An empty suite, where joy and excitement once buzzed. I loved this place. Cheers to the wonderful…read moreemployees and friends I made here. Farewell.

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.

Michael took my college age daughter through her paces for an advanced diver certification. We had…read moreto have her in a private class because of scheduling but it was worth every penny! Michael was professional, knowledgeable and friendly. I don't think we could have asked for more. My daughter was exhausted but came out of the water smiling from ear to ear after every dive.

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.

This place and staff is the best. Super friendly and helpful…read more New friends are the best.

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.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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 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.

There are two main places to snorkel on Catalina, here, and Casino Point…read more Lover's Cove is a lot calmer and peaceful compared to Casino Point. The first time we came to Catalina, we came to Lover's Cove per brother's recommendation who had lived on Catalina for a summer. We really enjoyed our time! It was the end of October, and the water was surprisingly on the warmer side (though still cold after being in it for awhile...), and we even saw a sea turtle! I guess that is fairly uncommon.. my brother said the waters must have been especially warmer that year. There are a lot of fish here, lovely orange Garibaldi, and some other guys! You don't have to swim too far out to see them, which is nice for me because I don't really like swimming. I know how to swim, but once it starts to get deep (there's a part that kind of drops off), I start to get nervous. It's right in this area where you can see the fish, so I swim around, see the fish, and then swim back to where I can put my feet down and feel solid ground again. The second time we came back to Catalina for hubby's bday, in June. We wanted to see the second snorkeling spot. Casino Point is crazy (to me) .. it's just behind the Casino, there's asphalt, and then a bunch of stairs. I literally set up my beach chair on the asphalt, and watched my husband descend the stairs, and there were a bunch of snorkelers who looked seasoned, and people in actual dive gear. The ocean this time (end of June) was very choppy and freezing cold as well. The stairs were all wet from the waves crashing against it. I was afraid my hubby would get swept away! He claims to have been fine, but it's certainly not for the faint-hearted. He said it was pretty awesome, in that you're pretty much right there, with all the fish, almost instantly. I was not confident enough to get into the water here, plus, freezing cold okay? So we head back to Lover's Cove. I get enough guts to gradually acclimate to the freezing (to me) cold water, and plunge my head under to see the fish. Yay, fish! And then after doing that a couple more times, the fish to cold ratio started to balance out and I was starting to get really cold.. so we got out. It is indeed rocky (though they are round rocks), so bring water shoes if you have them or plan to get a deep tissue massage! We set out our chairs which we borrowed from our hotel on the rocks, so that was nice to have a place to sit versus last time when we put the towel on the rocks and could feel the rocks through the towel. Really love how this place is easy access to nature's lovely creatures, even for a rather out of shape person like me who does not enjoy swimming!

Spent an hour snorkeling here on a cloudy day (water was warm low 70s early September due to recent…read moreEl Nino). Water was clear, LOTS of fish, and uncrowded. The current and waves may get a tiny bit strong near the rocky shore but nothing dangerous. Do need to be aware of the boats like the yellow submarine that traverses the cove, and stay away. There are kelp beds but well below the surface.

"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!