OUT AND ABOUT : Students Take a Course to New Depths

Bill Miller has spent much of his life exploring an environment unfamiliar to most.

“It’s new every time that you go out. Over that next ridge could be the hidden treasure that you’ve never found.”

He has also spent a good portion of his life teaching others how to survive in that other place.

“I’ve been scuba diving since I was in high school, and for 24 years I’ve been instructing,” said Miller, 56.

For the past 13 years he has headed the scuba diving program at Ventura College with two other instructors.

Unlike most of the three-week courses at professional dive shops, the Ventura College beginner program is one semester. Upon completion, students receive an Open Water I certification through the National Assn. of Underwater Instructors.

“It’s a regular three-unit college course. We go for 18 weeks. That’s about 100 hours of instruction.

“I think that’s one of the strong points of our program. We have plenty of time to work on any kind of problem a person might come up with. Whereas some of the other courses can’t spend as much time with individual problems,” said Miller.

The most common of which is overcoming the fear of being underwater, said Miller. Then comes grappling with the equipment.

Ventura College offers one daytime beginner class that meets twice weekly for two hours, and two night beginner courses, meeting weekly for five hours.

“We don’t waste any time getting them wet. They’re in the water the first day so we can test their swimming capability. The first four weeks they’ll be instructed on basic snorkeling techniques. After that, we’ll start with scuba equipment,” said Miller.

Students must provide their own mask, snorkel and fins. The school supplies the scuba tank, regulators and stabilizer jackets.

Students must also pay for three required diving excursions at $40 each and a $7 wet suit rental. Wet suits are only used during the ocean outings. Other training occurs in the college’s 80-degree pool.

“We spend about half our time during the semester in the classroom studying, among other things, the physiology and physics of scuba diving. They’ve got to understand the implications of breathing compressed air.”

To drive the point home Miller has coined a “word of the day.” It is also emblazoned on his license plate.

‘XHALE.’

“You must never forget to exhale when surfacing. It’s the main safety thing.”

About five weeks into the semester the class will have its first ocean experience.

“We take them out to Anacapa Island. The first time out consists of just snorkeling methods,” Miller said.

Then comes the scuba experience. So what’s it like scuba diving in the ocean for the first time?

“Frightening!” said Roger Reynhart, who received his diving certification through Miller’s class. “It’s all new. You feel strange. It’s more of a survival thing at first.

“By the second dive you start to open your eyes. It’s a whole different world down there. With TV and Jacques Cousteau, people have a sense of what it’s like without moving from their armchair, but to actually go under and experience it. . . .”

After completing the beginner course, students have the option of continuing their scuba skills.

“The next step is the intermediate class. They learn to dive deeper and more aggressively,” Miller said.

An advanced course is also offered.

“We’re fortunate because diving in this area is excellent,” Miller said. “It’s probably one of the prettiest places in the world to dive.”

For more information about the course, call 654-6352.

COURSES IN DIVING

* Channel Islands Scuba

1495 Palma Drive, No. C, Ventura.

Offers a two-week course for $185. All training equipment and materials provided except for mask, snorkel, fins, boots and gloves. Two diving excursions to the Channel Islands included. Certification provided through the Professional Assn. of Diving Instructors. Class meets 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Training at off-site pool. Call 644-3483.

* Aqua Ventures

2172 Pickwick Drive, Camarillo.

Offers a three-week course for $295. All training equipment and materials included except for mask, snorkel, fins, boots and gloves. Two diving excursions to the Channel Islands included. Certification provided through the Professional Assn. of Diving Instructors. Class meets from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. Training at off-site pool. Call 484-1594 or 647-8344.

* Aquatics

695 W. Channel Islands Blvd., Port Hueneme.

Offers a four-week program for $225. All training equipment and materials provided except mask, fins, snorkel, boots and hood. Two diving excursions included to the Channel Islands. Class will also meet five times for beach diving instruction. Certification provided through Scuba Schools International. Class meets from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; beach diving instruction from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday or Sunday. Training at off-site pool. Call 984-3483 or 648-3400.

* Ventura Dive and Sport

1559 Spinnaker Drive, No. 108, Ventura Harbor Village, Ventura.

Offers a four-week course for $250. One diving excursion included to the Channel Islands. Certification provided through the Professional Assn. of Diving Instructors. Class meets from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday or 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Call 650-6500.

* Gold Coast Scuba

955 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura.

Offers a two-week course for $265. All training equipment and materials provided except mask, snorkel, fins and gloves. One diving excursion included to the Channel Islands. Class meets from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Certification provided through Professional Assn. of Diving Instructors or National Assn. of Underwater Instructors. Training at off-site pool. Call 652-0321.