Larry and his team are absolutely top-notch. They have amazing. Customer service are extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Please don't get confused with the previous owners chris and Lazarus, who were terrible and brought the channel is scuba name down. Thankfully, Larry and his team have brought it back to the original standard that Mike who started the company always provided and wanted. I cannot recommend this dive shot more high highly thank you guys. read more

This place is not just going out of business, it is gone. Their website says they are having a going out of business sale and they list their hours of operation. Too late. I went there today and it is closed. Shame. You can see through the window there is still merchandise. I was looking forward to buying some of it. Maybe this is why they had to go out of business in the first place. Bad management. read more

Larry and his team are amazing, my 17 yr old son, and his friend, went thru their certification program. The boys enjoyed the training, the dive days, and both became certified. 100% recommend! read more

Channel Islands Scuba - 17 yr old Eagle scouts fulfilling the last item on their boy scouting journey, becoming scuba certified. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

Larry was a great instructor! Very detail oriented and nice to have positive reinforcements during lessons. He's been in the business for about 10 years and is very knowledgeable about scuba diving. He has good ideas for pretty much any question you might have. I would definitely recommend Larry and Channel Islands Scuba if you're interested in lessons. read more

Charged me for a service they did not complete... under the name aquaculture sports. Be Aware of these guys and don't do business with them!

I went in for a o2 tank fill, after I drop off the tank they called me saying the adaptor they had didn't work so they are buying a new one. While this delayed the process a day, they made sure I get the tank back in a timely manner, not to mention they went out of their way to get an adaptor for the type of valve very few people use just to help me out. I really appreciate this business and the guy interacted with me. I think his name is Taylor. read more

I love this shop. Not only are they fully stocked with Scubapro they are super knowledgeable. Lazerus helped me find the perfect setup which I love! I highly recommend this shop for all your diving needs. read more

Channel Islands Scuba - Scuba Diving Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

Larry was our dive instructor we had a private lesson. He was very accommodating with our schedule and patient, we had a time crunch and he made it happen. Cannot recommend this place enough, he helped us get our open water. read more

Jennifer was terrific. Very informative, very nice. Didn't try to "sell" us anything but rather guided us. Even suggested we could shop around if what she had wasn't exactly right. Such honest and integrity seems rare these days. read more

If you want a shop that can help you pick the right gear, discover diving safely and create a sense of self-confidence when diving, then this may be the shop for you. I have been diving with this shop now for a little over a year now and it is thanks to them that I have fell in love with the sport of scuba diving. So much to the point where its an addiction (Warning: can potentially make you sleep on the couch when you decide to go diving with your buddies instead of spending 'quality time' with your significant other... just saying). They helped develop my skills in the pool and provided me with good constructive feedback that made me into a confident diver. They provide only the best equipment in their store and worked with me in regards to the budget I had and not force me to break the bank. I think of them not as salesmen, but experienced guides to the underwater world that you would want by your hip throughout the journey. Lastly, I also continue to dive here due to their frequent trips they provide locally and internationally at the best dive spots. I recommend this shop for first time/new divers who want to experience diving safely and filled with new, exciting and unforgettable memories and old veteran divers who want a shop they can trust. read more

This was a great class for my first ever scuba diving course! They were thorough in the class and allowed us to ask as many questions and to go over anything more in detail when we wanted. The rental gear that is included in the package was great too! read more

See all

If you scuba dive or are interested in scuba diving this is the place to go. I took a refresher course here and left feeling 100% confident in my skills. The owner, Larry, is a great instructor and very knowledgeable. He is patient and through. The location has everything you need for beginners to seasoned divers. When you go, drive around to the rear of the shopping center. The entrance is on the back side of all the other stores. 5 business. read more

I sporadically signed up for the open water scuba certification course during my Funemployment without having any idea of what I was getting into. Lo and behold, I had an incredible 3 weeks learning the ins and outs of open water diving from the folks at Channel Islands Scuba (shoutout the my instructor, mike)! First off, they were extremely helpful and detailed in walking me through every step of my classes including the orientation, choosing gear, throughout 9 classes ending with the final boat trip. Everyone who works there is super friendly and (obviously) super serious and passionate about diving. My instructor Mike was especially good at being taking the class through everything in a pace and format that was comfortable for everyone in our class (everyone was of different ages and fitness too). I always felt safe and secure with him and he made me feel confident as an open water diver. Definitely recommend this program to anyone who is looking to learn scuba! read more

The Open Diver Class was amazing! Great instructors and so much useful info. Laz is so knowledgable about all the gear and really cares about how your gear fits. Instructors are all great and really enjoy what they do. Highly recommend CI Scuba! read more

Channel Islands Scuba - Certification Dive on the Spectre Dive Boat. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

These guys stand by their motto of scuba family. So much so that we are now training to be a family of scuba divers. One member of our family became certified and it was such a rewarding experience that two others are joining her ranks. From the first trepidatious moment walking in not knowing a thing, Laz and Mike were warm and welcoming. They took time to get to know our needs and outfit us correctly. They have passed on their wealth of knowledge with enthusiasm and patience. Customer service like this is rare these days. In fact I'd go so far as to say it's rare for twenty years ago. Nothing short of top notch! I've felt confident and safe the entire time during our certification process and beyond! This experience has generated a love of scuba for our entire family! read more

I can't say enough good words about Larry from Channel Islands Scuba Shop. He was an amazing help to get my refreshment dive prior to my trip to Belize and therefore he made my trip unforgettable. Thank you Larry for your help. I highly recommend Larry and Channel Islands Scuba Shop. You are the best!!! read more

If it bothers you that their receipt says "Let's Go Brandon," THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO DO BUSINESS ANY MORE. Was a 20 year customer, now I will go out of my way to tell people about this. read more

Great people at this family businesses. Mike and Laz are considerate, knowledgeable professionals who took excellent care getting my son certified. He came away skilled, confident, and even more excited about diving than he was going in. I've been diving for 25 years all over the world; rarely do you see such safe, effective, and enthusiastic instructors. Definitely recommend them. read more

Channel Islands Scuba is an excellent shop! I decided to get open water certified and I couldn't have chosen a better place. Dive instructors are patient and helpful! The sign up process is easy and quick. This store carries everything you need to get started in the world of scuba. read more

I have been a customer of CIS for several years. If you are looking for a knowledgeable, professional, and trustworthy shop this is the one for you. Excellent service, great quality gear, and friendly staff make this the place to go for all of your scuba, snorkeling, free diving, and travel needs. read more

I had a hard time choosing a scuba certification company but I'm so happy that I went with Channel Islands Scuba. I knew right off the bat that I was going to be in good hands, I initially met with Lazarus, he went over all the details with me, what to expect and what their process is. My instructor was Tim Coates, a very knowledgeable and experienced diver, man I gotta tell you! He is a very patient man, and a very good instructor overall. There are many scuba companies for you to choose from, make sure you go with CIS. You'll be glad you did. read more

Just finished my final dive on the Spectre today and got scuba certified. Amazing boat crew. Amazing dive masters and dive instructor, Mike, Lazarus and Brett. I can't say enough great things about this whole scuba diving experience--from the first day I walked into the scuba shop to today. If you're looking for a hands-on, informational, rewarding and fun scuba training, there's really (seriously) no better scuba shop to learn from in the entire LA area. read more

Great Dive Shop with friendly staff and amazing instructors. I obtained my open water certification this January. The class was small and personal which was great. Larry Gould is a great instructor and spent his time making sure we were all comfortable in our skills. The beach and boat dive went smoothly and the water was amazing. I highly recommend anyone interested in getting their open water certification to go through Channel Islands Scuba. They will definitely look after you. read more

I wanted to take the time to give a review as I know how often I depend on Yelp business reviews. Channel Islands Scuba is a huge asset and resource for the diving community. I took their Open Water Cert course last month and it was an awesome experience. The shop Owner Mike (who instructed the class) is super knowledgable, experienced, and passionate (obsessed! lol) with diving. They don't just try to sell you stuff, they genuinely have a community of divers who even get together monthly for special dive related speakers, to plan dives, all while enjoying a BBQ. Looking forward to doing more with them! :-) read more

Just finished my open water scuba certification with Channel Islands Scuba and had a great time. I purchased the groupon deal they had and was able to easily get enrolled in the next class which was small with only 5 people. For certification we had 2 classroom and pool sessions, a beach dive, and a boat dive off Apa Capa island - in three weekends we were certified and had swam with a sea lion, stared a sheepshead fish in the face, and kicked my way through plenty of kelp. Very knowledgeable and helpful instructors with years of training and in depth insight into the water. On our boat dive, it was clear that our CIS instructors Mike and Tim had prepared us better than any of the other groups on board. read more

Great instruction. Had a blast getting my open water certification Great shop. Mike and Laz are great

When I walked into the shop for the first time I was greeted with a smile and the best customer service. It didn't matter how basic my question they are there to help with all your scuba needs. They are passionate about what they do and happy to share their experience and knowledge! Plus all the options for different programs and education they have is second to none! They are there for you whatever level of scuba you would like to participate in! read more

I purchased the groupon for ssi diver certification and got certified last month. Tim and Mike are both great instructors, and the shop carries all the gear you'd ever need. I highly recommended getting certified and shopping at Channel Island Scuba. read more

I just finished my Open Water Diver certification through Channel Islands Scuba with Larry. What a great experience! CIS is a great place, all the people there are friendly and helpful. I felt that the course was laid out nicely - spanned over enough time for us to become comfortable with our skills and plenty of water time to put what we learned in the classroom to use. Larry was a GREAT instructor - he's been diving for over 40 years and he literally knows everything. Also kept it fun and safe for us. I felt like I gained a new group of friends in my dive class, as the classes are kept small. They provide you with plenty of resources to keep diving, which is great. I'll definitely be back in the next couple of months to take advantage of the rental gear and get back out in the water! read more

Everyone at Channel Islands Scuba was amazing. The instructors were everything you'd want: knowledgable, patient, friendly, helpful and SO. MUCH. FUN! Mike and his son helped us pick out the right gear to get our new adventure started. If you want to learn to scuba, Channel Islands Scuba is the only place to do it. read more

I highly recommend this shop, not just for the certifications offered, but for the people who run it and will make sure you have what you need and know how to be safe in the water. Whether for beginners or those continuing their certifications, this place builds skills and community, leading people to a life-long love of the sport. read more

Tim Coates and Doak Smith were great instructors! vast knowledge, skill and experience - would feel very lucky to dive and learn from them again - without question! I will be back to this school to train with them again. read more

As of March 1st, 2014 Channel Island Scuba has a new owner, management team and larger location. All the great instructors have stayed onboard. They do a great job selling new equipment and maintaining all my older gear. I highly recommend CIS. read more

Although I rarely (very rarely) write positive reviews about anything (except things involving large amounts of raw fish), I am inclined to give an A+ grade to Channel Islands Scuba, which is a great shop for scuba afficionados in the Thousand Oaks/Agoura neighborhood. It is a well-stocked shop, with plenty of intriguing and novel scuba equipment available in-stock and for purchase; but it also has great extras, like Nitrox fills and scuba lessons taught by someone with an engineering degree, who understands the principles involved far better than most scuba teachers. There is even a scuba club with multiple monthly meetings for beach dives, pizza and lectures, etc. As far as trip-planning goes, Channel Island's owner excels at planning novel and exciting adventures of the finest calibre. One of my favorite experiences at the shop, so far, was a delicious meal of clam chowder prepared with freshly-caught Pismo clams, and another meal with freshly-caught lingcod and seabass. The social aspect/ambiance of the shop is also great, with terrific fellow-diver customers frequently dropping in to share details of their latest adventures and replenish air tanks. The equipment and expertise of the owner is unquestionable. I recommend this establishment highly, and foresee a bright future for it. read more

I just finished my Open Water Certification and had an incredible experience. Mike, Laz and Larry made the process easy, enjoyable and stress-free. From getting fit for the proper gear to the in-class sessions to the actual water dives everything was explained to make sure I was knowledgeable and comfortable with every step of the process. Channel Islands Scuba made getting certified a fun experience where I left feeling like I have become part of a community of divers there to answer any questions I may have throughout the years. I would 100% recommend them. read more

I am so glad I found this company. I cant imagine learning how to dive anywhere else. I came to CIS wity my boyfriend to learn to dive. I had to overcome several fears of water but two of the instructiors Jay and Tim worked with me and encouraged me! Throughout my training we determined that a different mask might work better for me. Mike and Laz made sure that the mask was ordered and ready for me. They provide the best quality well maintained gear and are so professional and helpful. I'm now honored to be part of the CIS dive team! read more

I can't reiterate enough how thankful I am to have received my open water certification through Channel Islands Scuba. All their staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and easy going. Tim Coates was very thorough in the classroom sessions but also made the time fly by with his scuba stories and experiences. Ashley was a great dive master and was always very patient and kind to us newbies. The team really made an effort to make all students feel at home and comfortable asking questions or for help. I would definitely recommend CIS for anyone interested in classes! read more

Just finished my Open Water Dive training with them a week ago. They are very patient and helpful with the training and with answering any questions I had about diving and equipment. And they have a decent amount of equipment in their shop with reasonable prices as well. My only gripe is that they don't sell Snickers for an afternoon snack while doing my scuba training. :-) read more

Unfortunately, I bought a groupon to do the scuba certification with this company. I contacted the shop before I bought the groupon for the certification class. I bought my own gear from other companies and then I finally was able to go into the shop and have a face to face with someone. While I was there I found out that they did not allow me to bring my own gear. That all the gear for the groupon has to be bought thru them only. This information was never disclosed to me until I met someone face to face. I have to say this was not money well spent and it turned me away from Channel Island's Scuba. Its a shame, I was actually hoping to have a good friendship with this company but unfortunately the smaller guys did not come out on top. I will be taking my business else were. read more