Pro Scuba Dive Center in Scotts Valley offers classes, rentals, equipment, and dive trips for those interested in exploring the ocean’s depts.
The shop opened at 4637-A Scotts Valley Drive approximately two years ago on Memorial Day weekend said owner Cheryl Babineau.
Many locals visit Pro Scuba for training and certification in CPR, AED, and first-aid.
“We get people in the community that just want to learn those skills, we get divers and dive professionals that need that training along with the oxygen provider,” Cheryl said. “ … It seems like people have to be recertified ever two years to keep it current.”
Lifeguards, parents who want to adopt, those who want to be dive professionals, and health club workers are among those who have sought training.
“Our training is at a professional level, so that means that you are not just being shown how to do CPR on a simulated dummy that’s an adult, you are going to learn child and infant CPR too and safety type stuff,” she added.
This training is usually monthly or as needed and those who are interested can stop at the shop to make an appointment or sign up online at proscubadivecenter.com.
Conrad Nelson who was certified as a scuba diver through Pro Scuba just two weekends ago said, “It wasn’t that hard to get certified.”
Pro Scuba is a NAUI training facility that offers a professional level of dive training from fully certified and qualified instructors and dive masters like David Babineau, who received the outstanding service and education award from NAUI last year.
“We are now a platinum training facility and to do that you have to have someone who is a course director on staff, which our other owner David is now,” Cheryl said “There’s only two platinum NAUI facilities in California — one is us now, and UCSC.”
Scuba diving rentals and equipment are also available, and the shop has a new compressor and Nitrox system, which can custom blend any mix of oxygen and nitrogen.
“We are the only shop that trains women in equipment made just for women.”
Most other dive shops will use unisex equipment, which is designed for a man, but sized down to fit a woman. Women who choose to train at Pro Scuba will use the Lady Hawk buoyancy compensator that is cut differently for a woman and rides up higher for improved safety and comfort.
“With our system of training, before they ever get to the ocean they will have to complete 12 hours of pool training, and then they have to do 12 hours in the classroom,” Cheryl said.
Divers in training will also have to complete rescue skills, skin dive skills, and then scuba skills in the pool before making it to the ocean for final training and a check out dive.
Although they will get a certification card and all the equipment they need for pool training and ocean dives for $398, customers will still need to purchase personal gear. At Pro Scuba, people have four pool sessions to be able to figure out if that equipment really works for them or if they want to bring it back and switch it out with something else, Cheryl explained.
“We do dive travel, we have a group going to Cozumel in September.”
That Cozumel trip is sold out already, but the next big trip will be next May at an island in Fiji called Bega.
“We are going to the Bega Lagoon and there are no roads, no electricity, no cars, it’s really a tropical island with beautiful diving,” she said adding that it’s the tribal island of the firewalkers.
Pro Scuba’s dive club — the Scuba Squad — meets at 7 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month in the facility’s air-conditioned classroom. Guest speakers include Henry Kaiser, Eric Anderson, Donna Lohrmann and Steve Ralston.
The next meeting will take place on July 14 at Pro Scuba in Scotts Valley.
For more information about classes, services, rentals, dive travel, or the scuba squad, visit proscubadivecenter.com.
