Wow the Marissa crew is awesome as always they are super helpful the boat is nice clean plenty of space and the snacks always are great! I've been out on this charter 6 times now and they are the best local charter around dive site briefings are always great questions are welcomed and the staff is second to none when it comes to help with gear or a repair you guys rock thanks to Laura and her crew! read more

DIVER BEWARE. My dive buddy and I booked a two-day wreck dive trip on Labor Day weekend. On Saturday, the first day of diving, the stated Nitrox 32 was actually Nitrox 35+. This was true for all of the tanks on the boat. Luckily someone lent us an analyzer. During the dive, Captain Lora Meyer advised the dives the following day, Sunday, would be cancelled due to a "Red Flag" warning. Most of us on the boat had to return to our homes in Northern California on Monday and could not extend our trip. Most of us work regular jobs. Captain Meyer REFUSED to offer a refund for the cancelled Sunday dives. Instead, she offered "voucher" that could be used for one day in the following 12 months. HARDLY APPROPRIATE considering the cost of a drive or flight to return to San Diego, and the cost of a hotel and meals simply for one day of diving. I have had dive operators return money for unused dives in the past due to unforeseen weather (Lahina Divers, Hawaii & Squalo Divers, Isla Mujeres). I explained this to Captain Meyer. She was unwilling to satisfactorily resolve this matter in any reasonable manner. She stopped communicating with me about a month ago. My advice. Find another operator.... read more

Great boat. Great crew. I had a blast diving with these guys. The crew is super helpful loading and unloading the boat and helping you get in and out of the water. They'll take off your fins, pull your weights, and help you in and out of your bcd. I highly recommend them and will definitely be using them in the future. read more

great trip for the wreck and kelp forests. Nice boat , easy to book, 3 dives - great for local diving

Have you ever had one of those days where everything went wrong?? I had one of those days on my last dive. I am still new to diving and this was my 15th dive and I felt like I had never been down before. Lora and her team were so great making me feel comfortable and safe. Any company can have a good review when everything goes well, but how many of them get good reviews when the dive didn't? (completely me nothing to do with them) I would highly recommend Marissa Charters to anyone in San Diego! Lora and her team are friendly, professional and a lot of fun. The experience is more like you hired your own dive boat and team and not like you are just another diver. If you need a guide (i did) Chris is awesome. He is someone I would like to dive with again sometime. Thanks again Lora and team! I will be back soon. read more

Went on a Two tank dive with Captain Lora and the crew! Really fun dive charter, they take care of you and feed you and provide drinks and warmers if you're cold. Staff is knowledgeable and do their best to see you have a good time, I'd recommend it to anyone and I'll definitely be back to dive again!! read more

This boat and its crew provided me and my friends the worst dive experience of our lives. If you're idea of a fun Saturday afternoon is to be yelled at, berated and belittled by a military drill sergeant in front of your fellow divers, the Marissa's perfect! If you stub and bloody your toe on deck and you'd like the only thing onboard that the Paramedic/EMT/Firefighter can find to bandage it with to be a ratty old box of Spongebob Squarepants band-aids, then relax, you're in good and capable hands. If you'd like a bowl of dried up chicken and some wet M&M's to eat, come aboard! If you'd like to be so upset and angry when you start your dive that you suck through all your air in less than 15 minutes, spend your money here. I went to the Marissa's website to see if I could be more specific about who the offending parties were, but alas everyone (but the owner) is completely hidden behind their dive masks in their photos or photographed from behind and totally unidentifiable. The dive master that we had was mind-bogglingly rude. Simply stating out loud that you know you're loud and abrasive because you come from a military background doesn't make you any less loud or abrasive. Yelling at your passengers and not telling them why you're yelling at them or what they're doing wrong doesn't help anyone be any safer or happier either. Lora (the owner) was aboard and saw our jaws drop when the yelling started. Her unsolicited apologies and excuses for the dive master's behavior were no consolation. There are other choices for your diving pleasure in San Diego. We went on The Lois Ann the next day and had a great experience. read more

Another great trip with Lora and Chris out to the Yukon. Professional, safe and fun. Always a great trip.

Love this dive boat. The boat is well laid out for diving with a large covered deck, with ample benches and forward dry area for cameras, electronics and dry clothes. read more

In their advertisement, the Marissa charter dive boat brags about having varied and plentiful food for its divers. It had neither. The crew was friendly, but there was no hot lunch provided. It would have been nice if there had been coffee when we left the dock, and something other than quesadillas to eat. read more

Our club - CaliDivers.com - has hired the Marissa and Lois Ann over the past decade to take us to the Yukon and Ruby. Both are great boats, but perhaps here is where Marissa has an edge over pretty much any other dive boat operator we know of in SD: 1- The crew -beginning with Captain Lora M- gets it: they work for every one of us divers who gets on their boat. Their success depends on more than just keeping their boat in good shape, or following safety guidelines, or giving out good diving instructions. They succeed by making us divers feel safe AND comfortable AND happy to be diving. 2- Their boat has all the features needed for this type of diving. Good seating accommodations, plenty of equipment set up space, and comfortable roofed deck facilities. It is smaller than other dive boats in SD, but I have always felt very comfortable riding on the Marissa. They offer Nitrox in addition to regular air fills too. 3- Convenience: great docking facilities, flexible schedules, good office communications with their customers, and a well-rounded professional approach to business. Usually we have traveled to SD in groups of 4-10 divers, and in general, we are impressed with the available diving resources there. I seldom give 5 stars -to me 4 starts means excellent business- but surely Lora can hold her head up high and be very proud of the service she has provided to the diving community in SD over the past few years. We are fans! We hope to continue having the Marissa as one of our favorite boat operators in the near future. read more

Boat comes in 15 minutes late. They have no office! You literally wander around trying to figure out where to go. Parking is a nightmare. Good thing there are plenty of people who work for another company to give you incorrect information. "Yeah just wait in line over there for 30 minutes, they'll take care of you!" Nope wrong. There is literally not one single sign, logo, person, arrow, or clue to indicate where you must go to find Marissa Charters. The boat is small but clean. The food wasn't great, but good enough. The dives were literally the worst dives I had ever been on. No visibility, nothing to see, freezing cold. Can I blame them for that? I don't know. That's not really their fault. But they do pick the locations, so I do kinda have to say it is partially their fault. There was no pre-dive briefing. They talk about kelp. They say if you get stuck break it off, and don't twirl. That was it. It was the least informative dive briefing I had ever been on in my life. Typically the crew will tell you where to swim, what to look for, some information about where we are, this crew? Nada. nothing. Kelp, break it off and don't twirl. Not very helpful. Overall, there really weren't any positives for me to mention, but I do understand that some of the issues were not under the crew or the boat's power. HOWEVER, when morons leave all 4 or 5 star reviews, I am forced to voice an opinion that I do not agree with those yelp scores. I do think 2 stars "meh. I've experienced better" is quite generous. Sorry to be negative but when that is the accurate reflection of my experiences, I stand by them and will not change this review under any circumstances. read more

I really enjoyed diving on the Marissa. Lora is a great captain and the overall attitude on the boat is really nice and relaxing. Music playing between dives and good food to snack on. Marissa's crew is very knowledgeable and kind. Lora even heated up bags of water for me to hug onto after my dive when I was freezing cold. Thanks so much! Can't wait to dive again on the Marissa read more

Went out on the Marissa Yesterday and had my best day of diving in San Diego to date. Went out to the Yukon and the Viz was outstanding. The Capt and crew were very friendly, knowledgeable and you can tell that safety is a priority with this operation. They made me feel like family not just another number on a cattle boat. Food was great too. read more

Marissa Dive Charters is one of my favorite dive operators of all time, and I've been diving for 20 years. The boat's well cared-for and operates flawlessly, and the crew is professional, skilled and super-friendly, even (maybe especially) under pressure. Capts & crew anticipate your needs and quietly make sure you're having a fantastic & safe experience, and they handle divers from newbies to tec geeks with ease and good cheer. I've dived with them for classes, for reef surveys, and just for kicks, and have had a great time every time. While there are several San Diego-based boats I really enjoy diving with, Marissa is the first dive op on my list when I refer friends, because my friends have always come back happy. read more

Lora and Brandon run a great boat. They go to great locations, their site is really specific about what you'll be doing that day, they pump gas onboard, they cater to tech and rec divers alike, they're great to instructors... what else is there to say? ...Just an update. I did a 2 day, 4 dive class with the Marissa, and once more they were awesome! If you're an instructor, no one treats you better. They're helpful, they'll go where you want if at all possible (even to the point of letting me pick which buoy I wanted on the Yukon), and all around were great. read more

Great boat and crew been twice great both times.you will have a great time good food and drinks. they are always willing to help,

It was unfortunate that the boat went into the dry dock or else I would have went on a dive trip with Marissa. Captain Lora was able to refund me the payment. Thank you. read more

We had an awesome time with Marissa dive charters this weekend. Lora is a great captain and very nice boat to dive with. Spencer was working hard for us and took very good care of us. I would highly recommend them for San Diego wreck diving and plan on going back soon. We had a group of 11 diving and everyone had nothing but great things to say. Thanks Lora and Spencer read more

Lora and the crew were fantastic! They were more than helpful and answered any question you had with great detail and attention. I dont come to San Diego much but when I do, I found the shop im going through! We were able to dive the Yukon and the Ruby E. Visibility was great and after a short boat ride we were on site. The dives were fantastic! I cant thank the crew enough for being very helpful and making this trip memorable! read more

Wouldn't dive any other boat in San Diego. Captain Lora and Brandon, and their crew, are the most qualified on this side of the Pacific Ocean. They know the best dive sites and their conditions. The Marissa volunteers to maintain a safe buoy at the Yukon wreck, as well as scouting for new, undiscovered wrecks and reefs. She's heavily involved in local deep water clean ups. No other dive charter in San Diego is as active as the Marissa. To support ocean stewardship, there's no other choice. read more

Faith magically landed us with this amazing dive charter when another dive charter we were originally booked on cancelled our trip, and I have to say, I am beyond happy that this happened and we were able to dive with Marissa Charters. The level of professionalism, helpfulness and knowledge that this team has is simply outstanding! Lora, Chris and Captain (the resident mascot of the boat ) truly made this diving experience unforgettable. They have a very organized system to brief the diver about safely and the dive sites, they help you with gear as well as help you in and out of the water to make your entry and exit seamless! I can't say enough good things about this company. I will say thou, the best part of this dive charter was the dive guide, Andrew! He was by far the best guide I have ever dove with and when the sea gets a little rough, he will even hold your hair back for you as you lose your lunch right before you're about to start your third dive! He was extremely confident, poised and considerate of any needs I had. All around fantastic dive experience and I would recommend Marissa Charter to any diver with plans to visit San Diego! read more

I did a three tank dive to the kelp beds off of Point Loma and had a great time. The boat is professionally run with good safety briefings and instruction. I asked for nitrox, beforehand but was told it is currently unavailable. You will probably have to bring your own if you really want to dive it. read more

Oh man had a great day out on the Marissa. Went out on a 3 tank dive to the Yukon and Ruby E. The Seas were choppy and I got major seasickness. Even with that the crew of the Marissa were so great. Made me feel reassured and tried to take my mind off of things . I will for sure be going out with them again. read more

Captain Lora is awesome! She opened up an afternoon kelp dive trip off of Point Loma this past Sunday in order to accommodate a group of divers coming down from Orange County area. Lora and the Crew were amazingly helpful, particularly with new divers. The boat is easy to dive from, tank fills are done before you even know it between dives, the snacks/drinks are fantastic, and the crew's knowledge of diving from basic open water through technical training is extensive. Thanks again for a great afternoon trip and I look forward to doing local dives with you all the time! read more

Had a "small" accident with my tank being over-filled after the first dive and my burst disc blowing. They did an expedient repair, but later found to be leaking when I tried re-filling the tank after the dives. I had to repair the disc myself, and found they had not removed the old disc causing the leak. In addition to the double mistake, the charter did not return e-mails or messages to make things right. Let me know when there is a management change. Until then, I won't be back. read more

We messaged, emailed and called a lot of times. No answer. I'm not sure if the experience would have been equally unimpressive since we never utilized them. If you are looking to get out to wreck alley or other off shore sites I would seek out others in addition. Other dive services messaged back very quickly read more

This weekend we ventured to San Diego for some wreck diving and had a great time with the crew of the Marissa. No mater diving open circuit or rebreathers the crew made all feel welcome. The diving was wonderful and the surface intervals were filled with good conversation and snacks in preparation for the next underwater adventure. Even with a last minute bump in the road with a compressor the crew had backup plans in place to make sure that diving would not be affected. The went out of her way to rent a bunch of tanks to make sure we would be able to complete all dives for the day. Can't wait to return to dive again. read more

I was very surprised to read some of the negative reviews here after my experience with Marissa Dive Charters. We dove the El Rey and Yukon wrecks and my experience on the boat was terrific. They have the ability to do air and nitrox fills on board, they dropped us perfectly on the El Rey, had food and drinks of course and more importantly, they took extra care helping everyone out. The boat is comfortable, has plenty of space for all the gear and I'd recommend it thoroughly. read more

The crew on our dives made our 2 days excellent. They were knowledgeable about each dive site and gave great navigation tips. However, it was what they did above the water that made them special. They were attentive to the gear, making diving way less difficult above water. They were friendly and accommodated every level of diver. Great boat and crew: thanks Laura and Chris! read more

We initially booked a dive with another company, which ended up not working out. I called Marissa Dive Charters and they told me they had 2 spots left, and to hurry on over. They quickly helped us find wetsuits and get our gear onto the boat. The entire dive trip they (Brandon and Lora) were very accommodating and fun to spend the day with! Here are some of the things we liked about diving with Marissa Dive Charters: -Awesome meals including drinks, breakfast, lunch, & cookies. -Reasonably priced -Professional, qualified, knowledgeable and personable staff. -The ability to refill tanks on the boat We will definitely be bringing our family and friends back to dive with them again! read more

On Saturday August 18, two of my friends and I were on a small Boston Whaler drift fishing the Point Loma kelp. Around 4pm the Marissa came up to the spot we were fishing with the captain talking on her cell phone, she then drove the Marissa in circles around us for about half an hour while trying to put down the anchor. This was very rude and dangerous. She was clearly trying to push us off the spot. I will recommend to all of my friends who dive to never dive on this boat. All three of us on our boat are regular divers, and we were amazed at the actions of this captain. read more

I had a great experience diving all weekend, and as far as dive boats go, this is exactly what you want. I went on the Hogan wreck Saturday and they were super accommodating (above and beyond) for what I wanted/ needed, and then I did the Ruby and El Rey on Sunday and had a blast. The on-board fills are super convenient for air and nitrox. Professional operation and super friendly with everyone, from newbies to tech divers. I'm looking forward to going back to dive the Yukon later! read more

I have given this charter numerous chances thinking surely the last time was a fluke, however that was not the case. One time I went, my friend and I went to go on a 3 tank wreck dive and the captain was like oh well since we didn't sell enough tickets I brought some of my friends... That's fine we thought, but then as we pulled up to the Yukon she asked the group "a lot of you guys wanted to just do the Yukon instead of the other wrecks is that ok?" Ummmm well do we even have a choice (since the"a lot of you guys" meant hey everyone but you two since everyone's my friends but you two), so we agreed. After the dive all her buddies started popping beers leaving my friend and I (the only paying customers) out, and to top it all off my friend left his fins on the boat. When we had called to see when we could get them back the captain said oh just look at the schedule and come pick them up, we did, showed up, we asked for them, she gave us fins with paint all over them, we said those weren't ours and she just said "oh oops, we just had painted the boat, we must have got some on the fins too"! No sorry, no we'll give you credit... Nothing just a "oops" these are $200 new fins! The next time (yes we were stupid for trying again but we had bought a couple of their discount deals) we showed up and were waiting as the captain was cleaning the boat waiting to get the ok to climb aboard when about after 10 min I asked "do you care we get on and start getting our stuff ready" to which our reply was " oh man I thought everyone got the call, we've canceled the dive" once again no apology or any customer service that was it. Needless to say it doesn't take a genius to know we were waiting to get on the dive boat with all our gear... Overall I would never recommend this charter to anyone. I've given it a solid shot and each time I'm disappointed. I've found few people that would disagree with that statement. read more

They (literally) yell at you before dives not to come out with less than 500 PSI or you will not dive again (try using some tact, we are paying you for an enjoyable experience), seen a guy drift, no line was available to him (Unacceptable, I wish I could leave negative stars) ... read more

Good boat, great crew, good dive spots. I highly recommend Marissa Dive Charter in San Diego, CA. I will definitely go with them again. Thank you Captain Lora and Dive Master Chris for making it a great day off the coast of Point Loma. read more

I've been on many dive boats, and the Marissa has one of the best crews I have encountered. Very helpful, fun, and overall great attitudes. I highly recommend this boat if you are in the San Diego area. read more

Went on the Marissa for the first time last Sunday. One thing I liked was that they don't allow as many people on the boat which is nice because you don't have to worry about as many people getting in your way, especially since I enjoy filming. Dive briefings were short and to the point and they had us in the water quickly. One thing I thought was very cool was during our second and final dive during our safety stop the current had picked up quite a bit and we surfaced with about a 10 minute swim back to the boat fighting the current. Chris (the dive master) had actually jumped in the cold water and came and swam us a buoy and saved us a long tiring swim back to the boat which I thought was pretty cool. Overall it was a great experience and the food and snacks between and after the dives was awesome. I will be back. read more

Don't waste your time with these clowns. After making a reservation months in advance, no communication the week of. Finally contacts me a day after the first scheduled dive to see if I wanted to go the next day. No thanks, went with one of the other boats. missed a day of diving on my trip to San Diego because of them. read more

As a scuba instructor for the past 25 years I have been aboard countless dive boats and few are operated as efficiently as the Marissa. I was looking for a day trip to try out a few new photography accessories and looked to the Marissa in San Diego. A short drive to San Diego and thought I would try a new boat. I checked the reviews which were mostly favorable, except for one unhappy diver, but there are always two sides to everything. I decided not to let that one review sway my decision to try the Marissa. The Seaforth Landing was easy to locate and plenty of free parking close to the docks......big plus. Arriving before the published boarding time the dive master allowed my gear aboard and immediately helped with equipment, tanks, etc. The service was super! Captain Lora was great, running the boat and making sure plenty of food and drinks were available for everyone. Briefings were detailed and plenty of assistance suiting up. I don't know how they did it, but nobody waited for air fills...another big plus. The blur aboard deck was our dive master, filling tanks, helping people out of the water, getting warm water packs for those chilled and still finding time for great conversation. A real plus was on our 3rd dive which was scheduled to be in kelp, Captain Lora let the passengers vote on diving a wreck in 65 feet of water or the towers. A unanimous vote went to the wreck. Great dive and nice video. If you are looking for a day boat out of San Diego, try the Marissa. A five star operation and you will not be disappointed. I wasn't and I will be back! read more