Pre-trip cert?
I did Sports Chalet and they had excellent instructors. Also let me gear up and get in the pool to check if I would freak out before I commited and paid.
Really good instructors.
I'm sorry. You were going to ask me to choose, right? Did you want to finish?
Zoe ,'War Stories'
Natter 40: The Nice One
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Cass - Nov 11, 2005 8:35:25 pm PST #3414 of 10006
Bob's learned to live with tragedy, but he knows that this tragedy is one that won't ever leave him or get better.
Lee - Nov 11, 2005 8:35:33 pm PST #3415 of 10006
The feeling you get when your brain finally lets your heart get in its pants.
Aurelia, I sent you something to your gmail address. Did you get it?
Kat - Nov 11, 2005 8:37:33 pm PST #3416 of 10006
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
opinions on places to get certified?
Belize has a great reef I've heard is to die for. Hopefully not literally. The Bahamas has great diving, and there's nothing like seeing a piranha attracted to your tank. But it's pretty deep which is scary for new divers, I think.
I would say learn in cold water that way anywhere you go will be excellent. Plus you get street cred for being a california shore diver and not some wimpy resort diver.
§ ita § - Nov 11, 2005 8:38:31 pm PST #3417 of 10006
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Pre-trip cert?
My current (very young) plan is to take lessons here, and do the certification dive somewhere warm and not here. Because I am shallow and a wuss. What's the buffer around air travel and diving again?
Lee - Nov 11, 2005 8:38:42 pm PST #3418 of 10006
The feeling you get when your brain finally lets your heart get in its pants.
I got certified in Turks and Caicos. That was cool.
Cass - Nov 11, 2005 8:39:31 pm PST #3419 of 10006
Bob's learned to live with tragedy, but he knows that this tragedy is one that won't ever leave him or get better.
Plus you get street cred for being a california shore diver and not some wimpy resort diver.Yep. Though warm water diving has me thoroughly addicted now. I got cert'd here and then after a few vacations, too cold and shore entries are hell for me.
Kat - Nov 11, 2005 8:41:26 pm PST #3420 of 10006
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
Diving from Kayaks is the bomb though. There are plenty of great places, esp. south facing beaches like Refugio that are easy entries and exits with swimmable reefs.
ita, at least 24 hours rest before you can fly after diving.
§ ita § - Nov 11, 2005 8:42:07 pm PST #3421 of 10006
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Plus you get street cred for being a california shore diver and not some wimpy resort diver.
Street cred for handling the cold? I bailed on that somewhere during a Montreal winter. I was just slow at committing to it.
I don't like the cold. I can handle summer surfing, and am willing to try winter surfing, but fuck starting (well, re-starting) my SCUBA career in an icebox.
I heard good things about Belize too, but that the reef was dying there.
I think I'm going to have a really long list. Cool!
Kat - Nov 11, 2005 8:44:09 pm PST #3422 of 10006
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
No, street cred for being able to know how to handle surf entries and exits and for not being generally wimpy. Sure, the cold is part but not all of that. It makes it easier to go out on advanced dives if you know you can handle regular California shore dives. And honestly, diving California is not like diving Ketchican.
I like California diving because otters! seals! sea lions! kelp! garibaldi! nurse sharks! so many cool things to see here without the pesky reef damage.
§ ita § - Nov 11, 2005 8:45:27 pm PST #3423 of 10006
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
for not being generally wimpy.
About the cold? But I am! Why pretend? Can't I learn surf entries and exits somewhere warm?