u/mredofcourse

I'm looking to get the PADI Wreck Diving certification in California, the closer to San Francisco the better, but willing to go elsewhere.

The problem is that every website I find, and there are a lot, they advertise they do the wreck certification, but then "Call us to book!" only to find "sorry, we don't have anything on our calendar, but check back..."

Anyone have any recommendations for places that do this certification somewhat regularly such that I'm not putting more effort in booking than the course itself?

Also, is anyone else interested in teaming up with me on this so we have 2 or more and they might be willing to make a scheduled class for us?

I've done 8 different Ironman events as well as others (like Escape from Alcatraz). This event was incredibly well organized, which is amazing considering it was their first time here and the unique circumstances (the heat, which they were totally prepared for).

The swim was 78.1F/25.61C which meant that you could wear a wetsuit, but it's frowned upon (as in no points, slots, etc...). A significant number of people did wear them anyway, and I wish I would've. I sucked during the swim without a wetsuit. Literally swimming Santa Cruz with only use of one arm was faster because of the wetsuit then full use of both arms here without one. Lesson learned.

The bike course heated up to 95F/35C, but they had additional aid stations. I made a point of arriving to the aid stations late to see how well they did on maintaining stock for those at the end of the race (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Everything was fully stocked at the aid stations and the additional hydration stations they placed. We even got Ironman branded bottles.

The pavement was some of the best I've been on. Apparently some roads were repaved for this event. It's a really nice course overall if you like punchy courses. There were few cruising gear stretches, but no wind and a 2,500'/762m net elevation gain and a few hundred feet (~225m) of elevation drop from the start.

The run course was... wait, it's all aid station? Seriously when you're at an aid station and can see another aid station, that's some serious aid support. These all included plenty of ice, both for consumption and for dunking/soaking, water misters, and all the usual things you find at aid stations.

The people of Redding were awesome in terms of cheering us on. The run was mostly along the Sacramento River, but the bike course takes you by a lot of people's homes. So many people came out to cheer and thank us for coming to Redding. This was really incredible to see so many people sitting out in the heat even towards the end of the race. There was a lot of love here.

The overall management, support and staff was flawless, no notes. No waiting to check-in, a well stocked merch tent to rob us blind, tons and tons of staff and volunteers, even at peak, the line for the buses was pretty short, plenty of parking, etc...

How's this for attention to detail:

One downside to this event is that it's a 2 transition zone race, with a bus to take you to the swim start/T1. You end up leaving 1 or 2 bags at T1. Your morning bag and your post swim bag, although for some of us, we just left one bag.

At the end of the race, you go to T2 to pick up your bags and bike. There are people to help you, but you could just go and grab your bag (it has to match your race number on exit). I saw a guy who looked pretty wiped go and grab his bag. A volunteer working the bag area saw him leaving with one bag, but recognized the number had two bags and ran to grab his other bag for him.

Post-race food was the one thing I didn't check out. It was hot, my hotel was close by and I thought I'd rather go there, shower, crank up the AC and eat my own food (which takes time anyway before I can eat solids again anyway). It's worth noting that there are plenty of cheap hotels within walking distance to the Ironman village here.

I can't use my car as a tailgate to mount my tank/bcd, and would like to use the smallest/lightest/easiest/rust-proof folding table/bench to place my tank and BCD to don/doff.

Some of the places I go don't have steps/park benches and such.

I'm 6'2" so having it be tall would also be nice. I see someone in the boat launch parking lot in Monterey with something that seems perfect (I've been tempted to use it), but I haven't seen them around to ask where they got it.

Any recommendations?

I'm looking at putting together my kit after years of rental lottery. For my SPG, I'm thinking about going with a ScubaPro Aladin H Matrix Gauge... but I'm also thinking about ditching the hose altogether and going with a wireless transmitter with a wrist computer.

What are some thoughts/experience with this?

Is going hoseless a bad idea in terms of reliability? Do people go digital/wireless but retain an analog SPG with hose as backup?

Anything else I should be looking at in this specific area?

EDIT: Thanks for all the responses! I ended up going with the Suunto Nautic with Transmitter and a mini-SPG that I'll most likely just keep in my Save a Dive bag as people have made a convincing argument that the redundancy of it introduces more risk.

My wife and I are considering buying a 2026 Air Grand Touring. While leaning towards the Lucid, the others we're looking at (ranked in order) include the Mercedes 580 EQS, BMW i7, Audi A6 eTron, Porsche Taycan, and maybe the Lexus 500e.

Must have: All electric, 4 door sedan, comfortable, elegant, and fits in a garage with 92" door.

Questions:

1. We live in the San Jose / Palo Alto area. Will we be in good hands in terms of service and support?
2. The phone slot for charging is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen designed on a car. Are there any after market solutions that fix this? Any insight on whether the 2027 model will improve this?
3. We love the glass canopy, but are worried about what it's like in bad conditions like driving into the sun or parked out in the sun. Anyone get it and regret it?
4. How well does the Dream Drive Pro work?
5. What are some things we should be aware of before buying, features we should get or stay away from, etc...?
6. Any other thoughts or advice?