Pacific Scuba Divers

Fantastic experience: Got certified here for my Open Water & Advanced Open Water. Staff has always been friendly and helpful. The instructors prioritize making well-educated and confident divers above all else. After being challenged to learn the new skills, we got to have some fun :D

Fantastic experience: Great instructors, very helpful and jovial employees, the place gives you a very chill vibe with everything scuba

Fantastic experience: Got my open water certification here. Wain and Daniel are great instructors! Store staff are all super friendly.

Fantastic experience: Got my open water diver certification and was very happy with the service. Thomas, Wain and Parvin were great instructors and super helpful even when conditions were tough during the ocean dive. Tim and Moses and others in the shop were such sweethearts, loved the chats as well as their expertise. Thanks a lot!

Fantastic experience: Great store, staff and instructors. I was Scuba certified here in 2010 and last weekend (2024) my teenage son also was certified here. Great experience.

Fantastic experience: I had a great experience getting certified here! Thomas was a great instructor and everyone at the shop was super friendly and helpful.

Fantastic experience: Thomas was an awesome instructor. He really knows what he’s doing and he wants everyone to pass and have a good time. Everyone at the shop - Moses, Tim, etc -was so warm and helpful. And freckles the puppy too :) highly recommend getting certified here!

Fantastic experience: certified open water diver on 8/11/24! Thomas and Alex were both great instructors and taught many different aspects to diving

Fantastic experience: I had an extremely fun time getting certified here! Very easy to work with, fun certification dives, and they gave a tour on the last dive.

Fantastic experience: Sabine is really patient and experienced. It was a pleasure to attend the pool sessions with her. I got a lot of pro tips as well!

Fantastic experience: Great dive shop! Tim at the front desk was super helpful and friendly. I was able to exchange my fins that were too small with zero complication. For the classes (open water certification), Thomas for the pool session and Mark for the ocean session were very amazing instructors. Both helped me learn what I needed to know for scuba diving to diagnose issues. Besides that, I had so much fun in Monterey diving, and saw plenty of fish, sea lions and starfish. Would definitely recommend this group for interested students

Fantastic experience: My wife and I did the open water certification with Pacific Scuba Divers. Really friendly folks who are very knowledgeable and take safety seriously. Our instructors were Marc, Eric, Peter, and Hoa. The rental gear was also in good shape.

Fantastic experience: We had a great time getting our open water certification with Marc and Erik! When I was struggling with a few skills, Peter helped break down the steps so that I was able to easily pick it up!

Fantastic experience: Great experience with learning from Sabine and Eric. Very helpful and friendly staff

Fantastic experience: These guys are extremely knowledgeable, super friendly and very helpful. I got certified with them 3 years ago, as did my son. My son has since gone back for more advanced courses: Advanced Open Water Dive, Rescue Diver, Nitrox Diving, etc.

Fantastic experience: Had a great time with the scuba training. Very informative and fun.

Fantastic experience: It was really fun and we learned so much! Our instructor was great!

Fantastic experience: Learned OW from here. The stuff is really helpful and nice. Recommend here for learning scuba diving

Fantastic experience: Just got my open water dive certification under the instruction of Sabine, Taylor, and Thomas, and had a fantastic experience! It was a very densely packed two weekends, but the instructor team was incredibly experienced and attentive and made sure to always explain the "whys" not just the "hows". In addition to all the required material, we also got dozens of "pro tips" and personal anecdotes that will make me a lot more confident when planning my own dive trips. The folks at the dive shop (especially Moses) made scheduling and gear fitting very straightforward.

Fantastic experience: Just finish up my open water certification with Sabine, Thomas, and Taylor at Pacific Scuba divers. The instruction was top notch and a great introduction to exploring the world under the waves!

Fantastic experience: Took an excellent open water diving certification course with some friends at Pacific Scuba Divers with Sabine, Thomas, and Taylor as our instructors! The course was great: it consists of some training in the pool and then an (awesome) set of 4 dives down in Monterey. The team here is *extremely* exprienced and ensured that we learned the skills needed to dive effectively and safely. Very accomodating too. Pacific Scuba Divers was also super competitively priced compared to other shops in the Bay Area (and they run a tight ship)! Would do again and highly recommend!!

Fantastic experience: Brothers and I took the open water diver PADI diving certification course with instructor Sabine - it was amazing! Super helpful, one weekend with tons of review and exercises packed into two short pool sessions. Way more confident and excited about diving now!

Fantastic experience: Peter was super helpful and accommodating, thank you for your help!

Fantastic experience: Great place to get your scuba certification, fast and easy

Fantastic experience: Well-organized dive shop!

Fantastic experience: Great spot to rent scuba/diving gear in the Bay! Rented 7/8mm suits, weight belt and weights, fins, gloves, booties and a hood from Pacific Scuba Divers for a recent free-diving excursion. This is my second time renting with them and I’ve had an amazing experiences with them both times. The shop does get pretty crowded right before the weekend so be sure to call ahead and book an appointment for your suit fittings etc.

Negative experience: Rented gears from this place in 2021 and was charged $25 for not returning with dust cap screwed back in on the regs. Argued this was not made aware when checking out. Staff threatened that I had signed the contract therefore agreeing to the terms regardless. Still remember staff's *Gotcha* face to this day.

Fantastic experience: Accommodating and helpful in the gear shop. The certification dives were intense but I feel very prepared for future ocean dives.

Negative experience: They have an instructor I would tell any diver to avoid- and seeing this is how this place handles courses, I would probably advise anyone to not do their OW there. I did not partake in a class- I merely was a bystander for two days at Breakwater watching. Watching in part because the tall brunette German accent instructor set her students up so close to my dive equipment it was not only awkward, but also impossible NOT to hear. Over two days we heard her belittle students, scare students from asking questions, say “don’t give me that look” to multiple students, not to mention do things I HIGHLY disagree with - such as saying “everyone has 25 minutes to get gear on you have to get moving don’t be sitting there your tank should be attached come on” etc etc - rushing students- rushing ANY diver getting set up is the single worst thing! Everyone needs their own timing to setup their gear especially when learning- I cant imagine having an instructor literally saying “hurry up” to me! Not to mention she would take HOURS to get her students in a water building generally tension you could see in the group. I get this style may work for some- but as a relatively new diver, I doubt I’d be a diver if I took a class like this one.

Fantastic experience: The new owner Peter is really good and understands what he’s doing. I had a great time getting gear fixed !

Positive experience: Can fill hpa tanks for paintball and airsoft. They lost my fill cap and haven't notified me if they found it yet. Great because it's local but not so great because they lost my fill cap.

Fantastic experience: I had my OW certified last October with PSD and it went great. We had 2 pool sessions and 2 ocean session along with some classroom session. The instructor Peter Pan is patient and knowledgeable and can answer any question we might have. The shop was also very helpful in terms of rigs preparation and schedule communications. I plan to take the drysuit class soon with them again.

Fantastic experience: I got my ow certificate here. My instructor is willing to teach and help. Store staff helped a lot for the gear fitting. I will recommend it.

Negative experience: Worst dive shop I have ever encountered. Their equipments don’t work well, rented 2 broken BCD from them and most importantly, they claim that their wetsuits cleaning goes through 7 procedures but they are still very dirty (and broken of course) and I had skin rashes after wearing their wetsuits which it never happened to me with any other stores. Also agree with other reviews that their attitudes towards customers are just so BAD. This business should be closed. Do your best to avoid them!!!

Negative experience: I got certified OW from this dive shop after enduring the challenges of the training which of course normal to any training before you get certified. But what i cannot get over with is the embarassment i suffered from this instructor Martinach who was harsh on me coz im slow in picking up . I was treated like a child (even if i am older than he is)being yelled "I will bring you baCk to the pool! You're either confused or did not understand what I'm saying". WOW! I was startled! That didnt help me at all! The more I was confused, intimidated and embarassed. No one deserves that. I am an educator and I know that's not Ok!

Positive experience: Overall, my experience getting open water certified here was good, and I would recommend them to others. However, there are some things that it might be helpful to know going in so that you're not surprised/frustrated. My review is long because I want to be thorough about what the experience was like, so that everyone knows what they're signing up for. I want to be clear upfront that I am happy with my experience here and think all of the instructors and employees were very nice and helpful. Communication: There were some instances of poor communication, and we would hear different things from the shop vs the instructor. When I signed up for the course I was told that we needed to be at the pool at 7:30 am. Then a week beforehand, I got an email saying to show up at 7:15 am, then another email a day later saying to show up at 7:00 am. There were also a few times I had to go to the shop to pick up/return my gear, for which I was not given very much advance notice. It's perfectly understandable of course, but it did create some scheduling challenges for me, as I didn't live near the shop and I had to shift around my work hours to make sure I could participate in the certification course. For those with less flexible work schedules, last-minute schedule changes may be difficult. Pacing: While I felt the course overall was good, my one complaint would be that some of it felt rushed. We had two pool days and two ocean days, and there was quite a lot of material that had to be gone through during the two pool days. The shop had rented the pool for a certain number of hours, and this time limit definitely impacted the course. There wasn't a lot of time to get used to things before we had to move on to demonstrating the skills required, and there also wasn't really any chance to practice skills before demonstrating them to the instructor. Some students weren't able to finish all of the skills by the time we were forced to leave the pool on the second day, and had to come back for an additional pool session in the evening a few days later. The instructor and shop tried their best to make this as convenient as possible (even moving the date of the session so that I could attend, which I was very grateful for). However, it was still a last-minute change (and expense), and I felt that if this was a common/expected practice, it could have at least been communicated ahead of time as a sort of "heads up, this might happen." Instructor: The best part of the course was the instructor, Thomas. He was very helpful and approachable, and he was both friendly and supportive, while also making sure we did everything correctly and understood the risks involved in scuba diving. He was always happy to answer questions and explain concepts, and on the days when we didn't have a time limit for the pool, he seemed willing to spend as long as it took to make sure we were comfortable with what we needed to do. Shop/Gear: The folks working at the shop were very helpful, especially Sabrina. I had some trouble finding gear that fit me, and she spent as long as it needed to make sure I had the right gear. For the thicker wet suit needed for the ocean, she even gave me two so that I could have a backup in case one didn't work out for me (and to be clear, the issues were not with the suits themselves--it was just that the medium felt too tight for me, but the large might make me too cold). If I had any issues with gear at any point, I knew I could ask them for help and they would be very understanding. I never had to pay any extra fees relating to the gear. I am glad I took this course through Pacific Scuba Divers, and found everyone involved helpful and knowledgeable. If they were to maybe book longer sessions at the pool, and clear up some of the communication ahead of time, I would have no issues at all. I'm glad I got certified here and if I ever need to take another scuba course, I would definitely go here again. (I have a slightly longer review on Yelp because Google has a lower character limit.)

Fantastic experience: Just got scuba certified and I couldn’t have done it without our dive master Thomas Stevenin - he was so helpful and kind through out the whole process! I live in San Francisco so picking up / dropping off the gear was a painful process. Wish I could do that on the day of, to avoid the commute though

Fantastic experience: Excellent staff in the store, excellent staff during the confined dives. Didn't do the Monterey dives but would highly recommend them for both gear shopping and confined dives (Peter Pan was a great instructor)

Fantastic experience: A great place to get everything you need for Scuba! Lessons, group Dives, and all the equipment. They have it all. Kevin is fantastic . Highly recommended for anyone, from beginner to expert diver.

Negative experience: I signed up for the open water diving course and showed up to the pool at the stated time. Another customer and I waited for an hour plus for the instructor to show up, but they never came. Apparently the class was cancelled, but no one ever called to tell us that. Really poor communication all around. They refunded my deposit but their poor communication caused me to waste my Saturday morning as well as money spent on a rental car.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic local dive shop with great equipment and dive training options. I started diving last year and I got all of my certifications with this shop (open-water, dry-suit, nitrox, advanced and night diver). I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I think that the training was superb. On tropical water trips, the dive masters were surprised at our skills given our low number of dives. In fact, they allowed us to dive on more advanced dives even though we were below the dive number limit. This is a testament to the training I got at Pacific Scuba Divers. The staff have been particularly helpful in helping me choose my personal equipment. I now have equipment that works for both cold water and warm water. I'm looking forward to taking additional classes with this shop (rescue, kept restoration diver, wreck).

Fantastic experience: We did a refresher course with Hoa (sp?) and had a wonderful time. He was efficient with the reminders but thorough. He did a great job of presenting the information positively! We didn't feel talked down to or stupid for not remembering something that maybe we should have. Definitely recommend this place!

Negative experience: This dive shop is not helpful at all. I was at the store looking into renting gear and I asked about which beach I should dive locally and the person told me to go on google. I can't think of a bigger red flag for a dive shop than that.

Fantastic experience: Super helpful, friendly staff! Great instructors who are extremely knowledgable.

Fantastic experience: Great dive shop. Staff very knowledgeable

Fantastic experience: I did my open water certification through them. I had a lot of fun. My instructor for both the confined and open water was Sabine. She was an amazing instructor. She was strict but patient. She made sure everyone in the class was comfortable. I highly recommend doing a class with her. Enjoy diving!!

Negative experience: A couple of my family members were wanting to get open water certified so they could join me and other family members on a summer dive vacation. My family had a poor experience with Pacific Scuba Divers, both in their shop and on their dives. Every penny we spent with them was wasted, and a planned family diving vacation was ruined. The staff isn't terribly competent, and is anything but friendly. In the shop, the staff was disorganized, moved slowly, and didn't know how to use their computer system. The shop is disorganized and messy. The process was tedious and frustrating. The rental equipment was so old and low quality as to be unsafe. That is inexcusable. The instructors made some bad decisions that left two people in my family (a) not certified, and (b) never wanting to try SCUBA again because the experience was so unpleasant. The instructors allowed people who clearly couldn't swim — they blatantly cheated on the required swimming test — ruin the diving experience in the pool and in the ocean. My family was stuck on open water certification day in the group with two non-swimmers. The instructor decided to coddle them while my family was stuck bobbing on top of the surf for over an hour because everything went so slowly. My family eventually got seasick and had to abandon their certification. The couple who couldn't swim? They got certified. There are far better places in the Bay Area to learn to dive. I recommend Any Water Sports in Saratoga.

Negative experience: I purchased some personal gears 7 days ago for the certification class. I couldn’t join the class since I caught cold, and it’s not allowed to learn scuba with choked nose. So, I called them to cancel my spot in the class. I was told on the phone by a gentleman whose name I forgot that I can return the gears but instructor fees and deposit is non-refundable, which is fair. Today I went to return the personal gears which I bought from them (which I could buy from Amazon for little cheaper). And Kevin (the founder) didn’t bother to attend me and bluntly said “Sorry, we don’t do returns”. I have unopened untouched personal gears purchased with them literally 7 days ago, and they’re not accepting returns. Complete U-turn from what I was told. Pathetic Customer Service. He didn’t even attend me properly and I was turned away from the queue itself. I will rather go to some other scuba instructor than these people!! Beware all! They could cheat you too!

Fantastic experience: Awesome place, very helpful people. They fill up airsoft tanks are a great price!

Fantastic experience: Friendly

Fantastic experience: I was deciding what store to take the padi class and im glad i chose them. The store manager and all the instructors were very humble. The instructors really work with you to make sure you pass. I highly recommend them.

Fantastic experience: I went in there with my wife and daughter (2y.o.) I had no idea what i was looking for and came in ready to ask every question i could... Thank goodness Mark was there. He made what was seeming to be an impossible decision quick N painless. Took our measurements, including my daughter, 3 wetsuits, no problems. The first ones Mark brought us fit perfectly! I will be returning to purchase other wetsuits and gear, dealing specifically with Mark at this point. I should mention while he helped us there was a, let's say problematic couple, with many issues he was also professionally dealing with. Thank you Mark, and Pacific Scuba Divers, my first experience into this realm was perfect and motivating. I recommend everyone go here first.

Fantastic experience: Mark did a great job with my gear rental. With all the concerns of Coronavirus, he had taken time to properly clean all the equipment and it was in great shape. Friendly and knowledgeable about different equipment and dive spots. Thanks!

Fantastic experience: I did my Open Water certification with Sabine and Thomas at Pacific Scuba Divers, and had an incredible time! It was less expensive than the SF based shops, and I could tell the instructors love teaching. They were simultaneously entertaining and informative, without sacrificing clarity or letting mistakes slip through. I've come back to take more advanced certifications, and they continue to surpass my expectations. It's worth noting that the shop offers both NASE and PADI certifications. Both are valid and respected worldwide, so make sure you look into NASE and don't just default to PADI!

Fantastic experience: Had a great experience with the instructors here (Kevin, "Ba Shoy", Charles)! I'm planning to go for additional classes: Nitrox, Advanced, possibly Dry Suit

Negative experience: I am new to scuba diving and although I’m not signed up for a class through Pacific Scuba Divers, I went there to get all my basic gear because of the great reviews I saw on google. When I first walked in, there were a few associates in the store. One gentleman looked like the owner, or manager. There was only one other customer in the store. I wasn’t greeted when I walked in, and it took at least 5 minutes for someone to ask me if needed help, which would be understandable if they were busy. They don’t have a very wide selection of gear. I was rather disappointed. I will say the one taller gentleman (of the two gentleman in the store) who did end up asking me if I did need help, was very nice, helpful and knowledgeable. He would ask the owner or manager a question, and the owner was just not a friendly. He acted put out, or annoyed by the question. It really made me feel dumb. I ended up getting a fairly expensive pair of fins and boots that he recommended. After going home and looking online, I found the same fins for $30 less than this store sold them to me for. I am all for supporting local businesses, but not when they up the price that much. They might offer price matching, but still taking advantage of people who wouldn’t look elsewhere for prices. If you do shop here, make sure to look at other dive shops and online stores for prices and ask if they price match, before buying. Their return policy is great. They allow returns as long as the gear doesn’t go into salt water, encouraging you to try them in the pool and return them if you don’t like them. I ended up returning these without using them and buying them online for cheaper. I had the same uninviting experience when I returned them. There were 3 sales associate and the owner stares without really acknowledging me. Maybe they are nicer if you actually take the class through them, but if you want a big selection of gear, friendly staff that make you feel excited about scuba diving, I would not recommend going here for any of your needs.

Fantastic experience: Sabine was amazing and knows her stuff. I took the pool course and classroom course with Sabine and then did my open water dives in Cayman Islands. I am so happy I had Sabine as my scuba diving instructor. She is very strict and pedant; however, she really prepares you well for what to expect underwater and she has many years of experience and can very well explain the risks and problems than can happen when you are under water including how to deal with them. When I compare her to the instructions I got in Cayman Islands during my open water dives - it is a day and night difference? I can’t even comprehend how someone who would go through the Cayman Islands training would be fully prepared for what is to come. Without Sabine’s training I would have been lost. She really gives you a great base, shares her experiences and teaches her class in an exciting way - by sharing life experiences that allows you to remember what needs to be done under water very easily and in a practical way. I would recommend Sabine as an instructor to any new person who wants to learn how to dive well! Thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge with us Sabine!

Fantastic experience: The Pac Divers have helped me gear up for undersea adventures, have great rental policies!

Fantastic experience: Learned to dive here and got basic certified. The instructors are friendly and very knowledgeable. Great dive shop!

Positive experience: Helpful, good selection for diving and snorkeling gear. A bit pricey compared to online retailers but that is a reasonable expectation for brick and mortar establishment. Worth dropping by to see what they have.

Fantastic experience: Knowledgeable staff offering great advice and going the extra mile with the OCEANIC representatives to get my older unit replaced with a certified rebuilt.

Fantastic experience: Pacific Scuba Drivers are great. Charles is an outstanding instructor. Highly recommended....

Fantastic experience: Great place to get your certifications and gear. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Highly recommended for any of your scuba or snorkel needs!

Fantastic experience: The team at Pacific Scuba Divers is very helpful and friendly. When we first came to register for PADI open water certification, we also needed to purchase the necessary equipment (mask, fins, snorkel…) They had a good choice of scuba equipment and they gave us good guidance on what to buy. Once we were in the water to test out the equipment we were very happy as it was top quality. Plus, they have a wonderful employee who speaks French (this summer at least!)...So it was really charming for us! PADI training and certification: It was a fun training, and at the same time very safe and professional. My son passed the PADI open water certification and his instructor Charles was great, very professional. My son learned a lot, especially on how to dive safely, comfortably and how to maintain good practices during the dives... Overall a very good experience, I highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Super friendly and helped me out since I'm from out of town. Love the area. Can't wait to come back!

Fantastic experience: 1) excellent equipment 2) friendly staff and great service 3) very reasonably priced

Fantastic experience: Filled up my Ninja paintball tank at a competitive rate. Professional service and cool shop for diving supplies!

Positive experience: After a miscommunication about a refresher course, I requested a refund of the course fee. After a short back-and-forth on email, I drove back to the shop. At the shop, Charles the owner convinced me to invest in a retractable harness for my BCD and he obliged with hardware he trusts and it’s great! I got a small share back and a key piece of equipment for my next dive.

Fantastic experience: Kevin is a very nice and patient guy. Answer my questions and help me on the air tank. highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: I took my open water certification with PSD. The instructors were the best! Kevin was very patient and helpful. And the store staff is very helpful as well trying on gear, finding equipment, explaining things, etc. I recently went on my first "real" dives in Hawaii. The divemasters were impressed with the calmness that I looked to have. Maybe it was because of the ... Interesting conditions of the California coast (cold & sandy) better prepared for the crystal clear and warm waters of Hawaii.

Fantastic experience: I was certified there. Thomas was an excellent teacher who was very patient with us. I would highly recommend this shop to any aspiring scuba diver, however the price of the equipment there is a little expensive.

Fantastic experience: Grewt selection of equipment Great knowlwdge from staff (Charles). Very friendly

Negative experience: Terrible experience. I got certified through them and was unable to go on my dive trip a week later because I was never entered into the PADI system. Extremely stressful to be on a dive boat and be told I am not able to go. Pacific Scuba Divers were under the impression that the dive book would suffice as proof. So 170 dollars and my time wasted. I called PADI myself after the experience and had to confirm that nothing legally (other than being in the system) can prove you are certified. I even tried emailing the owner about my situation which I never got a response. Which is pretty upsetting.. Also during the class the wetsuits they rent out are completely torn up. My entire ankle was exposed and I couldn't even use the hood that they assigned me and they said they had no other options. I would be extremely cautious about getting certified here. If they say they will enter you into the system on X day bug them and make sure they actually do. If you experience any problems, from my experience they probably won't do anything about it.

Fantastic experience: Awesome dive shop. I highly recommend getting your gear and/or training here

Fantastic experience: Got my certification through them. Awesome service for every diver.

Fantastic experience: Amazing

Fantastic experience: Gary was great helping us to pick our snorkel gear, he explained everything we needed to know, helped us understand the differences in gear styles and functionality. I am super happy to have stumbled across this shop during my search on Google Maps. Update: We signed up for the Open Water Diver class and I am so happy with Kevin, Alex, Jean, Valerie and Eric. They all made the experience stress free, fun and encouraging. My biggest thank you though goes to Eric who went out of his way to ensure we get certified before our trip to Hawaii. I can't tell you how grateful I am for this. It's beyond words!

Fantastic experience: Pacific Scuba Divers has some really great Instructors who create a fun and safe experience for each students. The store also offers continued education and classes to further your dive education and keep you interested, as well as a great selection of scuba equipment, service and repair. I especially love the dive club which keeps me diving every month in one of the top dive spots in the world, Monterey, CA

Fantastic experience: Great dive shop - highly endorsed - dive with them if you can. Did a Dacor - Mares exchange with them a few years ago, good work.

Negative experience: Not a good experience! Called to confirm that they serviced Poseidon regulators and that they could do it quickly because we were leaving for an ocean voyage. Also confirmed price. When I got to the store I again emphasized that we were leaving on our boat in one week and they confirmed that it would be done (Of coarse, now the price was greater because we had an octopus – what a surprise) One week later…(wait for it)….”we just remembered that we are no longer certified for Poseidon.” “No problem – just send it to our next port. Very important because after that we don’t know our next stop…” Got to our next port and (wait for it) no regulator! In the end, I had to borrow a car and drive about 3 hours to pick up our un-serviced regulator.