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| - If you're new to SCUBA diving and looking for certification, you might not realize that all training is not created equal. I've talked to several friends who have gotten there certification elsewhere, and I now recommend SCUBAfy exclusively. Certification through them is not nearly as fast as certain dive centers you might visit while you're on vacation - and that's a *good* thing. They really take the time to make sure you understand academics of diving, as well as the physics, physiology, and climatology involved in SCUBA before you ever set foot in the water. Rather than just knowing that you should or shouldn't do something, you will also learn exactly *why* you should or shouldn't do it. They are, first and foremost, committed to educating you thoroughly in order to ensure that you are a SAFE diver. Having been through their open water and advanced open water programs, I now feel comfortable not only diving in any open water situation, anywhere in the world, day or night; but also feel confident that I could assist in a search and rescue situation in the event of a dive emergency, and would be able to help another diver in distress. These are invaluable skills that you simply won't pick up from a one day class.
Granted, if you're looking for the big, corporate dive training experience with mass-produced training materials and dozens of instructors, this might not be the place for you. Despite the fact that they have a very large number of students, they are still a relatively small operation, with only a few employees. This creates a strong sense of community among past and current students. I've always been impressed that from my first classroom session, the employees all remember me, and know not just my name, but what size dive equipment I need, and what my strengths and weakness are as a diver. More often than not, when we go out on dives with a class, we'll encounter former students who are out diving for fun, and they will sometimes join us. And Holly occasionally organizes dive trips, which past students are invited to (a group camping trip to La Jolla is scheduled for next week).
They're also very good about working around your schedule. I work two jobs and travel out of state a lot for business, and I'm also in the final stages of planning a wedding, yet somehow they still always manage to find a class I can fit in (including, in one case, scheduling an entire class around my availability). They run classes and dives day and night, seven days a week, so as long as you have a little bit of lead time, they can get you in (just don't expect to sign up and get all your classroom and dive sessions done in the same week).
Charlie and Nick are both excellent instructors who know their stuff inside and out. They never move you faster than you are comfortable with, and won't move you from the pool to open water unless they are comfortable that you can do so safely. And while pool and lake dive groups can get quite large, they always have enough divemasters and/or divemaster candidates with us to ensure that someone has their eye on you at all times. I'm a bit baffled by the review that complained about being paired with another student as a dive buddy on their lake dive - you *should* get trained at diving with a buddy, and learn to be a good dive buddy. Again, I've never been on a dive where there wasn't at least one divemaster or divemaster in training for every three or four students, so it's not as if you're out there all alone, and the instructors in open water classes always double check your equipment, in case there's something your buddy missed (which, again, helps you learn to be a better dive buddy).
For your actual dives, Nick is fantastic. He's a little strict in the water, but you quickly learn that's just because he is laser focused on making sure that everyone is safe. He always knows when something is wrong with a student, usually even before the student himself. And as soon as you're out of the water, he's a total teddy bear (warning: he's a hugger). I was even on a dive where a student diver lost his wedding ring in 25' of water at near zero visibility. Somehow, Nick was able to dive back down and find it (as soon as all of us were safely at the float)! Can't say enough good things about him.
All-in-all, I've been extremely happy with the training I've received through SCUBAfy, and wouldn't consider going any place else.
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