was a shambles. Just a few clubs with low/no attendance figures for a once-a-month meeting in the back of some run-down bar w a speaker no one was interested in listening to. Within 18 months of our creation... and runaway success with member numbers... fully 6 new dive clubs/shop clubs had been born.

Thing about dive clubs is: You have to have constant, dependable shore and boat events and a Staff who genuinely cares. Divers these days can smell nonchalance and indifference (not to mention ulterior motives) a mile away.

Bill

 

[Kensei]

Regarding your two friends learning to dive, I would recommend that they do the open water dive part of their training off of a boat vs. a beach dive. I've seen many OW students get hammered trying to get through the surf around here... many I doubt will ever dive again. It costs a bit more but definitely worth it. As others have suggested, make sure the class is small with a great instructor.

Finally, I don't think a dry suit is necessary for their OW class. Water temp. yesterday on the surface was 76F. Granted, this is unusually warm but they'll only be diving to about 30+ feet.

 

[SuperSeaMonkey]

On a completely different note, Since I just moved here I'm looking to meet up with some locals and go diving. The club part of the SoCal board seems pretty dead, any tips on active dive clubs in the west LA area?

Check out the West LA Dive Club which is run by Eco Dive Center over in Culver City. Also add "West Coast Dive Club" on Facebook if you're looking for people to join on dives.