Looking for buddy after Xmas in Catalina

[Matteus]

Hi everybody!

I'm going to Catalina (Avalon) after Christmas and propably taking a dry suit course there (I ordered a new drysuit and it should arrive before the trip ). I'm staying there for a couple of days and would like to do other dives as well.

So, if someone happens to be there around 12/28 - 12/30 I'd like to hook up for a dive or two at Casino Park. I promise to take it easy in my new drysuit!

Matteus

 

[on_two_wheels]

Always happy to show around a visitor. I think I'm off. If so, I'll join ya. I'll confirm my schedule this week. Who are you doing the DS course with?

 

[Matteus]

Nice to hear! I haven't confirmed anything yet, but I've been in contact with CDS for the course... Any other ideas?

 

[on_two_wheels]

Scuba Luv and Ron Moore (Dive Catalina - Offering NAUI Scuba Diving Lessons and Introductory Dives in the City of Avalon on Catalina Island) are the other options. I have no personal experience with any of them except CDS filling my tanks at Casino Point. I'm sure you can start a thread asking for opinions/reviews on all three and get plenty of them.

 

[Matteus]

Ok, I'll ask those two firms as well. What I've been quickly reading in this forum on Catalina dive firms I'm under impression that all the companies are reliable and friendly. As it's gonna be off-season the major question will propably be which firms have an instructor available and how expensive it is to arrange a course for a single student.

 

[geoff w]

Nice to hear! I haven't confirmed anything yet, but I've been in contact with CDS for the course... Any other ideas?

I did the dry suit class at Casino Point through my local dive shop a couple of months ago. My wife and I took the ferry over in the morning, did the dives and were certified (we tacked on the peak performance buoyancy specialty at the same time). We did the pool work the week before, so you might want to check into what is required. Our dry suit instructor was also finishing up an open water student at the same time, and was able to do both the dry suit class for us and open water student on the same dives. PM me if you want details for the shop and instructor.

 

[on_two_wheels]

I did the dry suit class at Casino Point through my local dive shop a couple of months ago. My wife and I took the ferry over in the morning, did the dives and were certified (we tacked on the peak performance buoyancy specialty at the same time). We did the pool work the week before, so you might want to check into what is required. Our dry suit instructor was also finishing up an open water student at the same time, and was able to do both the dry suit class for us and open water student on the same dives. PM me if you want details for the shop and instructor.

This is why training is lacking these days. Personally, I don't think such different levels should be taught together. DS and PPB is understandable but not with OW students.

I'm sure the guys on the island can do a DS course during your visit, Matteus. On the other hand, you could just find someone highly skilled and learn it that way. That's what I did. I don't have a card saying I can dive dry but don't need one either.

 

[geoff w]

This is why training is lacking these days. Personally, I don't think such different levels should be taught together. DS and PPB is understandable but not with OW students...

Actually, it worked out surprisingly well, since the open water skills for the PADI OW and dry suit were very similar. Basic buoyancy, ascent, descent and fin pivot were done together, as was our post exercise dive through the kelp forest. While the OW student was doing some of his skill tests, we were just hanging out in the area practicing dry suit skills, and he just watched while we did the right ourselves from being upside down skill. The first dive was a bit chaotic as someone was having trouble doing the descent, then staying down, but we probably got more out of the class than just dropping down, doing the required skills, swimming around a bit and then finishing up our dive. The nice thing about the dry suit class is we didn't cold just hanging out

 

[drbill]

Scuba Luv and Ron Moore (Dive Catalina - Offering NAUI Scuba Diving Lessons and Introductory Dives in the City of Avalon on Catalina Island) are the other options. I have no personal experience with any of them except CDS filling my tanks at Casino Point. I'm sure you can start a thread asking for opinions/reviews on all three and get plenty of them.

Add Catalina Divers Supply to that list as well.

 

[Matteus]

I've now been advancing on many fronts and asked all the three companies for a drysuit course. They all seem very friendly at least according to the emails, but as I want to take the course as soon as I arrive that's limiting my choices to the companies that have an instructor available on the dates that suit me (or should I say drysuit me... okay, that was a bad one). It looks like I'm gonna get a course with just one student=me (with a slightly increased price?), but I wouldn't mind doing it with other drysuit/OWD students as long as the teacher knows what he/she is doing.

Here at home I'm enrolling on a local dive club as we speak, but for now I don't know many divers, at least drysuit divers. If I knew I'd propably ask someone to teach me privately. However I do appreciate the official courses as well, as I can be sure that all the safety aspects etc are taken into account.