Everything met my expectations. I wanted to do a 2-tank dive at Point Lobos. I called and scheduled a dive 2 weeks early. The dive shop secured the licenses and permits to dive at Point Lobos, which is a state park. Dive masters are contracted by dive shops so they will have multiple divers diving from their shops. I rented gear from the shop and was assigned Nani as my dive master. The dive shop is conveniently located off the main road and highway. I spent more than usual, because I dove by myself, so I didn't get to split the dive master fees, buts it's all good in 2026, my resolution is to spend more time and experiences, rather than material things... so I finished my dive day experiencing diving in this iconic lagoon, I took lots of GoPro film, and free stickers compliments of the dive shop! read more

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Great gear, very easy rental process and solid prices. Gets very busy on the weekends. Tested everything before renting and had two fantastic dives, would definitely rent from here again. read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - Metridium fields off San Carlos breakwater/pipeline - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

Aquarius has a great selection of gear for all your scuba diving needs. The staff is also very knowledgeable, patient, and attentive to their customers' needs. My wife and I are relatively new (to California) divers and have had the pleasure of diving with several of their instructors in Monterey and Carmel on private guide dives. They are thorough in their dive planning and debriefing, reinforce core diving skills tailored to our individual needs, and are consummate professionals. We most recently spent a couple of days diving with Dane in Point Lobos and at Monastery and had a fantastic time. We highly recommend this shop and look forward to many more dive days with them in the future. read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - Dancing with a mola mola on an Aquarius dive. - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

I got my Open water cert here! the staff is very kind and helpful. If you walk in with no knowledge at all about scuba. they can answer every single one! David was a great instructor and helped me feel safe and excited to start my scuba diving journey! if you need any equipment they have it! if you are a college student you also get a 50% off rentals monday threw friday!!! (45$ instead of 85). plus you get a 10% discount as a college student or if you do a class you will also get a 10% discount. This is the place to go! i've had issues with other shops, aquarius however, doesn't disappoint! read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - My self at the last dive before being open water certified! - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

Staff in here just dont seem kind or helpful. I dont enjoy visiting the shop or spending money here. Ultimately they are conveniently located near Monterey Bay, so I will continue to suffer through these interactions.8748 read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - visual inspection - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

I got my drysuit certification through Aquarius, and Jake was my instructor. He was super chill but attentive, and made me feel extra comfortable answering my many questions as I'm a newer diver. His energy and clear explanations really eased my nervousness. He also took me to a couple of different dive spots before any training to check out conditions before deciding to start in the pool. That extra level of care is what made this one of my best dive experiences yet. Even with not-so-great visibility and a little surge, the dive was super fun and I'd recommend this shop to anyone wanting to get certified on any level. The other staff I briefly talked to were also really friendly, so I imagine that every instructor there is stellar. Thanks guys! read more

Aquarius is the gold standard for dive shops on the central coast. My girlfriend and I both started with Aquarius for the open water certification, and are moving on to more advanced courses and dive club membership. Without exception, the staff at Aquarius is helpful, professional, friendly and fantastic ambassadors for the ocean and for diving. We both feel as if we are becoming part of an a community and family and look forward to many great experiences in the future. read more

Jess was an amazing dive guide on some shore dives at Monterey. Great experience, and would definitely go out with her again.

Great experience with my first rental. I'll be back. I'd heard good things about Aquarius, and my experience lived up to the hype. Oh and the wetsuit they rented kept me toasty! read more

We had a great experience with Aquarius Dive Shop. Their website was quick and convenient for booking a guided shore dive and rental equipment. Fairly priced. We had to reschedule our dive via phone which was easy. Pick up and drop off of the gear was smooth. They provided bins to load up our car. Staff was super friendly and informative. Our dive guide, Nick, provided a thorough safety briefing, and was very fun and knowledgeable. He pointed out marine life we would've otherwise missed. 10/10 would recommend! read more

Go see ELSA to guide you .... She is Amazing , Fun and Patient ... Very Knowledgeable... with a Dagree in this field...... Thank you and this shows just what Aquarius standards are.. Shawn Bodily read more

No wonder Aquarius has won the Best of Monterey award! This dive shop has friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff; it's an established and well-run organization. They have all the gear you need for beginners to professionals, including amazing dry suits. This is the only place to get Nitrox tanks filled in the area, rather than just plain compressed air. That makes a positive difference to my energy and increases the length of a dive. Their group dives and open-water certification courses are the best in the Bay. They even have a dive club so you can sign up for a real dive buddy in the morning that you want to go out. It's definitely best to reserve your dive sessions or equipment early during the busy season. read more

Had a great dive with Aquarius and Christine! I went to do a single dive but first attempt at going into the water was a bit challenging cuz of the water conditions so I had to come out early, but she gave me another opportunity to have a separate shorter dive where there was less kelp and it was an amazing experience! read more

Great Local Dive Shop! Knowledgable staff. Jake was a great guide. Patient and helpful. Would definitely come back again!

Rented three sets of full gear; smooth process, helpful and knowledgable staff. Equipment was in very good condition.

Amazing Business for your Scuba needs from new gear to rentals. The staff were great and very informative about everything. Shoutout to Phil our tour guide he was very helpful with my dive and made everything FUN! read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - Scuba Tour - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

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We had a great guided tour with Brian from the shore of San Carlos beach. The gear selection for rental is great and everything fit well. Brian was extremely knowledgeable and had great attention to detail, especially making sure us newer divers were safely geared up. Would highly recommend this dive shop. read more

Aquarius Dive Shop is the best dive shop in town for gear rentals, experienced guides, and epic trip options! They are extremely knowledgable, helpful and always friendly. We were visiting from out of town and needed to do a full gear rental with single tanks. The quality of their gear and the price isn't crazy - you know you're getting a great value and your dive will be safe and memorable. We'll always go to Aquarius when we're in town! Thanks again! read more

We loved our experience with Aquarius' open water diver certification. We purchased the course via the groupon online and David helped sign us up over the phone using our voucher #. The team at Aquarius are all extremely knowledgeable and ensure you're set up to thrive from the moment you get to the shop. My partner and I did our first 2 ocean dives with air, and then we added on the nitrox/enriched air specialty and got the opportunity to dive with EANx32 for ocean dives 3&4. We felt a huge difference in our energy levels, even on day two of diving - highly recommend adding on this specialty! Only 45 extra minutes of E-learning to get this certification, plus at the 'student of the shop's' discounted price. The cherries on top were our amazing instructors, Marin Maple & David Guerra - these two are the best! They kept learning fun and engaging, and I can't recommend learning how to dive from them enough. Both David and Marin are well seasoned divers and passed along awesome tips and tricks along the way. They are talented educators, always ready to lend a hand, and above all as kind as can be. Thank you for the best experience and we can't wait to be back for more fun in the Monterey Bay! read more

Professional. Customer focused. Technical expertise. Cool. Everything one could want in a dive shop. The instruction was carried out to perfection. My new go-to for all things diving! read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

After a previous bad experience with another local dive shop, Aquarius really stepped up to accommodate us and get us in the ocean. We first booked a discovery scuba dive for my boyfriend, but later got a call from Jake who offered to take us both on a snorkel tour at Monastery Beach because he remembered me mentioning I wanted to swim in the ocean. They were able to use the deposit I put down for the DSD and use it towards our snorkel tour instead. I like how they organized the gear into plastic totes to easily move in and out of your car, while also keeping the car dry. Such a small thing that made a big difference! Once we got back to the shop, we just had to return the tote and they would take care of the rest. Overall, all the staff was very pleasant to work with and I will be doing all of my future dives with Aquarius! Thank you to William and Jake for turning our trip around! read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - Sea urchins at monastery - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

Under an alias... this shop is usually pretty good. I will say, however, that the tour guide Lily needs to be supervised or go through a few refresher courses. Not only does she seemed scatter brained, she literally lost two people on a tour the other day, and didn't even notice until a while later... She zigzagged quite a bit without notice -- in very, very low vis (which is probably why they got lost). I will definitely not be going on another tour because I honestly think $60 instructor fee is just too high for what she did (which was very little). Maybe for a private tour that's a fair price, but with multiple people it's borderline absurd. The shop is nice though. read more

David and Jake were fantastic. My wife and I stopped in to look at masks with the intent of adding prescription lenses. The team was very informative and responsive to our interests. We walked out with a couple of masks, snorkels and new fins! This place has a great feel And a real culture of service. Could not recommend it more! read more

Excellent customer service, convenient location and knowledgeable dive masters. My first time using this shop, it came recommended by many and is my new favorite. read more

My go-to spot in Monterey for diving. They keep a record of your equipment and dives. The staff are friendly and helpful with any questions. You can reserve a package of all or gear or reserve individual items if you only need a little bit. They have a dive club you can join if you're looking for a dive buddy. You show up in the morning and sign up. read more

One stop shop for all your diving needs. Ask for diving instructor Curren. He is extremely informative, goes beyond past his scheduled class times to relay information. My 16 year old son is now Padi certified and waiting to do more diving tours! Thank you Curren! read more

Service is as expected, the gear is a little old but usable, prices are reasonable and the staff is friendly. This is my go-to spot for diving trips and rental gear. read more

Getting my Open Water Certification here has been one of the most amazing experiences in my life! I felt very safe and comfortable with Instructor and Dive Master Will! Everyone at the shop is kind, experienced, and professional so you know you're in good hands. Looking forward to joining the dive club and visiting this shop whenever I'm in Monterey! read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - Dive Master Will and newly certified open water scuba divers - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

Experienced my first cold water dive ~45 degree water with them and really enjoyed my guide, Phil. He was really helpful with me only having a few dives under my belt and gave us a warm boat jacket, towels, snacks, and hot coffee to stay warm. read more

What an exhilerating adventure this was. One I shall never forget the rest of my life. Learning to scuba dive here is the best adventure one could have. The teachers are excellent.. friendly and very professional. Diving the icy waters of Monterey Will take you to new understanding.of our planet. A must do for anyone. I highly recommend taking a class here read more

Went for some last minute snorkeling. Everyone here was super friendly, informative and the experience was perfect. Would recommend and can't wait to go back! read more

Great dive shop. I did my first Monterey dive this weekend. Everyone was very informative and helpful. Our dive guide Christina was great. Definitely will check them out again. read more

Excellent crew over there, very friendly and helpful. I also took a dive class here and the instructor (David) did an excellent job; highly recommended if you want a fun instructor who really loves what he does and knows his craft! read more

I found Aquarius Dive Shop through their sister dive shop (Any Water Sport) in San Jose. The two shops coordinated quickly to help me find an instructor before I needed to leave for a trip. The owner (James) was really great and responsive to my concerns and goals. My last dive was 10 years ago, and I was really nervous about getting back into it. I wanted to do an intensive refresher, and make sure my instructor wouldn't just rush through the lessons because I was already certified. My instructor (Nani) really helped me work through a lot of nerves while helping me re-learn a lot of skills that I was rusty on. Her patience and positive energy made a big difference. By the end of day 3 (1 pool day + 2 ocean days), I was feeling so much more comfortable with diving than I did on day 1. I'm so grateful that Nani was able to help me find the confidence I needed before I left for my trip! Would definitely recommend Aquarius, Any Water, and Nani. read more

One star for having quality steel tanks and for being open at 7am (but do plan on it taking 20+ min to pick up 4 tanks). Our local shop was sold out of size M rentals so we ordered two, 2 Tank Dive Packages (minus masks, snorkels, fins, boots, gloves) for our kids that are the same height and weight (5'8", 150lbs). When we went to pick them up at 7am sharp, a younger guy who works there (who always seems like he doesn't want to be there) had us sign all the papers before showing us our gear boxes. We didn't know where to get our stuff and the guy just said, "the boxes in the back". We asked how we knew which were our boxes and he said it would have our names on them. He never mentioned we should double check their work or try on the gear. We usually do have the kids try on their gear if it is our first time renting from a place we've never used. But by now we know they are solid Mediums and we trusted Aquarius knew what they were doing with height and weight measurements. By the time we got to Breakwater, we realized they didn't pack hoods. They also forgot to tell us the weights were not in the boxes. Granted, we should have realized that but we were in a hurry to get a parking spot. We had to go back for the hoods and weights and they charged us extra saying hoods are not part of the full package. By the time we were ready to suit up, we realized they gave our same sized kids different sized wet suits and hoods. One got a size women's small and an XS hood and one got size Mediums/8. So we had to just rent a whole new wetsuit at the dive shop at Breakwater. We were finally able to dive around 10am. When we returned the gear, I asked for a partial refund because we couldn't use half the gear and had to rent somewhere else. After saying we were supposed to check the gear and try it on before signing the papers (but the guy had us sign first before even telling us where to pick up the gear boxes), the guy confirms hoods are included but we should have checked the boxes. He said he could do a credit but was pretty much implying this was all our fault and sizes are not guaranteed. Sheesh, a simple, "I'm sorry, we value our customers" would have been nice. Yes, I realize we should have checked the boxes but when rentals are a huge part of your every day job (and you open at 7am knowing ppl are getting there early to get parking), I figured ordering two packages of exactly the same things and same sizes, wouldn't be difficult or a complicated order. We finally just left. Without credit. Without a refund. Without any effort or cares on their end. This will be the last time we will ever rent from Aquarius or refer them to any of our friends. read more

Great dive shop! Friendly and knowledgable staff, good prices, convenient location for Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur based dives. Excellent course instructors! read more

In summary, everything you'd want from a class! - Very friendly, organized, and prepared - Always felt safe - Skill instructions were clear and help always available - Their experience and love for diving makes the class! I took the Open Water Dive Course with Steve and David and they were absolutely amazing instructors. Before we even began, communication was clear and often. Early in the week, we received an email with all the information we'd need for the weekend classes (and tips and tricks to streamline the whole experience). They were also incredibly prepared and had extras of everything (or in Steve's case, had all the tools to fix things) to handle the inevitable issues that arose so that we were all able to stay on track. In terms of instruction, it was clear that their top priority was watching out for our best interest. Our safety was always first, followed by an obvious desire for us to learn the necessary skills. They were always willing to answer our questions and redemonstrate when needed, were willing to take extra time to help us if required (but their explanations were so clear it was rarely necessary), and overall very thoughtful and accommodating to our needs (e.g. keeping note of how we were all doing and changing the plan as needed). What was particularly stellar was their personal love for diving. They're both incredibly experienced and made it a priority to give us the room to discover a love for diving as well (and not just focus on the skills). It was a particular joy to hear all the diving stories they had and the good humour in which they told them. The one point of confusion (which was my fault for being late and is actually a great deal offered) - the store offers extra credit if you don't ask for the deposit returned. While the course includes all the SCUBA gear, you will need to buy your own personal gear (fins, mask, gloves, boots) and will likely spend over this credit. It's certainly worth it! Overall, I had an outstanding experience in the course, as well as interacting with everyone in the shop (everyone was always kind and helpful). read more

I got my AOW certification through Aquarius this past weekend - William M. was a great instructor! He was friendly, explained the concepts in a very thorough manner and provided individual feedback in an easy to digest manner. By the fifth dive in the class, I felt A LOT more confident in the water (esp. my buoyancy and compass navigation). I've rented gear (wetsuits, BCD, reg's, etc.) through Aquarius a few times now and it's always been a pretty smooth process. If you call and reserve in advance, the gear will be waiting for you to try on and verify. read more

​ I had a great dive with Chris as the dive master. He was very thorough and made the dive very enjoyable. We saw cormorants, sea lions , and the largest starfish I've ever seen! This dive was a wonderful introduction to Monterey Bay. The Personnel in the office were phenomenal. They assisted me with my dive suit and also the BCD. I highly recommend Aquarius to anyone who wants to dive in Monterey Bay. read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

2 days of 2 tank guided dives with Aquarius Dive Shop Booking was very easy. I got my confirmation email quickly with attached waiver that I was able to sign before I arrived to help expedite the check in process. When I arrived day 1 I was introduced to my guide Travis. He talked to me about my dive experience and asked me if I had any dive sites in mind. I wanted to go to North Monastery so we met at the site and checked out conditions and we were good to go! Both dives were GREAT! Travis was great at pointing all kinds of cool things out! We saw a ray, wolf eel, ling cod, nudibranch, and tons of other fish. I told him I loved swimming though kelp so he took me on a great cruise through the kelp forest. My second day of dives I dove with Nick. I wanted to check out the pipe at Breakwater and then make my way out to the Metridium fields as well as some more kelp forests. Nick expertly guided me everywhere I wanted to go and pointed out tons of little critters along the way. The Sea Lions even came out to play throughout the dives. I had a new regulator and octopus I wanted some help setting up and Will (I think that was his name) helped me out and also helped me find a pressure gauge I love! Overall I had a great experience and will be returning to this dive shop. read more

Aquarius Dive Shop - Day 2 with Nick. - Dive Shops Near Me - Monterey, California

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