Any local private guides/DM in Los Angeles this Sunday?

[DeerCreekers]

Vlad,
If Robert Arak is offering to dive with you and ur boy, take him up on it! And then spend the day convincing him to do your guys's Advanced certification. Doesn't get much better than that.
t

 

[SoCalRich]

Contact: "Ventura Dive & Sport" 805/ 650-6500
They have a dive boat called the: "Raptor"
MIke Doyan was my son's instructor when he was 12.

Good Divin,
SoCalRich

 

[geoff w]

I'm supposed to lead a group dive as part of my DM certification. Let me check with my instructor and see if he's around Sunday AM and up for it. You get a guide with experienced instructor and I get credit. I'll PM you late afternoon / early evening if conditions look good and it works for us

 

[mselenaous]

Gotta love the magic of Scubaboard. I think it's awesome there are so many Scubaboarders volunteering to mentor you and your youngster during your first few SoCal dives.

I highly recommend diving Casino Point Dive Park as well, I taught many classes there. It's probably one of the easiest shore dive entries in SoCal. There are also 4 dive shops on the island (one at the base of the Casino itself) that can hook you up with an instructor/guide as well as rental gear. And you might get to meet Dr. Bill himself in "his backyard".

Have fun and dive safe!

 

[vladodessit]

I have to give my apology to all the people that offered help. My son just got sick and we will have to postpone ... He is even more disappointed then me, if it's possible. Hope weather doesn't deteriorate too badly in the coming weeks...

 

[mselenaous]

No worries, the most important rule of Scuba Diving, besides never ever hold your breath, is to know when to call a dive.

I'm sure there will be plenty of folks offering their support when your son is ready.
Wishing him a speedy recovery.

 

[DeerCreekers]

Having just gotten back from diving Deercreek, your son picked an excellent weekend to get sick....conditions were terrible. Zero viz 90 percent of the time, sometimes got as good as 2ft!

 

[geoff w]

Sorry your son got sick, but if you were thinking about a beach dive on Sunday, you won't be missing anything. Pretty decent size waves today, supposed to be a bit calmer tomorrow (Sunday), but viz will probably still be awful. Much better to go out when conditions (and health) are better so you start colder water diving with a positive experience and enjoy it

 

[vladodessit]

I guess we are funny this way... No condition could be too bad for either of us. As long as it has to do with the water, and ocean in particular, we'd find something fun to do (we'd been practicing skills in the pool last 2 weekends since we couldn't dive for logistic reasons). But yeah, I think it was a great teaching moment for my son. About calling a dive. I could see that inside he wanted to hide his issue for wanting to dive... But instead little dude was honest and upfront, pretty much knowing that it meant no reg in his mouth this weekend. Very mature on his part, I am proud of him... Thanks for your help. We'll see what is going on next week.

 

[Craig Hoover]

When diving from a boat the captain chooses sites that will have decent visibility and relatively calm water. Those who venture to the beach without a guide are often unaware of local conditions. The first step to successful beach diving is to ALWAYS check the conditions report before going to the beach. I use the swellwatch at wetsand.com and check the height of the swell on the Southern California map and then zoom in to view Malibu, Palos Verdes, Laguna etc... I choose sites that have ONLY two foot swell or less. For beginners it is possible to predict where visibility will be 10-15 feet at depths to 30 feet.

The Pacific Explorers Dive Club meets at Denny's in West Hills on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm. They host monthly beach dives at the best shore diving spots in Southern California and are vigilant about posting skill recommendations as they relate to the conditions for each dive. The surf does not always cooperate because the site is planned before the conditions are known. When it does they have some great dives.

To learn more about Southern California beach diving I recommend that you purchase Dale Scheckler's Southern California's Best Beach Dives. This is quite simply the best book on the market with advice to help with all situations. I must point out that knowing where calm conditions are is not enough. You must also know where the reefs are. This means taking a site from this book and learning to pinpoint it on the swellwatch. It takes practice but the rewards are to eventually become your own guide.

Good beginner sites are Westward Beach and Deer Creek in Malibu, Shaw's Cove in Laguna and Casino Point at Catalina. Even these sites can become advanced in moderate swell. Good luck.

Craig