Kudos to Malibu Divers! We lost our home in the Palisades fires last January, and unfortunately my PADI card was lost as well. Carter couldn't have been more helpful in getting it replaced -- and he didn't even charge me. After everything we've dealt with, it was such a relief to work with someone so responsive, kind, and genuinely helpful. Truly outstanding customer service. Highly recommend! read more

Longtime fan of this Malibu institution. Love diving Malibu and beyond, and this is a perfect location for any last-minute needs, air fills, or just some fun shopping for new gear. My light has been on the fritz (had it a while), and was able to get something smaller, more powerful, and rechargeable, at a great price. Thanks!!! read more

I stopped by to outfit myself for a dive trip. The guy behind the counter didn't acknowledge me when I came in and proceeded to ignore me for about the next 15 minutes. I was there you very much did not seem like he was looking for any business so I'm driving an hour north to Ventura wish me luck. read more

I got certified with them in 2001, and I had a great experience. Granted there were a few light faux pas in the water as I had to partner up with the instructor in a large group but the overall classroom experience, gear rental experience and class and courtesy of the team more than over compensated. I was really comfortable going out by myself after this training. I recently certified my husband elsewhere and went along and re-certified just because of my gap time in the water and it was not the same experience at all - water training was great but classroom and administration dismal - so I just wanted to give Carter and his team delayed kudos for making my dive training so seamless. read more

Incredible!! Icalled them today about a product I bought there FIFTEEN YEARS ago and a very knowledgeable Morgan was able to quickly help!!

We had an amazing experience for our PADI Open Water Certification from start to finish. The owners (Barbara and Carter) were very accommodating when it came to finding dates for our training (pool week-end and Catalina trip). The instructors were great: very professional and patient with beginners. We had the privilege to do our ocean dives with dive master Carter. Again extremely professional, pleasant, calm and helpful every step of the way. I highly recommend Malibu Divers and I am planning to go back. read more

Malibu Divers - Scuba Diving Near Me - Malibu, California

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Had an absolutely incredible time with my PADI Open Water Certification through Malibu Divers. Barbara was incredibly helpful throughout the process of determining what was needed, and walking me through the online portion and arranging pool dates and times that fit in with my difficult schedule. Carter was an absolute delight as an instructor. So deeply knowledgable, generous with his wisdom, calm and cool in all situations - exactly who you want guiding you on your first descents into the ocean. He made everything feel easy and laid back, while still offering such a strong foundation of safety and security that I knew if anything had gone wrong I would be in incredibly competent hands. The shop itself has a great selection of gear, and I never felt like I was being upsold into more than I needed - options were given at every tier, and benefits were clearly explained without making it feel like I was pressured into spending the maximum amount. The rental gear I used during instruction was top notch, fit great, and was in good condition. The Catalina experience was seamless and wonderful, and Carter was, again, incredibly accommodating. I look forward to continuing my education with them, and can't recommend them enough for anyone looking to begin their own PADI journey. I can't imagine a better experience, so if you're on the fence, this is absolutely the one. read more

Super great service and SUCH helpful star and trainers. Had BEST TIME EVER w owner/dive master Barbara who set up a private (Covid Free) experience in Catalina. Can't wait to dive with them again! read more

Continues to wow us. On our way to Catalina for open water course. Great staff, owners and courses! The swag doesn't suck either, AMAZEBALLS octopus print tees read more

The owner is a very friendly gentleman. Very knowledgeable.

All members of the dive staff at Emerald Bay were courteous, professional, and competent. However, I do not use wetsuits, and they would not let me dive without a wetsuit. I went on one dive wearing one with the understanding that they'd let me go on subsequent dives in the attire I've *always* worn while diving: shorts. As I expected, I didn't like the wetsuit. After that first dive, though, they said I couldn't go again unless I wore a wetsuit. I'd understand if I were a minor, but I'm an adult, and I have dived for longer periods of time in waters significantly colder than Catalina Island in July without a wetsuit and without any problems. As a result, I lugged all my dive gear 500 miles for one $95 shore dive lasting about half an hour. I spent the rest of the week snorkeling in my shorts and didn't die. They're entitled to make decisions about equipment for divers under their charge, I guess, from a liability standpoint - but they lost out on my money for the rest of the week and I won't dive with them again. read more

The only place to learn to dive in Southern California! Started out as a non diver with a childhood fear of being under water. From there I became an open water diver then advanced ope water diver then rescue diver then master diver and finally divemaster. Without the wonderful people and incredible teaching staff I would probably still be afraid of the water.. Now I am like a happy fish in the worlds largest aquarium :) read more

My boyfriend is a diver and I stopped in for a last minute Christmas gift. Carter helped me and he was wonderful! Sending many thanks from North Carolinian tourists! read more

There is a dive shop just blocks from where I work/live and I still decided to make a the drive to Malibu Divers. Barbara is the best dive teacher I have encountered. She will work 1 on 1 and stay with you until you know everything you need to know. When I did my advance class work, there was never a feeling of rush. You can see her immense passion for diving by the fact that after all these years she still has fun in the pool classes. The staff at BU divers are also great. Their knowledge and helpfulness is the reason I won't go back to the super stores. Just like Cassandra C.'s experience, I was sold a mask that did not fit. I was also suckered in to a b/c that broke on it's first pool dive. I'm going back soon for my dry suit and search and rescue certifications! read more

The review is specifically for freediving & spearfishing. I was disappointed in the advice I received from Malibu Divers. I was interested in getting into spearfishing and went to the shop assuming that they would be able to suggest the correct gear. Since then, I have replaced most of the gear they sold me with freediving specific gear. The shop is clearly geared towards scuba. I can not recommend this shop for freediving or spearfishing advice. Fins: They suggested split fins. Since then I have purchased a pair of freediving fins. Pole spear: They suggested a pole spear with a fixed tip. I bent the tip the 2nd time out and needed to replace the pole spear with one that has a replaceable tip. It is unclear why they would even sell fixed tipped pole spears. Mask: The mask they suggested leaked and did not fit my face well. I ended up replacing the mask with one that fit better. That said, the staff was very friendly and willing to help. I appreciate the time they spent with me but I can not recommend the shop for freediving / spearfishing questions. read more

I truly can not talk highly enough about my experiences with Malibu Divers. First, Grant was incredibly helpful with a series of questions that I had about freediving on email and on the phone. Grants advice was honest, coupled with personal experience he gave me the pros and cons to certain options regarding gear. I sincerely appreciated it. Today, I went into the shop & met the ever helpful Carter. Carter helped me with my scuba and free diving needs. There was an item I needed that was not in the store, and he sourced & had it ordered for me. The Malibu divers website doesn't list every item that they stock in store, so I sincerely recommend going in for a visit (It would be quite the task truthfully and not necessary). However, the website is a wonderful source of information about local diving options, travel, courses & gear needed for your diving needs. read more

To date, my only experience with Malibu Divers has consisted of a phone call regarding regular upgrades/servicing with Carter, the shop owner. Despite this being my only contact with this particular dive shop, Malibu Divers will now be my sole source of future scuba equipment and PADI class needs! Carter was extremely knowledgeable and honest over the phone. He offered genuine advice; and it is clear he is not out to make a quick sale or take advantage of a new diver. You simply can not get that high level of customer service with the larger chain stores or online competitors. Beyond this, Malibu Divers will even meet or beat legitimate competitors prices, including online vendors! I can not convey enough how impressed I am with this dive shop; and from here on out I will gladly drive the extra few miles "over the hill" to shop at Malibu Divers. read more

What else can I say other than -- WOW! My 14 year old son and I went diving with Malibu Divers on Catalina Island and this was my son's first time. What impressed me the most was the extra care the staff took with my son who was very apprehensive and had a lot of trouble with his gag reflex in getting comfortable enough with the regulator to keep it in his mouth without gagging. The instructor was extremely patient with him for over an hour until he was able to successfully breath and perform the basic recovery exercises. He went from very stressed out to very comfortable and it was all due to the staff. Big shout out to Denise who was our dive instructor. In addition, as we did not have our own underwater camera, she used her own to capture some moments of his first dive which meant a lot to me. I highly recommend Malibu Divers and we are all heading back to get our PADI certifications. read more

Part 1 - Excellent organization! I completed my Rescue training and have almost finished my DM training with Malibu. I have also purchased various types of dive equipment from the shop and all items were reasonably priced and supported. Most notably, I spent a weekend in Catalina with the group and have attended several boat trips. I always have a terrific time! This is a very fun group to dive with and I strongly recommend this shop. Part 2 - This part is specific for their instructor, Stewart Tanner who is a "PADI Master Instructor" and teaches a wide variety of courses and specialties through Malibu Divers. I first trained with Stewart as part of my Dive Master training. We worked with Open Water and Advanced students, both during pool work training and ocean certification dives. We also made wreck dives together and I completed my dry suit certification course with Stewart. I found Stewart to be technically very knowledgeable, and excellent at explaining and demonstrating the various skills. He is very well trained and experienced. However, what makes him an exceptional instructor is his personal interest in his students. I found him to take the time to get to understand my equipment, training level, and experience and to help me integrate this foundation into a development plan moving forward. I strongly recommend Stewart Tanner as an instructor. read more

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great prices on scuba rental. Right next to the beach. Lots of parking in the front.

I just spent a week at Emerald Bay on Catalina and went on some of the most amazing dives of my life! I have to give serious credit to Barbara and her amazing staff at Emerald Bay. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Everyone was incredibly helpful and friendly. Obviously covered all the safety aspects but made the whole experience so much fun and top notch. I took a two course kelp dive certification and also went and two amazing night dives. First night dive was cut a bit short with some younger kids and Alex (dive master) offered to take two of us on a "better" dive the following night. Best dive of my life. It was incredible. Chris taught the kelp certification and made it an awesome experience. Absolutely have to give credit where credit is due. Obviously so much detail has been put into their service. Great people, amazing dive locations and a huge thank you to Malibu Divers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Can't wait to go back! read more

I recently took the FII level 1 free diving course with Vaclav Havlik. I have to say it was s great experience. I felt a tremendous feeling of accomplishment diving deeper than I ever had before with the knowledge and experience to back it. I would recommend this course to anyone wanting to become a better diver. Vaclav is very knowledgable and will make you a better diver by the end of the course. read more

Malibu Divers - Scuba Diving Near Me - Malibu, California

My son and I took the Advanced Open Water (Rugged O) course put on by Malibu Divers at Emerald Bay Scout Camp on Catalina island last month and had a great time. Our instructor most of the time was Joseph and he couldn't have been better. He was great with us and everone I saw him deal with. We also had Veronique for a couple dives and she was also great. She was the primary instructor of a couple boys from our troop who were taking the Open Water (Rugged S) course. One of the boys was struggling and a bit overwhelmed. She took extra time to help him and due in no small part to her efforts, he completed the course and enjoyed himself. Having taken my open water training in a pool in Sacramento and my checkout in Lake Tahoe I can say that there is no comparison - having Catalina for a classroom was fantastic. My son is already talking about next year and it is in no small part due to the staff from Malibu Divers. read more

My dad and I got open water certified here. The course was fun and informative. Not really much else to say because I can't remember any hiccups. At their location in Emerald Bay, Catalina Island I enjoyed diving with the friendly crew. Shaun led my checkout and Amanda and her gal friends took several of us on a night dive. It was a good time. read more

I had the very recent opportunity to use Malibu Divers to service our SCUBAPRO regulators and Air2's. In addition, to replace the batteries on our dive computers. I was a new customer. I was treated with such kindness and competency by Carter and Achilleas that I'm still stoked about it. Thanks so much for fantastic service! It means so much. read more

I am truly satisfied with my experience here! The instructors are friendly and helpful! They are very thorough with instructions. The trip to Catalina was beyond amazing I had a blast. If anyone would like to learn how to scuba dive, free dive, etc. this would be the place to go to. I am now certified!!!! Thank you Carter and Barbara and the rest of the crew. You guys are the best!! read more

Malibu Divers - Scuba Diving Near Me - Malibu, California

This is a good shop. They can train you in drysuits which is super good for folks who hate being cold. They are a solid little shop. They host fun dives but they don't always keep up on the emails so you need to check with them. Love to stop in anytime I'm in the area. Super nice people. read more

My roommate is an avid diver, and she dives regularly with Malibu Divers. She loves working with them, and I felt compelled to write about my experiences just with the staff and shop. The couple times I have gone to the shop with her, or to drop things off for her, everyone there is very friendly, helpful, and attentive. The staff is super nice, to the point where someone with little knowledge about diving and diving equipment like me can always get time from them to explain things. And of course, they are always kindly encouraging me to give diving a try. Because of the way they are whenever I go by their shop, I will definitely give diving a try, and specifically through Malibu Divers. Thank you, MD staff; you've won me over! read more

Malibu offers open water diving certification for boyscout via Emerald Bay summer camp program in Catalina island. I enrolled my 12 year old son in this week long course and I also took BSA scuba program which was just an intro to diving for half a day. His instructor was Matt. I got a chance to meet with him because my son did not quite finish his merit badge part of this program. Matt gave up an hour of his dinner time to go through everything with my son without losing his patience, even though I could tell that he was done for the day and would very much prefer to have his dinner in peace then a hot shower after. What a dedication both to boyscout program and the whole experience of diving class. I really appreciate what he has done for my son. My own instructor, Natalie, is super nice. She took me and a friend to doctor's cove and patiently explained, demonstrated, and guided us through the kelp forest. My first diving experience was very enjoyable. I have overcome my fear of being underwater! (what a relief!) Corey, is another staff member, who must have been born smiling! I saw him in my 6 days there and he is always smiling and happy. What a great staff! The program came with 8 mm neoprene wet suit, neoprene booties, fins, BCG (bouyancy controlled device) and of course the tank. Thank you!! read more

Although not a review for their diving skill and prowess the staff in the shop were very accommodating when we called in and needed help to report an RTA. Out UK cell phones did not work but Matteo Indelicato allowed us free use of their telephone and was friendly and concerned for our well-being when he had nothing to gain from so-doing. My wife had a chat to him about diving as she was a keen SCUBA diver in the past and he was knowledgeable and informative. Thanks Matteo, I said we'd do you a write up and here it is. read more

It was my first time diving in California and the people at Malibu Divers made it easy for me to plan my dive trip - actually I had tried to reach out to several places and Malibu Divers responded quickly and were so helpful. Grant gave a great tour of Casino Point and I was so happy with my experience, it was an all-around great day and I would definitely book with them again! read more

Excellent scuba school and shop. Safety always comes first. I have gone diving with several of their instructors, including the owner Barbara, Matteo, Tamer and Achilleas they're all absolutely amazing. Great local trips and very fun, safe diving! A friend got his scuba license here, and I would be a better diver today if my first classes had been with superb instructors like them. read more

I don't know what happened to my last review of this establishment, but I'll post it again. Don't go here! Nothing but over the top, inappropriate unprofessionalism. read more

I did my advanced open water diving certification with Malibu Divers for their Catalina Island weekend. Overall wasn't that impressed. Friendly but not professional. Pre trip: a plus for offering this trip its a nice all included way to get qualified in a pretty dive environment. They offer rentals and allow you to complete the Padi book learning online which is great for people needing flexibility. However this was dampened by the fact that they don't hire out fins, masks and snorkels. They also require this gear to be picked up pre trip. This was difficult as they told me this the Tuesday before the trip. As a professional it's very difficult to get to Malibu on a weekday to pick up dive gear. However they were accommodating and pulled together the gear and bring it to the trip for a courier fee of $25. This was then charged again because I couldn't return the gear post dive because they wanted it back Monday and the dive centre had already closed on the Sunday :(. Not to mention they charged me for waterproof camera hire but forgot one of the cameras so made us share. Accommodation: they aren't joking about basic. No air con and lights were dodgy but the guy that ran the place was lovely. However when Malibu Divers says shared accommodation what they mean is that they will put two guys that don't know each other in a double bed room with a roll out bed in the closet!! Yeah not impressed!! Diving: the important part. Main advice take your own dive buddy. I was paired up with a fellow that had son significant gear issues. This alone was not an issue but I got no assistance dealing with him when he panic bailed out of a dive and had an anxiety attack on the surface. In fact I had to surface swim with him back to the entry and the dive instructor didn't appear until the end of the lesson and expressed his surprise that I didn't come back to join the dive. Note leaving your buddy and diving alone are not in line with PADI instructions. I was also paired with this guy for accommodation so I had no opportunity to have a break. As I said friendly but not professional. read more

Snorkeling is supposed to be fun. But we don't always have a good time. It's not that the aquatic visions aren't AMAZING in Belize where we visit family annually. We thought we just had funny shaped faces that allowed water to leak into our masks... Then we thought we'd look into getting our own masks. We bought some new ones somewhere like Sports Chalet. BAD IDEA. Leakage continued. THEN we got smart. We went to Malibu Divers and waited a little bit to speak to an expert. He had us hold 10 masks to our face each and looked at the fit. Who knew you didn't need a mask to be pulled so tight it marks your face for hours and leaves you with a headache! I can't wait to try these out this summer - and will update the review when I get back! Thanks Malibu Divers for spending so much time to help us newbies figure this stuff out! read more

My son wanted to learn to dive on his 12th birthday, and he had the BEST experience ever with Malibu Divers. His instructor, Matteo, made him feel so confident and gave him so much positive and fun feedback. My 12 year old is hooked on diving! One of the owners, Barbara, gave me a tune-up lesson ( i had not been diving for 18 years!), and she was fun and enjoyable. I love family owned businesses, and it is a pleasure to support Malibu Divers. We also had Ironman actor, Don Sheedle, stop in to say hi to the owners. My son enjoyed that, too. This is the nicest, best place to learn to scuba dive. read more

What a great company! Hal the underwater light works perfectly. Thank you so much for hooking it up for me and thank you for selling me the good gloves and mask. read more

My dive buddy and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we had been looking at doing our Advanced Open Water certification; we explored all the options we had with a few of our LDSes going out to the Channel Islands, Monterey, Lake Tahoe, etc. Given the cost for some of those options with emphasis on Monterey's colder water and poor visibility, we weren't convinced that was how we wanted to do it. I stumbled upon Malibu Divers on accident while searching for a dive shop that would do AOW certifications over Memorial Day weekend in Catalina; we've never been there so we figured we would kill two birds with one stone. Barbara, Course Director and one of the owners, responded promptly and thoroughly to the million questions I had. A week and a half later, we were off. With most dive shops, I've felt nickeled and dimed for everything. There's none of that here. When my cheap self didn't want to do e-learning, Barbara sent our materials Priority Mail with no extra catch. There were no hidden charges or fees which was a relief because their rental rates were way too good to be true. It was about $35-$45 for a BC, SPG/compass, hood, wetsuit for the entire weekend. Their rental equipment is the nicest I've ever had the privilege of enjoying; Suunto, Scubapro, etc., all in excellent/new/like new condition. Comparatively speaking, all of our LDS were charging a minimum of $100 for the weekend with some upwards to $200 for the same components. They normally have vendors come out for a demo weekend but due to the late confirmation of the event taking place this year, there wouldn't be any demos. I was really hoping to be able to demo a particular BC and Barbara made it happen in a few days notice; she even refused to accept money from me for it! I can't say enough amazing things about Barbara and her team. They are all incredibly passionate about diving and patient. They were always double checking how we were doing, how we felt, etc. They were very flexible and wanted to stay in tune with us. If you're a Nervous Nellie, hesitant about diving or have children interested in diving, Karalyn is amazing and your girl. If you like a tall, dark and handsome fella who can make you laugh until you snort and possibly botch your certification because you're to busy flirting, Matteo is your man. If you like the boy next door, equal parts charming and adorable, Cullen is perfect for you. Lastly, Barbara and her husband/co-owner Carter are a blend of everyone above. Barbara also dives with/for local and federal law enforcement; if that doesn't legitimize her and Malibu Divers, I don't know what does. You can tell they've put a lot of heart and thought into who they've decided to bring onto their team. We immediately felt like we were part of the Malibu Divers family and like we were diving with friends we have known for some time. If you're in the Malibu area, don't miss a quick visit to the dive shop. Carter is fun to chat with about gear and puts absolutely no pressure on you to buy anything. He's just a gear head who enjoys talking to a fellow gear head. There's some lifestyle apparel and footwear here along with wetsuits, luggage, shop logowear, spearfishing/snorkeling/dive products and accessories. Their buy isn't very wide but he is more than willing to special order anything that you're looking for. My only complaint about Malibu Divers is that they're located in Malibu and not in the San Francisco Bay Area. I can't wait to find another excuse to go back and dive with everyone! read more

First time here not very welcoming. Very Rude and short. I will never come here again and pass the word on to my fellow divers.... In particular Mr bubbly with bleached hair and hair plugs you stay classy Malibu read more

Best instructors ever!! Stewart, Bruce and Giancarlo were amazing my husband and I had so much we actually changed plans to finish our open-water cert. with them, instead of going to Florida. Great experience, everyone was incredibly knowledgeable and so much fun. They all made me feel right at home, I can't wait to dive with them again!! read more