Stop wasting your time calling shops looking for scuba instruction and comparing. I have already…read moredone it. This little shop in costa mesa right with super easy location access and their people are the best. I called Dive & Photo last minute wanting to have accelerated private open water PADI instruction/certification for myself and a son and daughter both in their 20s. 3 days of instruction later. Done. Dive & Photo one of their instructors, Allen Gibson in touch with me and he made it happen. Of course an older retired marine veteran would be effecient and organized. Allen was everything you could ask for in an instructor. Expert. Efficient. Prepared. Patient. Flexible. Fantastic teacher and communicator with our varied learning styles and backgrounds. He made sure each one of us mastered the material. The gear provided was great. We bought dive fins at the shop and Allen walked us through the options and pricing was good. Everything from first call to gear to instruction was Five Star. Allen had the beach conditions and reef area for our dives in laguna wired (and I have lived in laguna all my life) even the parking set-up. Honestly there were a couple other shops that were doing their dives just arriving after we had gotten started and I felt sorry for them. They looked so disorganized. Allen had us ready to go and confident in our set up and knowledge before we entered stepped in the ocean. None of us can wait to do a dive trip with him and the shop. Stop calling around

If I could give them 100 stars, I would! Andy, Sophia and…read moreAllen are so awesome! This shop has gone above and beyond for us and we will continue to shop here and take classes. This shop is fantastic!

Great dive club and a real fun group. Shore dives once a month and of course a Halloween pumpkin…read morecarving contest.

Interesting speakers, a good mix of divers, experienced and new divers there. Members get…read morediscounts on dive stuff from Sport Chalet

Called in on a weekend because my gear was faulty following a dive on Friday and I needed it…read moreworking by next Monday. I was worried because other dive shops estimated it would be weeks before they could have my gear back to me. Debbie, the owner/repair tech had my setup operational within the hour. Amazing!! Her and her son were also very kind, helpful, and generous with their time throughout the process. I'm writing this review a couple days after my dive and everything is working perfectly. I will definitely be back if anything needs servicing again. Thanks for saving the day, Debbie! :)

I'm a new diver; Bit by the bug and I want to get…read moreeverything!! All the coolest stuff!! This is the dive shop that will make sure you get the equipment you actually need to do the diving that you want. They service equipment, so they know what's actually good and you don't have to buy stuff twice. I wish I would have gone here first, I would have saved some money! ....and there was this one time that I walked in to the shop and was ready to spend $2,500 on a new drysuit. I walked out of the shop with nothing. ...Nothing but a homework assignment! He told me that he would sell me any drysuit I wanted, but I had to tell him why I wanted that specific suit. I ended up buying a Bare reactive 5mm suit and a hooded vest, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase! ... and there was this one time that I walked into the shop wanting to buy a full face mask regulator. Instead of buying it and seeing if i like it, I was able to book a dive and test out the equipment. I can't say enough good things about this dive shop! Wonderful humans who tell you like it is. This is my permanent dive shop! If you live within 100 miles you should totally come here! Long story short, this is my new dive shop! Everybody here is a pro, and is happy to answer any question you have. John, Debbie, and John jr. are seasoned pros that will lead you in the right direction , Whether you're a new diver like me or someone experienced, if you live near here, this should be your local dive shop for anything you need. This shop teaches you about the equipment you are about to buy Very informative and obviously experienced, I trust what they tell me. Mostly because they don't just tell me something, they explain WHY. Nobody does that.

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.

I have had 3 different instructors over the years and by far John was the best teacher by alot.read more

I've always been interested in learning how to scuba dive, but my fear of the ocean always stopped…read moreme from learning. However by the time I finished my classes with the amazingly talented group of instructors I have all the skills to dive without fear or worry. Everything was included with the complete diving package so I didn't need to get my own equipment which is very pricey. I would definitely recommend to anybody that is even the slightest bit curious to try it out! They made it very easy to learn and I promise you won't regret it!

So happy we found this place! Ryan was so nice and knowledgeable and helped us with our scuba gear…read morerentals. Really good pricing for the scuba rentals, I'll definitely be back and will recommend to all my dive buddies!

Great service, fast and knowledgeable. They had everything in stock and no hassle. Friendly staff…read moreready to answer questions.

Got my custom suit made here yearsssssss ago. Got taller and brought it in for free alterations a…read morefew years later. Got buffer and brought it back in for free alterations again a few more years later. Love this place.

Just thought I'd share information about a great wetsuit repair shop in Fullerton…read more Last Sunday while swimming at Naples, there was a noticeable opening by the zipper in the back of my wetsuit. One of my biggest fears of finally bursting out of my wetsuit finally came true. Haha! Seriously, I started to panic because my triathlon was next week. I had a few options. I could buy a new wetsuit or rent one. While they were both possibilities, I didn't want to try anything new this close to the event. The next option was to use the wetsuit I had and to make repairs myself. Fortunately, I'm a terrible seamstress so I sought another option. While at Sports Chalet in Brea looking for wetsuit glue, the folks at the dive shop suggested contacting a local repair shop. If you google wetsuit repair the closest one is in Encinitas or Leucadia in Northern San Diego County. I was afraid he was going to send me over 100 miles to get it fixed! To my surprise, the place he suggested is in Fullerton. I dialed the place on a whim and left a message. Since it was Labor Day when I called, I didn't expect a response until the following day. I also wasn't sure how much or how long it would take. So, I left the best and most creative "Poor-Me" message. Again to my surprise, the owner, Theresa Dye, called me back. She said come by tomorrow morning and we could probably fix it while you wait. That following morning I went to their shop and sure enough they fixed it right away. The total cost was $10. If you ever need your wetsuit repaired or even adjusted, you may want to consider this place. They specialize in wetsuit customization, alterations, and repairs.

Sharkey's isn't just a dive shop to us. It's where something really special started…read more From the very first phone call -- which turned into a 30+ minute conversation just vibing and asking questions...we knew this was our place. Craig, the owner, made everything feel easy and personal from the start. Signing up for classes, scheduling, getting certified... all seamless. No pressure, no ego, just genuine passion for diving and people. Craig even moved class dates around to accommodate our schedules. Who does that? That level of care meant everything to us. The entire team was incredible. Supportive, patient, knowledgeable, and just good humans. We didn't just learn how to dive...we built confidence, memories, and friendships that will last a lifetime. We'll absolutely be continuing our certifications here and buying our gear here. No question. We thought we were signing up for scuba classes. What we found was a dive family.

Craig and his team are absolute pros. I have been diving since 1998 and finally my three sons are…read moreold enough to get SCUBA-certified too. Whether you choose PADI or NAUI, the team at Sharky's make it as painless as possible. Great selection of gear and great pricing whether you are an entry-level diver or the most technical gear-head. Student discounts make it all approachable, especially when purchasing 3 of everything. It's great having a local dive shop that knows what they are doing as well as make you feel like family. What a valuable resource to have this far inland!

This location has always done me proper. They're friendly, knowledgable, and have what I need to…read moremake sure the dive happens. It had been a bit since I had been in last, and it's clear their selection has grown. The aisles are packed with a wide selection of goods from multiple brands along with all of your standard sundries - all at fair prices. Support your local dive shop folks, they're the lifeblood of the hobby. :)

One of my pledges this year is to complete more reviews of dive shops & sites. Beach Cities Scuba…read morein Cypress is nearby to the hotel I use in Orange County at Buena Park. It is a complete scuba shop, offering training in an indoor pool, as well as gear & equipment. I've bought a few knick knacks there over the years. This year I'm thinking of upgrading a couple of my scuba tanks, and will probably use BCS to get them. Repeat and recommend!

The best customer service. Came with my kid for some catcher's gear and Vince was THE BEST. Stayed…read morepast closing to make sure my son had a good fit on his equipment. Even gave a few coaching tips while we were there. Go support your local business owners. They care and it shows.

I recently had a friend reach out as they needed to collect equipment for a softball team being…read moreformed at a recovery home. Their budget was minimal and they were looking for donations. I started scouring the local stores, and although OC Sports Equipment is out of my immediate area, I called, they were knowledgable and helpful. I spoke to the on a Friday, I showed up the next day, they were great. Price was reasonable, and the recover home now will have a softball team. Thanks OC Sports Equipment Team