Pool for gear testing (SF Bay Area)

[DunningKruger]

Do any shops in the SF Bay Area offer the option of testing out gear or practicing with new gear in their pool?

I am posting here to save a little time before calling and emailing all of them.

I'd need to rent a tank a a few other bits of gear as well.

Thanks!

 

[runsongas]

ask the ones with onsite pools like scuba fusion/diver dans/anywater sports

 

[lostsheep]

Diver Dans will not unless you know an instructor to go in with you.

Any Water doesn’t have a pool.

Deep Blue Adventures in Concord might let you.

 

[DunningKruger]

Diver Dans will not unless you know an instructor to go in with you.

Thanks. That's what I have been finding. They all want you to take the PADI Refresher course as a way to get pool time. I think it solves their insurance issues if you are participating in a formal course. And, I'm fine with that. I'm sure I'll learn something. I just don't want to wind up in a class of three other people getting refreshed while I'm trying to work out new gear.

I want to ensure it all works and get a rough idea of the buoyancy before taking off to faraway places. Maybe the neighbors pool before they get home from work (that's a joke).

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

We use the Pacific Ocean as our pool. It’s really big and deep and it’s one of those fancy “saltwater” types, it’s free too! But it’s not heated, sorry
You’re welcome to join us in our pool on Sundays if you wish?

 

[DunningKruger]

You’re welcome to join us in our pool on Sundays if you wish?

Very kind of you! I went down to Catalina last week for a few days to try out a few different BP/W setups to ensure that was the gear direction I wanted to go.

When I order all this stuff, I'd like to test it out before we leave the country. I just think the pool is a nice, easy, controlled place to do that. I'd be a hazard to everyone else if I tried to do that in the ocean.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Very kind of you! I went down to Catalina last week for a few days to try out a few different BP/W setups to ensure that was the gear direction I wanted to go.

When I order all this stuff, I'd like to test it out before we leave the country. I just think the pool is a nice, easy, controlled place to do that. I'd be a hazard to everyone else if I tried to do that in the ocean.

Well, when you get back and decide you might like to try some local diving let me know. We have many people that show up including newbies, intermediates, old salts, instructors, and others including freedivers. There are people who use plates and wings, jackets, back inflates, you will see just about everything being used. Everybody is extremely helpful. Nobody judges anybody. The common goal is to collect purple urchins. It’s a very worthy cause to volunteer for, there’s a lot of camaraderie, and It’s also a lot of fun.

 

[KeelsonGraham]

There’s one in Marin. Marin Diving Center.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

There’s one in Marin. Marin Diving Center.

Pinnacles in Novato too.