Update after 11 months: It has now been 11 months since I…read moreposted this review, and we still have not received a single phone call, email, or any kind of follow-up from Beach Cities Scuba. At this point, I am not even talking about the refund anymore the fact that we could not even find someone willing to communicate with us is unacceptable. This entire experience has been extremely unprofessional. Selling courses, delaying them, failing to communicate, and then disappearing without any follow-up is not how a professional business should operate. I definitely would not recommend this place to anyone who values their time, money, or proper customer service.

Clowns! Do not bring your gear here to be serviced! I dropped my gear off on 4/8 and was promised…read moreit back on 5/6..a week and a half before my trip. 5/6 came and went without so much as a phone call. For days I called, left messages, and called again without so much as a peep. Finally, on 5/16, TEN DAYS after it was promised, and two days before i fly out, someone finally picked up the phone when I called. Long story short, they were able to get my gear back to me via the Laguna Beach location where John was did me a solid and got me my gear back. I have no idea why it took so much longer than expected. No one from the Dana Point location ever called me about a delay or offered an explanation. Take your business to the Laguna Beach location...the staff at the Dana Point location haven't a clue.

I recently bought a pair of Dive'R fins and a Nice Cressi dive bag. The team at Lost Winds were a…read moregreat help helping me out with my choices of foot pockets, I decided to go with the Riffe's, which feel amazing on my feet. Thanks for your help guys. Best, Danny

The shop is clean, the staff is helpful and knowledgeable, and reasonably priced. I was a complete…read morebeginner walking into the shop, went through their course, and left feeling comfortable and prepared for ocean adventures. Eric, Zed, and Mateo have always been ready with any questions, shown in-depth knowledge, and never pressured me into buying or renting anything. I am throughly impressed and highly recommend Lost Winds.

A student and I were on the riviera last weekend for an Advanced Open Water dive course. Dive…read moreMaster Kuhns did an amazing job helping weight redistribution during PPB. The staff was amazing helping get us in the water and out of the water. The snacks and water helped keep us recharged during the second and third dives.

Completed open Water 3 and 4 this weekend. The exceptional service continued with Riviera Capt…read more Bob and Dive Master! One of the things I really appreciated had nothing to do with diving. Capt. Bob saw a fishing boat in a protected area and respectfully recommended that they move to a legal place. The fishing crew was not as respectful. Instead of blowing up, Capt. Bob handled it appropriately and got them to move off. Thanks for protecting our marine life in a such a mature way!!! Looking forward to going out again with Bob and his exceptional dive masters!

As the name implies, a good place to dive, swim, or just park your butt for the day. Parking is…read morewild, but it's worth the effort! :)

Diver's is probably my favorite spot in all of Laguna to go chill. It's... quiet, because it's…read morerelatively small compared to the Main Beach strand, but it's so special. It's usually clean and free of seaweed, and it just smells so good... no icky fish or seaweed decay odors; just clean ocean beach air. This beach only gets GOOD tanning sun during PEAK Summer hours, otherwise, it's kind of... a gamble on the tides and the time of day as to whether you can use the beach for tanning or not. It's a nice beach to NOT get tons of sun on, especially after about 5PM to sunset. It varies, of course, but that's TYPICALLY what you'll find happening. I do NOT believe this area has a lifeguard watching it (?) but correct me if wrong. I don't and haven't seen a lifeguard stand here. The next beach OVER, however does have a lifeguard watching post. This is the spot to go relax... and just sit with yourself and your thoughts. Let the tide rise a little, and then let it go out... and let your problems go with it. It's the best therapy for free you can get, I think... but, anyway... enjoy! :]

Nothing but good things to say about Dave and Diving Catalina. My husband and I usually snorkel,…read morebut we decided to give scuba a try while we were visiting on a cruise. Dave was patient, knowledgeable, and meets you where you're at. When we got in the water with all of our gear, I got in my a head a little and started getting anxious. Dave was able to talk me through things, gave me all the time I needed, and I was successfully able to scuba in time to see a seal swim by! Great first time experience with Dave.

A big thank you to our dive guide, Dave, with Diving Catalina for giving my son and me an…read moreunforgettable first night dive at Catalina's Casino Point Dive Park. The rental gear, including the dive lights, was in excellent condition, and Dave's safety briefing was thorough and professional while keeping the experience relaxed and enjoyable. The highlight of the dive was a curious harbor seal that followed us for much of the dive, using our lights to spot and catch fish along the way. Seeing the dive park come alive after dark was a completely different experience from diving it during the day. I highly recommend Diving Catalina for anyone wanting to experience the magic of a Catalina night dive.

Went to Eco from my Open Water Certification and the entire experience was fantastic! Very…read moreknowledgeable and polite staff assisted with gear rental recommendations and my instructor Kendra was nothing short of a pleasure to work with! Training was very hands on and any questions regarding hypothetical scenarios and specific circumstances were answered with knowledge built from experience. She took initiative to make sure all of the students were tended to and accommodated, as the different students came into the class at different levels of comfort with being in the water. More importantly, the entire experience was FUN! You can tell everyone in the shop loves what they do and makes you feel very welcome. I will be pursuing my other certifications here and will definitely book more trips through them in the future!

Great dive shop with a gut selection of items. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff.read more

If I could give them 100 stars, I would! Andy, Sophia and…read moreAllen are so awesome! This shop has gone above and beyond for us and we will continue to shop here and take classes. This shop is fantastic!

First time signing up for a diving trip to Catalina with this shop that I have not gone on yet. But…read morewhen I called in for a fitting, they did not have enough inventory to fit me for, told me to come later in the week when inventory may possibly come back. Also they tell me that I have to pick up my rental equipment to bring to the dive boat site. I am appalled when someone named Sherrie tells me divers need to own their own equipment like a mask, snorkels and fins and don't have those to rent out even though they are a dive shop. She had a sarcastic and condensing tone with me because she was surprised I did not have my own fins and told me they did not carry my size. She said "Welcome to California! Where are you from?" In my almost twenty years of scuba diving all over the world, I have never been met with such poor customer service, gaslighted for not owning fins, assumes all scuba divers own their own equipment and tells customers to pick up their own rental equipment when we pay them to do so. I have canceled my upcoming trip because I don't feel safe with diving with them and have not been refunded my money yet. I would think twice before paying your money to this dive shop.

Knowledgable. Great prices. Top notch service. Can't ask for more! I was really impressed with…read moreJames. Helped us get fitted. Going to come back for a diving certification class soon.

I live in San Diego and have always wanted to take up snorkeling but had frustrating experiences…read morewith cheap/rented masks in the past so I did some research to find something better. I found a mask/snorkel set that I thought I wanted online and Lost Winds was the only nearby place that had it available for pickup so I decided to make the hour long drive. When I got there, I received the most amazing customer service from Eric who I later realized was the owner. He had me make sure the mask fit but let me know he would've suggested another one for me based on my needs. He took the time to let me try something else and explained in detail why he made the suggestions he did. He was happy to refund my original online order and exchange it for his suggestions (not an upsell, they were roughly the same price). He also offered a mask treatment for $10 and I wound up picking up a case and anti-fog spray as well. He did suggest fins but wasn't pushy at all when I said I'd save those for another day. I was so impressed with the level of knowledge, attentiveness, and customer service at Lost Winds. Eric thanked me repeatedly for the support and even suggested a nearby beach where I could try out my new gear. I went directly there for an awesome snorkeling experience with zero fogging, amazing clarity, and easy breathing. I ended up with the Cressi ZS1 Mask and a Riffe Stable Snorkel. Maybe I'll get into some real diving next and if I do I'll be back for more gear. If you want to be sure you're getting the best customer experience and expertise, I'd say this place was more than worth the drive for me.

I have been using CS for decades. Still the Best!!…read more As always, thanks for making sure I'm G2G

I just came back from a second dive with Catalina Scuba. Both experiences have been stellar. I've…read morehad two different guides, and each has been warm, welcoming, and informative. They're relaxed but knowledgeable and attentive. They also have, as some have noted, the best gear--the bcd's in particular make me want to get my own. I can't recommend them highly enough, and if I make it back to the island, which I certainly hope to, I'll certainly be signing up with them again.

Located at the Dana Point Harbor, Capt Dave has dedicated parking lot. No bathrooms in the building…read morebut 2 bathrooms a skip away. They depart from the building towards the boat 15 mins beforehand so they want you to check in 30mins before (and on weekends/holidays, check in 45mins before). The boat departs on time at the scheduled time, so make sure you are here in the building 15-30mins before your booked time. We booked at 1pm and that's when the boat left the dock. We were gathered at the office at 12:45 to head towards the boat and unfortunately a couple missed their slot because they were not even in the parking lot at 1pm when the boat sailed. Don't make their mistake, just make sure you are parked at least 15mins before the booked time. They were willing to wait 5 mins, but not 30 mins, so timeliness from guests is important as we had almost 30 people on board. As you are led from the building to the boat, they have a pit stop at the bathroom as they warned that the boat's bathroom that can't take toilet paper and can easily clog. Unfortunately the ocean waters was unusually warm when we booked on 7/03 for whale/dolphin sighting so we didn't see any but they have a sighting guarantee so they gave us all a voucher to come back again for free. They gave out a delicious brownie at the end too, so I'm excited to come back for the brownie!

Paid by card online. Capt. Dave's is located by the harbor and offers a lot of parking. I was…read moreeasily able to book online for the 2.5 hour 8 am tour, for my child and me. When we arrived at the harbor, we went upstairs to check in and got the passes to get on the boat. The staff was super friendly at check-in and on the boat (Capt. Matt, 1st mate, Mike, and photographer, Andy.) Everything about the experience was well-organized. The boat was clean and comfortable so it was an enjoyable ride. We saw about 400 dolphins and 1 humpback whale! It was such an enjoyable excursion! I would recommend you bring your own snacks and/or drinks on board if you don't have a chance to eat beforehand, since snacks and drinks are not provided on the 2.5 hour 8 am tour. There is a small snack shack upstairs where you check in if you forget to bring things to eat and drink. I would recommend this tour and would go back.