LA Actuary
New
I just wanted to say thanks again to Gabe for taking a bunch of So. Cal. newbies out for their introductory dives. We had a unique situation in which NONE of us had ever been diving, one of us was pregnant and thus wanted to snorkel, and we really wanted the experience done at our pace (slow) and basically have our hands held the entire time. Gabe provided all of those things!!!
We met Gabe at the North Shore to dive 3 tables (a great place to snorkel as well). He showed us some basic skills on land before we ventured into the shallow water to practice underwater. On the first dive was myself, my wife (Cynthia), my friend (Randy), Gabe, and Nicola. Unfortunately my wife didn't feel comfortable and so Nicola stayed behind with her to help her out of her diving gear while Gabe took Randy and I out. It took a little while for Randy and I to get the hang of it and feel more relaxed but once with did it was fantastic! Randy and I had an awesome time and seeing a turtle up close was truly an experience.
On the second dive my other friend Amanda joined us. Unfortunately I had trouble equalizing my ears on the second dive and thus had to miss out (a definite disappointment) but Randy and Amanda both had a wonderful time with Gabe as he took them a little farther out from the tables.
When the day was done Gabe and Nicola stayed around for a little while and ate lunch with us (hopefully you guys liked the sandwiches) and just told us about how much fun diving is.
We couldn't have asked for a better instructor. Our group didn't want to be like cattle herded onto a boat with 20 other people on a strict time frame. We wanted it slow paced and enjoyable. Gabe was very patient with all of us we all are very pleased.
Gabe you should be happy to know that even though my wife didn't feel comfortable in the ocean diving, she has asked me to enroll us in the local scuba certification classes as she wants to give it another try (as do I). We already started planning a return trip next year and if you would be interested we would love to do our open water dives with you to finish the certification process.
Again Mahalo!
-Walter
We met Gabe at the North Shore to dive 3 tables (a great place to snorkel as well). He showed us some basic skills on land before we ventured into the shallow water to practice underwater. On the first dive was myself, my wife (Cynthia), my friend (Randy), Gabe, and Nicola. Unfortunately my wife didn't feel comfortable and so Nicola stayed behind with her to help her out of her diving gear while Gabe took Randy and I out. It took a little while for Randy and I to get the hang of it and feel more relaxed but once with did it was fantastic! Randy and I had an awesome time and seeing a turtle up close was truly an experience.
On the second dive my other friend Amanda joined us. Unfortunately I had trouble equalizing my ears on the second dive and thus had to miss out (a definite disappointment) but Randy and Amanda both had a wonderful time with Gabe as he took them a little farther out from the tables.
When the day was done Gabe and Nicola stayed around for a little while and ate lunch with us (hopefully you guys liked the sandwiches) and just told us about how much fun diving is.
We couldn't have asked for a better instructor. Our group didn't want to be like cattle herded onto a boat with 20 other people on a strict time frame. We wanted it slow paced and enjoyable. Gabe was very patient with all of us we all are very pleased.
Gabe you should be happy to know that even though my wife didn't feel comfortable in the ocean diving, she has asked me to enroll us in the local scuba certification classes as she wants to give it another try (as do I). We already started planning a return trip next year and if you would be interested we would love to do our open water dives with you to finish the certification process.
Again Mahalo!
-Walter
