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Beware - "SCUBA Schools of America"
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If you notice, most of the 4 & 5 stars are from fake posters with less than 5 reviews. I have over 125 reviews and am a legitimate Yelper. Rusty Berry who runs SSA is a complete liar & thief hiding under the veil of "promoting" the great art of SCUBA to
the masses. SCUBA is a semi -expensive sport, in spend level its similar to golf. The basic entry level price is $300-700 to start and can really get as expensive as you want. Golf clubs and gear can get into the tens of thousands, right? Same concept. Ripoff
#1: First of all Rusty will tell you the SCUBA mask, fins and booties you bought on your own to save cash are worthless. You will need to buy complete new ones through him @ considerable mark up. We are not diving for the Titanic here; a basic inexpensive
pair will work fine. Don't be swindled into buying decent equipment you already have. I bought mine from a reputable dive shop weeks prior and was told they were worthless. I was new to the sport and of course went with the "expert". Ripoff#2: His pool is
NOT 85 degrees, it is set around 75 degrees (why would you need a wetsuit in a pool unless it was too cold in the first place). It was always freezing and not nearly as warm as he kept saying it was. He tells you that you need to get used to your wetsuit &
the pool provides that environnment. But shouldn't you should get used to breathing underwater in comfortable environment first? Ripoff#3: Will literally try and sell you the most high tech, expensive BCD and regulator your credit limit can afford. Of course
he says "your life will depend on it." Seriously? Don't be fooled..... is that why hundreds if not thousands of people simply rent their equipment each year? You can apply that argument to justify spending on anything; from cars, running shoes, the medical
care you receive all the way to the food you eat. Remember, your getting certified to go 60 feet---not 600 feet. Basic equipment or used equipment (that has been certified as safe) is all you need. Ripoff#4: DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING to establish your line of credit
with his store or put anything on your credit card. He will try and sell you thousands (YES thousands of dollars) in equipment. Think about it.....shop around. This is very similar to shopping for a car. Go to two other schools and a Sports Chalet. At least
@ Sports Chalet they welcome used equipment and do not try and oversell you on stuff. You should have a $500-$800 limit on getting into SCUBA (that includes equipment and lessons) Anything more and your wasting your time & money. I can tell you the equipment
I bought was close to $1,500 NOT $900 to $1,000 the other Yelpers are discussing on this page. This was several years and I have heard he is trying to get new divers into buying rebreather systems and dry suits. Ripoff # 5: He is not a member of PADI, cause
if he was a member of a reputable organization, they would kick him out (who knows they probably did). Don't be fooled, being a member of PADI only brings credibility, faith and confidence to the instructors you use and the training you receive. I personally
think he got too many complaints and got kicked out of PADI. Ripoff #6: He and his team will try and max out your credit limit no matter what your needs are. The quote I got from his staff, "we would love to put you in a dry suit over a wet suit." Wow, we
dont live in Alaska and there is no need for anyone in SoCal who is a newbie to SCUBA needing a dry suite. I didn't even know how unnecessary this was until several months after I purchased my wet suit. Thank god my credit limit was max'd out already. Do not
be swindled into buying a re-breather system----these are complex systems that require years of experience. Remember you need BASIC GEAR, rebreathers are for divers looking to conquer the oceanic equivalent of Mt. Everest. Same goes for dry suits, unless your
in Alaska or Michigan diving the Great Lakes, you do not need a $1000-2000 dry suit. Please come visit this store, but SHOP AROUND. This is not the only SCUBA store in town. If you were buying a car you wouldn't buy the first one you saw right? You would check
out several dealers or sellers.
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