The PCH Scuba Difference

PCH Scuba is the largest scuba school in the United States—we are not a dive shop.  Scuba education is our entire focus with a crew of hand picked PADI certified instructors that are the best that Southern California has to offer. We know there are many choices in scuba certification available in Southern California, but over many years of experience in tailoring our classes to specifically address our students goals, we feel we offer the highest value in education and experience for your dollar.

Trying to compare the differences in scuba programs through the various dive shops around can be dizzying, particularly for a new student that doesn't know the difference between a beach dive at Veteran's Park and a shore dive at Casino Point. We hope the following descriptions will help to educate you on the differences between all the programs offered by the dive shops in Southern California.

How much does this class REALLY cost?

Call any dive shop and ask for the full cost of your Open Water Scuba Certification. You'll hear a lot of small numbers to start with, and then the additional costs start piling on. Some times it's additional boat tickets at $135, or ferry tickets at $70 a piece, or you have to buy a snorkeling package for another $400. Before you know it, your $425 certification just turned into $900, and you haven't even gotten in the water yet!

Our Open Water certification is considered one of the best there is and part of that is because there are no hidden costs.  What we advertise is what you end up paying.  The only request we ask of you is to provide your own mask and snorkel, because they are highly personal fit items that simply need to be correctly sized to each diver. However, you can buy that anywhere you want; it doesn't have to be with us.  After that, it's a flat $65 for air and weight rental.  That's all. Nothing else.

Where are you diving?

Ask and you'll learn that the less expensive certifications (before you are forced to buy gear) require beach dives. Beach diving is an arduous task at the best of times, requiring you to walk across soft sand in upwards of 40 pounds of bulky gear in order to enter the water against incoming waves and then perform a surface swim out past the surf zone. Your exit will be just as difficult, most likely requiring you to crawl out of the ocean, getting all your gear choked with sand. If you're diving from Veteran's Park in Redondo Beach, you will also need to climb 70' of stairs in full gear in order to get back to where the class is held.

PCH Scuba holds all your Open Water dives at Casino Point Dive Park in Avalon. We set our gear up on a paved area a few feet from the entry to the ocean and that entry is down a set of simple six foot set of stairs with hand rails to help keep you steady. Getting into the water is as simple as leaning into the water and kicking away.  Getting out is just as easy, with no trudging across sand and no rocking boat deck. Diving in Southern California doesn't have to be hard and there's no need to make it any more complicated just to cheapen the experience for the student. Our Open Water class is built around a Catalina Weekend Getaway (included in the price of your class) so you not only get certified, but you get a small vacation too!

When do you start diving?

If you're diving from a boat for your certification, be prepared to be at the dock where the boat departs by 6AM on Saturday or Sunday morning. If the shop says that you're diving at Casino Point, then your ferry probably leaves Saturday at 6:15AM. You just spent all week working, and now you're being dragged out of bed to go to a boat before dawn. Open Water students tend to have a mixture of excitement and, honestly, a bit of nerves before their dives, so why add fatigue to the mix?

We go to Catalina on Friday night, after work. Our ferry usually departs at or after 7PM which means we get to Catalina in time to check into our hotel and go have a leisurely dinner. Our dive day doesn't get started until around 8AM on Saturday and Sunday, and we're a half-block walk from coffee, restaurants and grocery stores so you can get a solid, relaxed, breakfast before you start diving.

The PCH Difference

Our Open Water class is structured differently. You will spend less money—get better value for the money you do spend—have more fun, and feel more relaxed. Friday evening departures, easy diving, a mini-vacation, all of that for one low price! Take a moment to learn more about the PCH Scuba Community or read all about our Open Water Scuba Certification. When you're ready, head straight over to our Online Store to reserve your spot and begin your underwater adventure!