Solid dive shop in southern CA. Can't recommend this place enough, the dive masters are the perfect balance of cool and informative. The dive at shaws cove is cool too! read more

Had a bad experience at the Dana Point location but John here was able to help me out. To be honest, after dealing with the Dana Point location, I was on the fence about continuing to do business with this company at all. But John was patient, courteous and knowledgeable and was able to help me out just in time for my trip. Next time I'm coming here instead of Dana Point! read more

A friend and I stopped in on our bike packing trip to do a couple of shore dives. Walked in hoping we could rent some gear and store our bikes. Employee said there was no where they could store our bikes. I felt like this employee didn't even try to see if they could make something work. I can't rate the dive experience but the lack of effort from this employee in finding a possible solution was unfortunate. read more

Another great experience at Beach City Scuba! This time for my son. He had a great overall experience. Pool skills with Sarah and Wes was phenomenal! Two days of beach dives with Forest, amazing! He had a great time. Everyone was as always superb. John and Perry are easy to work with. The entire staff is top notch. I highly recommend this for anyone who is looking for a quality experience. read more

Beach Cities Scuba - Scuba Diving Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Highly recommended! 5 stars. Let's first start with service since that can be a very passive thing in most of today's business encounters. Allie, the manager on site was phenomenal! So helpful.. so sweet.. and knows her stuff! She not only helped get us equipped with the best rental equipment for a day of free diving --- but she also recommended prime locations, safety precautions and sent us off with good luck on our way out the door -- Thx so much! Great scuba shop with gear you need led by a great team. read more

These guys are outright dangerous the way they walk you into big surf on your first dive, go somewhere else where they have a boat.

I've come off and on to this location for going on two decades, even before it was beach city scuba. I've taken at least one course with them since beach city scuba took over and bought some equipment as well. Their course was good and the staff is friendly. This weekend we went by to get some equipment for a friend to dive shaws cove and they were very helpful. read more

Getting certified scuba diving felt intimidating but I'm glad I used Beach Cities Scuba! I visited both the HB and Laguna Beach location and they were very helpful with picking out gear, swapping out masks, etc. Chob helped me figure out which classes to book online considering I'm doing partially open water dives in another country. I was teamed up with Sarah for a one on one instruction for the day and she was very patient, so, so kind, and took all my anxieties away. I am so appreciate of her and her knowledge and patience. Great experience overall and highly recommend. read more

Beach Cities Scuba - Ready for the pool day. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

I did my pool dives and open water dives here for my certification. They have excellent instructors here and I feel like I received solid training. Shout out to Paul and Chob. This is a first class outfit with very knowledgeable people. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Beach Cities for certifications and competitive pricing on gear. read more

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Long over due review. I did my ITC with Rob Elmes and Tim Bontraeger, it was a tough but fun program 22 years later, here we are! It's always a pleasure to drop by, although it's been a few years now. Now that I've retired from my regular job, I'm back to teaching scuba now at a dive center near me, living the dream. Who doesn't want to chase fish and blow bubbles for a retirement job? I sure do. Although I can't help but be jealous that you guys get to live at the beach. I miss that. Thanks for everything guys. It's been a blast! Awesome memories. Dennis D. NAUI 41667 read more

Some friends were in town and needed snorkels and masks. Retailers like Dick's have them in blister packs so you can't try them on. Also they have very limited selection and pretty much no expertise. This scuba shop was top notch in every way, with similar pricing for a superior product. The salesman, who may have been the owner was tops. I'm a NAUI certified diver. Believe me. read more

Fantastic! I just got my open water certification and was so nervous, but the dive instructors are super nice and just want u to have fun!! Shout out to Megan and Dave yall we're great! 10/10 recommend read more

The diving instructors are great! props to D.J. / Carlos and his son Chuck. They made sure the entire class was safe and understood what the instructions where in order to be PADI certified. read more

I was looking to go snorkeling, found this place and the owner was very helpful recommend me a mask that wasn't so pricey (since I had left mine home in TN) and made sure I was comfortable with all my rental equipment. I will definitely bring my wife in in the winter season. read more

I came here looking for snorkel gear. The manager was rude and unfriendly. He kept pushing me to buy expensive items which I didn't want. He seems only interested in divers who spend lots of money. I left and went to Ocean Gear in Huntington Beach, where I found what I wanted. They were much friendlier than this guy in Laguna! Next time, I'll go to Ocean Gear. read more

I had my first open water diving class last weekend. It was by far one of the most stressful experiences in my life. As soon as we were in the water, my mask was knocked away by the wave and while I was trying my hardest to fight the wave and fix my mask back to my face, the instructor was yelling: "Get In! Let's go! Let's go! You gotta get in!". At the same time, in the midst of chaos, it didn't occur to me I should inflate my BCD so I was sinking every second in the water. Finally, I had enough and signaled to the instructor that I'm getting out of the water. And while pulling myself out of the water toward all the curious eyes on the beach, I can hear: "Get out! Get out!" repeatedly behind me. I failed the class. Waiting at the shoreline for the class to finish, I had a lot of time to reflect on what just happened. I'm comfortable with the pool dives and I swim nearly every week at 24hr gym. However, it was my first time diving in open (deep) water with all the elements and my mask was knocked off and all these factors contributed to my sudden panic attack. I was embarrassed and distressed and truly believe if the instructor gave me a little time to acclimate myself and support I would have completed the class. I reached out via email and was told private class cost additional few hundreds. I asked if there's an instructor that has a student with a similar experience that could help me but the question was ignored. At this time, I'm still debating what I should do next or to just simply drop the scuba diving once and for all. I'll update this post if I decide to go further but no doubt the experience has left me dejected. read more

The poor customer service here was a big turn off. I love snorkeling and wanted to invest in my own gear - did some research and was interested in finding a particular brand with some specific features but the older gentleman, David, who was there wasn't very welcoming at all. Came in mid afternoon on a Wednesday. Here's how our conversation went: "Hi, do you have any snorkel gear?" (Shouts from down the hallway) "Yup, over there Cheapest set is $69." We tried to initiate a conversation and asked for other masks but he deflected and without ever walking down to help us, simply said - other masks are over there, starts off at $100 in a really dismissive tone. We were more interested in a mask's features as opposed to the pricing but he seemed uninterested and unwilling to help. Would have loved to support a local dive shop/business but just didn't feel welcome at all. Update (This is a response to the business's response): Thank you for the response, David. Unfortunately, covid and social distancing guidelines still don't explain the poor, dismissive and rude customer service. The associate was 40 feet away from me. He could have still provided service from where he was 40 feet away from me. I think it's especially important for patrons to frequent small businesses in their community during covid. If dismissive and unfriendly customer service is standard practice for your establishment during covid, then what stops patrons from simply going to Amazon instead? read more

Small scuba shop PERFECTLY located 1-block away from Shaw's Cove making tank refills a breeze after your done diving. Their main focus is scuba training, and they do a lot of it, so they don't carry a wide selection of items in their shop if your looking to browse, but they can always order anything you need, if this is your local area shop. I always stop here to grab air refills on every dive in Laguna. read more

Just completed my scuba certification here. If you're a first timer, Beach Cities Scuba are outstanding. First and foremost they are super responsive to emails and messages. They made everything fun while making sure you are ready to dive with an emphasis on safety. Special kudo's to Perry and Dave. read more

I normally don't leave reviews, but I couldn't resist. BEST. EXPERIENCE. EVER. I was fortunate enough to get certified at Beach Cities Laguna under the direction of instructor Josh and wow was he amazing! Josh is thorough, patient, knowledgeable, professional, and a grade A individual. He has three objectives: 1) be safe 2) get certified 3) have fun and he sure delivers all three...especially the fun! I have already enlisted a number of friends to get certified by him! Overall, great experience! Thank you :) read more

This shop used it be awesome 6 - 8 yrs ago. The service steadily gone down. $10 for 2500 psi air fills expensive items don't have their information updated (web 6 pm) it's practically summer and they are closed at 5 pm. Even if sports chalet is closed these guys dropped the ball. Plenty of other worthy options out there. read more

Beach Cities Scuba - At least take the time to update your info. I'll gladly pay $15 air fills and equipment from others that deserve it. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Tldr; Laguna Sea Sports has changed my life and gave me a new found confidence and love for the ocean. They believed in me before I even believed in myself--I am forever loyal to the entire team at this dive shop. If you want to be fish, too, come and be transformed! They are the BEST! --------------------------- Let you tell you my story for a moment. I went 26 years of my life being deathly afraid of water. Most of my life, pretty much every experience has been negative since I didn't know how to swim, or swim well--I drowned at every opportunity. Beginning of last year, I had barely learned how to swim and several of my friends decided to go to their favorite dive shop--Laguna Sea Sports (BCS)--for their group dive. I decided to go with my friends to see what it was like to scuba dive. The idea of scuba diving seemed so out of reach for someone like me. I love the water, don't get me wrong, but I thought you had to have some amazing water skills to dive, and.... I had the worst anxiety when getting into the water--like a grown ass woman crying cause she's in a 5 foot pool kinda anxiety. So here is where Laguna Sea Sports changed my life. My friends went to Laguna Sea Sports for their dive at Shaw's Cove. While they were doing their dive, I met Chob. He told me he will work with me to help me improve my swimming skills. So I got into the pool, since I had some time to kill, and he had be tread water a bit. He saw how anxious I was, but stayed with me the whole time--coaching and talking to me the entire time. As time progressed, he told me that I was almost done with the required time I needed to tread water for my OW Certification. Okay... Maybe I can do this... So pretty much, one fear after another, him and the staff at this location helped me through it--countless hours in the pool to help me work on my swimming, to helping me improve my hovering skills underwater. They were there for me all the way. Chob and Perry are AMAZING--they are the wonderful PADI course directors that runs this place. They are the heart of this place and I don't think I could been in better hands. Along with them are many of the instructors that work here that I also can't thank enough--like Mike, David, Seth, Max, Brittany, Carlos, etc etc! ... Haven't been instructed by all the instructors, but all the ones I've worked with and encountered were nothing shy of exceptional. These people know what they are doing! Apart from the instructional aspect of Laguna Sea Sports/BCS, I fully support my local dive shop here since Chob knows what he's doing. I, admittedly, have questioned it before, only to be humbled by it... (lol). Whether it's questioning the dive conditions to which gear I need to buy, I know I will get an honest answer that's straight to the point. I bought all my dive gear at this shop! He works with my budget and recommends what is reasonable, and I know that the prices will be competitive. All in all, honest people with unquestionably high standards. This will forever be my go-to dive shop! Thank you for all that you do for me! read more

Excellent team! We had to buy scuba gear for my daughter and they were super helpful to help us figure out what we needed. We ended up buying a lot of items and never once felt pressured to buy more than we needed. We will definitely be going back and making this our local scuba chop. read more

I had a Hawaii trip booked for mid-April and wanted to go scuba diving there. Came here in March to start the whole process of getting certified. It took me a while to actually finish the certification because I had a lot of issues equalizing, even in the pool. They assured me I would be able to get certified before my trip once I was medically cleared. Since I had issues equalizing I had to redo dives. It was frustrating, to say the least. However, the staff was wonderful & very helpful, they did everything they could to make sure I succeeded. Literally got certified 3 days before my flight left. Because of their help, everything came together & my trip was absolutely amazing. Thank you Chob and Dave!! Highly recommend this location. read more

Brittany Lockhart was the best local dive guide we could have asked for! She woke up bright and early on a Tuesday morning at 6am to show us around Shaw's Cove! It was the best way to start the day! She was a super confident guide and she even found us an octopus!!!! It was such a bonus going out with her as she knew where to find all the cool marine life like moray eels, stingrays and nudibranches. 100% recommend! read more

Got my scuba certification here and it was great. My instructors, Chob and Brittany, made the process fun and easy. Highly recommended.

I just got PADI certified and lobster season is right around the corner! Beach Cities Scuba was very accommodating and made the training easy. Sarah was my instructor throughout the process (pool, Shaw's Cove and on the Riviera boat) and she was amazing! She was very informative and knowledgeable about scuba diving. She always kept a positive attitude and had tons of patience. Looking forward to my new hobby. read more

I recently completed a class with Beach Cities at Shaw's Cove. Their staff was attentive and professional. Brittany was a patient and thorough instructor and Lauren was a gem. She actually carried my tank to the beach for me and was there after the dive to carry up whatever I needed. It was only the weights, but I am certain that had I asked, she would have carried everything up for me. And bless her for never mentioning that her concern was due to my age. They have put together a quality program and I look forward to diving with Beach Cities again in the near future. read more

The only dive shop close to Laguna Beach to buy, rent, and fill tanks for diving. Rental is more expensive than many places I've been to ($90 for everything, $30 for aluminum tank). Time to get my own stuff!!! Bought several items here and left satisfied. Rented just fins here which I never used and was refunded. Also, left one brand new dive bootie at the shop and they were kind enough to coordinate with me and send it back via mail. If ever in Laguna, this looks like it would be my go-to. read more

I recently completed my open water certification with Beach Cities and they were top notch the whole way. Scheduling was organized and timely. Also, like a dummy, I had lost my log book but the gentleman at the shop was able to retrieve a photographic copy so that I could still get certified that day. Awesome shop and staff. read more

I want to give a big shout out to Beach Cities Scuba/Laguna Sea Sport. I locked my keys in my car after a recent dive at Shaw's Cove. Beach Cities let me use the phone to call for assistance. I was wet happy with their service and bought an air card as a way of saying thanks, even though I live 100 miles away. It's nice to have dive professionals serving divers. Thanks, Beach Cities for being there for me! read more

This is the place where dreams come true. Where you can learn to breathe underwater in what is seemingly another planet--the sea! When I finally made the decision to earn scuba certification, Laguna Sea Sports/Beach Cities Scuba supported me along the entire journey. From Open Water to 50+ dives later, I've had such a positive and exciting under their watch. I am now Rescue Diver certified, but not without the utter gratitude towards the dive shop team--Chob, Rob, Chase, Paul, B etc! Without their knowledge, expertise, kindness, and conscientiousness, I would not be the strong diver I feel that I am today. When you sign up, they give you the material you need to take the courses and prepare for the pool/ocean dives. The instructors both in the classroom and in the water were awesome, had a sense of humor, and kept the course fun and educational along the way. The beach dives are a bit tricky as you have to acclimate to carrying what feels like a ton of weight (but was actually ~60 lbs) up and down the stairs to the beach in a wetsuit! There's also the option for a boat dive where you're well-taken care of and hauling a bunch of weight around isn't an issue. Though beach dives or not, it's totally worth it when you get wet. It certainly feels like a different world underwater, and the skills you will learn offer your neurons so much goodness. It's sort of a therapy. As for the gear (this is a pricey activity, so ready your wallets!), I was able to communicate to Chob my needs, goals, and financial limits, and he was so kind to listen, understand, and work with me. He was honest and sincere about gear options, pros and cons, and provided me with the tools I needed to make well-informed decisions. Mind you I absolutely love diving, so I had to have the basics--BCD, wetsuit, mask, snorkel, fins, reg, computer, etc. It took some time to collect all my gear, but I am happy with what I have chosen. All in all, with the support of the team at the shop, I've become a safe diver and am ready for more. The shop is right next to one of the sweetest local dive spots in socal and tanks are always full and ready to rent. This is the spot to dive with friends and munch on a burger across the street in between. I'm happy to have found this shop. And now I pretty much get to live my dream with each dive. read more

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snorkel gear is wayyyy overpriced. You can actually buy your gear at Costco for less than you would rent. (To the Yelp people who took down my last review because it "did not include enough details about my experience as a customer," please be advised that I entered this quaint, corner-side establishment around 11:30 on a partly cloudy June morning to rent snorkel gear to celebrate my 29th birthday at nearby Shaw's Cove. There I was, minding my own business, when a strapping young man with the first hint of facial hair charged me an exorbitant amount of $$$$$ to rent a mask, fins, and a spring wetsuit for myself and a friend to use for a few short hours. I went through with the purchase bc I couldn't very well cancel my birthday, could I? But, AS A CUSTOMER, I was not satisfied. I went home and did an online cost comparison that left me still more dissatisfied. Furthermore, one of the masks broke while we used it. ... Are you happy now, Yelp gods??) read more

The Premier destination for a Scuba Outfitting! Chob, Perry, Max, Seth & Brittany Are True professionals! Perry Is a Master Instructor very Informative & Knowledgeable, I've received two certifications through Laguna Sea Sports. Scheduling was very easy Chob worked with my Schedule organizing excellent diving. When it comes to purchasing equipment Chob will defiantly set you up with optimal gear. read more

Great dive shop! I don't have many dives under my belt and this was my first off shore ocean dive. (My training was in a lake) Josh was awesome, he talked me through everything and showed me all the gorgeous things along the reef. We saw lots of fish, lobsters, eels and even a starfish. I found my dive shop for when I visit Laguna Beach read more

Finally a PADI certified open water diver... ALL THANKS TO THE MOST PATIENT, ENCOURAGING, & VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE Beach Cities Scuba crew. Especially the ones here at the Laguna Beach location. Dive buddy and I were anxious going into our first day of open water dives since it had been 2 months since we finished our classroom and pool courses, our schedules finally allowed us to finally do our open water dives. From scheduling via phone to taking our payments to reserve the boat, Rika was very helpful. She scheduled us for our shore dives on a Saturday, then the boat on Sunday. Fast forward to the day of, showed up before 6AM at the Laguna location and was greeted by our instructor (John Dallaire). We expressed our concerns and told him that we needed a quick refresher since it had been a while. He gladly helped us and went over the basics, the set-up, the hand signals, and etc. When the shop opened, everything was so organized. Our gear bundled in a set tagged with our names. John would brief us with what skills we need to complete for each dive to count before even directing us down to Shaw's Cove. We had one heck of a day... let's just say after having the worst time trying to get past the surf, we were just about ready to throw in the towel. John never gave up on us and kept on encouraging us. He even got one of the other instructors (Anthony) to help us with our fins and get past the surf. Once we were out there, everything was so much easier. Despite all that we went through, body beat and all - we successfully completed OW1&2. So grateful for John & Anthony for helping us get through beach day... and to Chob for cheering us on walking up those stairs from Shaw's Cove with all your gear. Crossfit times 10. LOL. On our way to Dana Harbor for our boat dives, the anxiety was kicking in recalling what we had to go through at the beach. We met with our instructor (Phil Harris), he assured us that these last two dives off the boat are no where near as tough as the beach ones. He is very big on SAFETY. The boat dives are so worth that extra cost! Do yourself a favor and at least do one day on the boat. The Riviera crew are so helpful. They have light breakfast goodies, snacks, hot and cold beverages, and cup noodles on the boat. They have all your gear in a mesh bag, labelled with your name. We had a blast on the boat... except for the seasickness not when it's moving, but when it's anchored and waiting for everyone to get in the water. Instructor tip: Gear up quick, do your buddy checks... & get off the boat. I felt so much better being in the water. Dramamine didn't really do its job for us but Phil was so patient and encouraging. He really makes sure you do all the drills correctly and that everyone is within reaching distance from him. We loved hearing his diving stories. He even showed us photos of some trips. Everyone on the boat was just so fun and supportive of each other. Another instructor (Bill?) kept going around making sure we were all enjoying our time out there. My only concern was the space on the boat, we we're cramped shoulder to shoulder and had to take turns setting up and getting our gear on but other than that, everything was perfect. We finished OW3&4 that day and couldn't be happier, forreal. Now we can't wait to go explore more places under water! Will definitely recommend this company to anyone that's looking into getting their PADI certification. You will be well taken cared of. P.S. Don't forget to bring CASH on your OW dives. You'd want to thank the boat crew and your instructors for all that they do. read more

I love that Laguna Sea Sports is open early at 6 am on both Saturdays and Sundays! I needed to have my tank filled so I could do a morning dive & they helped me out. Thanks! read more

Chob is really fantastic. I had a tight deadline and Chob was able to get me in, trained, and out over a long weekend. I feel very prepared to dive and attribute that to Beach Cities Scuba and Chob! Overall, such a great school. read more

Professional and friendly. My son and I had a great dive today. Perry was helpful getting us booked, checked in and setup with rental gear. Josh was a great guide and showed us both a ton below the surface. He took the time to ensure we enjoyed it and clearly loves his job. Highly recommended. read more

Amazing service! Fixed my gear for free!! Great vibes and awesome store with everything you need