The owner Andy was welcoming and knowledgeable, answered all my questions about gear and spearfishing. They got a wide selection of gear for your spearfishing/diving needs highly recommend this spot! read more

Anderson's Scuba Diving - Scuba Diving Near Me - Pacifica, California

We went by recently to get some snorkeling gear for a family vacation and were very pleased with the service and the gear we got. A young man and a young woman were there and were very nice and helpful. They took plenty of time to get everyone fitted and explained the various options available. We left with nice kits for the whole family and will happily continue doing business with Anderson's. read more

Had a very negative experience renting scuba gear. I called and asked for BCD, regulator set with computer, weights, and two steel 100 tanks. Staff quoted me $100 and said I could come pick it up. Upon arrival, I looked at the regulator set and realized that there wasn't a computer. When I asked about it, the staff member said he'd been trying nonstop to get in touch with his manager to find out if he could rent a set with a computer on it, but his manager hadn't responded. Understandable situation, but I'm bothered that he quietly hoped I'd leave without noticing, rather than telling me and asking if I need a computer - this seems particularly egregious for what is essentially life support equipment. He then charged me $110 for the package with one steel 100 and one aluminum 80, more than the $100 I was quoted over the phone for two steel tanks. The price increase, the single steel tank, and the lack of computer could all have been communicated to me beforehand so I could at least choose a different local shop if I'd like. Then, by far the worst part happened. I woke up the following morning at 4AM to drive 2 hours to Carmel beach, met up with my dive buddy, started to get ready, and...the BCD inflator (an AIR2) was incompatible with the regulator. I couldn't use the gear at all. Thankfully, I found a diver who had an extra jacket BCD, so I used that despite it being too big and messing up my trim. Additionally, the steel tank was only filled to 3100 psi, marginally more than the aluminum 80 but for twice the cost. When I went to return my rental equipment, I explained the situation to the manager, and he said that their policy is that customers have to check their own equipment before leaving the shop. I think that if I am renting a BCD and regulator set, it is reasonable to expect they give me compatible equipment that I can actually use together. He did apologize but reiterated that their policy is that it is the customer's responsibility to check (I was not told this policy at rental time) and only refunded me for the cost of the regs and BC. I'm giving them 2 stars instead of just 1 because they seemed like nice people, helped me carry the tanks and weights to and from my car, and the rental gear was quality stuff. But the customer service was unacceptable to me, I would have expected at the very least a full refund. read more

Great for renting Scuba equipment. This past weekend, my family and I completed our open water scuba diving certification class in Monterey. *Yay* We had a large party taking part on in our dive in Monterey, so we needed to find a store that had a huge selection of wet suits to accommodate the entire family. Thankfully, we found Anderson's. The entire staff at Anderson's were very helpful and knowledgeable with the gear that they supply. Bonnie and Laurie were a treat to have helping us, they both were able to judge by just looking, at what size wet suits we needed, and gave us suggestions on future gear and equipment that would better fit our body types. They have a great showroom of gear for purchase and rental, and also have a small indoor pool available for kiddie swim lessons, and scuba certification as well. We didn't do our certification with them at Anderson's but from the staff that we did have helping us with our wet suits,I wouldn't doubt that the others are just as helpful. Thank you Anderson's for making the wet suit ordeal a relaxing one. I'll be seeing you on my next ocean dive. read more

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I've been coming here to use their pool for over 6 years. Sandy, Andy and all the staffs are so welcoming, I feel comfortable and safe being at the facility. They've been around for a long time and I respect their business and kindness all together. Even though I live in San Francisco, I use their service for the scuba gear check in. I trust them! read more

Anderson's Scuba Diving - Scuba Diving Near Me - Pacifica, California

If your a diver this is the place to go. I got scuba certified 1984 here, and all my 3 children got swimming lessons here and are now Free divers also. They take it to another level with safety and endurance both swimming and diving. Thanks for the great job on my spear gun repair.Anderson family and staff are the best. read more

I have been using Andersons to get my 5 scuba tanks, filled, visually inspected, and hydro tested for the past few years. At least half of the times I come in to get my tanks filled they can't do it because there is no one there trained to fill tanks, so they ask you to leave them and come back and pick them up in a few days. When you want a tank visually inspected, they require you to leave it there for a minimum of 10 days, a hydro test usually takes longer. Most dive shops in the bay area will do a visual test while you wait or take no more than a day or two at the most! Also, at least half the time I get my tanks filled at Andersons, I get shorted on the air fill by at least 500 psi. I am tired of the slow service I get at Andersons so I will be going to other dive shops for service from now on. My opinion about Andersons is that their priority is more on assisting customers for their swim school than being a full service dive shop. Consider going elsewhere if you want the services of a fully equipped dive shop. read more

I needed to rent scuba gear at the very last minute, as my previous reservation fell through. Andy and the rest of the staff at Anderson's came through for me. They had everything I needed at the last minute, and their gear is first-rate and really well taken care of. I was very pleased with the service, the cost and the quality of the rental. So glad I found them. I will definitely be renting all my gear from Anderson's from now on. read more

My review is based on the service of the shop, not the swim school or the certification class. My mother went there to rent oxygen tanks because my father was using a medical circulator boot in order to save his left foot from being amputated, and that device requires compressed air in order to work. We usually went to a place in downtown San Francisco for our oxygen tanks, but after dealing with the huge traffic, we opted for a closer location, and we found Anderson's, which is 15 minutes away. According to my mother, she always had great customer service whenever she went there on the weekdays. However, every time my mother had asked me to help her on the weekends, I sang a completely different tune. The first time I took my mother to the shop to refill two oxygen tanks, we were greeted by a woman who had us wait for 15 minutes to fill the tanks. When we brought the tanks home, we noticed that only one tank was filled, while the other one was only halfway, and we were charged full price for both tanks. My mother went back to the shop on a weekday, and received a refund for the tank that was filled halfway. The second time I took my mother to the shop on a weekend to refill our 2 tanks, we were greeted by the same lady who told us that she couldn't fill our tank while a swim class was in session, and said that if we come to the shop on a weekend, to ask for a refill in the afternoon, not in the morning. One of our tanks wasn't filled, and we were given 2 extra tanks pre-filled to make up for the ones she couldn't help us with. So, we went home with three tanks -- 2 filled, and one empty. The third, and final time was the last straw. My mother and I decided to oblige by what the lady had told us previously about going to the shop in the afternoon on a weekend, and we did just that. We played her game, but when we arrived, she told us that they don't fill tanks on the weekends period. My mother and I were in shock, and we said, "no, no, no. That's not what you told us. The last time we were here, you told us to come back in the afternoon", and she denied ever mentioning that to us. She then says, "oh, also our oxygen tank machine is broken." Bullshit! She said that because she just didn't want to help us, and during the time, a children's swimming class had just ended, and she was more interested in taking the whole class next door to a party. I honestly don't think this place even deserves 1 star based on my experience. The lady who works on the weekends needs to go, because she doesn't seem interested in assisting anyone who comes into the shop. After my experiences, I'm gonna stick to the shop in downtown San Francisco. I'll NEVER be turned down for a refill when I go there. read more

Every dive op has its own vibe. I would liken Dennis Miralda's crew to, say, the cast of Deadliest Catch... you know, crusty-tattedup-hard-core-loveable-men-of-the-sea, but without all the smoking, heroin and heart attacks. They are a local crew, familiar with dive sites, known each other for years, a family, and I gotta admit, I kinda fell in love with all of them a little. I've only done about 50 dives and I'm great in warm water, but I suck at cold water diving and need a lot of help in Monterey. I hired Dennis through Andersons and had Matt with me 1 on 1 for my dive, and good thing too... I stank up the joint. There was a lovely 20 minutes under water before I got the epic leg cramp that wouldn't stop, had to thumb the dive then get towed to shore through a huge kelp field. Could not have been easy for Matt, no matter what he says. And the first thing Matt said to me when I limped out of the water was, "good job." How awesome is that? Then he encouraged me to go back out and try again. I was like, "Dude, do you want to have to tow me again?" And he said, "Sure, I don't care. Just get back out there." How awesome is THAT??? I wish that Andersons had weight integrated BCs in the large size I needed (I had a problem with my very heavy weight belt shifting during the dive) but other than that, the shop is great, very helpful staff. But mostly I gotta give props to Dennis and his thorough, safe and professional crew. A lot of NorCal divers have a sort of BadAss attitude that manifests as, well, asshole-ish. But this crew is truly badass and they have nothing to prove so they can have high standards but still be kind and generous. And they inspired me to get more training (just finished my advanced open water... in Hawaii). I will be calling Dennis for more kelpy punishment soon. www.Dennisdives.com. read more

This review is not about Anderson's swimming programs or scuba diving certifications. This is for one aspect of their services that most people won't think too much about it and that is their hydrotesting on air tanks in general. I came here to get my paintball air supply tank tested. I caught their ad on Craigslist one fine day and called them up about it. They are very friendly and informative, giving details to what they cover for the testing. Honestly, I'm not well-versed in the average pricing for hydrotesting air tanks, but I paid $45 for their services and got my tank back within two days. I say better safe than sorry, so the price you pay ought to be fair. Paintballers, here's a spot to do professional hydrotesting for your tanks. I bet there are other places, but this is definitely a decent place to send yours in. read more

I should have read the others and written this when it happened last year. I took in my reg for an overall, and I also purchased some gear. I went to Anderson since they had a pool and could check the reg submerged as shops do in Florida. I paid over $200 for the service. A week later on my first dive in Roatan my octo and reg both had leaks severely shortening my dive time. Though that didn't really matter because at 15 minutes at 60 feet my high pressure hose failed. I had to do an emergency ascent with another diver. When I spent a day finding a repair shop on the weekend they couldn't even remove it because the bolt was corroded. They didn't even check under the protective sleeve yet alone try to do any maintenance. I could have died because of their careless service. I was so angry I emailed them during vacation, when I got home, and called when I returned -- NO response at all. So not only are their prices absurd for service and gear (I purchased a wet suit under duress of time), but they don't care about their clients or their service. Go elsewhere, they're not worth it. And for the record, I'm a divemaster with over 150 dives and worked with over a dozen shops in Florida, I knew this shop was a joke when I first met them, but time and location gave me few other options. I tried. I was disastrous. read more

Andy, the owner, was awesome! I bought a bunch of abalone gear here and he was very helpful. I'd come back here. Seems like a family-owned business that does a great job. read more

I went in to this store to try and find fins for my son. It was about 2:30 this afternoon and there was no one else in the shop. The woman behind the counter did not acknowledge our presence. Okay....I figured she was busy and would be with us in a minute. Wrong. We were there for 10 minutes and the entire time she appeared be actively avoiding us and made sure she always had her back to us. Sure, I could have made her turn around, but I figured there are plenty of other places that would be happy to make a sale and they don't need our money. There is no way she didn't see us since there were four of us in the shop. Not a good impression at all. After reading other reviews I am glad we got the cold shoulder and didn't spend a dime there. read more

Went to get a couple of things for my dive class. Had the friendliest help ever. The guy spent about an hour an a half with me showing me booties, gloves and fins. Everything was labeled with prices and he wasn't pushy but gave me all my options and listed the pro's with the con's on each product. I have been to other dive shops and nothing is priced and they are always trying to swindle you! This place was the opposite. It wasn't until I finished and paid for my products did I learn he was the owner. read more

Amazing Customer Service!!! Had a tank hydro tested here and attempted to fill it afterwards and wow you will never meet a friendlier person than the owner!! read more

I was taking my first freediving lessons in Monterey and called ahead I rented to rent some gear. I gave my height and weight, and the next day when I showed up Andy had everything read for me in a bag. Super easy. I ended up returning the gear a day late and they were super chill about it and didn't even charge me. read more

This review is about scuba diving rental. A few weeks ago I rented a full set of scuba diving equipment from Anderson's. I'm not sure if it was Bonnie or Laurie who helped me (I'm not very good with names), but she was really helpful and nice. I\ Although I rented the equipment for a saturday, she was ready to let me pick it up on the previous thursday so that I don't have to make another trip back (Thats when I first visited the store to enquire for availability and trial for size ). She spent a good amount of time to pick out the right sizes and made sure I was comfortable before signing me off. All in all a very good experience. read more

I regret signing up for lessons here. None of the equipment fit, half of it didn't work as intended. The instructor half-assed the class room section then once we were in the pool he only helped the two females in bikinis. The salt water pool is filthy, it feels like you are swimming in someone else's bathwater (floating band aids and all). At the end of the class I told him I didn't feel comfortable doing the open water section of the class because I hadn't learned anything. He promptly refused to refund even half of what I paid. read more

Be warned that you should only get air fills there only if you don't mind being shorted. I really want to give them more stars because some of the staff there are really great people and really do seem to care about you or at least they make you think so because of their great service. But they have at least one bad staffer who singlehandedly removes three stars. I took in tanks for plain-jane, non-voodoo-gas air fills and got short fills--and yeah, that's the way air fills happen--tanks get warm and they cool and they don't have the same pressure when they cool. However, I asked for a top off and and was told I'd have to pay for another fill. On tanks that were shorted by that same staffer. I'd accept it if it were a case of super-cheap air fills and you getting what you pay for, but they charged a premium compared to other shops. Oh, and their website lists air fills for 5 bucks and I was charged 8. There is no notice on their side for any surcharge for HP tanks, or anything like that. That staffer went on to say that the store's gauge is conservative. I would buy that but for the fact that the tanks in question all had differing pressures, which implies the gauge they use is wonky. read more

This review does not cover the shop but the Naui certification program I went through a few years back at Anderson's. After talking to many of my friends that have gone through Padi certification, I now realize how overkill and bad the instruction was at Anderson's. Dennis, our instructor, was a nice guy, very knowledgeable, but his assistants should not be instructing. As soon as we got in the water people started dropping like flies. After 20 laps and 10 minutes treading water we were soon separated into smaller groups with an assistant instructor with tons of really bad attitude. By bad attitude I mean, zero communication, zero explanation, zero help...shut up and do what I tell you to do. It seemed like Dennis knew what was going on and tried to the managed situation, but he could only do so much. This lack of instruction/help bordered on dangerous and the overall experience really did suck. The topper was the written test. I had two or three wrong answers and Dennis reviewed them with me...good thing. We got to one incorrect answer and Dennis reviewed it three times. He could not find the correct answer on the multiple choice test...not good. Overall, if you get Dennis for instruction you are in good hands. If you get one of his assistants, beware. read more

I was certified at Anderson's in 1977, advanced in '78. I'm assuming the training is similar now as then, NAUI being taught with more of a military style than you'll find at the PADI shops. The idea is that if you can cut it at Anderson's, then you'll have a good chance of staying alive after certification. The instructors are somewhat abrupt, serious, and cocky, but if it bothers you, then you probably should look for a kinder, milder, softer PADI school where they literally give you the answers for your written tests. I chose NAUI, since the ocean is not kind, mild, or soft. read more

Great Dive Shop!!! I went to Anderson's with my brother to get set up with gear. The staff is very knowable about what's right for you. I've been snorkeling for a few years and have battled funky equipment that I found out didn't fit properly. The people here have the right dive/snorkel gear that we needed to make our dives more enjoyable. My bother is a Big Guy (The Big Boned Type) and he was pleased to find that they had a lot of sizes to get him fit correctly. Scuba/Abalone gear Masks,Wetsuits,Boots you name it. Great to have someone give you there years of info. We've gone divivg for Abalone and have always wanted to do SCUBA. Andy (one of the owners who fitted us) told us about the classes and what it would take to get trained. They have many dates and a 90* Indoor Pool!!! We're signed up and looking forward to our class in Feb. The shop has tons of stuff for spearfishing too. Nice helpful people that have been diving and training divers for along time!!!! read more

Andy Anderson is an experienced teacher that inspires trust. His professionalism and knowledge put away any reservation I might have had in giving scuba lessons to my daughters. He his methodical, clear, and well prepared in all aspects of his role as an instructor. He obviously cares about making the lesson a successful and rewarding experience for aspiring divers. I look forward to open up a whole new world for my daughters. read more