Signature Scuba Diving

I just want to thank Mike and Signature Scuba for a great time in Catalina for our open water certificate. Mike is a super cool instructor that makes sure you learn every skill until you master it. We look forward to our Advance class with Mike and Signature Scuba.
I also want to say James the owner is a super cool guy who is alot of fun. He makes you feel like family and makes sure you enjoy every moment of scuba. He cares more about the relationships he builds and not the money he can make of you.
Last but not least the guy who runs the shop Glen. Thanks for all the great advise on the gear and getting us started in my adventure of scuba.

After waiting way too long, I finally realized that I was down to the wire to get scuba certified before our honeymoon in the Caribbean. Months before I had emailed Signature Scuba about it, and they had answered quickly that I just needed to call, but I finally did it with about 3 weeks to go before the trip. They helped me get set up for e-​Learning for the classroom work, which I managed to finish in 4 days around work (they called PADI to figure out what was wrong with the website when I got stuck part way through), and then set up private pool lessons and ocean dives. The weather made it complicated and we had to reschedule, but we managed to fit in the dives on consecutive weekends. The people in the shop were very friendly, helpful, and accommodating to get me done in time! The shop had the equipment I needed, and we’ll go back there for
Mike was my instructor, and did a great job walking me through all the skills — making me repeat them on each dive, not just going through them once and checking it off, to make sure I was really comfortable getting suited up, in the water, and in emergency situations. My husband did a refresher with them also so he did the pool part with me, which made me more comfortable the first time breathing underwater (what a thrill!) and made him more comfortable once we got to St Lucia. Thanks, Signature Scuba!
My recommendation — they’ll help you get certified ASAP, but it would be a lot cheaper and less stressful to plan ahead and not need to rush with private lessons. Their website is good, but you really just have to call to figure out what you need. Also, the beach dives at Corona del Mar are easy access for learning, but they aren’t all that exciting in terms of dive sites — Catalina would be much prettier — but really, during your training dives you’re concentrating on what you’re doing instead of the pretty underwater scene, so it works fine.
They also have a dive club that plans local group dives, helps coordinate buddy dives, and coordinates a big dive trip each year — Fiji this year, I think!

I was recommended here by my wife who surprised me with a scuba cert as a birthday gift. It is a really nice shop that offers everything from courses (Open Water to Tec); equipment; and dive excursions.
The Signature Scuba staff is extremely friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Their clean and newly expanded store has everything to outfit a new to Tech diver. They also have a compressor to fill cylinders, as well as oxygen for enriched air.
Thanks to James and Mike for their expert advise and always putting safety first!

Very knowledgeable, safe, and not at all pushy. They handled a completely unnecessary panic attack on my part with compassion and grace and did a wonderful job making sure my 12 year old daughter was completely safe… despite her challenged dive buddy (me).

I was actually recommended here by my friend. It is a really nice shop that offers everything from courses (Open Water to Tec); equipment; and dive excursions.
This is my new favorite dive shop in Southern California. The Signature Scuba staff is extremely friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable.

I was debating on taking the open water class at sport chalet but decided to go to signature and I’m so glad I did. The instructors were top notch and really knew their stuff. James is incredibly passionate about the sport and is a great teacher. As are Mike and Eddy. The instructors are passionate and knowledgeable and will help you with whatever problems you have.
I was able to see the quality of instruction while doing the open water dive when an instructor from Sport Chalet came to our group for help. She had gotten separated from her group and both her and the group literally did everything wrong in the situation. They literally left her behind and did not surface to find her and we could see the bubbles from her group probably 70 yards away. Whatever you do, do not go to Sport Chalet! While doing my last dive I got separated from the group and surfaced and the rest of the group surfaced and we reconnected within 2 minutes. This place is awesome and I will take more classes from them in the future! You will not be disappointed with Signature Scuba and will be so happy you chose them over anyone else

I recently completed my Open Water course through Signature Scuba. Every experience was amazing! The instructor, James McMullin, was very patient and friendly, very professional and very knowledgeable about safety.
He’s always available to answer any question I had. Now I feel better in my own confidence and even my 6 years old daughter expressed her interests in diving. When she turns 10, James must be her instructor too. I would recommend anyone to Signature Scuba. :)

The team at Signiture Scuba is top notch!!! James was my son’s instructor for the Padi Seal program. His attentive, detailed, and safety-​conscious teaching style was more than we could hope for. My son is 9 and cannot stop talking about the experience he had with Signature Scuba. He is hooked for life and is encouraging the rest of the family to train with James! Because of the experience he had, I am motivated to get the whole family certified. If you are interested in learning to dive or improve your skills, you will not find a better place!

James is amazing, i called there about a week ago and had a chat with Glenn, telling him what i want. the only problem was that i am off on Sundays and Mondays. well guess what those are the days they are closed, well Glenn arranged it for James to be there on a Monday for me. so now it’s Monday, i drive up there from south San Diego i get there and there he as promised. James helped me pick out everything i needed and explained to me why one is better then the other, he also new that i was a beginner so he didn’t try to over sell me on things i didn’t need. but he let me try things on see the comfort level for me. well i got it all except for tanks. it is a bit of a drive but for there knowledge and passion you know your in good hands. now i can’t wait to dive with them!

I started like many others, and called Sport Chalet and spoke to their «dive department», and began asking questions about doing PADI open water referral program. After calling two different locations and speaking to what seemed to be a, no offense, 16 year old kid, who had NO idea how to answer my most beginner scuba questions, I quickly realized that this was not the way I wanted to go.
I contacted Signature Scuba and spoke to Glenn. Wow what a world of difference. He quickly had answers to ALL the questions I had and we made arraignments for us to stop by.
Both my daughter (14) and I (which now around the shop we are known as the father/​daughter students) signed up for PADI open water referral program and paid to do our confined water dives with Signature. They had us in the water within two weeks, which is where this customer service rating turns into more than just 5 stars.
Anyone can agree that putting your face underwater, and being told to throw your breathing lifeline out of your mouth, can make anyone a bit apprehensive, which is what happened with my daughter, at which point she was panicked and was ready to quit. James sat at the edge of the pool with her for a short while and slowing calmed her, to the point where she was ready to give it another go. You can tell that this is not a «job» for James, this is something he is passionate about.
We both finished the day with a new found confidence in our abilities and take our hats off to James, Mike, and Glenn for going out of your way to make sure all of our needs were met. I will never look any further than my new extended family at Signature Scuba in the future.

Did my open water certification about a year ago and it was probably the best customer service I’ve had. James and everyone really worked with my crazy schedule with school and work to help me get certified before a trip and even set up a great day to finish my certification in Catalina. They were also really helpful in picking out the start to buying my own dive gear as well.

I got my open water diver cert through Signature Scuba and let me tell you it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was deathly afraid of large bodies of water and especially what was underneath them, always have been! My husband received his open, advanced, and shark diver cert at signature. It was really important to him that I at least try it so we could do it together. James (the owner) went out of his way to accommodate me and spent extra time encouraging me and making me feel comfortable. He helped me find the right equipment and never pressured me to buy more equipment then I needed. Needless to say I received my certification in Catalina 2 weeks ago! I am so proud of myself and could never have overcome my fears without having James as my instructor. Seeing a whole other world is amazing and I feel so blessed I am able to do that through scuba. Thank you James and thank you Signature Scuba!!!

Had a great time getting my open water dive certification at Catalina! Worth the extra money to get it done on the trip, felt like a mini vacation. James and Mike are great instructors, very patient and informative. I was scared of the open water, but I felt safe knowing the instructors and the dive masters were always within reach. My certification card arrived less than 1 week after we finished the dives. So excited to be able to go diving all over the world now!
I would recommend this course, however be sure to research on their website first. It can get expensive and time consuming. 14 hours for eLearning course, 7 hours for the confined pool dive, and 1 weekend Catalina trip for 5 open water ocean dives (so worth it!)

Last year me, my boyfriend, his sister and her husband took a PADI course through Signature Scuba Diving. First of all, we live about 30 miles away from his shop. James and his wife were kind enough to stay open late on a Sunday to wait for us to come and pick up the gears and equipments. Scuba diving can be very intimidating, however, with James, he made the whole thing easier for me. James made sure he tough us all the skills that we need and more. After I got certified through him, I tried out a closer dive shop around my house. The experience was not the same. They don’t really take care of their divers like James and his wife do. We couldn’t be happier that we got to know James and his shop and that we chose Signature Scuba for our PADI certification :)

I can’t say enough good things about Signature Scuba… I would give them more than 5 stars if I could! After starting my Open Water Certification I found out I was going to have to move cross-​country before completing the course, but I was so impressed with the quality of instruction and the emphasis they put on the safety of their students, that I delayed my move by a week (much to the dismay of my husband lol) just so I could finish my certification with them. I agree with the other reviews stating that the owner/​instructor James is extremely patient, is very thorough in his instruction and in ensuring that the students can perform the required skills before completing their certification. I always had a chance to ask questions about anything, and was never made to feel like I was asking a stupid question if I wasn’t clear on something. I felt very safe and comfortable during all phases of the confined and open water dives for the course, which is huge for me since I was extremely nervous about getting into the ocean.
During one of my open water dives I began having problems equalizing my ears and started experiencing some ear pain (and the vertigo that goes with it) — James was right there to help me out, and got me to the surface safely. I was very concerned that I wouldn’t be able to finish my last open water dives after having to abort the dive the other students completed, but thankfully James came to the rescue again! After all of the other students had completed their final dives, James took the time to take me down for my last dive to get me certified before my move, which he definitely didn’t have to do. I realize that many instructors from other shops most likely wouldn’t have done that for me after a long day of diving and the early start to the day to catch the boat for Catalina Island, and I appreciate the extra help more than I can possibly express in words.
Choosing this shop over the others for my OW certification was the best decision I could’ve made, and I’m glad I didn’t go anywhere else. Everyone at the shop is very helpful and friendly, the scuba rental gear is great, the quality of instruction is amazing, and they really care about their students. If you are reading reviews trying to decide where to get your certification (s) through, don’t look any further and go to Signature Scuba, you won’t be disappointed!

I have been diving for many years and have been to a lot of dive shops and have never meet anyone who has the passion for diving and cares as much about the new divers safety and helping certified divers improve like James at Signature. I have dove with divers who were pushed through there cert program for the sake of time and important skills skipped and I have seen James help teach what their original instructor skipped. You get what you pay for and if you want a 5 star experience and want to be a great diver Signature is where you should go.

I switched from the nightmare school I originally started at. Wow, what a difference! Great rental gear to use for the classes. The instructor/​owner, James, is incredibly patient and has very high standards when it comes to performing the dive skills with confidence. Though the confined dives took more than 6 hours to complete, it was full of laughter, stories and a ton of learning.
I paid extra to do some of my open water dives in Catalina, worth every penny!!! What a change in my attitude towards diving! Having to repeat the dive skills I learned in the pool in the ocean was terrifying, James was there to support me every step of the way along with his awesome Dive Masters!
Now I am completing my advance open water and going on the dive clubs’ Belize trip! Going down to 135ft in the Blue Hole! Come explore a new world, get certified!
A special thanks to Glen who is always there to answer my questions about gear and classes or just to visit :)

My wife and I recently finished our PADI open water certification with Signature Scuba. Jim, the owner/​instructor, is the best. You can tell from the start that he has a true passion for diving, and that he wants to share it with everyone. I have to say that I was nervous going into it not knowing anything about diving, but Jim put those worries to rest faster than you can say ‘self contained underwater breathing apparatus’. The rental equipment is high-​quality and the training you’ll get from Signature is top-​notch. We did our open water dives at Catalina, which is worth the extra cash. Although the shop is an hour away from our home, we’ll continue giving Signature Scuba our business for rentals, dive trips, and future classes.
UPDATE: My wife and I just completed our PADI Open Water Advanced certification with Signature Scuba, and we both couldn’t be happier. Jim has effectively turned both of us into confident open water divers with the skill-​sets necessary to dive safely on our own. His expertise and sense of responsibility in training skilled divers makes him one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. I look forward to future specialty training with him.

If you want gear they have a huge selection of quality items and knowledgeable staff to assist.
If you want to get certified this is the place !! I had a fantastic experience. I had a quick deadline too meet to be ready for a vacation and they were more than willing to accommodate my schedule for training.
The training is thorough, safety priority .
You will not find anywhere better.

Here’s my update: We originally did one open water dive at Laguna Beach through A DIFFERENT company and it was awful! The instructor definitely rushed us and didn’t take the time to pay attention to my concerns and I ended up having an anxiety attack. That ended that days dive really fast. BUT LUCKILY…
We met James, the owner of Signature Scuba, when we went to his store to buy our equipment. We had heard from James that he usually takes his students out to Catalina Island because it’s so much easier to learn there because the waves are tiny (makes sense since we’re on an island in the middle of the ocean). I thought if there was anyway I was going to try again it had to be in a much more calm environment. I quickly called James and let him know that we needed to get certified ASAP but I was really apprehensive, given my first experience with the other company. James was soooo understanding and quickly came up with a plan (he definitely did some rearranging to accommodate our schedule) and planned a Catalina dive trip for us the following weekend.
We were on board and definitely pleased with how accommodating he was.
So the big day came and I have to admit, I was EXTREMELY apprehensive about it. I had even text James the day before, telling him I had a change of heart and would not be going to Catalina Island after all. He text me back right away and was so understanding but encouraged me to go. He assured me that I would be in good hands. By the end of our correspondence, I was more comfortable and agreed to keep my trip to CI. Before we did our first dive, James went over the itinerary for the day. He was very thorough when explaining the agenda and told us exactly what to expect going in, going under, and getting out. He constantly checked in with me and reassured me. Even in the water, he was so encouraging and positive. He was very patient, which was big with me because I cannot be pushed and when I am I totally shut down and shut out.
By the end of our first dive together he TOTALLY GAINED MY TRUSTt! I didn’t think he could do it but he did. We all had such a great time with him and we were always welcomed to ask questions. He made it so easy, so fun, and didn’t miss any opportunities to teach! I was definitely loving it! BTW, there were 3 other students with us that day and the entire group was saying how wonderful a instructor he was. Everyone felt so comfortable with him and genuinely had a great dive experience.
I still needed one more dive to get certified and James, again, worked around my schedule. This time, he took me and 2 other students to Laguna Beach. He was very encouraging and he kept his promise and stuck by me the entire time, but he definitely was available to the entire class. For the other 2 students, it was their very first open water dive and they did phenomenal! Kudos to our AMAZING instructor. Everything that came out of his mouth was positive and encouraging!
James is definitely your go to scuba instructor if you want to have a safe, fun, enjoyable experience. By the end of the day, we left feeling like we were part of family and definitely met some awesome people! Thank you James for such an awesome experience. Keep it up, you’re the best!