2. Where are the classroom and pool sessions conducted?
*****The pool sessions are held at the beautiful Brisbane Community Pool located at 2 Solano Drive in the city of Brisbane, just South of San Francisco. The classroom sessions are held in San Bruno at 271 Madison Avenue, about an 8 minute drive from Brisbane. We also have an on-site pool here in San Bruno.
*****Mitchell Scuba has been in operation since 1991. Please Note: MITCHELL SCUBA is NOT affiliated with any other dive business located in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you read this on their websites or are told this over the telephone they are being less than honest.

3. Where are the ocean checkout dives conducted?
*****Our Scuba Diver Classes do the checkout dives in Monterey Bay; the more advanced classes may opt for dives in Sonoma Or Mendocino. There are some websites that claim Bay Area Scuba diving has never been better, or that diving in San Francisco Bay is wonderful diving. These statements are less than honest. Generally speaking there is no recreational Scuba diving in San Francisco Bay due to the limited visibility, strong currents, boat traffic, and general pollution.

4. I have contacted a few shops that do a "Scuba Diver Certification" on just one weekend. Can I get that type of course from you?
*****Many shops will advertise that you can become a Scuba Diver in only one weekend. This is not a full Scuba Diver certification.
*****My Scuba Diver classes are constructed with a 4 hour registration, swimming, and snorkelling session. I then have two 8 hour days of classroom and pool on the weekend, followed by a weekend of 5 certification dives in Monterey. I have found this to be a very effective format. At the successful completion of your Monterey dives you will be a fully certified Scuba Diver.
*****At Mitchell Scuba I make sure you "Learn it Right the First Time", and that you are trained to dive with safety and competence almost anywhere in the World.

5. Is all equipment included, or must I rent or purchase some equipment?
*****All of the equipment is provided for you. We supply all of your "personal gear" at no additional cost.
*****We offer a Scuba Diver Special option to buy (NOT REQUIRED) your personal gear shich includes these five items: mask, snorkel, fins, boots, & gloves - for the unbeatable price of $159.00). This equipment is name brand, very high quality, and normally sells for much more. This is definitely the best deal anywhere in the SF Bay Area, and it is only available to my students. My price remains unmatched by any other diving facility in the SF Bay Area.

6. A friend of mine got certified at another dive shop. After his certification he tried to find some information on local dive sites, and the shop simply told him go back to the Monterey Breakwater and dive there, or buy a dive guide-book. Will you help us with locating local dive sites so we may enjoy Scuba diving after our certification?
*****Yes I will. All of my students are very well trained and are able to dive almost anywhere in the world. I host three informational websites which list 50 local dive areas from Mendocino County to Monterey County, plus Lake Tahoe and Catalina Island. In addition the Scuba Monterey website has all of the local diving information you would need for that area. The websites are: Scuba San Francisco for divesites from Mendocino to Monterey, including Lake Tahoe and Catalina Island; Scuba San Mateo for diving information for San Mateo County; and Scuba Monterey for Monterey diving information.
*****PLEASE NOTE: There are a few dive shop websites in the San Francisco and San Mateo area who list my informational websites in their "Meta Tags and Descriptions". Mitchell Scuba is NOT affiliated with any other dive shop. The three websites listed above are owned by Mitchell Scuba, and their main purpose is to make local diving information available to Scuba divers.

7. Is the NAUI course more difficult than other Scuba courses from other agencies?
*****Absolutely not, but I feel they may be more thorough with better and more complete training. NAUI Worldwide is the world's oldest, most respected and second largest diver training agency in the world. Our motto at Mitchell Scuba is "Learn it right the first time".
***** Earning your NAUI Scuba certification means that you will be accepted as a fully certified Scuba Diver in the diving community and are "ready to dive". The NAUI Courses are designed to be thorough and to give divers the training they need to be safe and competent divers, and not tethered to a dive instructor for their future dives after certification.

8. What is included in my student kit?
*****Our NAUI "award winning" student kit includes everything you will require for the classroom portion of your Scuba diver course: textbook, workbook, DVD, audio CD, dive tables, and log book. This award winning NAUI Scuba Diver Student Kit is yours to keep. Some facilities will simply loan you the text and video, and then re-use them for the next student. It is a good idea to always keep the video and text - they are an excellent way to brush up academically for that annual Scuba diving vacation.

9. What is the Instructor to Student Ratio?
*****Our Scuba Diver classes are held to a maximum size of 8 students diving in Monterey. I am in attendance at all phases of your training (class, pool, and ocean dives). I have seen many classes in Monterey with more than 8 students in the water, and I think this can have a negative impact on the quality of the diving education you receive. I normally have one or two training assistants in attendance. At Mitchell Scuba the "Quality Difference" is apparent in all three phases of your diving experience!

10. How many dives are required for certification?
*****We do a minimum of 5 dives. The first dive is a fun-filled skin dive using all of the equipment except the tanks and regulators. This dive is designed as an introduction to the ocean environment and is conducted at a leisure pace for your maximum enjoyment. The skin dive is followed by four scuba dives over two days. These dives commonly last 40 minutes or more each.

11. Are the times of my ocean Scuba dives limited?
*****Your dive times are only limited by your air consumption and the NAUI dive tables. It is not unusual for our students to have 2 to 3 hours of actual underwater time by the end of their certification dives in Monterey. We know that the most effective way to enable a new student to become a competent diver is to actually have them dive.

12. Is it required that I pick up my gear at your facility before the ocean check-out dives?
*****We transport all of the equipment to the dive site for you. This saves you quite a few hours or your personal time and insures that all of the equipment will arrive safely at the dive site. If you have taken advantage of our "Student Option" and purchased personal gear, you are responsible for getting that equipment to the dive site.

13. Are there any additional expenses that you have not told me about?
*****There are no other expenses required for your Scuba Diver Course other than normally incurred expenses such as meals, lodging, transportation, and parking.

14. As our instructor (Wayne Mitchell) will you accompany us on our certification dives?
*****I have always accompanied my classes for their ocean dives as their instructor. It would take an extreme emergency for me not be present at these very important dives, and in that event all would be notified prior to the dives. It is routine for many other dive shops to send you to Monterey for your certification dives with an Instructor you have never met.

15. When we get to Monterey, will you help us with motel reservations, restaurant information, etc.?
*****Of course. I always make recommendations at the first night of class as to Motel accommodations, and during the course the question of "where to eat" always comes up, and I have a long list of very good restaurants which are reasonably priced!

16. What happens if I don't dive after my certification (or not often), and I would like to join you for dives?
*****My policy for any past student of Mitchell Scuba is that they are absolutely free for my past students, including joining a Scuba class in the pool. I offer this service to all of my students to help them keep their skill levels up to date. I do not supply gear for these dives, but equipment rental is available at about half the normal "dive shop" cost. If it has been a long time since you have been diving (6 months or more) and you need special instruction to get back to your comfort level, there is a $129.00 charge for three hours of class and pool instruction per person (including equipment).

17. Can I buy Scuba equipment from you after my certification?
*****Of course. I retail ONLY to my students or past students at very good prices. As a licensed retailer in the state of California I am able to get most major brands of equipment at unbeatable prices.

18. What is the difference between NAUI and other dive agencies?
*****The honest answer is that it depends on both the instructor and the agency. Courses may be constructed quite differently and that can have an impact on some students who may have minor difficulties during the course. NAUI instructors are flexible in their instructional approach and are not restricted by inflexible curriculums.
*****NAUI's motto is "Dive Safety Through Education". The NAUI Credo states that "it is more important to train a few students well than to certify many marginally trained divers".
*****NAUI mandates 5 dives for certification, most other agencies only require four dives.
*****NAUI is the oldest and second largest international Scuba certification agency in the world. It is a non-profit educational organization. I can't put it any simpler than that, NAUI has been in existance as an International Scuba Certification Agency since 1959.
*****NAUI is the most respected Scuba certification agency in the world, and has always been the leader in Dive Education.

19. I want to be a safe diver. Are there other Scuba courses which I can take that will help me to dive safely?
*****It is apparent that the more training you receive, the more you dive, and the more skills you learn will all make you a better and a safer diver. It is not required that you take a Rescue or an Advanced Diver course, but these will certainly advance your training level.
*****Remember this wise adage, A GOOD DIVER IS ALWAYS LEARNING.
*****After the completion of your NAUI Scuba Diver course you will have the skills necessary to allow you to dive safely with a buddy. The initial NAUI Scuba Diver certification really means you are now at a point that you are "ready to learn" more about Scuba Diving, and you have had the NAUI training which will allow you to dive & progress in a safe manner.

20. I have asthma, but it is controlled with medication and inhalers. Is there any reason I can't dive?
*****There are a number of "absolute contraindications" to diving, and air trapping asthma is one of them. Many people who have asthma are able to dive safely. The best approach is to get a medical evaluation and release from your doctor to make sure you will be able to dive safely.
*****Be honest with yourself. If you have ANY type of a condition that makes you tired, apprehensive, afraid, unable to finish physical activity without being exhausted, etc. - I will need a doctors release to make sure that you will be safe while diving.
*****Some other contraindications are: insulin dependent diabetes, epileptic seizures, disorders which can cause blackouts or weakness, acute heart dysrhythmia, limited ability to cope with stress, history of pneumothorax, ruptured eardrums, and last but not least - a fear of diving. If you have any of these conditions, even with a Doctors' Medical Approval to dive, you should ask yourself the question "Are the rewards of diving worth the risk"?