WHAT A GREAT INSTRUCTOR!!!
Julian was incredibly helpful, professional, patient, and accommodating to our needs. We had a trip coming up and wanted to get some Open Water certifications done in short order. In brief, as an instructor in other disciplines, it was clear that Julian takes his position very seriously and does his job extremely well. He is an excellent instructor, a great guy, and I HIGHLY recommend hiring him to train, tour, or guide diving/snorkeling trips in the San Diego area.
Some of the main highlights from our experience with him:
1. He laid out a training plan for us, had backups and contingencies for weather and personnel availability.
2. He presented the pricing well ahead of time, and made it clear how that might change if the training varied from the schedule. In other words, everything was clear, open, and upfront. Very honest person to work with!
3. He is a consummate professional. He was up front about expectations for performance and what would be needed to pass the course. There were no mysteries about what was expected which made attaining the goal much easier.
4. His goal was to train safe and knowledgeable divers. Full stop. He did not expect perfection and made that clear the whole time. But he was clear about requiring skills to be demonstrated during the pool and open water sessions to a standard. If those demonstrations fell short of that standard, he offered tips and remediation, was considerate of fatigue when needed, and then reengaged the student to perform again.
5. He did EVERYTHING he could to help when students struggled in any way. He worked with us to modify his techniques to suit a particular student's learning style and personality. Very comfortable learning environment.
In summary, we are so lucky to have found a great instructor for our family. I will be going back to Julian for advanced certifications, as well as guided dives to some of the more interesting spots here in San Diego. I am confident that any diving with him will be safe, comfortable, and a lot of fun! read more