This is the first season I've participated in Threshold Racing events, and after finishing the last…read moreevent of the season yesterday I was so pleased with my experience that I feel compelled to write a review. I did the San Jose Metro Triathlon (which turned into a duathlon), Morgan Hill Tri, a weekend Splash & Dash, and a weekend Norcal Open Water Swim. All the events were well organized, with good pre and post race food, well staffed water stops, clearly marked courses, and awesome shirts (they just needed a few more porta-potties at the Splash & Dashes). What impressed me the most, however, was how well they managed problems. When the swim portion of the San Jose Metro Tri had to be canceled they sent out clear communication, provided a discount on a future race, and donated money to a nonprofit. Most importantly, they still put on a great race, even without the swim. Threshold races attract a lot of tri clubs and competitive age-groupers which was intimidating at first for this back-of-the-packer. But the vibe was always very encouraging and welcoming. Plus, competing with all these high level folks really prepared me for my first Half Ironman. The races are reasonably priced and I love all the different options with the Splash & Dash events. You can swim 1 or 2 miles and then run 3 or 6 miles or just swim without the run. It's such a great way to get in a brick workout and get some practice racing too. Thanks for a great season Threshold. I'll be back!

Almaden Lake is closed for swimming. Everyone knows this. Organizing a triathlon from a lake with…read moreexisting problems means you have to address those existing problems. Duh. What does Threshold Racing do? They screw it up, cancel the swim portion of the race the day before, do not offer any refunds for the race fee, and they blame it on the City of San Jose. I love the excuses. The race director, says in his response, "We will overcome this obstacle, we will persevere, and we will race." Uh, no. We are not going to overcome the obstacle. The obstacle is the inability to swim in the lake, and you cancelled the swim portion of the race. You did not overcome anything. You failed, and then you gave me a lame platitude. Double fail. The race director also claims that these are the facts: "one, this was out of our control; two, we did everything we could to have a swim." Let's break that down. Who is responsible for the race? Threshold Racing. So if the water quality was not addressed in time and corrected, how was that out of the race director's control? It wasn't. This problem didn't sneak up on anyone. This is always a problem with Almaden Lake. The race director simply cannot accept the responsbility for his failure and blames the City. The second part, about doing everything the race director could have done. Also not true. On the morning the swim is cancelled, the race director sends out a letter to the athletes stating, "We have identified four water quality control initiatives with the city prior to the race next year." The race director then lists four obvious corrections. So obvious, one wonders why they were not done in the first place. Threshold Racing did not do everything they could do to have a swim, they did the minimum, hoped for the best, and when that failed, they did not accept the responsibility and instead blame the City. Epic fail. (Post-race follow up.) Okay. I was a tad bit harsh yesterday with the two stars. The event was well put together, very fun, the bike portion is a great route, and so I more star for you, Threshold Racing. But don't screw it up next year.

Let me start by saying that I'm amazed that nobody has yet Yelped this event. Considering the…read morepopularity of other running events in this area, it's actually quite surprising. In any case, allow me to offer the first review. This is actually a dual event, a half and full marathon (with the latter being the Surfer's Path Marathon) that is really a marriage between Wharf To Wharf and the Santa Cruz Half Marathon. I ran the half so hopefully soon someone can provide some feedback on the full. If you love Wharf To Wharf (and this year's race selling out in one day suggests that you do), and you're into the half marathon scene, then you're going to love this run! Let me premise with this: The course is almost the precise route Wharf To Wharf is held on - with the difference being that runners loop around the Capitola wharf area and obviously run back. Expect a few rolling hills throughout the course to add a bit of challenge for you (in case 13.1 miles isn't enough) and the typical support of the Santa Cruz and Capitola communities as you run by. It would be irresponsible for me not to mention the finish line. Once you've completed about 13 miles, they've saved the last 30 or 40 yards for you on the beach... in the sand. So, if the miles you've just completed weren't difficult enough, be prepared for the change in footing. I actually stumbled a bit at that point and then gave a quick look around to see if anyone noticed. Oh yeah, it's the finish line, there are several thousand people there, and yes, they noticed. To rub salt into that would, my name was read by the race announcer as I crossed the finish line. Now everyone knows my name - you know "that guy that almost fell." That said, don't expect any glamorous photos at the finish line, and yes, there are photographers there to capture your special moment. I would suggest positioning yourself for more favorable action shots from the photographers elsewhere throughout the course. If you're into the bling, you'll appreciate the finisher's medal. Though smaller than many of my other medals, it's still pretty cool and has a fancy ribbon (I'm big on a nice ribbon - details man). This year's race was met with an absolute clear sky and a nice cool morning air that was perfect for running. That's part of the reason why I waited a week to post this. I wanted to wait and come off of my high from the race so I could give a better thought out perspective. My only real knock on this event is with the limited expo. Though at the beach in Capitola (which is cool), there weren't a lot of vendors. And of those that were there, many were advertising other races. Also, the packet pick up is kind of a pain. Considering the time of year, the weather is warming and more people are headed to the beach. So the seemingly simple task of parking your car to pick up your gear can become quite adventurous. Also, being from the San Jose area, it's inconvenient to have to make that drive just to pick up my bib. I will offer this though: Did I see a packet pick up on race day? I'm pretty sure there was a table that was staffed with WAY too many volunteers that was for race day pick ups. If that's the case, then please ignore my earlier complaint. To sum this up, think of the little things that you dislike about Wharf To Wharf and imagine those things no longer being an issue. Imagine not having to deal with parking and those damn bus lines! Imagine a race where there are only a fraction of the runners that are in Wharf To Wharf. I'm not sure. Now that I think about this, I like the race the way it is. Maybe I'm shooting myself in the foot here by providing a Yelp review and drawing more attention to it. Maybe I don't want too many people knowing about this. Maybe I don't want it to lose its charm by becoming more popular and bigger. I'm conflicted.

A friend referred me to this shop as she had taken the Open Water Dive Program with them and…read morethoroughly enjoyed it. She said the instructor made her feel safe and helped her feel confident with her abilities in the water. I couldn't agree more. Steve is an excellent teacher/coach, and just a kind/patient human overall :) . I was deathly afraid of the mask removal underwater and Steve's calm approach helped me get over that fear. This shop truly puts safety as it's number one priority and I'm so glad to have found them. I'm thinking to take my advance class here as well now that I'm addicted to the sport and truly feel confident and safe in my abilities.

California Ocean Adventures is a FANTASTIC dive school and shop!!!…read more I researched a lot of dive schools before choosing this one. I was primarily looking to obtain my open water certification with a school who has a low student to teacher ratio. I also needed a patient instructor, as I was a bit challenged in the Discovery Scuba class I took in Maui. I drove down to Santa Cruz to buy the required mask, snorkel, fins, gloves, and booties for my upcoming certification. Both Brian and Steve suggested gear and gave me options that would meet my individual needs. I was very happy with my purchase. Brian, the instructor and owner exceeded my exceptions. He went above and beyond in so many ways! He was super patient, extremely encouraging, and made my dives very memorable!! Brian sets the class pace and learning to meet the students needs. Not only did we practice the skills needed for the certification, but we spent time on the dive just exploring and having fun! I highly recommend this place for all your scuba needs!!!

May 16, 2010. My Mom's 47th birthday.. and the day I did my first cycling event. Although we woke…read moreup to some dreary, cold weather.. we still were down to complete this event. It sprinkled a bit but thankfully stopped by the time we arrived for check in. We got our ride started at 8:30am. Several uphill climbs.. many little hills.. lots of strawberry fields. Hence the name, Strawberry Fields Forever. So cute.. We met a lot of nice folks along the way who were friendly, caring, helpful, and supportive. Many people would ask us if we were ok while we were stopped on the side waiting for others who happened to get separated from us which was really kind. I saw lots of older folks with some nice, stylish bikes! Actually, most of the people doing the event had pretty bikes! Makes me want to pretty up mine too =) For my first time, I found that the event was not organized so well. But being that it IS my first event, I don't know what else to compare it to so I'm only docking one point. We checked in at a parking lot near Pajaro Valley HS because the HS got full.. but we weren't able to pick up the shirts we bought since it was at the HS. Also, we weren't told about the colored arrows on the road at all.. so when our map blew away, we somehow got onto the 65 mile trail (following the large group of people) and that cut into our trip an extra 20 minutes or so. Luckily, we ran into other cyclists who were kind enough to give us the map but then told us about the colored arrows spray painted on the road. We didn't really need the map now that we knew about them.. but it was still handy in telling us how much further we had to go. After we completed the 25 mile ride, we had ONE last uphill battle to face before we were able to grab lunch at the HS. We were super happy to be nearing the finish, but our tired thighs could just barely handle the last little surprise climb to the HS. At the high school, they served a nice lunch of chicken, several salads, brown rice, beans, juice, and fresh strawberries with chocolate and whip cream. Later on in the day when the other cyclists doing the 65 mile ride had finished, they had massage chairs set up in the cafeteria ($1/min) where we were eating as well as other interesting set-ups. I got to touch a newt and a golpher snake from this nice man's informational table. I think it was a program for HS kids. Overall, I enjoyed my first cycling event and only wished the weather was a little warmer. Perhaps if the sun peaked out a bit from behind the clouds.. but there's always next year! PS. They had 25 miles, 65 miles, and 100 miles ride options. Hopefully I'll be ready for the 65 next year!

San Diego (and the San Diego Yacht Club) was very fortunate to host the marine research vessel;…read moreDerek M. Baylis at the mooring docks this past weekend. The 65' "Prius of Boating" paid a visit as it's final stop on it's tour of coastal southern California ports. Sponsored by both public and private grants, the DMB boat carried members of Sea Life Conservation group. Sea Life Conservation is a non-profit based in northern California that is "committed to conservation of the oceans and educational outreach." Program Director of Sea Life Conservation Dave Robinson said: "The need to learn more about the types of marine debris and their origins is critical to furthering our understanding of the threat it poses to our oceans." Sea Life Conservation was a guest at the Surfrider Chapter meeting held in UTC's Founders Hall on Wednesday, November 18th, and did a presentation on marine pollution-with a specific emphasis on plastics debris. The film that was shown featured the remnants of a stomach from a Midway Island sea gull and the entire cavity was full of bottle caps, cigarette lighters and various pieces of plastic. It was heartbreaking to see what man is doing to the oceans. The full house of Surfrider members and volunteers were of course-aghast and vowed to step up our "Say No to Plastics" campaign even more. As a thank you, Sea Life Conservation took aboard on the Derek M. Baylis vessel, a group of Surfrider members and volunteers for a sailing adventure on Sunday, November 22. We sailed out of the beautiful San Diego Yacht Club and specifically were looking for marine debris and trash. Also surveying general ocean and bay cleanliness. Once something was spotted floating-it's coordinates are entered and stored for future research. The first thing we spotted turned out to be organic and biodegradable-it was a dead bird! Next-a false alarm..just some seaweed! Finally-some trash! A floating red bottle cap. Determined by an experienced guest to have come from some kind of expensive whiskey bottle-we at last had proof of H20 malfeasance! Otherwise the water here looked pretty good. The sailboat unfurled her lovely sails and we made haste for the seas off Kellogg Beach, Shelter Island, Harbor Island, and North Island-where we came upon the Navy research dolphins frolicking free as they do when they are let out of the Navy pens in the afternoons. Also spotted: a tall ship sailing regally on our port side-many pics were snapped of that lovely boat! The Sea Life group graciously provided some cheese, salami, and crackers plus refreshing Italian sodas for their guests and regaled us with tales of their environmental exploits on the high seas of the California coast! The Derek M. Baylis -a quiet, high-tech sailing boat has welcomed aboard over 10,000 people to it's decks over the past 4 years. They host a lot of school groups-as these are the minds that need to be reached since they stand to unfortunately inherit many of the marine problems that are rearing up on us today. Sea Life Conservation is a very worthy group and Surfrider members and volunteers feel very lucky to have made their acquaintance. Please support their most valuable work.

I signed up for my Advanced PADI course through SF Scuba Schools and ended up with John from Carmel…read moreBay Divers. We spent the weekend in Monterey with a cozy class of 3 students. For the Advanced course, Saturday was a long but low-stress 8am-10pm day, and Sunday was 8:30am-3pm -- including time for meals and chillaxing. -Before the course:- I was nervous about various things including buoyancy skills, night diving, not getting enough attention from the instructor, getting too cold in the freezing Monterey waters, and falling behind everyone else in terms of skills. By the end, I wasn't worried about any of the above. -About the instructor:- John was insanely helpful, attentive, and experienced, and made me feel at ease the entire weekend. His down-to-earth attitude and humor definitely kept me going through the difficult sections of the class. -Before each dive:- John made sure that we understood exactly what we were going to do. He was always happy to answer my overly-abundant questions, and gave excellent instruction on what to do underwater, from the technical aspects to the emotional/mental ones (Settle down. Think warm thoughts. Fun is mandatory!). -During the dives:- I finally got properly weighted during our buoyancy checks, and IT FEELS SO GOOD! My buoyancy skills improved dramatically over the weekend. John was incredibly patient underwater. When I messed up one of the underwater navigation skills, he helped me through it again and helped me adjust where I went wrong the first time. Night diving was my biggest fear going into the course, and I wasn't even scared going into the pitch black ocean with John at my side. The ocean life is completely fascinating at night, and I'm excited to say that I'm not (as) scared of that crazy dark ocean abyss! -Between dives:- We had plenty of time to warm up, and I never once felt rushed. He even brought a tub of warm water for us to pour into our suits afterwards. -Last thoughts:- If you're looking to take any kind of scuba certification class, John is your go-to guy. I feel so much more confident in my diving skills after this past weekend. Already looking into taking another course with him (probably dry-suit because I'm a weenie when it comes to cold water). Thanks dude!!

WOW - what can I say?? If you are researching places to get PADI certified- GO HERE!!! Stop your…read moresearch now or you'll be sorry! The company is run by John Foxhall, a master diver with over 30 years of not only diving experience, but TEACHING experience. Other places may have similar COST, but they will guaranteed have a sub par experience. John is incredibly patient and compassionate for all his students. He is passionate about diving and ensures you not only have the skills required by PADI, but FUN IS MANDATORY. :) He is very accommodating to personal anxieties (of which I had no shortage), injuries/sore muscles (which i also experienced) and fitness levels (I'm average). He also has excellent equipment for rental and purchase and can explain the differences between bottom shelf, middle and top shelf products. My husband and I used John's course to prepare for a dive in the Cayman Islands and even though we will be "first-time" divers there, we feel confident we could keep up and/or lead among other divers. John has taken our skill sets from zero to extreme confidence in our ability! *****GRAB YOUR DIVE BUDDY AND A COUPLE OF FRIENDS AND GET CERTIFIED HERE.****** Also, if you are looking to take your basic certification to the next level, you want to do it with John. He has too much knowledge to keep all to himself!! Also, if you are averse to cold conditions, John has frequent certification classes further South which is also something the other places will not offer you. Can't recommend highly enough. Thank you John ad Carmel Bay Divers!!!

Jessica does such a great job with the kids. We've had two of our children attend both classes and…read morecamps at Community Mountain Gym, and they've had nothing but positive experiences. She's patient, encouraging, and knows how to make learning new skills fun while helping kids build confidence. You can tell she genuinely cares about the kids and has created a welcoming environment for families. We're really lucky to have a place like this in our community, and I highly recommend it.

Nice little place and the guy behind the counter went out of his way to help me. Great business to…read moresupport vs online or cheap big box.

I was stoked they had the fish stringer I've been looking for. Nice and hot looking tender that…read morehelp me too.