Posted by DougD on October 31, 2001 at 22:57:00:
In Reply to: Shop In WH posted by RobertM on October 29, 2001 at 21:53:17:
What did I think of it?
Well, a couple of weeks after the attack on the WTC I went over to the American Legion Hall in Woodland Hills to give blood, but the place was a madhouse, and the wait to donate was 5 hours! I ended up not giving blood that day because I had heard on the radio that it really wasn't needed anymore (the excess blood is expiring now). I did, however, notice a dive flag around the corner on Ventura Boulevard, so I walked over. Wasn't impressed at all and didn't have any intention of ever returning.
Last week I heard that the shop had changed hands and that the new instructor/owner, Dan Barrows is a knowlegable guy, so I thought I'd give it another chance. It looked a lot different when I went in yesterday.
It's now an SSA store (formerly it was PADI). Things have been rearranged and there is a much better selection of gear. Dan Barrows sat down with me and we spent a lot of time talking, which I really appreciated.
I was mainly interested in Nitrox, and working toward an Advance rating, and picked Dan's brain on those subjects for quite a while. The program layout seems to be a good one with high standards. The shop is also pretty close to my house, and on my way to the Malibu beaches. Also, Dan will soon be offering Nitrox fills, and as far as I know, it will be the only Nitrox fill station in the Valley.