Pacific Wilderness

I have wanted to become scuba certified for years and years, so when a Livingsocial offer became available I jumped on the chance. There were a few different offers from dive shops but I decided on Pacific Wilderness. I went on to the website and found the Livingsocial banner. Everything was laid out very clearly, basically you decide on 2 consecutive weekends to take the class from the schedule listed, call the shop to confirm, pick up the packet and complete it at the very least 1 week before the dive. The packet is basically a study book with 5 sections and a corresponding DVD, along with a dive log and dive chart. There is A LOT of info packed into those materials and it is all necessary to know, as I found out when we progressed into the pool and beach dives.
The first Saturday of class I met our instructors Lisa and Eduardo who were very knowledgeable, positive, friendly and down to earth people. In fact I can say the same about nearly everyone I met at the shop. They are real people who are passionate about diving and are some of the best resources for any kind of information that you might need.
My class completed the pool dives in the first weekend, and moved on to the ocean dives the following weekend at Laguna Beach. Yes, it was a long drive from Glendale and yes, we had to be there at 7 am, but getting to dive for the first time was such a phenomenally amazing experience I didn’t even mind. There were at least 4 or 5 instructors at the spot where we dove, and they were all experienced and good natured. The entire dive felt like a gathering amongst friends. Scuba diving is not an easy feat, we all had to learn our equipment and we spent a good amount of time with it on, and I’m talking an extra 60 to 80 lbs on your back, not including weight from being soaking wet. But, the entire time I felt very safe under the watchful eyes of the instructors. I’m sure these people have dealt with some pretty significant issues with hauling newbies in and out of the water and I was very glad to have so many of the around. Getting my scuba cert was one of my most rewarding experiences and a lot of it was because of the help and support from the people at Pacific Wilderness.
I plan on continuing to visit this shop whenever I decide to invest in any equipment of my own, though for now renting all the gear for close to $ 60 is a pretty sweet deal as far as I can tell. And they have organized weekly dives for no additional charge. I’m very glad to be a part of this diving community.

Just got my PADI Open Water certification via a LivingSocial deal and have to say thanks again to my awesome instructor Josh, our divemasters Jeff and Scott, as well as Sean, John and everyone else who worked at the shop. Although I think I was the most «casual» of the students in my class in the sense that everyone else either wanted to be a divemaster or was going to some far off place for a diving trip, I got a solid training because of Josh, Jeff and Scott’s expertise, guidance and positive energy.
For those who might be coming into scuba diving brand new, like I was, here are some things that might be helpful:
— It involves a lot of prep and learning. For the class I took, you have to watch two full-​length DVDs, read a 250-​ish page book and do all the exercises, and fill out a bunch of paperwork before you even step foot in the «classroom.» Then there’s confined water training in their pool and finally your open water dives at a separate location.
— Beyond the cost of the class, you actually will need to buy some gear — in our case, mask, snorkel, gloves, boots and fins. You don’t have to buy it at PacWild but if you do, the benefit is they’ll switch out your mask if it doesn’t fit, etc. which is what happened to me (cause of my apparently awkwardly-​shaped face).
— There is a lot of driving, and you’ll do some of it really early. I live in South Pasadena, PacWild is in San Pedro, and our dive spot was in Laguna Beach.
— You will be tired, and not just from swimming. The gear weighs something like 70 lbs all together and you’ll have to carry it around quite a bit. Be careful and take your time.
— Don’t get frustrated too easily. Not everyone gets it right away, but everyone in our class passed by the end. You learn at your own pace sometimes and everyone has different challenges to overcome.
I was really impressed at how much of a community scuba was, and how cool the divers all were to each other. One of my divemasters told me, «you’ve just entered a world that most people never even see.» And that wouldn’t have been possible without Josh and the guys at Pacific Wilderness.

I need brand new equipment to replace my old. I’ve come in here a few times to rent tanks. Great store! However, when making large purchases, I like to support small business owners (like myself). However, after reading excessive remarks about poor customer service and the owner (Jeff) smug attitude — maybe I’ll rethink my purchase and check out a few stores.

Pacific Wilderness is a great location that offers a comprehensive scuba diving class. The instructors are highly qualified with years of experience. Please don’t sign up for the class without a 100% personal commitment. This class takes time, energy and dedication. PW offers an awesome selection of scuba diving gear at a competitive price. I highly recommend PW for your first time diving experience!

I brought in my regulators and dive computers for servicing and ended up having a problem with one of computers. Scubapro said it was not reparable and offered a $ 50 trade-​in. Jeff Smith worked with Scubapro and got me a replacement at no cost to me. It is a new computer and an excellent substitute for the broken one. I doubt that I would have been able to get Scubapro to do this for me. Thanks to Jeff I am back in the water!

This shop is the best. Seriously. Amazing shop with amazing instructors, and down-​to-​earth, delightful humans that you will actually want to spend time with! They invest in new students to keep them diving, and really bring them into the «family». I’m incredibly impressed with the knowledge and skill level of every member of the staff, and am thrilled that I started my diving journey with them. I highly recommend Pacific Wilderness for classes and all of your equipment needs. Well done guys, well done.

It all started when I met a girl that scuba dives. She sent me a link to a living social deal and that’s how I found this shop. The class ended up being hundreds cheaper than what friends have paid at Sport Chalet and other dive shops when you factor in books and whatever hidden rental fees that they sneak in. Trust me. That doesn’t mean I got gyped on training though. In fact, I feel like I got a steal getting Bob Nimmo as an instructor. He has given me invaluable tips that I use every time I step in the water. I kind of just dove right into the sport and picked up gear right away. I completed 50 dives before my 1 year and am sitting at 56 just a few weeks after my anniversary of being Open Water Certified. I’ve been to the D.R., Cabo, and Hawaii as well as many local spots in Malibu and Catalina. I even watched my friends get certified through a different shop. Every time I dive with other people, it really shows what amazing skills Bob had taught us. I can’t stress enough how much stuff I see other people do that makes me thankful for getting a good instructor. If I see Bob’s name on your dive card, I’m automatically going to feel safer diving with you. I got my advanced cert pretty early on and looking forward to advancing beyond that with Bob Nimmo leading the way!

I really wish that we had taken our SCUBA cert class here… We got gift certs to Sport Chalet for Christmas and we didn’t want to seem ungrateful – my future sister-​in-​law found Sport Chalet to have the
cheapest prices… Their price was cheap, but once you factored in the books ($ 85), blue PIC card ($ 20) and rental gear, we were already paying more to take the class at sport chalet.
Additionally, sport chalet doesn’t have their own pool – students must travel to the Hawthorne public pool for dives – and the pool is used by 5 other Sport Chalet locations, while Pacific Wilderness has their own pool, which is designed specifically for SCUBA and used by their students alone.
We also ended up buying all our gear from Pacific Wilderness – the prices and selection were much better.
Finally, we had a terrible time scheduling our classes with Sport Chalet. Pacific Wilderness has a lot more certified instructors so there are backups in case your instructor isn’t available on a scheduled day/​time. I hope that anyone shopping around for a SCUBA class will find the considerations above helpful in making their decision where to take their SCUBA class. In my experience what appeared to be the «cheapest» option was not, nor was it a good value.
Although I can’t go back in time and re-​take my scuba cert, I will continue to go to Pac Wilderness to rent/​buy gear and have my gear serviced. The employees are generally very knowledgeable and they carry quality gear for very fair prices.

I follow this scuba shop on Facebook and they keep it updated with really cool stuff.
I needed to rent some gear for a dive off PV and so I decided to rent from here.
Prices were fair, service was OK. They were a tad rude when I returned the gear; sort of just brushing me off. Hmm OK.
Anyways, the location is HUGE. And incredibly well stocked and they even have their own pools. This place is legit.

So, Ive been wanting to try scuba diving forever. I want to learn so bad!
So I researched, and I heard Pacific Wilderness is the place to go, because they: A. Have experience and knowledge. B. Are professional. C. They show great passion for the sport, and finally, they are very interested in arming their students with knowledge. They really care about, and love what they do. THAT MATTERS.
My husband (who has dived a few times in Hawaii, but isn’t certified), and I booked our Intro to Scuba class. Super easy, over the phone, polite and professional service.
We went last night. Soooo exciting. Intro to scuba is for people like me who have never been scuba diving, but want to try it before committing to an Open Water class.
So our class was at 7pm last night. Its in San Pedro. Easy to find. We were greeted by Sean, who I spoke to over the phone a few times. The shop is amazing. It seems like its a candy store for divers!!! The pool is in the back, and its heated. Our instructors for the night were Lisa and Eduardo. Super nice and patient. We did a little classroom time. Thats so Lisa could go over some basic information that everyone should know, about the equipment, about how to use it.
Then we got wet! We had a great time. I struggled a bit more, well, a lot more than my husband. My mind just wouldn’t accept that I could breath underwater. Lisa was SO patient with me. In a calm voice, she explained I just need to breathe in and breathe out completely. Just relax. Scuba is baby steps. For those who have never tried it, YOU MUST TRY IT. Its amazing. My husband on the other hand, was a natural. I was so proud of him. I stayed in the shallow end, under Eduardo’s watchful eye. My husband moved forward with the class, did some drills (clearing his mask, recovering his regulator) and then ventured into the deep end under Lisa’s watchful eye. Eduardo was amazing too!!! He could see my frustration. I kept feeling the need to surface out of fear. He spoke to me about his experience, and how I just need to breathe and breathe out completely. Just relax. Once I did that, I was able to feel relaxed and breathe normally underwater without surfacing. It was amazing, and I want more!!! I think one of the most important things I learned last night, is that you have to take scuba at your own pace. There is no race. I think one of the other things Ive learned is that one must fight the urge to surface… just relax and breathe…
Im grateful that the instructors are so nice. They have seen it all. They do NOT make you feel stupid. They are patient and understanding. They only care about your safety and comfort.
My husband and I will be signing up for the open water class at Pacific Wilderness next year. For me, it was an amazing first time experience. I want more. In the meantime, I will work on some breathing exercises!!! LOL. My husband had a blast. He was so excited afterwards. He forgot how much he loved scuba diving. If you are looking to learn to scuba dive, I would HIGHLY recommend Pacific Wilderness!!!

I want to start by saying that everyone in the shop is great. mostly. I called Pac Wild last Christmas to get an idea of the place– their programs, products, etc. The first time I called I was extremely excited but was treated poorly from the owner of the shop. I’m not sure if he has an attitude problem or just thinks of himself too highly– which he might pride himself on– but he made me turn away from this place when I called.
I really wanted to get my Open Water Cert, so I decided to give this place another try. I called six months later and the person on the phone (Shawn) was great. When I came into the store to get my supplies, Shawn and Jake were amazing. They were extremely nice, helpful, and were able to answer all my questions about scuba.
Class time. A man checks to make sure you have all of your beginners gear (owner) before you begin class. He cracked a smile at some point, which was nice. The first weekend of class finished. I cannot recommend Ian, Tyler, and Josh highly enough!!!
They are amazing, fun, entertaining teachers and they each add their own element to the class. They teach the class because scuba is their passion, which makes the class way more enjoyable for the students. THANK YOU!!! I gave the place 5 stars because the class experience and dives were great. The shop is also helpful and the prices are very reasonable. First Unilocal review — had to rate these guys–
Tips:
–Fill your gas tank. You will be driving to and from the shop and to dive sites.
–Do the Homework
–Bring a snack
–Bring a picture (You can also have one taken via iphone at the beach)
–Never panic– scuba is slow pace!
–Relax, have fun, and Dive!!!

Signed up for the Living Social PADI Open Water course certification with some friends.
After signing up and scheduling for the class and dives my friends and I made sure to ask all the questions we have going into this certification.
HINT: Make sure to follow all the directions that are given or else!!!
— Read the study material
— Finish the Knowledge review
— Watch the DVD
— Bring Lunch or Snack (during classroom session)
— PASSPORT PICTURE for your CERTIFICATION CARD
The class itself was fun and direct, our instructor Bill was very knowledgeable/​experienced and helpful throughout the whole time and made sure we learn the right and proper way so we can have fun all the time.
— Picking up our required basic gear and scuba gear
Sean helped us picked our gear and showed us how to properly test and fit them so you are comfortable with it when you use it… also during the confined dives (pool) if you dont like your gear you can walk out and swap them out!!!
The staff doesnt try to over sell you on stuff you dont need or want… it is all up to your own needs but they do recommend why to upgrade some of the parts like springs for your fins and a better holder for your mask/​snorkel
I RECOMMEND GETTING SPRINGS FOR YOUR FINS!!! IT DOES MAKE YOUR LIFE WAAAAY EASIER ONCE YOU GET IN THE OCEAN!!!
Parking can suck sometimes specially on the weekend when there is a class going on…

First off, I want to call out Eduardo and Lisa for being incredibly supportive, knowledgeable dive instructors that took good care of all us newbies wanting to get certified. Both my husband and I had a great experience learning to dive because of them. They have great passion and respect for this sport, and rightfully so because not only does diving take patience and practice, but also great care for yourself (listen to your body’s reactions) and the environment you’re exploring.
The PADI course is quite thorough… to the point that it may seem repetitive. There are SO many things you must factor in while diving, and there is a reason why the materials, videos, and classroom discussions are repetitive… it’s for our safety. Diving itself is not difficult (and actually quite Zen!), but what you learn is how to be safe, and being 60 ft under water there are plenty of safety concerns at all times, especially being new to it.
I actually had to push out my open water dive dates because I got an ear infection the week before we were supposed to go out to the beach. I was so incredibly bummed out because our class was also going to dive in Catalina for our last skill test. Eduardo and Lisa were able to accommodate to my schedule and take me out on a different weekend to Redondo Beach for my required open water dives. And since it was a medical issue, I was not required to pay any additional rescheduling fees.
After we were both certified, we still wanted to meet up with our instructors for some dives, and we recently went out to Catalina with them! SO much fun, we both had a blast :) Thank you both for the great experiences! Looking forward to more to come.

Long over due. Been going hear for years. Great deals big selection best prices ever.

Pacific Wilderness is my preferred shop since moving to LA. They have an outstanding selection of everything from basic gear to high end video/​photo, a staff that is knowledgable and passionate about diving, and very competitive prices.
Jeff is the owner and has a real passion for diving. He organizes at least one dive a week and couldn’t be a nicer guy or more passionate about this sport. With Pacific Wilderness you get not only a dive shop, but an entire dive community.
For new divers out there about to get into diving, I think it’s important to realize how integral your dive shop will be in your progression as a diver. Dive shops help you pick gear, choose setups, get trained, meet other divers, fill tanks, plan trips, service and fix gear, solve problems and more. Make sure you pick a shop (this one) competent in all of these areas.

Since you said «thank you» for the review, I’ll «apologize» for the fact that you took my review as being negative… it wasn’t intended to be. However, it is funny that this is the response you’re posting when 3 stars isn’t even a bad rating. 3 stars is «a-​ok» and, like I said, I wasn’t trying to dissuade anybody from taking classes here because I thought that most experiences are probably better.
To start, I’m clearly not trying to hide my identity otherwise i wouldn’t have included the detail that supposedly tipped you off.
So, to address your comment about the favor you guys did for me by «waiving» the resched fee, u wouldn’t have had anything to waive if i was told that I could not do the two weekends I had requested.
And, no, Eduardo did not send me anything two weeks in advance of the class. I only received it on Apr 28^th at 7:55 PM (slightly more than four days, not two weeks) when Lisa texted to ask if I had received the email which she then forwarded to me which I then confirmed that I received it. And, in regard to me texting during class, the class went over the bookwork we had completed in advance and then we took quizzes. All of which I passed.
Yes, I may have forgotten my packet at home but I did do all of my homework but i didn’t print. I did, however, have it PDFd and asked if I could submit via email at that time but was told to just rip it out of my book and bring it in te next day, so I did. I also purchased another form that day so it could be submitted the first day so not sure why that’s being brought up.
I also didn’t «fail to say» that I left at 3:30 because I didn’t. As stated, I left around 5:30 which was definitely the case because the shop was closing up (5 PM closing time on Sunday’s) and they were working on refilling the air tanks while I was there.
Not sure what to say about this…16 spots seems like a few spots to me so that’s all relative, I suppose.
Lastly, what’s wrong w «grouping with 7 other students to get the ‘Coupon Discount’??» Are we lesser valued customers because of it?

Pacific Wilderness earned my PADI salute! My boyfriend was recently scuba certified and went through PW. He had a BLAST and had nothing but positive things to say. I went with PW a few weeks later on a Sunday am dive in Laguna beach, which was also a blast! I would highly recommend following PW on facebook if you are a diver so you can keep track of and join in on their weekly dives.
In terms of the shop itself, PW has everything diving/​water related. If you want it, they have it. Sure the location is a bit seedy. However, the past two times I went to pick up equipment I caught up with the corn cart (if you don’t know what it is… look it up).
Fantastic service, knowledgeable employees and killer dives. I’m in!

I’ve been to this shop many times over the years as I live somewhat close. The prices are definitely fair but it’s hit or miss on the customer service. Theres two great guys named eddie and fred who have always been more than helpful to me but theres a new portly young guy that doesn’t know anything about diving and talks down to you. I thought it was just me but chatted with some of my friends who have gone there and they say the same thing, the guy is arrogant and doesn’t know what he talks about.
There’s another guy there named Jeff, he is even worse, one time I needed a part and instead of ordering it he grabbed some of his old gear and pulled the piece off and then charged me what a brand new piece would cost. I wouldn’t mind if the piece was new but it was beat up! I told him I wasn’t in a rush and could wait for the ordered piece.
If another shop was nearby this place would probably die out, however it’s the only shop that is nearby where I live. If you head in there ask for Eddie or Fred, otherwise you are wasting your time.

I have been certified for over 30 years but stopped diving over 20 years ago my son got certified at Pacific Wilderness and has about 50 dives under his belt and now his wife and my wife decided to join in on the fun at which point Josh their instructor sujested that I jump in with them for a refreasher course.
We have purchased all our equipment from them at amazing prices and never ones did I feel preasured into any gear and quit the opposite there are a few items the said not to buy at this time and save the cash.
Jeff the owner has been very helpful and everyone I have meet at the store has been great yes some could say they are an odd bunch but hey when you spend a good majority of your life under water you get the picture.
Thanks again to the group of employees, instructors and also long time customers that have made all of us feel welcome.
See you in the water
Oh one last thing you can not beat the prices or the deals.
Thanks again to all.

Walked right in and walked right out.
Let me explain: I asked for help because everyone was ignoring me. Then this cocky jerk called «Jeff» comes out from behind somewhere and looks at me up and down with this snarl. Then says «Can I help you with something» (sarcastic tone). Now here I am, in a suit and tie because I work in downtown LA and he’s snarling at me? I’m thinking to myself that maybe this guy thinks I’m a cop or there to serve him court papers? So since I just drove 30min on my lunch break I proceeded to ask this short tempered Napoleon about dive classes. Regretted every second of this ridiculous integration style questioning. I just walked out.