In Reply to: disappointing guided tour posted by Derek Strong on August 21, 2005 at 13:10:09:

I never was too keen on guides of any kind. Guess I am just too cheap. Some of the rudest fishermen I ever saw. Where guides and because they were trying to make a buck. Rules about safety or common courtesy did not apply to them in their eyes.

I have to agree with Mike. Spending money for a dive boat would have been a much better deal than a guide. Still you can have bad experiences with dive boats. Diving is a learning experience that is only beginning with O/W certification. Research for information about your dive site, weather conditions and dive boat reputation. Call a dive shop ahead and get the latest dive conditions. These scuba discussion forums are a great source for information. There are a lot of advanced divers that hang out on them. That is why I am here. Never too old to learn.

I never have a problem aborting or avoiding a dive that I am not comfortable with. To me that is one of the differences between beginner and intermediate diver. If I am not going to have fun then why dive? If I can't see anything I am not having fun.

Although boat dives are much easier than beach dives. Many divers especially new young divers or nearly every day divers. Do not have the money for frequent dive boat trips. Thus the lure of beach diving. It is cheap and can be down and dirty dangerous diving. Still there are many beach dives that are among my favorites. La Jolla can be a great dive. You caught it on a bad day and not the best of guides.