Greetings all. Just got back from a family trip to Maui. Got to snorkel and SNUBA a lot, which instantly got me hooked. I have decided to get my OW certification and start diving. I live in North San Diego county. If anyone has any advice on what i should get/ where to do cert/ and any good dive shops in the area. Also with my time constraints, would it be advised to do the PADI e-learning course for the classroom portion, then go to a shop for the actual dives? Thanks!
New to diving. Where to start with OW
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I recommend that you look for a Diving Club in your area. Clubs often provide training at a less expensive rate than shops and the training tends to be more comprehensive.
Don't worry about which certification agency provides the card at this point, as there are positives and negatives of each. Some are shorter (which can be either beneficial or not) and less comprehensive. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
Finding a good Instructor is important. A Club will also provide you with people to dive with and where you can find out more about the Instructors in the area. Clubs are also a great place to get mentored.
Shops are often just interested in just taking your money and selling equipment (it's how they survive financially). Don't be in any hurry to register for any particular program. Shop around and ask about how long the program is, time investment and cost. Some shops/Instructors don't cover everything in the course fee (equipment rentals for pool/OW, text, certification fees, etc).
Get all the information before making any decision. Good luck and welcome to the underwater world!
Don't worry about which certification agency provides the card at this point, as there are positives and negatives of each. Some are shorter (which can be either beneficial or not) and less comprehensive. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
Finding a good Instructor is important. A Club will also provide you with people to dive with and where you can find out more about the Instructors in the area. Clubs are also a great place to get mentored.
Shops are often just interested in just taking your money and selling equipment (it's how they survive financially). Don't be in any hurry to register for any particular program. Shop around and ask about how long the program is, time investment and cost. Some shops/Instructors don't cover everything in the course fee (equipment rentals for pool/OW, text, certification fees, etc).
Get all the information before making any decision. Good luck and welcome to the underwater world!
Start with a little homework so you get into a good program. Read How to find an excellent SCUBA class at the top of this forum. Visiting clubs to get a sense of who's on top of the game is good to. The more face time and pool time you can find the better. E-learning is OK but find as much face to face recap/review as you can.
Once you find a program that looks promissing you may even do a Discover Dive with them to confirm their poolside manner.
Do not look for a quickie program, deal with your time constraints.
Pete
Once you find a program that looks promissing you may even do a Discover Dive with them to confirm their poolside manner.
Do not look for a quickie program, deal with your time constraints.
Pete
BVickery
Contributor
Gotta say it, and I do think most of SB posters will agree: You're doing it right. Find the instructor and base your choice on that. If I had to do it over again I'd chose the instructor over the LDS/Agency.
A good instructor will ensure your ready for OW by not passing you if your not ready, and the great instructor teaches well beyond what is 'required' by the Cert. agency. So. Cal has an active dive community so perhaps also posting in that groups forum asking for help would be wise too. After all, they are the people who are diving the area where you live so chances are they are more in touch with the local scene.
A good instructor will ensure your ready for OW by not passing you if your not ready, and the great instructor teaches well beyond what is 'required' by the Cert. agency. So. Cal has an active dive community so perhaps also posting in that groups forum asking for help would be wise too. After all, they are the people who are diving the area where you live so chances are they are more in touch with the local scene.
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Hi! Diving in California is a bit different than Maui, but it is wonderful! I love the kelp forests!
In which part of North San Diego County are you located? I believe there are several dive shops in that area. If you don't have a lot of time to spend in the classroom, then the e-learning is a great way to go. You can work at your own pace and it's available 24/7. Then, once you have completed the on-line portion, you will meet with your instructor to go over anything in which you were unclear. Easy!
Welcome and happy diving!
In which part of North San Diego County are you located? I believe there are several dive shops in that area. If you don't have a lot of time to spend in the classroom, then the e-learning is a great way to go. You can work at your own pace and it's available 24/7. Then, once you have completed the on-line portion, you will meet with your instructor to go over anything in which you were unclear. Easy!
Welcome and happy diving!
Thanks for the great advice everyone. I don't want my "time constraint" to be misinterpreted as a rush to find the fastest/cheapest location. Rather, my work schedule is pretty busy on a weekly basis where having to go in for the classroom portion wouldn't really fit. The e-learning course would let me take tests at 1am if I wanted.
I am located in San Marcos so it's not too far outside of downtown/La Jolla if I had to travel, but I found a few places closer (both are 5* and don't seem to be the type of place that would try and rush me through the class). I would like to get my cert done as soon as I can, but would like to be more than the occasional vacation diver.
From what I hear, I'm in a great location with a good diving community, so why not take advantage of this? I want to make sure that I get the training I need the right way. Thanks for the advice on posting to the local forum, I'm going to do that as well.
As far as gear goes, what would be a good investment (if any) to pick up before I have my cert? I've heard that I should get as much as I can afford early so that I can get practice with it, and I've also heard to rent gear until i find what I like. I'm thinking of just grabbing all of the basics (mask, fins, snorkel, and wetsuit/boots) before the classes, would this be a good idea?
I am located in San Marcos so it's not too far outside of downtown/La Jolla if I had to travel, but I found a few places closer (both are 5* and don't seem to be the type of place that would try and rush me through the class). I would like to get my cert done as soon as I can, but would like to be more than the occasional vacation diver.
From what I hear, I'm in a great location with a good diving community, so why not take advantage of this? I want to make sure that I get the training I need the right way. Thanks for the advice on posting to the local forum, I'm going to do that as well.
As far as gear goes, what would be a good investment (if any) to pick up before I have my cert? I've heard that I should get as much as I can afford early so that I can get practice with it, and I've also heard to rent gear until i find what I like. I'm thinking of just grabbing all of the basics (mask, fins, snorkel, and wetsuit/boots) before the classes, would this be a good idea?
Once you've found the right Instructor (5* is a meaningless indicator as far as quality of instruction is concerned). Speak with him/her to find-out what's required by way of equipment and if discounts are available to students.
Don't be in a hurry to buy new equipment (unless money is something that you want to throw around and don't care about). There are a number of new diver's who purchase equipment that stop diving shortly thereafter. Consequently, there is usually an ample amount of equipment available that's like new. If you go to a Club, chances are you will have many experienced people to give you advise that have nothing to gain by doing so.
You can always purchase a lot of new equipment, pay too much and secretly kick yourself in the years to come, because it wasn't what you wanted when you knew better...
Don't be in a hurry to buy new equipment (unless money is something that you want to throw around and don't care about). There are a number of new diver's who purchase equipment that stop diving shortly thereafter. Consequently, there is usually an ample amount of equipment available that's like new. If you go to a Club, chances are you will have many experienced people to give you advise that have nothing to gain by doing so.
You can always purchase a lot of new equipment, pay too much and secretly kick yourself in the years to come, because it wasn't what you wanted when you knew better...
Most programs require you to have your own "personal" gear. This usually means mask, snorkel and booties. You may have some of this from your snorkeling. Any mask that fits, has temperd glass, silicone skirting and strap should be good, fit is imperative. Any good mask is a scuba mask. The snorkel can be as basic and cheap as you want. I suggest booties with the strudiest bottom possible to make walking in gear / on rocks comfortable. You want to set this prescedent as it will eventually lead to you fin size. Depending on your choices the 3 items should be in the $75. - $150. range.
I would not suggest buying anything beyond that until the pool work is done.
It's usually best to rent/borrow/try for a few dives so you can make an infomred decision when you start shelling out for gear. A few will be fully geared up at the time of certificiation but this is at the risk of you not really liking it one you complete the course. Also I would not be buying until you are confident that you have done homework leading to good decisions.
Pete
I would not suggest buying anything beyond that until the pool work is done.
It's usually best to rent/borrow/try for a few dives so you can make an infomred decision when you start shelling out for gear. A few will be fully geared up at the time of certificiation but this is at the risk of you not really liking it one you complete the course. Also I would not be buying until you are confident that you have done homework leading to good decisions.
Pete
I second Pete's advice. A mask has to fit, and you have to pay what you have to pay to get one that does. Price and mask quality are not terribly closely linked. Go to a bunch of dive shops and try masks on -- a properly fitted mask should be one that, if you put it on your face and push gently in with your fingers (and hold your breath), should stay on your face for at least four or five seconds before coming off. If it falls right off, it doesn't fit and it will leak. Don't let a shop person talk you into inhaling to do this -- if you put enough suction on a mask, it will stay, even if it doesn't fit very well!
Shops will also try to talk you into buying very fancy, expensive dry snorkels. In my experience, the more crud they've put on the end of a snorkel, the more the snorkel tends to fall over when not in your mouth, which torques your mask strap and leads to leakage. Buy a simple, cheap snorkel; you can replace it easily later if you are dissatisfied with it. A lot of folks who dive in kelp a lot take them off their masks, anyway.
Same with fins. The shop will try to steer you to the most expensive, highest profit margin fins they carry. Don't spend $200 for a set of fins for your OW class! Buy a simple set of paddle fins (it's worth paying extra if they come with some kind of spring or stretch strap). If you become an avid diver, it's highly likely you'll end up with a whole Imelda Marcos closet full of fins, but you can start cheap.
I have a message in to a friend who is a San Diego scuba instructor -- I don't think he teaches OW, but I've asked him for recommendations, and if he gets back to me, I'll send you a message.
---------- Post added June 28th, 2013 at 09:02 PM ----------
I checked with friends in San Diego, and they recommended San Diego Divers. They would certainly be worth talking to, because I trust the folks I checked with.
Shops will also try to talk you into buying very fancy, expensive dry snorkels. In my experience, the more crud they've put on the end of a snorkel, the more the snorkel tends to fall over when not in your mouth, which torques your mask strap and leads to leakage. Buy a simple, cheap snorkel; you can replace it easily later if you are dissatisfied with it. A lot of folks who dive in kelp a lot take them off their masks, anyway.
Same with fins. The shop will try to steer you to the most expensive, highest profit margin fins they carry. Don't spend $200 for a set of fins for your OW class! Buy a simple set of paddle fins (it's worth paying extra if they come with some kind of spring or stretch strap). If you become an avid diver, it's highly likely you'll end up with a whole Imelda Marcos closet full of fins, but you can start cheap.
I have a message in to a friend who is a San Diego scuba instructor -- I don't think he teaches OW, but I've asked him for recommendations, and if he gets back to me, I'll send you a message.
---------- Post added June 28th, 2013 at 09:02 PM ----------
I checked with friends in San Diego, and they recommended San Diego Divers. They would certainly be worth talking to, because I trust the folks I checked with.
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