Scuba

Bamboo Reef
584 4th Street
(415) 362-6694

by camper english

To avoid repaying my student loans, I blow the leftover money from my paycheck on urban sports. I run, I bike, I rollerblade, I surf the MUNI. None of these things costs enough to give me that starving student feeling I've been used to for so long. I decided to find an activity where it would be expensive to learn, expensive to buy equipment, and expensive to practice. Scuba seemed like the most logical choice.

Despite a long an arduous search, I could only find one place within San Francisco that offers scuba lessons. Bamboo Reef, located at 4th and Brannon, offers classes 2 nights per week for three weeks, or one weekend solid of classes. There is a two day open-water certification dive in Monterey Bay the weekend after class instruction ends.

I scheduled my class and began to prepare. For scuba, you must own all your own snorkeling equipment - mask, snorkel, fins, gloves, and boots. I bought the cheapest options they had of each and still wound up spending $230. One smart person from my class drove to Play It Again Sports and found much cheaper used gear. I, however, would not waver in my quest to blow money irresponsibly.

The fee for the course itself is $150 including written materials. I took the 3 week long, 2 nights per week option. That way, more people would have the opportunity to point and laugh at the freak carrying flippers on BART as I schlepped them to and from class. Each night we did some classroom time, where they tell you about all the horrible things that can happen to you if you freak out under water, and pool time.

Bamboo Reef has a heated outdoor pool, located next to the exhaust fumes of Bizou restaurant. It gives the whole experience a mesquite feel. Pool time is like organized fun time - a combination between gym and shop class, except you're building equipment necessary to breathe and people get mad when you snap them in the butt with your towel. You practice the basics of scuba diving and assembling your equipment over and over again to get acquainted with the whole breathing underwater thing. You learn useful skills like how to not have your lungs explode and the international dive symbols for "I'm out of air and I'm taking yours."

This is all fine and good, but to be SSI certified, you must complete four open water scuba dives. There is no diving around San Francisco - one must go to the North or South to experience it. This was perfect for me, as it meant that a car rental ($65) and hotel room ($100 for two people) were necessary added expenses.

As Monterey's water never gets very warm, we needed to rent full wetsuits in addition to the other equipment that is necessary for scuba. The total rental cost for two days came to $66. The dive days went like this: we met in the morning on the beach, put on our gear and hauled it down to the water. We did our exercises under water, until the air ran out. We lugged everything back to the beach, refilled our tanks, had lunch, and repeated the dive. The second day we had more time for fun dives, exploring the kelp forest and the coral reef alongside the pier. After the last dive, we were certified.

Two things to know about scuba diving in Monterey: First, it's mother fucking ice cold. I was shocked and horrified. I did Not move to California to experience anything cold ever, ever again. I could have picked skiing as my expensive hobby if I was into that. Even with a full wetsuit and a hood, water gets into your suit, as well as on the uncovered portion of your face. Until you get acclimated to the temperature, it's a hellish nightmare. Second, the sun is stronger than you think. Despite the fact that I couldn't feel my lips due to frostbite, they were being burned raw by the sun when I was above water. The same hood that protects your brain from freezing solid while you're under water also assists in giving you a big, round, retarded looking tan line on your face.

Two things to know about scuba diving in general: First, it's expensive, but I've covered that. Second, it's hard work. Not only is there a lot of equipment to keep track of, but also it's quite heavy. To counteract the buoyancy of the wetsuit, you wear a weighted belt. Between the extra thirty pounds of the belt, the heft of the tank, wearing a full wetsuit, and carrying your flippers, maneuvering oneself can be rather difficult. Once you get out of your gear, you must rinse it all clear of salt water and disassemble it like a member of the bomb squad. It reminds me of my college days when I would be forced to pull a MacGuyver move and construct a water bong out of a Windex bottle, a toilet paper tube, and a roll of duct tape.

In any case, the experience of scuba diving is incredible. I saw a sea lion, some otters, tons of starfish, crabs, sea cucumbers, and lots of fish. I swam through the kelp forest and above a coral reef. I practiced the Buddy System and bonded with nature. I don't care if it's cold and expensive, I'm going again.

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