Power Scuba Member,
I remember my first few years as a diver distinctly. I learned in the Philippines many years ago. I was fearless, fit, and young. (Can be a good... or a dangerous... combination!) I toured around SE Asia and the Western Pacific for six months after that and built a strong background in tropical diving.
Then it was back to San Diego/SoCal where I was to experience the majority of my diving adventures for the next decade or so. I grew to love the times I had underwater here and realized there was always a new encounter awaiting me... even in locales I'd already dove in dozens of times before.
I love California diving.
Unreservedly, I love to dive here. And, looking back, I realize I did it the hard way. Most of my dives performed the first six or eight years were solo. Not because I was brash or unsafe, but simply because I had no access to/knowledge of partners. There may HAVE been dive clubs around, but they were small and unknown to me. The internet barely existed (in the form of dial-up bulletin boards). My go-to dive store was New England Divers, in a skanky area of Loma Portal. I never even thought to ask them about possible partners or clubs.
Sometime early on, though, I heard that solo divers needed to be super-competent and I took that to heart. I'd spend entire dives at the Shores doing nothing but skills in the sand. I'd practice CESAs (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascents)... swimming up to the surface on only the breath in my lungs... from 60 feet or more, mask removals, taking my gear off and back on, instrument-only ascents and decents, free-flowing regulator, and even CESAs performed when completely negatively buoyant. Any skill I could find mentioned in the magazines of the time, I would acquire and practice. Eventually, I took all manner of continuing ed cert courses. PADI, NAUI, SSI, and TDI to name a few. Have I mentioned I love to dive?
My point in all the above is simply this: You don't have to do it the hard way any more! The are more dive groups, orgs, and clubs than you can shake a stick at these days. (Many of them on the web.) Buddies galore to be found at many of them. You're job now is to find a club/org that's a proper fit for you. In an extreme act of hubris, my all-volunteer Organizers and I claim that our very own Power Scuba is a great fit for MOST divers. Divers who come with an open heart, an eye toward safety, and a thirst for adventure. We offer you a TRUE no-profit dive group that seeks not to make money off you (though donations are gratefully accepted and needed), but rather to provide you, our fellow diver, access to affordable boat & overseas trips, readily-accessible buddies, eco-volunteerism & activism, and some plain fun social activities from time to time.
We also have official events designed with the newer diver in mind. Our Vets and Newbies event on Sept 24 is one powerful example of that where we pair up inexperienced divers with a rock-solid partner so the newbie can get a taste of what it's like to have a buddy that 1)won't leave them 2)Keep an eye out for them and 3)obeys common safety standards.
We actually get a bad rap from some corners of our multi-faceted local community who take the lazy way out and label us as merely a group of inexperienced divers. In fact the truth is much more exciting. Our 3,500 members at Power Scuba run the gamut from newbie-to-instructor-to-course director. ALL levels are truly welcome here and that's not just lip service with us. We walk what we talk!
We mostly dive... and that fact is borne out both in our past well-attended, 1,500+ events listing as well as the 70+ future dives we currently have scheduled on our Calendar.
We exist for you and the furthering of our sport and the betterment of our beloved underwater environment. Thanks so very much for your support, participation, and enthusiasm. You've helped make us into the largest scuba group on the West Coast of the United States. (I'm even hearing rumblings about "nation-wide", but how does one prove that?
) Not only that, but we've emerged as one of the, if not THE, most safety-oriented groups in existence.
Nothing to hold you back now. Let's dive!
Bill Powers and the Power Scuba Staff & Organizers
I remember my first few years as a diver distinctly. I learned in the Philippines many years ago. I was fearless, fit, and young. (Can be a good... or a dangerous... combination!) I toured around SE Asia and the Western Pacific for six months after that and built a strong background in tropical diving.
Then it was back to San Diego/SoCal where I was to experience the majority of my diving adventures for the next decade or so. I grew to love the times I had underwater here and realized there was always a new encounter awaiting me... even in locales I'd already dove in dozens of times before.
I love California diving.
Unreservedly, I love to dive here. And, looking back, I realize I did it the hard way. Most of my dives performed the first six or eight years were solo. Not because I was brash or unsafe, but simply because I had no access to/knowledge of partners. There may HAVE been dive clubs around, but they were small and unknown to me. The internet barely existed (in the form of dial-up bulletin boards). My go-to dive store was New England Divers, in a skanky area of Loma Portal. I never even thought to ask them about possible partners or clubs.
Sometime early on, though, I heard that solo divers needed to be super-competent and I took that to heart. I'd spend entire dives at the Shores doing nothing but skills in the sand. I'd practice CESAs (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascents)... swimming up to the surface on only the breath in my lungs... from 60 feet or more, mask removals, taking my gear off and back on, instrument-only ascents and decents, free-flowing regulator, and even CESAs performed when completely negatively buoyant. Any skill I could find mentioned in the magazines of the time, I would acquire and practice. Eventually, I took all manner of continuing ed cert courses. PADI, NAUI, SSI, and TDI to name a few. Have I mentioned I love to dive?
My point in all the above is simply this: You don't have to do it the hard way any more! The are more dive groups, orgs, and clubs than you can shake a stick at these days. (Many of them on the web.) Buddies galore to be found at many of them. You're job now is to find a club/org that's a proper fit for you. In an extreme act of hubris, my all-volunteer Organizers and I claim that our very own Power Scuba is a great fit for MOST divers. Divers who come with an open heart, an eye toward safety, and a thirst for adventure. We offer you a TRUE no-profit dive group that seeks not to make money off you (though donations are gratefully accepted and needed), but rather to provide you, our fellow diver, access to affordable boat & overseas trips, readily-accessible buddies, eco-volunteerism & activism, and some plain fun social activities from time to time.
We also have official events designed with the newer diver in mind. Our Vets and Newbies event on Sept 24 is one powerful example of that where we pair up inexperienced divers with a rock-solid partner so the newbie can get a taste of what it's like to have a buddy that 1)won't leave them 2)Keep an eye out for them and 3)obeys common safety standards.
We actually get a bad rap from some corners of our multi-faceted local community who take the lazy way out and label us as merely a group of inexperienced divers. In fact the truth is much more exciting. Our 3,500 members at Power Scuba run the gamut from newbie-to-instructor-to-course director. ALL levels are truly welcome here and that's not just lip service with us. We walk what we talk!
We mostly dive... and that fact is borne out both in our past well-attended, 1,500+ events listing as well as the 70+ future dives we currently have scheduled on our Calendar.
We exist for you and the furthering of our sport and the betterment of our beloved underwater environment. Thanks so very much for your support, participation, and enthusiasm. You've helped make us into the largest scuba group on the West Coast of the United States. (I'm even hearing rumblings about "nation-wide", but how does one prove that?
) Not only that, but we've emerged as one of the, if not THE, most safety-oriented groups in existence.Nothing to hold you back now. Let's dive!
Bill Powers and the Power Scuba Staff & Organizers
