AZ Desert Divers Club?

Okay. I have seen many many dive license plates, bumper stickers, etc. here in the Phoenix metro area. Why don't we have a club? :confused2 I'm sure that there are more budget-minded people like me out there who find that the dive shop packages around here have too little bottom time for too much money.

Aren't 99.99% of you guys in SoCal when diving?

Actually a lot of us dive the Sea of Cortez since it is closer (not to mention cheaper).

I didn't know that. I stand corrected, then. Good luck with you endeavor.

swimswitheagles:

Actually a lot of us dive the Sea of Cortez since it is closer (not to mention cheaper).

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True many AZ folks dive the Sea of Cortez, but from Phoenix it is only a 5-6 hour drive to LA to get on a boat to Catalina or the channel islands and about the same amount of time to San Diego. Great diving in CA! Last time I went to San Carlos it was a 9-10 hour drive. And for the money you can find a live aboard in CA with unlimited diving. And day boats in San Diego that are around $60-70 dollars for 1/2 day. You can go out in the morning and the afternoon or morning and go out for a night dive. I think CA diving is great.....just my opinion though. Kelp is awesome!

Karen

Karen.... 5-6 hours to LA! Wow, next time I'm driving with you. Of course I drive like old people ummm... drive.

Swimwitheagles,
Anytime you are looking for a buddy for a road trip let me know. Last time I went to catalina by myself; I practically begged for people to join me to split some of the costs but had no luck. My work schedule is pretty flexible, but my budget unfortunately doesn't allow me many organized trips form the local dive shops.

I've never been to the sea of cortez, are you talking about rocky point or san carlos. Because I agree with Karen, San Carlos seems like a lot more trouble then going to CA.

There's a guy on here named fishkiller who has told me several times he was trying organize an az group on scubaboard. We've dove lake saguaro a few times. I always see people with dive flag bumper stickers. The other night I saw someone in my neighborhood who had a license plate that read goindivin, I wanted to follow him home so I could hook up with him .

Tony.

tonyc:

Karen.... 5-6 hours to LA! Wow, next time I'm driving with you. Of course I drive like old people ummm... drive.

Tony.

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Usually ends up being 5 1/2. Cruise control and usually 2 fast stops The trick is the cruise control set to 7-8mph over the speed limit.

Karen

Karen,
I may not be aware of all the diving options in SoCal. I think there are trade-offs on both. The Sea of Cortez is warmer and the life is more colorful, but you are also in another country, which can add complications. I did find a charter service in San Carlos that I would like to check out. You can charter a boat with captain for 4 days/4nights for $1500. When split between 6-8 people, that is a great deal. Of course, you have to get provisions, but I eat cheap. I would like to dive more often, so I'm looking into both SoCal and Mexico to find low prices that will enable me to do that.

Tony,
I'll put you on my buddy list and as soon as I get some information put together, I'll let you know. I work for the Chandler School District, so my spring break is 2 weeks long. I'm trying to get something worked out during that time period.

One reason I'm a little more interested in the Sea of Cortez is that I have always been fascinated by whales and your odds of seeing them there are really good, especially in the spring. There are also a lot of sea lions, which are fun to dive with.

Swimwitheagles,

Both you and your husband dive right?? My wife and I just got certified in July. Like you, I am also obsessed with diving and it seems to now consume most of my free time. My wife hasn't dove since November because of an injury, but is planning to get back in the water soon. We are seriously contemplating a trip to Costa Rica in early April with ScubaSpecialties, so we both need to practice a lot between now and then. I saw your other posts about lake pleasant, I have been there a few times, but haven't seen much other than beer cans and mud. even though I live real close to pleasant, I prefer the keyhole area at Lake saguaro, there's a nice rocky area to practice and it seems as long as your careful with your fin kicks, you don't create a siltout. I also like the convenience of those picnic tables and the dock.

Have you dove in the San Diego area? I really want to dive La Jolla Cove, but everytime I've tried mother nature had other plans. We dove La Jolla shores, but you have to swim a good way out and it can be quite a workout if you have to do a surface swim back!! We went out on the Lois anne that leaves from mission bay. We dove the Yukon and the tower. www.loisann.com I think it was 70 bucks for three dives and snacks. The diving was great, but the yukon is deep and can be a challenge for a new diver.

Subscribe to undercurrent www.undercurrent.org to learn more about dive reviews for different areas. Their chapbook has tons of info written in by divers rating different operations. Under the Sea of Cortez section they talk some about hearing and sometimes seeing whales on the solmar ( www.solmar.com ). Could you imagine hearing a whale call out while your diving, wow!!

Talk to you later,
Tony.

Hey everyone.

I learned to dive in Ca. The kelp is way cool, but the water is way cold. When i first started to dive it didnt bother me i was hard core like most. I dive in San Carlos Mexico now, for one it is closer for me, I live in Tucson, & two my friend has a dive shop here and in San Carlos. If you want some info. on trips let me know by my e-mail and i will get you all the info you need. There is great diving there, and its warm.