In Reply to: Recommended Dive Shops in San Diego? posted by Matt Segal on August 14, 2005 at 19:41:43:

I would highly recommend sport chalet.

I took my certification at the YMCA in 1974. It was excellent, detailed, tougher than todays watered down PADI stuff.

I took it again, after a long break, in 2000. I took it in orange county from a dive shop. It was horrible. The class was in a stuffy, old room with no AC on a hot day, the visuals where...none, and the rental gear looked like some old ebay junk, and it didn't fit, smelled bad, and was expensive. The teacher was good, but the boat trip was not really nice. Two dives, no food, expensive. Every time I walked in the dive shop it was hard pressure selling, and the prices weren't marked on any item. The prices varied depending on how much they thought your net worth was or how ignorant you were. It sucked and I will never set foot in that dive shop again.

I took my AOW from Sport Chalet. The teachers (Doug and elaine)were great and gung ho, the rental gear was excellent and new, a dive computer to boot, and economical. The wetsuit was warm and it fit. I had an integrated BC, no weight belt frayed at the edges which kept failing. We also finished the class on time, and got free airfills.

Don't believe the bogus sport chalet bashing. Except for top of the line BC's, they can supply you anything most dive shops can.

I have bought video housings (25% less than at the camp), drysuits, euro spear guns, light cannons, and many other things at SC. I also book five trips a year on local boats. SC provides a great service...if you find the right SC, and the staff is knowledgable and passionate about scuba.

I also had regs serviced at two dive shops and at SC. One dive shop forgot to put the O ring back properly in the high pressure hose on my console, and it failed badly at 120 feet in cozumel on santa rosa wall. I asked them (the dive shop, when I picked it up) why the thing wouldn't swivel, and they just blew it off. At least they were cost efficient..not. They not only lost the damn thing for a week, but charged me $50.00 more than they said it would cost up front.

Just had a reg checked at SC. Paid $60.00. They went throught the whole thing and it worked like it should. But the instructor at my branch is not published....but of course he checked the reg himself. You decide, but if you visit _ _ _, wear iron underpants.