RC Scuba Center, Rialto

Coral reefs seem to sway across the ocean floor, where purple starfish rest and large manta rays soar gracefully through the water overhead. When founder of RC Scuba Center Jeanne Whelchel set out on her first dive in 1975, this is the sort of vista she wished to see for herself. Today, with more than 8,000 dives in both cold and tropical waters under her belt, she opens oceanic exploration up to the masses. Her PADI-certified courses have certified more than 2,000 studnets and let the curious take their first breath underwater, the experienced work their way to master scuba diver, and the fugitive live the rest of their lives as fish. Aside from instruction, she and her staff of licensed instructors also organize dive charters, giving adept divers the opportunity to plunge the depths at nearby sites such as San Diego’s Wreck Alley or far-off locales such as the Red Sea.