I have been a fan of Hal and his partners and team at Hollywood divers for over 20 years. There is…read moreno other place to go in the Los Angeles area, the greater Los Angeles area to take classes, to buy equipment, to get advice, these guys are the real deal. They don't try to sell you things you don't need, the value you get for what you pay here is above expectations. It's a great business, run by friendly people who care. They have passion for what they do. They care about their clients. They put their whole heart into their business. It's a small locally owned business. The kind of business you want to support. Absolutely love this place. They deserve 10 stars. Yelp only allows me to give five they rock.!!!

Huge fan of Hollywood Divers, and support my local dive shop whenever I can. Great that they can…read moreservice all my gear. Had an issue with my inflator with integrated octo, and they helped me upgrade to an Atomic. Had an issue with my Atomic reg, and they fixed it no problem. Wanted to upgrade to a steel tank, done. Needed to replace my computer, and they helped me find one with a better display. All that and fills, local, and exotic dive trips. Huge thanks to Hal and the whole Hollywood Divers team!!!

I had an amazing experience at Divers West! I have always wanted to scuba but it was a little scary…read moreto me, but my teenage son and I decided to do it together. I'm so glad we chose Divers West! The owner Javier is personable and helpful, and I learned so much from him and bought some great gear. (Support your local dive shop!) Our instructors were incredible - we had Mark Kempe for the pool dive instructions, and Emerson Martínez for the ocean dives. Mark has been diving forever it seems and he got us off to a great start. And Emerson has tons of experience and we felt very confident with him in the ocean and at Catalina. Our dive master Reed was fantastic - I confess I got a little panicked in the ocean when water got in my mask as I descended, and Reed came back up with me and got me totally calmed down and talked me through it all, and I was able to descend like a pro. Thank you, Reed! You made all the difference. I feel like a whole new world has opened up to us!! Hint: if you have a big roller bag, bring it instead of the bag you get from Divers West! The gear is so heavy and even though we pay to have it transported on Catalina Island, it was just so heavy to bring from the car onto the ferry, off the ferry to the transport truck, and then back again at the end of the day when you're so tired. Just toss the DW bag with all its gear into the roller bag and you will be so happy. You're gonna love this dive shop! ps I also heard about the group Sole Searchers in Pasadena that meets once a month for dinner and plans bunches of trips together. Fun!

I had such an amazing experience with my first time ever diving. Signing up for the class from the…read morewebsite is easy and navigating around the course is simple as well. Even if you are completely new to diving, the courses very well prepare you for what to expect and possible hazards that you could encounter. Some basics: -Get a mask that fits -You'd need to experiment with different fins that match your swimming style. -Get the hose with a valve, you'll need it when youre hitting the real waves. -Buy the boots with the extra layers; your feet and fins will thank you. -Always use defog every time you can because it will fog every time it could. -Remember to breathe. -Have a separate bag for your valuables. My class' instructor was Mark Kempe, and he was the most personable person I've ever interacted with. He loves talking about VR (Half-Life: Alyx) and software - he loves that stuff. He also used to fly planes, ride bikes - pretty much everything - he's done it. Javier, the owner, is such a cool guy too. Tons of fun experience to share and encourages you to join them, too. He likes flight simulator games. haha We started off with 2 days of pool diving. We got familiar with our gear, practice basic skills, we even got to play around with the extra air we have left to get comfortable. Same thing was with day 2 - we picked up where we left off and we just had the rest of the time to continue practicing the skills that we could improve on. Day 3 - it was at Veterans Park, Redondo Beach. It was raining too, and it added to the already fun trip. I felt very comfortable with what ive learned in the pool and i was actually pretty excited for our first open water dive. Got to see an octopus. Remember, to walk on your feet until you cant walk anymore and then put your fins on. Dont be afraid of the open water and stay close with your buddy. Day 4 - CATALINA! When you get to Catalina, USE THE TRANSPORT SERVICE - its SUPER WORTH IT. They will pick up and load one bag and transport it to and from the dive site and they will even store it for you until you are ready to leave - it will save your back and it will save your energy. At the dive site, you dont even have to go far to see the beautiful stuff - its right there when you hit the water! Mark even saw a technical diver with the advance gear and had him show us how it works and how its different. I think that person was a technical level diver and he also explained everything very well. WE GOT TO SEE THE BLACK SEA BASS!!! OMG. I cant wait to make new friends and go on more dives. This opens a whole new world of opportunity and adventure for me, and its only going to get better and more fun from here.

I had an exceptional experience with Kai yesterday. I moved…read moreto L.A. almost 7 years ago, and I always wanted to get in the water and learn to surf...and for one reason or another it never happened. Finally, I did a little research and Zuma Surf & Swim looked like my best option. I sent Kai an e-mail, and received a quick response. We lined up a session for me + 2 of my friends, and met yesterday morning @ Zuma Beach in Malibu. Kai greeted us with a smile, had our boards & wet-suits ready for us, and we made our way onto the sand pretty quickly. Kai is a natural teacher. He instantly makes you feel comfortable and excited about getting into the water. His enthusiasm for the sport and teaching people how to surf is obvious and genuine. He focuses on safety, and will give you the knowledge you need to get out there and get the hang of this sport. Before long, the 4 of us were in the water riding waves! All 3 of us got up several times and actually did some decent surfing! I went and bought a wet-suit and board of my own right after the lesson. I honestly can't wait to get back out there again. Kai, I can't thank you enough. You taught me a skill that I will use for many years. Thank you!

We chose to go with Zuma Surf & Swim Training with a party of four, and were assigned to Jonathan…read more He was very knowledgeable, patient, and overall gave us a fantastic experience. I thoroughly appreciated Jonathan's teaching style, giving us an hour-long lecture on the do's and don'ts of surfing. He provided the group with very helpful tips and encouraged us all throughout the day. Although our session was supposed to be two hours long, Jonathan wanted to ensure that we got a good run at surfing and went a little over time with us. The group rate is a little less expensive on a per person basis, but my experience with Jonathan makes me think that the best instructor to student ratio for beginners should be 1:2. Having 1:4 ratio made Jonathan work really, really hard and even then it was difficult for him to be able to spread his time evenly with the four students. I definitely appreciated Jonathan's effort and instruction, so I'd certainly recommend Zuma Surf & Swim Training to those looking for a positive surf lesson experience.

Our group wanted to experience the Venice and Santa Monica Beachfronts by bike. We had originally…read morescoped out the area about two years ago, when we walked south from Venice Beach to the pier and back. This time, we were hoping to rent a 4-person Surrey Bike, but Jay's Rentals doesn't carry this type of bike. The person at Jay's kindly referred us to Ray's Rentals (off Washington Blvd and close to the pier) for a better chance at finding and renting a Surrey Bike. This was too far to check out since we had already paid for a whole day of parking close to where we were now, but it was a nice gesture to be pointed toward a place that might rent the type of bike we had in mind. After browsing the selection of 3-wheeled E-Trike Carts that could accommodate our party (2 adults; 2 kids), we decided to try out a larger one with a shade canopy. It was priced at $80/hour. The fit with the bench seats was a bit tight, but it was doable since the kids were both ages 10 and under and one of the adults was more on the petite side. For reference, the front bench (for the driver) is best for one adult, and the rear bench can probably fit two adults. Our positive interaction with the person at Jay's continued throughout the payment transaction, paperwork signing, and offer to take our photo on the E-Trike before we took off. Also, we were ready to go on our way about 10 minutes before the hour, but Jay's Rentals rounded up our time, so we received 1:10 in total. It was an all-around pleasant and smooth transaction. During our rental period, we were able to ride north to a spot just a bit past Santa Monica Pier (where the beachfront homes start again) and all the way back south past Jay's Rentals to the Venice Beach Pier before we returned. For the duration of our trip, the E-Trike's battery never dropped below the full reading of 3 bars and it performed well. Our E-Trike Adventure was a lot of fun and very memorable thanks in large part to Jay's Rentals.

They have all your beachside rental needs from roller skates, bikes, to surf boards…read more This store is jam packed with rental goodies and it's right next to the Venice boardwalk for your convenience. Give them a try!

The Fisherman's spot is hands down the best flyfishing shop from bishop down to probably San Diego…read more Might want to do your own research though. Start here then go for it. Haha. The staff have been fishing their whole lives and know all the areas. The product in the shop is epic and they have everything. Stuff you need, stuff you want and all the things you didn't know existed. They have great sales at times but for the most part you are paying full price unless you spend $400 then you get a discount. Pretty easy to hit. I would highly recommend this shop for veterans and beginners. They are good people here!!

First time visiting and it's our new favorite fly fishing store in the LA area. My son and I went…read moredown to pick up some tying materials and found ourselves leaving with so much more. The staff was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about the sport. The selection of equipment and supplies was fantastic and we scored some great deals on new waders and boot. Zero pressure to buy anything and a ton of advice when picking out what we needed. Make this spot your first stop before buying on line! Thanks guys for all the help! We're heading out right now to try those awesome waders.

Captain Dave made our day unforgettable!…read more The trip was a surprise and he made sure to help me set this up. The boat was prepared for us, with clean blankets and cushions so we could lounge and sit out front on the "trampoline". A wonderful day for everybody included paddle boarding with sea lions, impromptu "stand-up on a paddle board" lessons, an education on marine wildlife, and relaxing on the ocean and all this before 930am! Thank you for everything Dave and hope to see you again real soon!

There's not much more I can say that hasn't already been said…read more Dave organized my party (a group of six twenty-something year olds) to explore and paddleboard on the Malibu seas for my 23rd birthday. We met up in the early morning in Marina Del Rey and promptly got on his boat, which was SUPER comfortable - like a living room on the seas. Dave allowed us to bring food and drink (and draaank :P) and even provided us with a cooler & ice. Not only that, but when we realized we neglected to bring cups to hold our mimosas in, Dave had extra on his boat - now that's what I call amazing service! On our trip, we ran into a school of dolphins and my group was positively ECSTATIC. Later, we paddleboarded in an area of open water. Throughout the whole thing, Dave was incredibly knowledgeable and patient, and most importantly, extremely chill to be around. My friends and I don't exactly do this often, but we're so glad we did! To anyone who is hesitant about learning how to paddleboard or isn't very familiar with the ocean in general, I would STRONGLY recommend planning a trip with Dave. I can say that walking off of his boat, I felt like I had learned a lot and my friends agreed! Thanks for a memorable 23rd birthday, Dave!

We went to the pier area, and wanted to have a coffee. Imagine our surprise and pleasure to…read morediscover Poseidon just down the street. They had the coffee we were after, along with fashionable branded apparel, drinks for the kids, and SPF 15 lip balm on a sunny day. Our helper, who I assume may have been the owner, was friendly and welcoming to our party. We asked about an unfamiliar coffee, and he was able to tell us about it and a similar drink, and how they related to the drinks we recognized. He quickly and efficiently got our coffee orders back to us, and was knowledgeable about all the items that we asked about and purchased. My favorite part was that instead of completing my cappuccino at the machine, he brought it our where I could see him make a design as the coffee and frothed milk came together. He also made sure my wife could go and change from her sweater to a freshly purchased shirt.

All right guys, I go to Poseidon Paddle and Surf Club every Tuesday and sometimes Thursday,…read moreespecially during the summer time. I have a wetsuit but rent a board which is $25 for two hours and $35 per day. By the way, if you rent it after noon, you can come back and continue surfing next morning. Staff is friendly. They can give you wax for your board. I like the videos of surfing you can watch on a big screen. Interior has it's own vibe of welcoming you to the surfing world. There is a room you can change and shower you can take after. When you take a board and go surfing, you can leave your stuff at their place. By the way, they can create your account and send you receipt via email. Very convenient ! One more thing, a parking lot. If you rent a board for the whole day, you cal leave your car for the same period of time. Their water is a little expensive but you can get a cheaper one next door at Bruno's Italian Restaurant.

Aleks is an amazing person and incredible surf instructor. I just had my second lesson with him…read morelast week and I can't wait to go back out with him again. I have been living in LA for years and have always wanted to get into surfing. I had tried a few times in the past and it was always discouraging and intimidating. My experience with Aleks was completely different. He is so kind, and he goes out of his way to make you feel comfortable and confident. After missing a wave or falling, his encouragement and advice makes you excited to get back out and try it again. You can tell he absolutely loves surfing and that enthusiasm and joy for the sport is infectious. He makes the whole experience so painless so all you have to do is show up and focus on surfing. He has all of the equipment including wet suits, boards, snacks, and more. He is great about adapting to your skill level and the weather conditions to ensure you have the best time. I cannot recommend Aleks enough. If you've ever thought about surfing but are intimidated or unsure you'd be able to do it, Aleks is the guy for you!!!

First I want to mention that Aleks is the best instructor and person you will ever meet! So happy…read morewe were able to book our surfing lesson with him! My sister and I are beginners so we were a little nervous, but he made us feel so at ease. We love the ocean and wanted to try out the waves in Cali when we visited. Needless to say he made this experience so enjoyable and memorable. He was so patient with us and we had such a great time! We wish we lived down in Santa Monica to join his community of surfers. You can tell he is really passionate about what he does and honestly that makes all the difference! Thanks for teaching two Miami sisters how to catch some gnarly waves :) we can't wait to get back to Cali to take more lessons with Aleks. Surfing is so exhilarating. Look no further than Lipsmack Surf for your next surfing lesson! You won't regret it!!! Also, thanks for the juice boxes! :)