About our Instructors
He was great!
Andrew is a very nice guy, although sometimes I didn't get his cold jokes. I wish I would dive with him in the future, but I might not be in San Diego for a long time.
Bob and Suzanne Weeks were very motivated, friendly and well informed. Thank you!
Bob and Andrew demonstrated great patience to help me get my buoyancy right. Safety first is definitely on their mind.
Bob & Suzanne make a great team and both have immense experience diving and instructing. They both take a strong interest in the students' well being. It's nice to see instructors who love the sport so much and are in it for the right reason....to promote diving and share their knowledge/experiences. I like the fact that Bob always provides valuable feedback right after a dive on a students performance...what to correct and what to do better. This is very valuable. I also like the website...it contains useful information/resources...no fluff. I also like the fact that the instructors are unpretentious....in some ways old school...diving with a weight belt...this is appreciated. I know insructors that have never worn weight belts and could not show me how to ditch and don one !! Granted I know equipment is changing....:)
Bob was great! You can tell scuba is his passion and that he loved teaching new students. He was patient when needed and made sure everyone was safe and comfortable. I'd love to learn all my scuba skills from Bob!
Bob Weeks is an excellent instructor. He knows everything about the area, and about how to deal with students. He's especially good at diffusing any fear a student may have about diving.
Acknowledged her inexperience teaching but her ample experience diving more than made up for it. Made sure to clarify instructions and was patient with us.
Andrew is fantastic! Love him!
Understood fears and very calming.
Andrew was always happy, full of energy and great at motivating the group. Fantastic Guy!
Great instructor!
Bob was great and kept me involved with what I was learning even when I was losing pace.
I found the classroom material to be repetitive, but the stories and conversations between videos really helped to keep me engaged.
Mary was a wonderful teacher! She answered any and all questions we had and encouraged discussion in class. I hope her the best with her little one!
Andrew is excellent. He made it fun!
Classroom was thorough but time consuming. I would have preferred more independent studying and video review followed by testing in the classroom rather than a very long class with clarification on material we could study independently.
Bob is truly a great instructor! Very knowledgeable, extremely patient and easily approachable.
He taught us the material in a timely, orderly fashion and answered any questions we had about scuba diving.
The instructors both went over the material and allowed us to learn from our mistakes and gave real examples of when/where to apply what we learned from the knowledge reviews/tests.
Very engaging instructor. Ensured our safety.
Bob was extremely flexible and accommodating. There were students who couldn't get into the UCSD class and he went out of his way to accommodate them. Also, I felt very safe having him as an instructor. No matter what could or would happen, I felt that he was always there and ready to deal with it; or if necessary, come to the rescue! :) Also want to remark on Bob's patience. It can be tricky learning to communicate underwater, but I found that Bob was always very kind and patient.
I really enjoyed working with Mike. He knows what he's doing and cares about his students
Bob is a great instructor and he was very patient while we were practicing the underwater skills.
Andrew was a very motivated instructor who has an amazing amount of experience to draw upon. His ability to connect with every student and make sure that all questions are answered makes him a good teacher. His best quality is his energetic attitude and ability to satisfy the curious mind.
Bob was great. Straight forward, understanding, patient, knowledgable.
The classroom courses were a nice way to feel prepared before a pool class. It was nice to see exercises in a video before doing them ourselves.
Always full of energy, very experienced and super passionate
Andrew is a very interesting and supportive instructor.
Andrew Kerner made our class diving safe, fun and exciting! He help build my self confidence under the water. He is an awesome "Dive Instructor". :-)
Always positive, always informative (even through the slightly corny classroom required material).
Bob is a great instructor. I could not have asked anything more. I'm sad that we will no longer be able to learn from him as he seems to know an endless amount of information about scuba diving.
Bob and Andrew are great instructors and truly care about our safety and enjoyment during this experience.
Bob is clearly a master at scuba diving and I felt comfortable asking him any questions I had. His answers were appropriate for my level of experience but he still had me thinking critically.
(For Bob Weeks)
Bob was highly enthusiastic & taught at a pace that the students could easily follow.
Instructors Bob and Suzanne where really cool people, they were motivational, enthusiastic, friendly and are experts at scuba diving.
Suzanne was an awesome instructor. She explained this well and was very patient.
It was always fun learning from Andrew. He made us laugh all the time. You would never feel low with this instructor he boosts up the energy of the class.
Great!
I appreciated his direct feedback. He seemed to deal fairly well with what must be a very stressful situation - responsible for a bunch of yahoos in a dangerous environment. Thanks again!
Very Knowledgeable & enthusiastic
I liked both of them. Both were very approachable, informative and instructive.
Great energy, enthusiasm and pedagogy, able to conduct class in great atmosphere while providing safe and relevant instruction. Great humor, made the whole process both fun and safe. Very patient and good natured instructor!
Great guy.
Very patient, knowledgable, and detail-oriented! Easily picks up on your trouble spots without you having to ask and corrects them!
There were a few times Mike was unprepared with air tanks and small pieces of gear and such but overall he was excellent. He knew what he was talking about and knew how to portray it well to the group, safety was his first priority, and he was very respectful.
Instructors were awesome despite large class size.
No comments. Was great!
I wish Andrew could give me more time to descend by myself rather than help me by pulling me down. I just want to practice and get used to diving without instructor soon.
He is awesome!
Andrew is awesome. The man is a life saver
Bob and Suzanne were both fantastic instructors. They were on time, prepared and even brought the class snacks!
Same as Classroom instructor, had Andrew Kerner all of the times.
Thanks alot!
When I missed an ocean session and made up the class, I thought Bob might feel troublesome because he is busy and I asked him the alternative ocean session since 6:30. However, he taught me really carefully and kindly. I love him.
Great conversations and stories and I really enjoyed the fish identification that we took the time to do. Great snacks too! Thank you!
Mike was the best! He was always in a good mood and taught everyone in the class at the level they needed to succeed. He made sure everyone was comfortable in what we were learning. Highly recommend him as an instructor
Andrew was an amazing instructor, would highly recommend taking him.
Yay scuba!!!
Andrew, bob, sue and the dive masters that volunteered to participate on the ocean dives were awesome. I am excited to dive with and learn from the in the future
He was very good at making suggestions for our improvement in a courteous manner. He also reinforced lessons and techniques that were especially important for us to master.
Andrew was a wonderful instructor that kept the safety of the students as the priority. He was very clear about what we were supposed to be doing at any given time whether it was by giving instructions on the surface or under water. Honestly I can't think of a better way to have experienced scuba diving for the first time. Andrew was always available to answer questions, offer advice, or tell a "great" joke and I'm excited to continue my learning.
Bob was really great! He definitely gave a lot of tips to improve especially descent control and bouyancy control. He is very approachable and helped me to improve on few skills I was struggling with initially.
Bob was great! Really enjoyed the class!
See all comments.
Bob was great in the pool as well, patient, knowledgable, helpful.
I felt very safe in the pool and ocean at all times. I was nervous about some exercises but always felt prepared once it came time to perform them. This was a great introduction to scuba!
Same instructor as the classroom session
I suggest that UCSD Natatorium pool need to be cleaned and maintained regularly.
Bob and Andrew are great instructors and truly care about our safety and enjoyment during this experience.
Andrew was an awesome dive instructor. Extremely helpful, clear, and supportive while always making sure we had a good time. Would take another class with him in a heartbeat.
Bob did a great job scheduling around conflicts some of us had- even doing the same dive multiple times to ensure that each of us completed the dives we needed. He went above and beyond for our class and I'm grateful for the opportunity to take a class with him.
(For Andrew Kerner)
He was really helpful out in the ocean letting us know about his experience and always motivated us.
Same comments apply, this truly was a great experience that sparked a profound interest in Scuba diving in me. Thank you.
Also a great guy.
Instructor can be bit more patient with the students. Expects the student to grasp the skill immediately, given the schedule I agree it’s tough to spend a lot of time teaching same skill again and again but can be bit more easy on students. Apart from this Bob was definitely a great instructor giving immediate feedback on where to improve and how to improve as well.
Comments About the Classes
It was great! However, I wish the pace was slightly slower to learn more difficult skills better.
Thanks Andrew, Bob, Suzanne, Winston, and Shannon for the wonderful course! The experience in general was very nice. However, I did find the size of the class was a little bit too big. I understand the cost issue, but the waiting time is kind of long in the sea. However, the buddies I met were great.
The natatorium pool had dirty bandaids that remained the the pool for over a week. This was a bit repulsive. Our instructors on the other hand were wonderful!!
It was great! I had so much fun!
the class is fun, dives are awesome
I thought the water in the pool could have been cleaner...I know it does get a lot of use during the summer with various summer programs. If there is one thing I dislike its a dirty pool. Regarding the night dive, it seemed there was some confusion on the expectations that night. I also felt there were too many students out in the same area at one time. So perhaps spacing out the two groups might be helpful, either different spots not too far apart or timing them out. I know it can be difficult with too many students at night.
The class was great! I feel like I had enough time to learn the material, apply it in a controlled environment, and then take it all the way to the ocean. I feel very comfortable and confident in my scuba abilities thanks to this class!
Fun class, I personally had a bit of more time on my hands so I thought the class could have been quicker but there was always sufficient time to complete assignments and review things.
Love my coach and buddies!
The scuba videos were a little bit slow and redundant, but I understand the need for repetition due to the large amount of information. If at all possible, maybe something more interactive. The videos could be assigned to be watched at home
Very challenging and satisfying class with supportive and understanding instructors.
The natatorium pool was very dirty, lots of band-aids floating around and miscellaneous items like bracelets. Surprised about that.
Vetting of prospective students (e.g.: making sure they are reasonably competent in open water) might be a good idea. Aside from this, the instructor was extremely flexible and did his best to work around each student’s schedule. I can’t say enough good about the instructor.
LOVE this class!!! The class's location and times were perfect for a part-full time student. The description on the UCSD REC catalog said however, that rentals were included in the overall price. While was not a major issue and didn't turn me away from the course, it was a bit misleading. The rentals were no problem actually and were actually priced extremely generously. A big thank you to the staff at Ocean Enterprises for being so friendly and helpful!!
The pool at the Nat is gross. So many band-aids and dead skin cells at the bottom... After seeing all that I seriously had to take 5 showers to feel clean.
Andrew was an awesome instructor. It was a pleasure learning from him and the dive masters that were there to help at the ocean dives were very helpful. I was able to dive with Dive Master Scott and he gave a lot of useful guidance and encouragement to develop my diving further. The pool that we practiced in was disturbingly dirty. I do not desire to ever be in the pool again after seeing how dirty and unfiltered it is. Band aids, clumps of hair, and even skin could be seen in the water.
The class was great. I'm happy UCSD offers recreational courses in SCUBA.
I think this was a really good class size, and enabled all of us to receive the attention we needed without taking too much time.
The overall cost of the class was very unclear. It should be clearly stated that the BCD, regulator, wetsuit, scuba tank, and weights need to be rented separately and are not covered as part of the enrollment cost of the class. This adds a significant amount to the cost of the class.
I thought the class was divided up in such a way (Bob had 3 groups and Andrew had 4 groups) that it gave each student the attention they needed to learn all skills required and become confident in them.
Very fun and interesting class.
Really the only complaint I have is the state of the pool at UCSD's Natatorium. It was pretty filthy.
Great class!
This class is a great way to get introduced to scuba diving and helps to establish a good base for diving.
Moved at a good pace, great instructors
Class was overall great! Only complaint would be that the Natatorium Pool was fairly dirty. Lots of stuff floating around.
I'm glad it got done quickly, but 6 hours on a saturday ending late to be at the beach at 6am the next morning for another 6 hours is exhausting and painful. The exhaustion inhibited my abilities in the class.
I thought the class was well-paced with clear progressions from each session to the next.
If certain individuals are struggling, it can create slightly stressful scenarios for their classmates (especially in open water). If possible, it might be a good idea to segregate people who are struggling from the folks who are a bit more up to speed.
The decision to take this class has been one of the best I've ever made.
The pool needs to be scoured for mold. When there are many students in the pool kicking their fin across the bottom, all the black mold in the tiles starts going everywhere.
Main gym pool was NOT very clean
The class was the perfect size. We were able to partner up effectively and I felt like the supervision was superb with both Bob and a divemaster watching our groups. The chemistry within each of the groups was also very good so that helped with the course as well.
I like the class, the instructors, and the people in the class. I wish I can have more classes like this where you learn real things and use it in real life experiences. This is going to be so great whi I get my scuba gears.
Class was lots of fun.
The swimming pool at times was dirty with bandages floating around
Great class. Lots of fun and the instructor was very helpful w/ people's problems in the class.
This was a really fun class. I think it covered pretty much everything I needed to know to get started diving safely. My only complaint is that the reading/videos occasionally felt more like an infomercial for PADI than a lesson.
Everyone should get certified-great class
Awesome, I thoroughly enjoyed the classes and dives.
Loved it!
Class was fun, and reasonably paced (coming from someone with hardly any swimming experienced)
I had an absolute blast. I thought the locations were extremely convenient, the times were well suited for a college student schedule, my only complaint would be having pool dives the night before early ocean dives. Not only was all my gear still wet but there was one weekend I only got a few hours of sleep before an early morning because our pool dive went late. If this can't be changed its not detrimental to the experience but would be nicer if constructed differently in my belief.
Instructors worked hard to compensate for large class size. Although the instructors were great, the class is extremely repetitive and contains lots of useless information. It would be much better if we did not have to waste our time watching PADI movies. They are not helpful. The purpose of paying instructors is to have them teach, not to watch a boring video.