Comments on: Diving testimonials

By: Yvonne Lambert

Yvonne Lambert — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:52:36 +0000

I recently did the open water dive course with Dave and can honestly say it feels great to be certified. I`ve always lived near and loved the ocean and being able to get right up close to the strange and wonderful things I`ve only ever seen at the other side of a glass tank, or at best, while snorkelling, has given me an unexpected weird new buzz, or sense of freedom. Diving in the sea for the first time, I felt giddy, nervous and excited at having a whole new terrain to explore. Being underwater is an incredible feeling, I am constanlty in awe of my surroundings at the new things I see and I`m glad Dave was on hand to guide me through the whole process. He is an infinitley patient instructor and an extremely accomodating person. When I started out, it quickly became clear to me that he shows real concern for his students. I never felt as though there was any question that I couldn`t ask, and Dave in response always gave a solid, well thought-out answer. He`s a rock! I`m not gonna lie - some of the skills seemed pretty daunting at first - but Dave talked me through every stage and quickly dispersed and worries I may have had. He also made a point of congratulating me on things I did well, which was actually a real confidence boost - by the end of the course, I wasn`t the same person who had stepped in the pool on day one. I really appreciated his efforts.
Thank you Dave.

By: soldave

soldave — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:20:38 +0000

And thank you Kerri for taking the time to write those comments and thoughts. I hope to see you again in the water soon.

By: Kerri Ng

Kerri Ng — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:23:25 +0000

This is something I should have written more about a couple of months back, when the dives were still fresh in my mind, but there are a couple of things that have stuck with me.

Checking out some of the diving spots in Okinawa was one of the first things I wanted to do upon arrival, and I was glad to find that I could do so in English with Dave. I wasn’t sure about doing the Advanced course immediately, given that I had only the five Open Water dives prior under my belt at that stage. However, I’m glad he convinced me to do so because these dives introduced me to some of the finer points of diving which can make one’s experience underwater so much more rewarding. Furthermore, Dave’s observation skills and his appreciation of underwater life can turn what some would argue is an average diving site into a fascinating world to explore.

Dave’s also very good at judging what you have the confidence and ability to do underwater. There was one instance during the navigation dive (if I remember correctly - unless it was on the bouyancy dive itself) which had me (metaphorically) shaking my head in dismay and slight annoyance on seeing a familiar narrow passage. However, it was a challenge that I was pleased to have been able to complete, albeit not without a scrape or two.

For the above and many more reasons, if anyone’s looking to further their skills (or to simply begin diving), I highly recommend Diving Dave. His patience, encouragement and positive attitude made me challenge myself not only in diving but in many other aspects of life here in Okinawa, and I’m looking forward to getting back in the water. Cheers Dave, and congrats on reaching your next qualification level!

By: Big in Japan | Some small updates

Big in Japan | Some small updates — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:42:39 +0000

[…] Diving testimonials […]

By: soldave

soldave — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:38:36 +0000

And I would be happy to get into the water with you and have you as a dive buddy any time, Martin. You were a model student:)

By: Martin Smith

Martin Smith — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:22:55 +0000

I just got OW certified with Dave and couldn’t be happier about the experience. You cannot find another course at such a reasonable price, much less of such a high quality. Dave was very dependable, very patient, and an excellent teacher. At first there were questions I didn’t want to ask because I thought “shoot I’m supposed to know this from the book,” but I soon learned that Dave was there to answer any and all questions, and was not presumtuous about how good of a student we were. He was there to make us feel comfortable doing what we were doing, which is exploring a world that humans weren’t exactly made for.
The dives themselves were AWESOME and I can’t wait to rack up more. Even now, after the course, Dave is still reliable for any SCUBA related questions I have. He is dependable, patient, unassuming and thoroughly qualified and knowledgable. If you’re going to learn to dive, do it with Dave!

By: soldave

soldave — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:06:46 +0000

And you were a model student, Laura. Thanks for taking part and I’ll see you in the water soon!

By: Laura Brown

Laura Brown — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 03:44:23 +0000

I have wanted to SCUBA for as long as I can remember so you can imagine I had high expectations when I signed up for the open water course with Dave. 35,000 Yen seems like a lot of money at first, but by the time I finished the course I felt badly for second guessing the course on account of the money. Dave is a dependable, encouraging, knowledgable, easy going, and genuine instuctor who is not in the PADI biz to make money. Dave’s open water PADI certification class surpassed my expectations. Good stuff Dave!

By: soldave

soldave — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:30:42 +0000

Craig - you’re far too kind! Thank you for your comments:)

By: Craig Mauelshagen

Craig Mauelshagen — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 04:58:30 +0000

I completed my open water padi dive thingy with Dave last weekend (9th and 10th of June). All I can do is highly recommend Diving Dave. He was infinitely patient with us (group of 4) and guided us smoothly through the padi course. He also huge value for money, for his extremely reasonable fee he bends over backwards to accommodate you. Seriously! He was brilliant in scheduling things to accommodate us all and with extras such as transport to the dive site thrown in. He puts you as number one on his priority list, dam good practice if I say so myself. I didn’t ever feel worried or nervous throughout the entire course and in fact had a darn good time doing it. I thoroughly recommend the man, nothing feels better than his hearty hand shake upon successful completion of a skill!
Do dive with Dave it’s devilishly delightful!

Craig Mauelshagen