I went diving two days in Monterey with two different companies. I must say I was hesistant to go…read moreout on this little red boat, into the cold depths of the ocean, but I certainly preferred this over the giant boat with coverage the day before! (I believe the other group was Monterey Express) I loved the smaller group and getting a tour with a dive instructor! I believe his name was Todd, but he's not much of a chatty guy, but he's really great! His wife's cookies are awesome, and the hot water on board can be used for tea, and recovering from the cold dive. Def recommend the smaller boat and smaller group over the large boats.

I fully recommend diving with Monterey Blue Diving. Todd is a good, careful and a meticulous diver;…read moreso you never feel at risk -but at the same time, he respects your distance and interests so you never feel overwhelm! I dove with him on December 2011 and it was an awesome dive!!! And one very important thing -and one that speaks for himself; the boat is in EXCELLENT shape; no missing parts, no rust, no unnecessary alterations!!! From now on every time that I'm going diving in, or around the Monterey area, I'm going through Monterey Blue Diving and Todd, no one else!

Dwayne and his crew are great!!! Made learning to dive so much fun for the whole fam. You can tell…read morehe really cared about our experience and he enjoyed helping us discover this new underwater world. Looking forward to this new passion. Thanks Dive to Survive

Today I did 2 open water dives with Dive to Survive and the instructor George…read more He was awesome! Super friendly and understanding, because I wasn't sure if I would be able to really dive because of an approaching cold. He checked a lot of times if I was okay, which is great. The first dive was awesome! I didn't know that see weed can actually look good under water! The view at the second dive was pretty bad, but we made the beat out of it! Only negative part is - make sure you can really go once you booked your tour. They have pretty high cancelation fees of not canceled early enough.

We have found our Monterey boat. Capt. MaryJo has a stellar set up, a great smile, superb dive…read moremasters, and a 5 star operation. Today being our first trip, we were welcomed by crew and divers alike. She has a wonderful following of regulars you'll want to dive with again. Want nitrox? She's got it. Want to bring your own tank (why though)? Go for it! Cameras are welcome, and treated with care. Have all your techie gear? Bring it aboard. The divers aboard ranged from a rebreather diver to an instructor with a student and it was a wonderful mix we are looking forward to being a part of again. The bitty galley is well stocked for a small day boat, snacks and hot water for cider, cocoa, tea...if you're lucky MaryJo will have made brownies; hers have ruined all other brownies for me! Love this boat, her crew, and will be a repeat diver.

First Class Service! Wonderful experience on the Beachhopper II. Staff was friendly and so helpful…read more First time I've ever had a dive guide hold open my fins so I could slide in my foot and put them around my heel! They even held our tank and guided us as we negotiated our way back to our set up spot after each dive. I felt that safety was a high concern for them as well as feeding us yummy treats - homemade coffee cake and brownies! With 9 divers on board, we had 3 staff - Capt. Mary Jo, Co. Capt Sean and dive guide Briana. Again, sooooo helpful. Bathroom on board and hot water shower for in-between dives! We also had a great group of people. For our group that doesn't dive cold water very often, everyone was really patient and not snobbish "I'm a better diver than you" mentality. Highly recommend boat dives in Monterey!

PSD is an outstanding dive shop. Staff are super friendly and they supply you with a container that…read moreneatly packed all of their rental gears. It made it super convenient for me. I signed up for a refresh course and the pool is conveniently located with its own parking lot. I arrived and was promptly greeted by PSD staff and checked in. Jeremiah and Casey were our dive instructors. Both were patient and explained everything in great details. I had a fantastic time. Would highly recommend PSD to everyone.

I've been coming to PSD for a while now, and it's easily the most welcoming shop in Sunnyvale. The…read morestaff actually knows their stuff. Whether you're looking for high-end gear or just need a quick tank fill for a Monterey shore dive.

You must do this!!!! Brian was an amazing guide. Our trip was last minute but Brian made it work!…read more We called in the morning and Brian met us in the afternoon for a fabulous snorkeling trip. We are so thankful for his expertise and friendly personality. We saw tons of ocean creatures, an otter very very close up, and many sea lions, a couple swam right under us!! I'm not very ocean friendly, but Brian made it carefree! If you are fearful or unsure give it a try with Brian. He brought along a little float that I could grab onto as needed. He made it a wonderful experience. As Bryan said the hardest part is getting into the suit after that it's all fun! We will be back again soon.

Fernando was incredible; 5 stars. We saw harbor seals, sea otters, and sea lions. It was incredibleread more

As a newly certified PADI diver I was looking for a great host to take me into Monterey Bay for a…read morefew dives. I found Jim and MBDC via google and was extremely pleased with our time out in the water. He was not an 'over touristy' guide, he was that great diver and educator you want next to you while diving new places. Very laid back and relaxed day in which we had two 40 - 50 minute dives with some great encounters. I will recommend Jim and MBDC to anyone I can.

Just took the "Sea Lion Encounter" and had the best dive of my life! It's an early meeting time,…read morebut well worth it. The highlight had to be the 8-10 sea lions that dove, spun, and circled us while we just held onto a rock and enjoyed the entertainment. Jim was a personal and fantastic guide, I can't imaging diving with any other company in Monterey. If there's availability on the Sea Lion Encounter, I highly recommend you secure a spot.

I signed up for my Advanced PADI course through SF Scuba Schools and ended up with John from Carmel…read moreBay Divers. We spent the weekend in Monterey with a cozy class of 3 students. For the Advanced course, Saturday was a long but low-stress 8am-10pm day, and Sunday was 8:30am-3pm -- including time for meals and chillaxing. -Before the course:- I was nervous about various things including buoyancy skills, night diving, not getting enough attention from the instructor, getting too cold in the freezing Monterey waters, and falling behind everyone else in terms of skills. By the end, I wasn't worried about any of the above. -About the instructor:- John was insanely helpful, attentive, and experienced, and made me feel at ease the entire weekend. His down-to-earth attitude and humor definitely kept me going through the difficult sections of the class. -Before each dive:- John made sure that we understood exactly what we were going to do. He was always happy to answer my overly-abundant questions, and gave excellent instruction on what to do underwater, from the technical aspects to the emotional/mental ones (Settle down. Think warm thoughts. Fun is mandatory!). -During the dives:- I finally got properly weighted during our buoyancy checks, and IT FEELS SO GOOD! My buoyancy skills improved dramatically over the weekend. John was incredibly patient underwater. When I messed up one of the underwater navigation skills, he helped me through it again and helped me adjust where I went wrong the first time. Night diving was my biggest fear going into the course, and I wasn't even scared going into the pitch black ocean with John at my side. The ocean life is completely fascinating at night, and I'm excited to say that I'm not (as) scared of that crazy dark ocean abyss! -Between dives:- We had plenty of time to warm up, and I never once felt rushed. He even brought a tub of warm water for us to pour into our suits afterwards. -Last thoughts:- If you're looking to take any kind of scuba certification class, John is your go-to guy. I feel so much more confident in my diving skills after this past weekend. Already looking into taking another course with him (probably dry-suit because I'm a weenie when it comes to cold water). Thanks dude!!

WOW - what can I say?? If you are researching places to get PADI certified- GO HERE!!! Stop your…read moresearch now or you'll be sorry! The company is run by John Foxhall, a master diver with over 30 years of not only diving experience, but TEACHING experience. Other places may have similar COST, but they will guaranteed have a sub par experience. John is incredibly patient and compassionate for all his students. He is passionate about diving and ensures you not only have the skills required by PADI, but FUN IS MANDATORY. :) He is very accommodating to personal anxieties (of which I had no shortage), injuries/sore muscles (which i also experienced) and fitness levels (I'm average). He also has excellent equipment for rental and purchase and can explain the differences between bottom shelf, middle and top shelf products. My husband and I used John's course to prepare for a dive in the Cayman Islands and even though we will be "first-time" divers there, we feel confident we could keep up and/or lead among other divers. John has taken our skill sets from zero to extreme confidence in our ability! *****GRAB YOUR DIVE BUDDY AND A COUPLE OF FRIENDS AND GET CERTIFIED HERE.****** Also, if you are looking to take your basic certification to the next level, you want to do it with John. He has too much knowledge to keep all to himself!! Also, if you are averse to cold conditions, John has frequent certification classes further South which is also something the other places will not offer you. Can't recommend highly enough. Thank you John ad Carmel Bay Divers!!!

I was stoked they had the fish stringer I've been looking for. Nice and hot looking tender that…read morehelp me too.

Aqua Safaris new management is AWESOME! They are friendly and knowledgeable in a kick back way. As…read morea novice diver, sometimes I go there just to glean diving wisdom. The staff is very gracious and accommodating. They take the time to patiently explain things clearly. I've never taken a course from them, yet they've allowed me to practice setting up a tank to one of their BC's without a major purchase in the horizon. One time, I brought in my BC (which I did not purchase from these owners) but I needed to better understand it. They informed me that my integrated wt system had been recalled. I had no idea! And, they replaced it without any charge. When I do purchase items, I appreciate how the staff helps me make the best decision for myself rather than their cash register. Thanks to the Cooper trio (Charles, Caitlin, Jayme) and Mara for exceptional customer service!