I took the beginner open water dive course at the shop and while I am glad that the class was informative and I had a great experience diving with the instructor and other students, I was very disappointed in the program overall. Id estimate the class was 80% actually relevant information and 20% sales pitch. I have taken a scuba class before when I was a student in CO so I do have a point of comparison on this, and I do think this shop or this program laid the sales on exceptionally thick. For example, I had to purchase dive fins in order to pass the class even though you can find suitable rentals at most dive shops. I would recommend finding as much personal gear as you can before the class starts, either used or goodwill as I did. My classmate asked how much she would need to spend on gear to pass the shops gear requirements, and they estimated $200 before she signed up. She ended up spending $220 on fins alone, and almost $600 overall. As another example, we were told to be at the shop at 1 PM for class on one of the pool session days, but they had intentionally scheduled their swim school to last until 2 PM and so they would have time to parade us around the store to tell us about the latest features and pricing options on each and every piece of gear you need (and dont need) to scuba. I dont like writing bad reviews of mom and pops shops and I hope this review will help them tamp down their sales pitch and focus on the customer experience people get while attending their classes. My instructor was knowledgeable and was enthusiastic about letting us enjoy our time in the water as well as passing our skills.

Fantastic shop with everything you need for diving. The owners Jed and Andrew are both enthusiastic divers and always ready to give you time to explain the gear, and time to consider your purchase with no pressure. Their instructors are fantastic, my fiancee and I consider the two that weve trained with, John and Nicole, to be friends and we love saying hi when we run into them teaching a class at Refugio Beach. I wont consider going to any other shop for instruction or gear.

This place is amazing from the owners to the associates,to the instruction. My daughter took the course there and I couldnt have asked for a more knowledgeable or helpful set of instructors. Thank you for giving my daughter the gift of dive.

Dropped off my tanks 2 days ago came by today and they werent topped off. i called first but after being put on hold 10 minutes with no answer I just hung up and came over now im waiting outside of the shop just standing here while they scramble. Tanks still only at 31/ 3200. Always an issue with this place.

Had the absolute honor and privilege of doing my side-mount course with Jed of Santa Barbara Aquatics.We started with a comprehensive pool session that covered the equipment configuration in detail including, set up and personal fitting, from there we jumped in the pool for final adjustments and some drills that we were scheduled to do the following day in open water.On the second day of my training I met Jed on the Spectre Boat in Ventura harbor (great boat, awesome staff)we headed out to Channel Islands for the day.Jed guided me through the day’s schedule and what needed to be done, we got to work right away.On the agenda we had three boat dives that included all the necessary drills and knowledge needed to complete the course and then some.Ive been looking for someone to do recreational side-mount course with for a while and everyone in the industry recommended I should go speak with Jed. very glad I did.I learned so much on my training, Jed is very passionate about diving and side-mount in particular.Couldn’t have asked for a better experience.Both Andrew and Jed of Santa Barbara Aquatics did an all around phenomenal job, I am a customer for life!!!THANK YOU !!!

Great friendly, helpful staff. Everything you need and want in one place.

I got certified as a rescue diver and a dive master by Jed, Andrew and Grant while I was in California. Could not get a better training. Jed and Andrew also gave me the opportunity to DM with them and it was an absolute pleasure to go with students under such a high degree of professionalism. Not only, these guys always provide some great advice about diving and gears but they also are extremely friendly. I highly recommend and Ill always go to them any time I want to dive in California.

I couldnt have been happier with my open water certification through Santa Barbara Aquatics. The owners and staff are very professional and knowledgeable. Our instructor, Grant, made sure we clearly understood all our skills before doing them and made the process very fun in both the pool dives and the open water dives. I had been wanting to get SCUBA-certified for a long time, and was on an extended work assignment for a couple of months at UCSB. So glad that I found Santa Barbara Aquatics to make my time in Santa Barbara memorable and fun.

I am so happy I found Santa Barbara Aquatics. Ive always wanted to learn how to scuba dive. One day I decided to just go in and get some more information. With Andrews help, ended up signing up for my open water diver class.Marianne was my instructor. There was only 2 people in the class, including myself, which made me feel comfortable having the personal instruction. Marianne was an amazing instructor. If I was ever unsure or had questions she was willing to help me understand something.The open water dives were amazing. I chose to do one dive at Refugio beach (included) and the rest off the Spectre dive boat in Anacapa Island (an additional $135, but so worth it!).Like Jed, one of the co-owners, says, diving will change your life.I highly recommend Santa Barbara Aquatics to anyone interested in diving.

Recently got certified for open water here. The staff is amazing in both their knowledge and in how incredibly fun and friendly they are! It was an fantastic experience and Ive felt incredibly comfortable and safe going out on my first few dive since! Theyre wonderful with rentals, have great stuff in stock (and the ability to explain it all to someone new - with patience none the less), and they really are active in helping bring the SB area dive community together through day trips, coordinating a dive team, and trips to other locations! I get stoked every time I know I get to swing by the store because I always know Ill run in to someone who brings a smile to my face!

As a SCUBA instructor, I’ve never experienced such a rude and disrespectful staff. After they made disparaging political remarks, we left and happily spent our money at a more professional establishment.

We are new to the area, and were looking for new snorkel equipment. We really had no idea where to begin. We stopped by the surf country shop, and they referred us to Santa Barbara Aquatics. They told us it was under new ownership, and it was a much better run business now, compared to the past. And in our experience, they were wonderful and thorough! Jed, the new owner made us feel welcome, and comfortable, and helped us with all of our needs. I cant recommend them enough.

Jed and Andrew the new owners of the shop have really revamped this place and made it one of a kind. With all there knowledge and experience with scuba gear you can be 100 percent confident what you buy is top notch quality. Jed is an amazing instructor, extremely knowledgeable, he really takes his time to explain every important detail so you know what you are doing and are safe doing it. Not to mention he wants you to have so much fun you will become an avid diver. I cant say enough good things about this shop and its owners.

The new ownership is great, Jed and Andrew are awesome guys and they are really doing great things with the store. This place even has a 12 ft training pool. Great place to learn Scuba! I havent seen any other store like it on the central coast.

Id definitely recommend this shop. This is where I got certified. Getting set up for the certification coursework was a breeze. Theres a pool on site for the confined water dive part of training. The new owners, Jed and Andrew, are friendly and great to work with. Jed was my instructor for my dive training, and he was amazing; patient, attentive, and very knowledgeable. Thanks, Santa Barbara Aquatics!

I dont give recommendations often, but the new management at SB Aquatics is *fabulous*. Andrew was incredibly helpful in getting me signed up for Open Water instruction classes and helping me select my mask/fins/snorkel. Jed, our instructor, was also amazing. He was incredibly knowledgeable and, above all, patient with his students. In short, I was super-happy with my experience at SB Aquatics. If you are thinking about learning how to dive I would highly encourage you to give them a call.

The new owners are great. They know their stuff and are are very responsive. Im really looking forward to having a top notch local dive shop that the community can count on. Glad youre here--we expect great things!!!

Knowledgeable staff, good prices, great service and great air fills!!Ive been diving in this town for over 13 years, the new owners here have made impressive improvements!This shop can get busy at times, but it is clear everyone is doing their best and I do not think it is understaffed.Great selection of gear and they stand behind what they sell.

Andrew and Jed have been instrumental in our dive experiences and gear purchaces over that past few years. Santa Barbara area divers are very fortunate to have these gentlemen take over Santa Barbara Aquatics. They are always helpful and strive to provide the best gear at the best prices. I highly recommend Santa Barbara Aquatics for all of your dive needs.

Super friendly and helpful staff

The new owners, Jed and Andrew, really know what theyre talking about. Tons of experience in the industry and are always up to date on whats new in the industry. Ive purchased all of my gear from Jed and done most of my diving trips with him. Im excited to watch the shop thrive in the future!

This dive shop has been totally revamped! Great place to purchase gear, get gear serviced, and take dive courses. The new owners are great and really know their stuff. I highly recommend this place for all your diving needs!

Shop has great service and very professional employees. They have a lot of options and are willing to spend the time with you to explain pros and cons to help me decide what I want. Thanks for helping me with the mask and reel.

Friendly staff, good professional advice on gear.

Andy and all the dive shop staff have been extremely helpful as I’ve been replacing gear and purchasing new gear. They are very knowledgeable and carry a wide selection of new high quality gear. They match online pricing which makes it very easy and attractive to support local while getting the best price and acquiring the gear instantly. You do t have to wait for shipping. They also had every size suit available to try so there was no guess work.I also referred a friend to take scuba classes with them after seeing the shop. It’s clean and has a pool inside the building which is nice to learn initial dive skills is clean, clear, warm water. If you have an AXXESS card you can get $50 off your first Open Water certification then 10% off gear (check the AXXESS card for up to date info to be sure nothing has changed).

Santa Barbara Aquatics provides first class service; they have very knowledgeable personnel they can teach SCUBA classes in house throughout the year theres a swimming pool in the back of the building.The SCUBA instructors are by far the best in the world.Im a scuba diver and go diving with them and would go anytime over and over again.Truly your amigo,

I wish every small/local business were run this way. Jed and Andrew (the two owners, it seems like they recently took it over) and the rest of the team go above and beyond when it comes to providing excellent customer service and information for a diving newbie like myself.From the first interaction over the phone, they gave me a ton of detailed information about getting my PADI certification without a sell. When I decided to go with them, their responsiveness via telephone and email was great.The guidance provided at their shop to purchase gear was also excellent, without any sort of hard sell. I wish more businesses operated this way: provide me with expert information tailored to my level of experience, respect my intelligence and guide me towards the proper purchase, then support the purchase through to complete satisfaction.For instance, I tried on a ton of masks for fit. The one I eventually went with didnt perform well for me in the pool (the fit just didnt work out in the water). Jed allowed me to swap it out for another mask, no questions asked. He only asked that I pay the difference, even though the first mask was already used. Then, when the mask wasnt in stock, he let me hold on to the store demo model until it arrived, and trusted me as the customer to call back at a later date to process the new charge + pick up the new model.He was also cognizant of the group experience during the pool portion of our certification. There was a member of our class who unfortunately required a bit more individual attention and was slowing down progress. Taking note of this, he handled a difficult situation very well, producing a positive outcome for both the individual and the rest of the group.The detailed follow up via telephone and email is excellent. I really cant say enough good things about my experience, as this level of professionalism and care is something you rarely get in todays world of online ordering and showrooming. I will be recommending them to all my family and friends. Also, as a new father Im looking forward to bring our little one here for swim lessons.Keep up the great work.

These guys know their 💩! Jed and Andrew have been stocking the store with great gear since they bought it a few weeks ago. And they have free air to breathe while you shop!

Best scuba shop in Santa Barbara. Under new ownership. Great service.

Great people to dive with and get certified. Sweet boat and amazing dive spots.

Andrew, Jed and all the staff are really nice and patient!! Had a great experience getting my open water cert and look forward to more!

With knowledgeable staff, a great selection of gear, and all around awesome service, SB Aquatics is my go to shop!

The new owners are very helpful and friendly. Someone knowledgeable is always in the shop, and sometimes even a good looking dog is there.

Amazing and fun!

I am a DM and recently went to SB Aquatics for gear and was very disappointed by the quality of the gear I was rented. Unfortunately, some of the gear was damaged in ways that were safety hazards, especially for novice divers (e.g. the BCD waist buckle was completely broken).The posts below say under new management but this is clearly no longer an excuse for poor quality gear with blatant safety issues. My experience leads me to believe gear is not thoroughly inspected after every use and the shop rents gear past its safe lifespan.While I was refunded for the rental cost of the BCD (and fins I rented that were so shot they were coming off mid-dive), I still do not recommend this shop to ANYONE, especially new divers.

This shop is an embarrassment. Went in for dive weights, they forgot to order them and wouldnt have another shipment until a month later. Waste of time.

I sent my regulator in 12 weeks ago for an overhaul. After 8 weeks and several inquiries, it became clear that the shop had lost my regulator. They told my husband they would replace it, but no action yet and Im not holding my breath.