Just Completed Sport Chalet PADI OW Course

[SCUBA_Phil]

Wecome Jack,
The CeeRay is about average here in Calif. I like the Sundiver because it is close to my home. As far as equipment, I use Scuba Toys here in Cypress for local sales and http://www.leisurepro.com for other sales. You will get a great price from LP but I have never had to deal with a return. If buying over the internet - buy first rate equipment so it does not have to be returned! Scuba.com looks good but you will have to pay sales tax on it - kind of defeats the advantage.

Good luck diving

Phil

 

[RonDawg]

I have to agree with the others about the CeeRay. It's not the most luxurious boat, but has amenities not available on many others such as the bunks, a good thing as it's not very fast.

The Island Time is a newer and faster boat, but the entire ride is spent either standing or on the hard metal benches. Also, no food other than perhaps drinks and snacks (can't remember anymore).

 

[MikeFerrara]

Wow...the boats out there have food?

Our charter boats don't feed you. They may have some water and maybe some soft drinks and chips or fruit but no meals. Absolutely no bunks and usually no real good place to sit either. LOL but they do get you to the dive site and back.

 

[parrottheaddiver]

congrats and welcome to the board!

 

[im_a_piranha]

Welcome

www.scuba.com is where I got all my gear from. I highly recommend them. They'll price match everything even www.leisurepro.com who probably has the cheapest gear around. Very proffesional, helpful and they really are after helping you instead of your money. Ask for Bob, he's great and I will keep going to this place. Even better for me, they're only 5 minutes away! If you live in Orange County, this place is perfect...but it's worth the drive, I guarantee you! Prices are great and so is their selection.

Best Regards,
Piranha

 

[Dive-aholic]

Welcome to the Board and congratulations on your cert! Gear purchase is a big step. Make sure you do your research before making any major purchases. Check out ScubaToys (link in my sig line). They will not only price match, but they also have a lot of information about different types of gear on the site. Click on the Ask Larry & Joe icon and check out that section.

 

[ItsBruce]

Welcome aboard. If you're new, you might want to make your purchases in person at the Local Dive Shop. You will get information and recommendations that you won't get online. You will also get to check fit, etc. And, you will get to build a personal relationship with dive professionals. As to LDSs, I can't say enough good things about Reef Seekers in Beverly Hills (BTW: they do free air fills), or Ocean Adventures in Venice. Of course the 10% discount at Sports Chalet is pretty nice and I don't find them to have a smaller selection than any other shop.

For boats, I dove the Magician out of San Pedro recently and was more than impressed. But, for food, Peace out of Ventura is the best food on any watercraft I've been on that is less than 10,000 tons.