Where to dive?

[mrgonz]

Hello all,

Here's the deal... I need to get my 4 OW certification dives to complete my PADI OW Certification. Because of some issues I wasn't able to do so here in NY, but since I will be in SoCal for the month of August, I'd like to get them done down there.

So far I've talked with a dive shop in Catalina who would charge me $300 for the dives, which seems just a bit steep. Does anyone else know of any dive shop who I can complete my dives with, anywhere in south cali?

Thanks,
GR

 

[Ann Marie]

Not sure where you are going to be but you can check out the following dive operations:

Sport Chalet (large sporting good chain in CA and NV that offers dive classes) http://www.sportchalet.com/corp/index.jsp?page=storeLocator&state=CA

Reefseekers (Beverly Hills)
http://reefseekers.com/

In case you don't already know this you will want to "refer-in" to a class. Make sure that you bring all of your necessary paperwork (ask your NY dive shop for a copy).

Make sure that you schedule some boat dives off of some of the islands out here. I highly recommend San Clemente and Santa Catalina.

 

[pasley]

Not sure where you are going to be but you can check out the following dive operations:

Sport Chalet (large sporting good chain in CA and NV that offers dive classes) http://www.sportchalet.com/corp/index.jsp?page=storeLocator&state=CA

Reefseekers (Beverly Hills)
http://reefseekers.com/

In case you don't already know this you will want to "refer-in" to a class. Make sure that you bring all of your necessary paperwork (ask your NY dive shop for a copy).

Make sure that you schedule some boat dives off of some of the islands out here. I highly recommend San Clemente and Santa Catalina.

What she said.

 

[Mantasscareme]

Well, what part of California will you be in? In San Diego, I'd recommend Dive Bliss www.divebliss.com . They own their own boat and routinely do trips to sites local to San Diego, like the Los Coronados, and further afield like Catalina and the other Channel Islands. I can't vouch for how good they are with handling certification, but I did one trip with them to the Coronados. The Coronados lack the thick kelp of Catalina and San Clemente (mostly rubble bottom) but they do have abundant fish life and marine mammals including harbor seals and sea lions . Conditions there were calm, great for certification and check out dives.
Anyway, happy diving
-Mantasscareme