Showed up to rent gear for myself, wife, and daughter. Shop was open and the guy just refused to rent us any gear. Said it was for our own good. Surf was to big to have a safe dive. Only problem was that the surf was only one to two feet. Looks like he just won't rent to anyone who hasn't payed him for a $75 per diver guided dive. I did my first dive in 1989. My wife and daughter along with myself are all advanced divers with Nitrox certifications. By the time we found a good dive shop to rent from it was too late in the day to dive. I am assuming it was the owner of the shop who was so rude and condescending from reading another real bad review. Definitely avoid this shop at all costs. read more

Went diving with Brian, and couldn't have been more impressed. He was polite, professional, thoughtful in the pre-dive briefing, and catered the dive to my preferences and showed me a great time! I will absolutely return, and without a doubt, I'd recommend anyone hook up with these guys for some great tours, gear rental right by the water, and quality dive staff. Thanks guys! read more

La Jolla Dive is a great place to book a dive tour. I booked last minute and Chris was accommodating and communicated really well via phone and text. The price was really good. Location was great (2 blocks from the dive spot) and the dive was fun and I had a great experience. Thanks La Jolla Dive. read more

Patrick was an amazing teacher! Very patient and very through. He does not cut corners and you will be very prepared when you are out on your own. La Jolla Dive is super convenient for diving at La Jolla Shores and the shores it THE place to get certified. I would highly recommend them to anyone! read more

Laura was very friendly and patient, especially on the exit of the first dive, but with poor viz and her speed it was hard to keep up and I had to ascend twice for us to find eachother. read more

I was looking around for places to do my Advanced Open Water certification after moving back down to San Diego. All of the places I called including Sports Chalet had strict schedules which were not going to work around my school schedule. Of course I was looking for a good deal as well and all of those places had high tuition costs and their courses either required that I pay extra to rent their gear OR I had to buy certain pieces of equipment from them. I am a college student and strapped for cash. I found Chris at La Jolla Dive and he was exactly what I was looking for. Chris is a great guy! His schedule is flexible and works completely around you. Whether it is going to take you 3 days or 6 months to get certified because of your schedule or lifestyle, Chris is your guy! Whatever you need, he will do. The price was unbeatable, the gear was in great condition (new O'neil wetsuits for winter diving) and Chris is a genuinely nice guy who really cares about his customers. Everyone I meet who is interested in diving, I don't hesitate to give them Chris' information. I plan on doing future certifications through Chris at La Jolla Dive. And if you are interested in getting certified, you will not find a better guy or a better deal anywhere! Thanks Chris! Steve read more

The dive store owner Chris was so helpful in rescheduling a dive for my husband and me when I got sick. We really appreciated that he was willing to help us since we were on a time crunch. The divemaster we dive with was well prepared when my regulator wasn't working... he had a dive tool kit ready to fix it and save my dive. We had fun diving even though the visibility wasn't spectacular. We saw the kelp forest, garabaldi fish, horn sharks, guitar fish, and playful sea lions. That was a highlight. It was a fun experience and definitely recommend La Jolla Dive for diving in San Diego! read more

I guess when I was getting certified I was spoiled with amazing guides for each of my dives. The rental gear was good. Our dive guide was good at helping us get into and out of our gear, but once we were in the water it was like we were following him around with him checking on us once in a while. During two dives he only pointed out ONE pink sea anemone. After the dive he asked if we saw the leopard shark, lobster, and several other items, which we had not. This was our first cold water dive (which he knew). I also paid for a picture package, I was told that I would be emailed the pictures. The next day I received 6 pictures, 3 of which were definitely NOT from our dive, I emailed Chris (the owner) about this, the next day I received an email saying that I had been refunded, but nothing else. I need to also note that I specifically asked Jay (our guide) if I should bring my own camera and he said no, I have mine. Overall my son and I were disappointed and at this point my son does not want to dive again, which saddens me. read more

Dived with La Jolla Dive yesterday. Had a fantastic time. It's my first time diving on this coast of the Pacific (US west coast). Tiffany was my guide. She was great - finding lots of things to see and showing features I'd have missed. We dove in a marine preserve of kelp and grasses, then along a low wall on the second dive. Saw dozens of lobsters in crevices in the rock and many fish I wasn't familiar with native to the Pacific. Tiffany found many small animals in the sand and wall: crabs, shrimp, octopus, flat fish, scallops. The water was cold for me because I'm used to the Caribbean. But LJD's cold water gear kept me comfortable. They are a small operation, but the whole crew is friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the diving in the area. I'll dive with them again the next time I'm here. read more

Fantastic dive! I did the two tank dive, so one dive in La Jolla Cove and the second dive in La Jolla Shores. This was my first ocean dive, so I was rather nervous, but my guide (Jay) assuaged my fears by thoroughly explaining the dive plan. When scheduling the dive, I had some last minute changes to my ideal dive date - they quickly worked with me so that I could still dive. I would certainly dive with them again if I am ever able to return to La Jolla! read more

Awesome dive shop convenient location close to the beach very friendly and helpful highly recommend!

Where should we start? These guys were awesome! Everybody was right on time and had the gear ready to go. The gear worked great and was in great condition, better than many other rentals I've used. Our guide Anthony was a boss! He knew lots of fun details about the area and the wildlife. Anthony knew all the right spots to show us and kept a great pace, I never felt rushed or left behind and he was solid on his safety briefings, great communication before and after splashdown. You could tell he really loves diving and has a good sense of discipline (ex-mil) and I felt really safe and confident with him as my dive master. We dove both the cove and the canyon. Great visibility, 30-40ft at least! We dove with a seal that played with our fins and swam the cove with us like a puppy dog for most of the dive! We saw lots of fish and crabs, an octopus etc. The kelp forest was magical and the cove dive is a must if at all possible! I went Jan 30th and the water was fine, never even felt cold. My gopro got really clear footage! Beautiful dives! These guys were beyond accommodating around my schedule (let me start at 10am!) and were right on with their time estimates for how long everything would take, as I had to squeeze some diving in during a conference and be back to my hotel by 5:30. They even transported ALL the gear to both dives so I could show up on my bike to their shop without needing to get a rental car! They saved me tons of cash! The dives were $50 beach dives and the rentals were cheap too $60 all inclusive and they had the best prices I could find. The gear was nice too, (integrated weights, good seals, etc) and felt confident swimming out in it. All the other dive shops i called were farther away or not nearly as accommodating. The owner Chris chatted with me and gave me the lowdown on the local diving scene and everybody I met was really nice and welcoming. I will definitely dive with these guys again! ! read more

Mall, by solid, dive shop. Great guided dive in the cove. Use this outfit for your shore diving in La Jolla.

Quick easy in and out to grab a couple rental tanks. They also have a night drop which is great if your doing a late dive. Staff not the friendliest but pretty standard for half the dive shops you go to in this area. read more

Great dive company! They were on time and prompt to get gear ready and set up! Then, had a briefing of the dive at La Jolla cove. We set off into the water to swim out toward the buoy. After about 1.5 hours of swimming against the current and making no progress our dive master decided to call the dive off. The group made it back to shore safely! The owner, Chris was gracious enough to realize the undesirable conditions and refunded the dive with an open invitation to come do the dive again! Great shop!!!! Highly recommend read more

Was in San Diego with a couple of friends from Los Angeles for a diving trip that we had scheduled with PB Beach Sports a week before. Low and behold PB Beach Sports' yelp 1 star reviews are on point and we received a call at 9:30 AM saying the weather conditions were not good and they cancelled our dives. The reasons were large waves and low visibility. Well, we went down to La Jolla Shores anyway and checked with the lifeguard. Quote "One of the better days to dive in La Jolla, no real surf and visibility is 10-15 feet" So we found La Jolla Dive - literally in a back alley with only the dive flag as a marker. The shop is only a narrow corridor with enough room to only fit the essentials. No sign anywhere, so you have to recognize the dive symbols. (Turns out thats how they like it because then they don't have to deal with silly tourist questions and constant requests to use restrooms, haha) Paris and Chris were immediately welcoming and helpful. Paris had already dove that day and said the conditions were excellent. We were able to schedule two afternoon guided tours with him ON THE SPOT (This was a Tuesday in July)! They had all the gear necessary for our small group of 4 including tanks, BCs, Regs, weights, 7MM wetsuits, hoods, gloves, snorkels, masks, fins, booties, They gave me and my buddy Steel 80s - first time diving with a steel tank and I loved it. NOTE: This could be the only con with this shop - since they are so small they may not have enough gear for larger groups (best to check with them first). The dives were cheaper than what PB Beach Sports offered and Paris was an awesome guide. Asked us questions upfront, where we wanted to go, what our skill level was, etc. (open water with our most seasoned member on his 20th dive) . Before they rented they made sure our certs were in order (one in our group couldn't find her cert card so they had her check on the SDI site to make sure everything was in order). Gear prep was easy and quick and we could walk right down to the beach entry spot from the shop. We ended up doing two dives that day and the visibility was pretty good (30-40 feet) going out to the ridge and then (10-15 on the ridge). Standard for an afternoon dive in La Jolla shores. Paris was an excellent guide, making sure our to check our air regularly and point out cool sites on the ridge. All in all an excellent experience, I would go to them first when I come back to SD to dive again. read more

I'm so happy with the service and gear rental from this dive shop. He rents "everything from head to toe" for $60. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. The shop is located in an alley, so you have to look for a sign that says "Dive Shop." It is conveniently located within walking distance to La Jolla Shoes dive site. They provided us with a trolley to carry all of the heavy gear, that was definitely a huge plus. I would highly recommend this place, and will come back again and again. Thank you! read more

Friendly, competent, reasonably-priced. One block from La Jolla Shores, but they don't take advantage (price-wise) of you. Well done.

Confidence under water is hard to obtain for the Homo-Sapien. Luckily, Chris is a great teacher and makes Scuba fun, even in the cold December waters of SoCal. Fun guy to hang out with and a wealth of information. My wife and I enjoyed getting our PADI certifications in 12/2011. Highly recommended!! read more

This place was cheap and the guy was friendly and helpful and clear. Really happy. Note: the address is for the store front of an ice cream shop and the actual rental shop is in the alley right behind the ice cream shop! Well worth finding! read more

Paris is great! Makes the dive flexible and comfortable even for the new, nervous diver! Thank you!!!

Couldn't easily find. La Jolla Kayak stood out more so we went there.

I had heard about the shop from folks active in Power Scuba. I went in to get a fill and check it out. They are not really like a big retail shop with a wall of gopros and 10,000 t shirts. They have stuff if you lost or broke something. They mostly rent, train, fill, and do tours . The shop is tiny but is right off the beach. It's in the alley which works out because you can pull in for a sec. load or unload and not have to park. almost like a drive through dive shop. I ended up buying a crazy steel 106 used from them. (Heiser...it's not light...-18# empty... Love it so far. I'm not light either) I had a question about that tanks and Chris emailed back right away even after the sale was done and its used stuff. They do a lot of tours. I have met Chris and 2 of the DMs and would love to have them do a tour for my family. Note: they fill tanks Dry and slowly. Which is what a lot of folks recommend... its a good way to go...but plan to go walk around or check the conditions or get food while you get your tanks filled. Its not like a hot fill on a boat...which is a good thing for the life of your tank...and incrementally less water to get in your car. Tip:Their is a "scubabum" website that gives great info on diving that area. you could do 3-4 great dives in that area, have a nice meal or 2 and have a great day... its a super nice spot for non divers too. There is a cool marine museum too to keep the family busy while you sneak in one more dive. As a side note: Many peoples first dives are shore dives. Shore dives are the way to go if you get sea sick. The vis is always bad in OW classes because you are working drills on the bottom. I see notes on all the dive shops I know and like about divers who have a bad beach dive experience. If you learn in lake like conditions with 100 foot vis you will freak out if you dive CA on a normal day. If you are learning to dive its kinda good to not have everything perfect. I'm cheap and impatient... but pay a little extra to get boat and shore dives. It's ok to hire the DM for some extra practice time after your class too. If you are doing you OW soon take your pool work super serious try closing your eyes and get used to 0 vis in a safe place. practice your drills extra. Go to the beach on your own and get comfortable with your mask, snorkel, and fins in the surf. Going from I can kinda swim to scuba diver is a journey there is no way you can expect someone to do that for you. It's ok to hire the DM for some extra practice time after your class too. Also I made the mistake of waiting too long to do my AOW. Plan to do that soon after your OW. it will help you get more confident. Join a club or 2 it helps you get in the water more and you learn a ton. read more

Thanks to Allison, Matthias, and Chris we had a really good diving experience. They were super convenient and had everything ready to go for us at the start point. I felt safe under their guidance the whole time and was able to trust their advice. I would maybe recommend a small flag or something to put up for people to look for at the starting point. There are often multiple groups that meet and it would just be a good small improvement. Thanks for the trip! read more

My son and I wanted to go diving during our stay in San Diego on vacation. We went on two dives, and the conditions were difficult (it was May, not the greatest time of year in this area). For the cove dive, the surge was 4 - 6 feet causing sea sickness. For the wall dive, which is closer to the dive shop, the breakers kept knocking us down (it took 30 minutes to get past them into open water). We aren't used to shore diving, so overcoming these conditions was difficult. Fortunately, Victoria, our dive master, was absolutely great. I don't know how she does it but she has plenty of energy and was always looking out for us. Great Job! Thank you, Chris for having some great people on staff, who enabled us to have a memorable experience. My son and I have now done 32 dives together, and these last two in La Jolla cove were among the most memorable. read more

Jack from La Jolla Dive was a great dive master and guide for our shore dive. The conditions weren't great but that had nothing to do with the dive shop. I have had many other experiences with different outfits and the professionalism was great. Due to conditions we had to cancel the second dive and within two hours Chris had credited my card back without me calling the shop. Great experience for me. ...Steve read more

Paris, and the boys were awesome!! I had some issues with my certs and they helped me get up to speed. They were super accommodating, I walked up to Paris on the shores and he just simply said come to the shop and we will hook you up and get you in the water. I earned my deep water cert in the minimal amount of time required. As long distance open water swimmer I have a great comfort in the water, they were able to take my skills and abilities to make my underwater experience more than I could have hoped for. Their prices were great, they keep it simple and offer great equipment. Don't be turned off by the small shop, their business is in the ocean not in a store front! read more

Booked my 14 year old son to dive with La Jolla Dive due to great reviews. Was glad I did. Communication from start to finish was excellent with owner, Chris. He always either answered his phone or email right away or got right back to me. He was always thorough and infinitely patient about answering my many questions. Travis was to be my kid's guide and ditto on the excellent communication for him. He got right back to me the night before the dive when I had questions about the rough conditions at the dive site. The morning of the dive he decided to move the dive site for safety reasons to La Jolla Shores. When we arrived there, conditions were pretty rough. We were flexible, and Travis was so great about meeting us later that afternoon for the dive. This meant that his whole Sunday was going to be pretty much burned up by my kid's dive. Travis was sooooo nice and willing to do this. The dive did happen. Equipment was great. Travis took a lot of time with my son prepping for the dive, discussing how it would all go down. His attention to safety was excellent, and I felt very good about my kiddo diving with him. Travis got some great photos for us, as well. The cost can't be beat either. $60 for the dive and another $60 for full equipment rental. $25 for photography. A small price to pay for what my son said was "totally awesome!" Remember, if you go out with these guys, that they go above and beyond, so tip your guide! read more

What a lifesaver! Great to have a convenient place to get fills or rent any forgotten gear. Reasonable prices. Friendly, efficient service. Big thanks to La Jolla Dive! read more

Great, friendly, well priced. Will return to snorkel or dive next time I'm in San Diego area!

Excellent shop! Chris has always been super helpful and friendly and is quick to make sure his customers are happy. If you're looking for a guided dive at either La Jolla Shores or the Cove, or even just some rental gear, definitely check him out! read more

My friends and I were led on a dive by Chris. We found him to be professional and very patient, as it had been some time since we last dove. Their prices are very fair and I will recommend them to any friends looking to dive or snorkel in the La Jolla area. read more

Had my first La Jolla shores dive today. As an intermediate diver I was absolutely impressed from start to finish. Setting up the dive was easy as Chris responded to my message promptly and made sure I have all the information I needed regarding location, time, etc. Paris made the whole experience relaxing and fun. The shop is close to the beach so it is easy and convenient. Since I will be visiting SD frequently I feel like I now have a dive connection and plan on using them as often as possible. read more

I rang up the day before I wanted to dive, thinking it would be a long-shot to get a dive slot as an individual. Chris was extremely helpful and patient (I honestly don't know how much I weigh but we figured it out!) and lined me up with Anthony the following day for a one-on-one dive. Anthony was the perfect dive buddy and knew the area inside out. He tailored the dive to my abilities and offered two dive options. We did the cove, shore and caves which was great, we saw a lot of wildlife including sharks and seals. La Jolla Dive seems to be the perfect setup - a small but well organised outfit run by friendly and passionate individuals. Will definitely be back if I'm in the San Diego area again! read more

My wife and I did two dives with them. On the first dive there were two groups going and we met up at 8 a.m. The divemaster assigned to our group failed to show up eventually they were able to get another DM out there. We finally got in the water after a two hour delay. The DM (Jack) was great once he got out there and we had a great dive. Our second dive wasn't that great though it wasn't completely their fault. About halfway through the dive the DM realized we were missing someone and had us stay where we were. The DM took off to go find the missing diver, we literally sat in one spot for half the dive while he was looking. Eventually the DM came back and we surfaced. We were still missing the diver but we saw someone on the beach that looked like it could be the missing diver so we swam in. Luckily that was our missing diver. My wife rented her gear from them. It wasn't the best gear she's rented but it wasn't the worst either. Her BCD was missing the string for the lower dump valve. In all I probably would give them a second chance, the owner Chris apologized multiple times. I think we went on a off day. It definitely wasn't the experience I was expecting for the amount of money we paid. read more

La Jolla Dive is a great, locally-owned shop right in La Jolla Shores, just blocks from the beach. I was recently in San Diego for a few weeks on business and found myself in La Jolla. I stopped by La Jolla Dive for some quick information and Chris, the owner, was super down-to-earth and answered all of my questions. I was so impressed that when I did decide to go for a dive in San Diego, I went back to Chris and had him hook me up. Even with no notice, the guys at La Jolla Dive were able to accommodate me immediately and I went diving that day! I did two dives, one at La Jolla Cove and one at La Jolla Shore. Conditions were fair and wildlife was abundant. Gear was all in top shape too! Our guide Paul, in addition to the usual safety stuff, took the time to brief us beforehand on the animals we'd see and tips for making the most of our dives. He was knowledgeable and clearly invested in ensuring that we had a great time. And we did. Thanks guys and I will come visit for some dives the next time I'm in town! read more

I forgot the gentlemans name who helped us, but he talked with us about scuba for a bit, made sure all of our gear fit well, and said that we could turn it in by 6pm, or even keep it overnight to return the next morning without paying extra. Super nice and great experience. I will continue to rent my gear from here! read more

They were very nice and professional. I was just a bit confused as where to meet them and who was expecting me. The description was a bit vague: (meet me at the little building at the north end of the park). They could not reach me because I had an international phone. But after we found each other, Vanessa was really nice and showed me a great time and also was very patient with my lack of experience. The dive that day wasn't great because the sea was a bit rough but as far as their attitude and equipment I can only say good things. recommend it very much! read more

Steve was great! Told us a few good spots to snorkel, hooked us up with all the gear we needed/he recommended. By far the best prices in the area. I will never go anywhere else when I come back to southern cal. read more

I went on two dives with Divemaster Anthony Doria of La Jolla Dive. Chris was great in getting me scheduled, and really helped my out by being flexible when my travel plans were disrupted. Diving with Anthoy was excellent - he was fun, friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. He took me on my first night dive and my first dive to see sharks... it doesn't get much better than that! read more