La Jolla Dive

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!

Paris is an outstanding dive master and instructor. The shop is easy to work with and the Canyon is a great spot for diving.

Where else in La Jolla can you go beach diving walk two blocks and get your tanks filled NO WHERE. Tucked in the alley behind busy Avienda De La Playa is La Jolla Dive. Friendly instructors and divemasters that love to dive. Air cards are so easy too, $ 30 for 10 fills! Go dive grab a bite to eat on a surface interval and boom you’re back in the water!

I got my certification with the help of Paris and La Jolla Dive. I was constantly making little mistakes, and Paris was extremely patient with me, giving me confidence to continue with the program. I really appreciated how La Jolla Dive insisted on small groups for the open water dives — both times I was only with one other person. This was purposely done, as I know that Paris was taking out two more people later in the day — he could have easily taken all of us at the same time, but chose the smaller group for better instruction. Overall a great experience. Strong recommendation.

This place clearly doesn’t want your business. My husband and I encountered the rudest individual who works there. When we walked up to him to inquire about getting a refresher course, he barely acknowledged us. We asked him a few questions in which his replies were very short. I told him I was certified 17 years ago and there’s no record of it since there was no internet back then and the shop closed. He told me to look it up on the Internet and call them. Dude. I already did that, why else would I be here asking you about refresher classes? He was not friendly, helpful, or informative in any way. He seriously made us feel so uncomfortable we left. Not only that a few of my friends also want to get certified and I was doing the groundwork to find a PADI certified dive shop. Bye bye $ 2000.00. Guess they do so well they don’t really need your business. Dude could have just said f$$& off in the beginning and saved us some time.

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!

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.

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

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

Living in Florida most of my dives have been in warm water and from a boat. I was going to be in La Jolla for a wedding so I thought I’d get some west coast dives in. I set up my dives with Chris & Vanessa a couple weeks before I was to arrive based only on review I’ve ready. My experience was similar to the other (5 stars); however, a quick breakdown of my experience from start to finishing is summarized below:
1. Signing up for dives — 5 stars. Arranged over the phone and by texts. Spoke with Vanessa the same day I signed up (2 weeks before being in town). Determined dive sites, what I wanted to see and my experience level prior to arriving.
2. Finding the dive shop — 4 stars — The address is a little confusing. 2144 is actually some touristy convenience /​liquor store. The dive shop is actually located directly behind 2144 in an alley around the corner. This was mentioned in a few other reviews but for some reason I didn’t catch it before trying to find the shop.
3. Dive experience — 5+ stars. Most of the organized dive trips I’ve been part of are on rigid schedule… dives are determined by a watch and not the amount of air remaining. Vanessa and Chis were much more laid back. Dive lasts as long as you can make your tank last (very nice). Great dive master ratio. First day I was the only diver, second day there was two of us. Vanessa did a great job of taking photos during my dives and emailed them all to me after my dives (at not charge or hint of payment). My recommendation to anyone thinking of diving the area would be to consider diving the cove. If I had more time I would have burned 2 more tanks there. Very cool spot with lots of life (e.g sea lions, tons of fish, lobsters, kelp forest, crabs, seals, sharks, etc), minimal current and moderately cold water.
4. Equipment — 5 stars. While I lugged most of my equip across the country I would have rented having now seen it was decent gear. Again, most dive shops have pretty ragged out equipment but on the second day the other diver in my group used rented equipment and it was all decent stuff.
5. Prices — 5 stars. The prices of the equipment and dives were very reasonable. In fact, I ended up having to bail on my last dive b/​c I ran out of time. I was fully prepared to pay for the dive b/​c I canceled after doing my first dive and realized I didn’t have time for a second before the wedding started and Chris applied by unused dive money towards some equipment I rented. Very class act!!!
Overall, great dive shop. There is no doubt the next time I’m in La Jolla I will use this shop to rent my gear and do a few dives.

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!

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!

SHORE DIVING
(5 stars)
Shore entries are tough, expect to get an abs and legs workout.
The day before the dive I went to get fitted for my dive the following morning. They had everything I needed, told me they will bring whatever I picked up at the shop to the location and assist my needs to make my experience a good one. Chris was a super chill cool guy and courteous. He isn’t the guy who tries to convince you or push you into something you don’t want nor does he carry that «I know what’s best for you» attitude. People I meet in the dive world always think they know what’s best and when it really comes down to it… ITS MY DIVING EXPERIENCE AND MY PREFERENCE. I appreciate people like him. You tell him what you need and he will provide, simple as that.
Went diving with Dive Master Travis. Awesome guy, very kind and very patient. Travis was a good dive buddy and I wouldn’t mind diving with him again. Its nice to dive with people who understand different diving levels and aren’t in a rush to get you in and out the waters and willing to teach you on things you want to improve. We kicked out into the ocean, he was patient for me to catch my breathe, and then we dropped to the bottom. Had a great time down at the bottom seeing lots of live creatures. Travis made my diving experience at La Jolla Canyon memorable and enjoyable.
I do pick and choose my dive shops, I’m very picky about things. This place was a PLUS in my books and will come here again for my diving needs. I hope next time the conditions at La Jolla Cove is better.
Until the next review…
JABA APPROVED.

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!

I was in La Jolla visiting and decided that i wanted to get Open Water Certified. After doing some research of some of the local shops, La Jolla dive was the one that worked the best with my schedule. I got certified in 4 days. Paris was amazing and patient and very fun to work with. He was very informative and loves diving, made the experience enjoyable. He would bring the gear and we would meet at the shores or Cove and gear up and then head right in. Amazing dives and i would recommend anyone to Paris and Chris. They take cards if you dont carry alot of cash on you. Very flexible. I will be flying all the way to the west coast and dive with Paris again and continue my dive education with him. I Give La Lolla dive 10 STARS!

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!

My honey and I were stoked about recently renewing our scuba certifications and taking a refresher course in Las Vegas — where we’re based. He is Advanced Open water through PADI and I am open water through YMCA. We both wanted to start logging some dives and opted to take a mini-​vacay to the beautiful shores of La Jolla.
I have visited the area multiple times and even kayaked the cove a handful of times. It is simply stunning! There are always sea lions lining the cove and I thought it would be an amazing dive adventure. We opted to scheduled our dive with this shop after scooping out a few options in the area. We put in some research and checked all my sources Unilocal,TripAdvisor, YouTube, and Instagram (yes, I took that much time…). Unilocal reviews and their stellar prices won me over. Booking was simple and we received an emailed receipt after booking our spot for an early Saturday morning dive.
Why La Jolla?
La Jolla Cove is located in the La Jolla Ecological Preserve. The La Jolla Underwater Park and Ecological Reserve consists of several habitats, including rocky reefs, sandy flats, kelp forest and two underwater canyons La Jolla Dive offered us two dive sites: Kelp Beds and The Wall (they offer others… just ask). We chose to do the shore dive to the kelp beds.
Dive Info:
We reported to the site at 7am to set off for our dive. The cove was jumping with divers, swimmers, and snorkelers scattered among the park and the beach. Paris, our divemaster, greeted us when he arrived at the cove and loaded us up with gear and tanks. I was super pleased that all the gear was of high quality and pretty new– a very welcomed touch. We suited up walked down the stairs to the cove and swam out to the kelp beds.
Paris was super enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. Paris truly made our diving experience special. Well, he and the sealions made it special! He had a great eye for pointing out various sea creatures during our dive and made it an amazing experience. We saw a lot of fish, lobsters, and of couse… sea lions. He never pushed our limits during the dive and truly made sure we were comfortable and happy with our experience.
Stellar Prices:
Their Scuba Pack (head to toe) — Only $ 60 buckaroos
includes: bcd, regulator with gauges, weight, hood, gloves, boots, tank, mask/​snorkel, and fins.
Beach dive — Only $ 50 buckaroos
Total: $ 110 a person (yes, they take plastic).
We will be back to dive with Paris again. If you’re looking for an amazing dive tour, come here. You will happy as a clam in the La Jolla Cove!
.

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

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’ Unilocal 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, 7 MM 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 20^th 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.

Need air or gear on Sunday at La Jolla Shores? La Jolla Dive is the place to go. We had a problem with our gear, in 20 minutes La Jolla Dive (Paris) had fixed us up and salvaged the days dive. It could not be any more convenient than this!
No better place to get your air either! A++