I want to start off by saying that I am so proud of myself for not giving up and accomplishing this…read morechallenging task. I want to say the cost of my training was $499 total. There was a special going on online for the spring weeks, and let me tell you, it was too good to pass up! Everywhere else was really expensive and did not include dive gear. I was lucky because I was supposed to get certified a month before I started with BLA, so I already had open water approved dived gear that I bought at a local dive shop. The only thing I needed from BLA was booties because I wanted an extra pair. Class days were from 8am-5pm and they cover EVERYTHING! It is a very thorough class and if you get Spencer, you'll be glad to know he is upbeat, light-hearted, and detailed. (I can only speak for my instructor this is not to say no one else is.) The pool days are challenging because you are toting your gear, but this is what builds strength, endurance, mental stimulation, and lets face it, RESPONSIBILITY. You are responsible for all of your things, so get used to carrying it. On beach days, I had my husband drive and carry my tanks for me to ease any extra stress, they didn't mind, but on pool days, I did it all myself. I want to give a special thank you to Nathan, dive master who was just as poised, supportive, and informative as my dive instructor. We had fun on beach days. 2nd day was better than the first. The sun eas out, better visibility, we saw a horn shark, I saw a lobster chillin by himself in the sand. It was great! I appreciate how professional and composed my dive Instructor, Spencer was under the water, that can't be easy. He was rather hard on us, but it's because he wants us to master the skills and really understand everything there is to know. Scuba diving is fun, but should be taken seriously when learning the ins, outs, hows, and whats. It is a guaranteed work out! No kidding. Hydrate and take food with you. Eat lost of bananas, I drank protein shakes on my beach days. I am proud to say I started my training April 1st, and received my open water diver certification April 14th. I am not here to pretend like this was easy, it wasn't, but it wasn't impossible either. It can be done if you ask questions, pay attention, and don't give up. Remember: once you are certified is a lifetime accomplishment, so get it done! The hardest part for me was the cold water San Diego had to offer! Thank you Beyond Land Adventures, I look forward to taking some more dive courses with you. I recommend this shop if you are trying to get the full experience and be comfortable with diving after training. They're very informative and are passionate about what they do.

Our experience with Beyondland Adventures was unfortunately a mixed bag that left us unable to…read morecomplete our dives that weekend. The pool day was a great start. Daphna was attentive, supportive, and helped us have a successful day of pool dives -- we felt like we were in good hands. The one hiccup was that the wetsuit provided to my fiancé for the pool session had gaping holes in the knees. By the end of the weekend, my partner wasn't sure whether more pool time would be needed before moving on to the ocean dives. To feel comfortable about the upcoming dive she checked in advance to confirm that the ocean dive suit would be a different one -- not the damaged pool suit. We were assured it would be. Come Friday evening, we arrived at the shop to pick up gear ahead of Saturday's ocean dives, only to find that the wetsuit set aside for us was the same pool suit with holes. When we raised the issue and asked about viable fixes, things quickly went sideways. Skyler seemed overwhelmed and unable to work through a solution with us. Mid-conversation -- while we were still actively discussing options -- Skyler walked away, leaving us standing there confused and disheartened. Emotions ran high, so we stepped away to collect ourselves. I went back in trying to find a moment of Skylar's time to help bring acknowledgement to the feelings that arose. It seemed at first we would get to have that but I then at a moment things changed and we didn't get to solve it then and things got busy. I waited patiently hoping for a moment to come but it never did. At the end of the day after waiting hours I could share the issue in more detail and how it escalated, but left feeling unheard about the issue when explanation of issue was responded with retorts of how I might handle things. I did my best to make it a constructive conversation still aiming for a solution - but the experience was disheartening and the point was reached that nothing was going to work. Unfortunately we didn't complete the weekend dives with the gear and the experience on Friday detracted from the whole thing. I do want to give credit to Daphna, who stepped in afterward to help us arrange things so we could still get certified on our upcoming trip. She reached out and was responsive to concerns and ultimately wanted us to enjoy the activity of Scuba diving wherever that would be.

House of Scuba is awesome! My wife and I came here for our Open Water Diver certs, and got our…read morerental gear from TJ. He was super-knowledgeable and friendly, and recommended some masks for purchase that worked perfectly. Shout-outs to Brandy and Vicky as well for all the assistance on air fills and rental gear return. Our instructors Ken and Michael were awesome, great mix of light-hearted banter and excellent serious instruction. Went from being somewhat anxious at the start of the pool days to feeling fairly confident by the end of the ocean dives. Learned a ton and really appreciated all the advice and expertise. If you're looking to get into scuba diving, this is the place to do it!

2 years ago they gladly took my late 1970s aluminum alloy tank and charged me nearly $90 to hydro…read moretest, give me a new valve, and fill it. I've come to find out that for nearly 20 years these type of tanks have been unserviceable. They essentially just stole that money and proved multiple people in that store do not care about your safety.

I felt extremely confident with Zach. I'm a pretty rookie diver and he taught me everything I…read moreneeded to execute my first shore dive right off the bat. Thorough, sharp, and found us all the best animals. I would recommend coming into this dive with a little more experience than me (I'd only done 2 dives before this) if you want to fully take in all the animals. I struggled with trim and buoyancy bit in the surge and I'd love to do it all over again knowing what I know now. Either way, incredible experience and Zach is absolutely the man to do it with. Also, ask him about reggae.

I can't recommend Zach's Scuba Shack highly enough…read more Zach is a top-notch scuba guide who knows the La Jolla dive sites like the back of his hand. From the start, he clearly explained the conditions and what to expect. When the day we initially chose turned out to be less than ideal, he was flexible and helped us reschedule for the following day, which ended up being a fantastic dive. His calm, casual demeanor immediately put me at ease, especially since it had been a couple of years since my last dive. Underwater, Zach was attentive and thoughtful, pointing out marine life we absolutely would have missed on our own. The rental gear was also excellent--clean, high quality, and thoughtfully prepared. He even had the correct weight setup ready for each diver, which made the whole experience smooth and professional. As a local, I plan to dive with Zach again to continue learning the area and progress my diving skills. If you're diving in La Jolla, Zach is the person you want guiding you.

This snorkel adventure was awesome! When I called they gave me all the information I could possibly…read moreneed, secured directions, & were very friendly. The day of the tour, everything was explained to our group from equipment to how the tour would run. I enjoyed meeting the new people and had a blast during our tour. Rich was our tour guide who was super knowledgeable and fun. I can't wait to take another tour with this company. Definitely a 10/10!! Oh!! They even took pictures and emailed them to us!! So no need to bring your phone or camera.

Tour guide was knowledgeable and the location was beautiful. I wish we had more time and got to see…read moremore.

Going diving with great white sharks was an absolute dream trip for me, and after a lot of research…read morewe chose San Diego Shark Diving Expeditions for a trip to Guadalupe Island. The booking process / communication was excellent and the trip was absolutely amazing! The staff was wonderful - so happy to answer any questions and share their knowledge, the food was spectacular, and we saw sharks every day! I have so many good memories of the trip, and my husband and I are hoping to go back!

I booked two dives with Doc and his crew and was greatly impressed with the operation…read more From guiding me through how to prepare and what to pack, to meeting us before boarding with gift bags and Shark stories, Doc was there. The crew was fantastic - safety first - Captain, mates, dive masters, all phenomenal but I have to draw special praise to the hostesses and the Chef and galley. They go out of their way to make sure you have the best trip of your life. I loved it so much I did it again next year. Both of my trips we saw lots of sharks and the water was super clear. I highly recommend the trip, it's a magical place to be. https://youtu.be/_zTtB2RjCjQ

This company is the same as Nautilus Liveboards. What a terrible experience!…read more I booked the great white shark cage diving trip off of Guadalupe Island in Aug 2022. I was notified that access to Guadalupe was restricted. Initially, I was understanding when access to Guadalupe was restricted, and Nautilus allowed me to rebook for August 2023. Unfortunately, access was again restricted, and this is where my frustration began. Nautilus refused to allow me to reschedule for the following year, offering instead to apply my deposit ($900) to one of their other trips, however none of the alternatives provided a similar experience. When I requested a refund of my deposit, I was informed that I needed to speak with President Mike Lever and the only means of contacting him was via email. Despite multiple emails, I received absolutely no response from Mr. Lever. Attempts to follow up by phone resulted in vague responses from the staff, promising to remind Mike Lever to respond. This lack of communication and transparency was not only unprofessional but also left me feeling ignored and mistreated as a customer. To escalate the matter, I involved the Department of Consumer Protection from my state, hoping to find a resolution. Nautilus's response, through their attorney, was dismissive and unhelpful, essentially claiming that my state had no jurisdiction and I had no right to a refund. I am not one to leave negative reviews, but this experience has left me deeply disappointed and frustrated. It is disheartening to encounter a company that not only fails to deliver the promised services but also evades communication and appears to keep deposits without providing any reasonable alternatives or solutions. I sincerely hope that Nautilus Liveboards takes customer concerns seriously and addresses these issues properly. I caution others to think twice before considering doing business Nautilus Liveboards or Mike Lever. They appear to now being conducting business under SharkDiver.com to avoid the negative press/reviews from so many that they have stolen money from.

Diving with the great whites EXCEEDED my expectations! It was an adrenaline filled vacation seeing…read morethese mighty sharks in action. The crew aboard was fantastic - knew all of our names by the first day as well as our preferences for hot drinks, meal orders, etc. And they were helpful getting us into and out of the cages safely and quickly. The Great Whites put on a dramatic show and having a marine biologist and a shark conservationist aboard deepened our understanding and experience. I highly recommend Shark Diver for a thrill of a lifetime!

I absolutely LOVED my trip to Guadalupe Island on Horizon Charters! It was a once in a lifetime…read moreepic adventure that I intend to repeat. Everything about the trip was perfectly coordinated. The owner called ahead of time to make sure I was all set for my trip to San Diego. Upon arriving at the dock, we were warmly greeted and handed a cold beer. The crew were friendly and knowledgeable. The food was great. The beer was cold and plentiful. We saw tons of Great White Sharks. One day we had eight circling the boat at the same time! The crew who run this charter are professionals. I felt safe the entire time and I had a blast. This trip is five stars all the way. I highly recommend Horizon Charters!

Had the pleasure of spending a long weekend with Horizon Charters on San Clemente Island. Amazing…read morefirst liveaboard experience! Captains Spencer and Cary ran a fantastic ship. Our Divemasters were Will and Frank, Crew Cameron, Tias, and Russ, and last but not least we had Shea and Laura making delicious food in the galley. I had no idea what to expect since this was the first time I spent the night on a boat. Needless to say I was totally blown away! Horizon has everything you could possibly need from comfy bunks to a wonderful staff and a dryer right onboard. Everyone was extremely attentive and friendly which was helpful for a newbie. I felt completely at ease throughout the trip, especially getting in and out of the water. Nitrox fills were anywhere from 29-31% and they even filled my tank for whatever my next dive may be! Some of my favorite dive sites on the trip were Inside Boiler, The Arch, Petter's Wall and Twin Peaks. I'll upload a few photos, as well. Thank you so much for an awesome trip, Horizon Charters! Looking forward to my next trip with you (hopefully soon!)

I booked through their website and liam our guide called us a day beforehand to learn more about…read moreour diving history and made ME feel very comfortable in the water since it's been 2yrs since I've really dove. Liam explained everything thoroughly: what to do when we lose sight of him, hand signals, gear set up and break down, how the day would play out, and BWARF Great leadership and guides at La Jolla Dive

Two goods dives with Julian who was very knowledgeable, helpful and very patient…read more Highly recommended.