New Diver in San Diego

[MichaelRyanSd]

Just wanted to post an intro, a little about myself

Name:Michael
Occupation: College Graduate working in a non- college graduate job
Soon to be Occupation: Working on my flight hours to get my commercial rating
(yes I know, not to dive then go flying, they actually taught us that at flight school)

Hobbies: Saltwater Fish Tank,Mountain Biking, Paintball, and Running


Yeah, so I am about to start my OW certification, really looking forward to it, my girlfriend says that I have some sort of adventure ADD, but I really just enjoy learning new stuff.

Plus I have had several saltwater fish tanks and it is sort of my inspiration to get my certification so I no longer have to look at the stuff through a glass box.

 

[1amphibian]

Welcome to the Board, good set of hobbies, I have a pretty bad fear of heights so I stick to flying helicopters... keeps me closer to the ground :-D

Welcome to the wonderful and addicting sport of diving, you will enjoy your training and the dives beyond.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Welcome to ScubaBoard!

For some local diving info, check out Divebums.com. While you're at it, join the email list-serv. You'll get daily reports of underwater visibility and surf conditions submitted by local divers.

If you're looking for dive buddies, Bill Powers runs a popular Meetup.com diving group called Power Scuba. Divers of all skill levels participate. It's free to join.

The Dive Animals dive club plans a couple of low-cost dive trips to Mexico (La Bufadora) and Two Harbors (Catalina) every year. The club also has a couple of small boats that go out to local dive sites for a nominal fee. I believe they use a web-based scheduling system to arrange the logistics. This really is the most economical and convenient option for doing local boat dives. Nice people, too.

Until fairly recently, the Marissa was arguably the best local dive boat op. However, Captains Carl and Anita are no longer affiliated with the op. I haven't done any business with the new crew yet. The Lois Ann is an excellent option. Waterhorse Charters (Humboldt) has a new boat and friendly staff. If given a choice, I'd steer clear of Dive Connections, Inc. That particular dive op has made the headlines in a number of diving accidents and apparently is embroiled in some legal issues. Bill Moss's Hydrodiver is great if you can get a few other people to share the charter. The boat is relatively slow, but Bill is very friendly and feeds you well. For a real treat, do an overnight trip on the Horizon to San Clemente Island. Every trip I've done with them has been a lot of fun. Very professionally run operation. All of these operators can be found on the California Dive Boats page.

That should get you started once you get certified!

Have fun out there...