I want to start off by saying that I am so proud of myself for not giving up and accomplishing this…read morechallenging task. I want to say the cost of my training was $499 total. There was a special going on online for the spring weeks, and let me tell you, it was too good to pass up! Everywhere else was really expensive and did not include dive gear. I was lucky because I was supposed to get certified a month before I started with BLA, so I already had open water approved dived gear that I bought at a local dive shop. The only thing I needed from BLA was booties because I wanted an extra pair. Class days were from 8am-5pm and they cover EVERYTHING! It is a very thorough class and if you get Spencer, you'll be glad to know he is upbeat, light-hearted, and detailed. (I can only speak for my instructor this is not to say no one else is.) The pool days are challenging because you are toting your gear, but this is what builds strength, endurance, mental stimulation, and lets face it, RESPONSIBILITY. You are responsible for all of your things, so get used to carrying it. On beach days, I had my husband drive and carry my tanks for me to ease any extra stress, they didn't mind, but on pool days, I did it all myself. I want to give a special thank you to Nathan, dive master who was just as poised, supportive, and informative as my dive instructor. We had fun on beach days. 2nd day was better than the first. The sun eas out, better visibility, we saw a horn shark, I saw a lobster chillin by himself in the sand. It was great! I appreciate how professional and composed my dive Instructor, Spencer was under the water, that can't be easy. He was rather hard on us, but it's because he wants us to master the skills and really understand everything there is to know. Scuba diving is fun, but should be taken seriously when learning the ins, outs, hows, and whats. It is a guaranteed work out! No kidding. Hydrate and take food with you. Eat lost of bananas, I drank protein shakes on my beach days. I am proud to say I started my training April 1st, and received my open water diver certification April 14th. I am not here to pretend like this was easy, it wasn't, but it wasn't impossible either. It can be done if you ask questions, pay attention, and don't give up. Remember: once you are certified is a lifetime accomplishment, so get it done! The hardest part for me was the cold water San Diego had to offer! Thank you Beyond Land Adventures, I look forward to taking some more dive courses with you. I recommend this shop if you are trying to get the full experience and be comfortable with diving after training. They're very informative and are passionate about what they do.

Our experience with Beyondland Adventures was unfortunately a mixed bag that left us unable to…read morecomplete our dives that weekend. The pool day was a great start. Daphna was attentive, supportive, and helped us have a successful day of pool dives -- we felt like we were in good hands. The one hiccup was that the wetsuit provided to my fiancé for the pool session had gaping holes in the knees. By the end of the weekend, my partner wasn't sure whether more pool time would be needed before moving on to the ocean dives. To feel comfortable about the upcoming dive she checked in advance to confirm that the ocean dive suit would be a different one -- not the damaged pool suit. We were assured it would be. Come Friday evening, we arrived at the shop to pick up gear ahead of Saturday's ocean dives, only to find that the wetsuit set aside for us was the same pool suit with holes. When we raised the issue and asked about viable fixes, things quickly went sideways. Skyler seemed overwhelmed and unable to work through a solution with us. Mid-conversation -- while we were still actively discussing options -- Skyler walked away, leaving us standing there confused and disheartened. Emotions ran high, so we stepped away to collect ourselves. I went back in trying to find a moment of Skylar's time to help bring acknowledgement to the feelings that arose. It seemed at first we would get to have that but I then at a moment things changed and we didn't get to solve it then and things got busy. I waited patiently hoping for a moment to come but it never did. At the end of the day after waiting hours I could share the issue in more detail and how it escalated, but left feeling unheard about the issue when explanation of issue was responded with retorts of how I might handle things. I did my best to make it a constructive conversation still aiming for a solution - but the experience was disheartening and the point was reached that nothing was going to work. Unfortunately we didn't complete the weekend dives with the gear and the experience on Friday detracted from the whole thing. I do want to give credit to Daphna, who stepped in afterward to help us arrange things so we could still get certified on our upcoming trip. She reached out and was responsive to concerns and ultimately wanted us to enjoy the activity of Scuba diving wherever that would be.

It was a great time. Since it was a small group I got a lot of individual instruction (I only dive…read morea couple of times a year).

Our entire family got our PADI open water certification with Michael. Three teen kids and mom +…read moredad. We found the experience to be intriguing and fun. Michael cares about safety more than anything else. The kids loved his sense of humor, and my wife and I loved his dedication and professionalism. In short, safety first; everything else excellent!

Had an amazing time! The instructors/guides were great. Loved them and loved the experience. We'll…read moredefinitely be back

Went snorkeling with Jesse on the advanced Cave tour. It was so beautiful! The water was a little…read morechoppy on the day we went and Jesse did a fantastic job of directing us on what to do, Keeping us safe, and staying patient with us. I had a complete blast and although because of the weather we weren't able to see much had a fantastic time. I would highly recommend for anyone looking to do something fun in San Diego

Lance is the best instructor for freediving! I signed up hearing great things and it's all true…read more Despite having scuba training, I had trouble equalizing my ears for dives and worried I wouldn't be able to pass the checkboxes needed to get the certification. Lance let me work with him during part of the lunch break in the open ocean water and I chipped away at it under his coaching. He related to my competitive nature and helped me focus by relaxing (almost like you get better by trying less, if that makes sense in diving). In the last hour of the day, I finally passed and he gave me a high-five/hug in the water for getting it. I still have to work at getting better, but he was so tremendous in learning the skillset and I'd be rooting for him to break the next freediving records!

Took the freediving/spearfishing class with Lance. Great instruction and guidance out in local…read morewaters. Highly recommended for anyone thinking about getting into the sport.

Can't say enough good things about Spear America, and specifically Noah…read more Came back from a trip to Mexico where a local shop had installed the wrong spear tip on my speargun. The gun was unusable for the entire trip. Total disaster. When I got home, I reached out to Spear America and Noah immediately diagnosed the issue, identified the correct spear, and went a step further. He swapped out the incorrect European tip so I wasn't stuck paying twice to get the job done right. That kind of service is rare. He didn't have to do it. He chose to. Saved me money, solved the problem, and turned a frustrating trip into something I can laugh about now. Customer for life. Shops are only as good as the people they hire, and Noah is exactly the kind of person you want on the other end of the counter. Thanks again.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

5 star service. Thanks for the setup for the company outing on Catalina . The owners dog is…read moreamazing , kept My daughter entertained. Great customer service set up all my Hawaiian slings.

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.

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 absolutely love this shop! I used to live in SC and then moved to hawaii (where they SHIP FOR…read moreFREE). It's amazing having this dove shop in my old hometown that also ships to hawaii in under 5 days consistently, and i get to support local. Seriously i have ordered from them over 4 times since moving to HI. In shop, everyone is so helpful and super informative as well. I Purchased my first pair of carbon fiber fins and they helped me find perfect foot pockets and socks! 10/10 would recommend to anyone in SC and Hawaii :)

It is on the Pebbly Beach road and a short distance east from the city, walkable distance to this…read morecove from town and even shorter from the ferry landing dock. There isn't much of a beach between the road and the water here, where the rocky shoreline is mostly a snorkeling destination.

Great place to swim not too much of crowd ! Would come back again for another trip i always tell…read morepeople this spot

"OUTSTANDING FREAKS OF NATURE!" This is how best to describe Oren (& his father) who I was…read morefortunate enough to meet this past week. Although it's becoming a rarity, it's a pleasure meeting people who love their jobs and truly appreciate customer service. While pressed for time seeking to secure a new set of SCUBA fins it became apparent there were none to be had within 100 miles (including ordering them on Amazon ... which I do my best to not use when a "brick & mortar" location is nearby). Either way I'm grateful that another dive shop and my dive master referred me to "Oren and Baja Diving & Watersports." Although I was pleased hearing he had them in stock, I was blown away by the customer service Oren and his shop provided! In the end they are great people that I look forward to working with in the future and trust you too will enjoy this terrific company.

This is the only dive shop south of downtown San Diego that serves the avid freediver or…read morespearfisherman as well as scuba divers. I have purchased scuba and freediving gear many times. The owner Oren, is very accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable about the product and diving. He makes you feel important and asks the right questions to find out what your real needs are before recommending an item for you. This is one of the very few shop where you can try freediving wetsuits on, while others making a big deal out of it and guess your size. If you are spearfisherman, you find all the goodies you need here from the beginner level to the more experienced underwater hunter, BDW has all you need and the excellent customer service. This is also one of the only places in San Diego where you find gear from the french company Beuchat, amazingly warm wetsuits and many other fantastic items. He also carries gear from OMS, DUI, Gannet and more. Give this place a try and you will not be disappointed. I for sure will be back for more!

Rented a large tank to use while cleaning my pool. Great & friendly service. Tank worked…read moreperfectly... reasonable price, etc.

Great guys helped me expedite getting all my gear ready for a dive vacation when I waited until…read morealmost the last min. Thank you both so much!