Reviews

I have been diving for over 5 years. I was diving with John Russell while he was certifying a class. After reporting the following things, he is no longer certified with PADI (put in diver number 40957 at http://www.padi.com/scuba/prochek/Default.aspx):

1) Diving in a restricted area. There were plenty of signs that said the bacteria content was too high too swim. He disregarded my comments that it wasn't a place to go diving.

2) Poorly maintained equipment. My secondary was filled with sand and he would not give me a new one. When we got into the water, I found that my primary had a leak which allowed water to get into my mouth with every breath. I had to leave the group to change it out.

3) Did not meet certification requirements. The maximum depth that the class went was only 12 feet according to the dive watch. Most of the 3 dives were actually in water we could stand up in. PADI requires 4 dives, and the class only did 3.

4) Aggressive behavior. His jokes were inappropriate, saying things like "I'm not gay but I'm willing to learn" way too many times. For a course instruction, he was rude in responding to questions, making anti-women comments when a female in the group asked a legitimate question.

I can assure you that I'm not someone that typically complains. If you would like other evidence of this behavior, please google his name and find legitimate reviews. I really doubt that his testimonials are accurate.

Don't say I didn't warn you.