Hands down the best dive shop in the area! My best friend started taking me here a couple yeas ago for all of our Freediving and spearfishing needs.  The people working here are always helpful, super informative on anything dive related; not to mention  very helpful with anything non-diving related as well be it fishing, boating you name it.  Never had a bad experience with them and I couldn't imagine anyone else for that matter.  I've been through the other shops around town and none of them hold a candle to OSSC!!

I've been surfing for a long time and wanted to take up kneeboarding. I had problems with making my fins fit and feel comfortable. Frank took the time to help me out even though I wasn't a diver, he made me feel good. He solved my problem. Their pricesare reasonable. I would use them for all of your diving needs.

Oceanside Scuba and Swim Center is amazing! I went in with a bad past experience with diving, but now I am totally hooked. First time I walked in, Kelly fitted and quoted me for all the gear I needed. I came back the next day and payed for everything and signed up for the open water classes. I wanted to get certified before my vacation. They were great at accommodating my schedule and my instructor was awesome. Jesse (my instructor) was fantastic! All around cool guy and great instructor. Would highly recommend, going back for additional courses after my vacation.

The staff and instructors at Beach Cities are AWESOME!!!  Andrew has taken care of 100% of my equipment needs - helping select the right stuff within my budget and making sure I know how to use it.  And it is just a bonus that the boat crew on the Riviera are a kick in the pants - never a dull moment on the boat trips!!

Thank you Beach Cities Scuba! It was a wonderful experience to get my open water certification.  Thank you Jen for all the course and pool lessons, thank you Robb for our ocean dives, and thank you Andrew for helping us pick out all our gear.  I can't wait to see you all underwater soon. This is the place to go for first class service and want to get into scuba diving.

We are still finishing our open water dives, but had our pool work and class time already. So far we have learned a lot. Our instructor Jen Miller has done a great job teaching the book work and the hands on skills in the water. She has been awesome helping us get oriented to a new sport we knew next to nothing about before.

My son Alex and I signed up for scuba lessons with Beach Cities Scuba in December 2012 and became certified after our open water dives in January 2013.  I was previously certified in 1971 when I was 19 and wanted to get back into the sport after being away for many years.  Robb was our pool and ocean dive instructor.  He was fantastic!  Patient, knowledgeable, and fun; you couldn't ask for a more caring and dedicated teacher.  His passion for scuba diving is obvious and contagious.

Recently, Robb connected us with Chob at the Laguna Beach store to show us and teach us about all of the scuba gear options.  Chob is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of diving and has a great sense of humor.  He made the buying process very enjoyable.

Alex and I are now schedule to do some advanced dives with Robb.  For new divers, taking additional classes is great way to develop  skills and confidence.

I see in some of the reviews that people gripe about the cost of equipment.  Yes, scuba diving is not an inexpensive hobby.  But, if you are going to do it, you will want to have your own equipment because you rely on this equipment to survive in an alien environment.  You become familiar with your own equipment instead of having to get used to different rental stuff each time.

Our experience with everyone at Beach Cities Scuba was excellent and I highly recommend them to everyone.

Hey- You need good advice and great deals on all things Scuba? Look no further. The entire staff is friendly and knowledgably and they have a comprehensive inventory of all the latest gear. Ask for Andrew Bolling or any of the staff will be happy to help you out.

I found Beach CIties after moving to Socal from the East Coast.  I've been diving for over 20 years and needed to find a good local source for equipment and travel.

The shop is quite incredible.  They have a huge range of gear that caters to all levels in the sport, from novice "first timers" through to technical diving.  The staff is very knowledgable and Andrew (the main contact in Dana Point) is one of those "natural" leaders in the industry; he is great with people, fun, knows his stuff, and is passionate about diving.

I believe in supporting local shops.  We want the luxury to be able to browse different gear, learn from other's experiences, have good service facilities and travel etc... so we need to recognize the value that a local shop brings. Their prices are reasonable and their selection is fantastic.  I highly recommend them.

I'll also note that it is no small feat to build a chain of 5 stores in this industry - so they are obviously doing something right!!

I found Beach Cities Scuba to be the best dive shop in Southern California.  Andrew, Rika and Hosame are the best in the industry and they go out of their way to make sure you have what you need.  This dive shop offers everything from dive boat trips to PADI dive courses.  I used them to help me outfit a boat with dive gear over a year ago and I would go nowhere else for new gear as well as servicing the equipment I have now.  I always have a great experience diving on the Riviera and if anyone is in the area I highly recommend booking a trip!

Private scuba lessons are the way to go! Jim Martin, PADI Instructor, was an awesome teacher for the classroom portion. Students will right away feel confident in his knowledge. His patience, sense of humor and passion for diving make the class fly by.

I completed my PADI Open Water certification with Beach Cities in Dana Point about a year ago and it was a really great experience.  Incredibly friendly staff, everyone in the place is very experienced with diving, techniques, gear, etc.  Over the last year, I have done more than 20 dives with them, completed my PADI Advanced Open Water certification and three subsequent PADI specialties.  Each of the instructors I've had have been superb, especially Chance, Alex, Rob...all are very knowledgeable, patient, and enthusiastic about what they do.  The people in the shop are also really great.  Andrew, Mike, Rika, have all guided me with great suggestions for gear and training and their customer service is excellent.  Their dive boat, The Riviera, is a blast...great guys.  Was referred to Beach Cities by a friend and would in turn, highly recommend them to anyone for training, gear, or just a day of fun in the water!

I love my 'local' dive shop - BCS. Started here 3-4 years ago with my Open Water cert, now, with advanced cert, 6 specialties(soon 7 + rescue), & nearly 70 dives about to go for Divemaster & perhaps more. Instructors are knowledgable & friendly as well as good teachers. I like the connection with the only Dana Point charter dive boat. Great crew. Yes Andrew will sell you stuff but I've never been disappointed (except for computer that he told me I might not like that I bought anyway). They also have great trips lead by the owner.

Kind, knowledgeable and helpful staff.  My teenage daughter is taking the scuba certification class and all instructors have treated her with respect and made sure she understood and was comfortable with each skill.  I was very nervous to let my daughter go out in the ocean on a dive, but I trust these instructors and I know she is safe. I'm glad she has the opportunity to learn a new sport, without professional instructors, I would never let her go diving.

My Daughter and I did a referral certification.  We did the book and pool work else where and came here for the open water dives.   We had a great time doing our open water dives with Beach Cities Scuba and the instruction was excellent.  All of the staff was very friendly and helpful.  More importantly, after thier instruction I feel confident in my ability to go diving.

After starting my relationship with Black Bart's SCUBA (ancestor of BCSC) in 1974, I have purchased most of my diving equipment from BCC.  Fast forward (3k dives later) to 2012, & I was going w/ our club to Timor Este, SW of Borneo.  Hosame suggested a new BC, since TE is mostly uninhabited.  His (not the first) wise suggestion turned out to save my life.  We were diving a spot called Vortex of Doom.  It is a current riding dive.  @ the end we were pushed from 20 fsw to 146 fsw in 15 seconds, w/ our bubbles going down too.  I really thought it was the end of me.  Then, I realized I had Hosame's new BC on & suddenly the panic vanished.  I made a safe ascent (300 lbs air left) & was able to assist a novice female diver in the same predicament.  She & I are now friends & plan to dive safer spots in the future... GO BCSC...!

OK.  I have been diving for 35 years and have found this dive shop to have the best customer service of any dive shop I have ever been to.  Andrew is the top of the line in customer service.  Check this place out - These are my go to guys for all things scuba.

I recently passed got my SCUBA license with BCS and their friendly staff. It was an awesome experience!

I'm a big fan! I just finished my certification through Beach Cities and had a great experience. The instructors were fantastic and made it fun! I've had friends go through other agencies and feel out of the loop... but not here! As soon as I showed up people helped me figure out where to be and what to do. Robb Evans was my instructor for pool dives, and made it a lot of fun..especially for being in the pool for about 6 hours. Over all totally worth it! GO!!

Helpful staff (Andrew in particular) and quality products. Just ask them about the return policy before purchasing anything...it's on a small piece of a paper taped to the register. They only offer store credit.

Previous review

This place was great, I just got my open water scuba certification in January through Beach Cities Scuba and it was a great experience. I had Jen Miller for the classroom and pool portions of the process and she was awesome! When I got into the ocean I wasn't worried at all, Jen did a great job of teaching us everything we needed to know so that doing the skills on the open water dives was as easy as possible. Everyone was super friendly and made the whole process super fun. (:

I just went to BCS for my PADI cert and had an AMAZING experience.  Scuba can be pretty intimidating even if you're in shape but the instructors made the all difference for me.

Jen was my favorite because she cracked jokes, made everyone feel comfortable and looked great doing it ;) I forget my open water divers name but he was awesome too.  Scuba is something you have to experience and I'm glad I did it right.

Scuba Jen (Jennifer Miller) is the best! She is full of excitement for scuba diving, and she is also patient and will take the time to explain and demonstrate more than once if you don't get it. Ron and Gene took us to the ocean and they were definitely pretty cool as well. It's a whole new world down there, and these instructors do a great job in making us all feel comfortable, and making scuba diving an easy and fun task to do.

I will be going on my final open water dive for my PADI Open Water Diver certification this coming Saturday and am so excited!  Jennifer Miller was the instructor in the class settings and I can not say enough about her professionalism and valuable insight. I definitely felt prepared for the pool and the open water dives. Feeling knowledgeable and comfortable with concepts and equipment makes all of the difference and I can't thank Jenn enough!

After years of wanting to but never doing I finally enrolled in the Open Water Scuba Training through Beach Cities Scuba.  I am very satisfied with the results.  Everyone that I dealt with on the phone and face to face was very helpful.  I travel a lot for work so my training was broken up and the staff was flexible with my schedule.  I did my pool and class room work with Jenn M and she was a great instructor.  She took the time to make sure I understood everything and took the anxiety out of the process.  I did my first open water dive on the Riviera and had Ron as my instructor.  The classroom, to pool, to boat was seamless and consistent.  Thank you to Beach Cities and its staff for opening my eyes to a whole new underwater world.

Got certified here with 3 other friends and have nothing but good things to say about the shop. Had Dave and Chance as instructors and they were great, not just in their patience while teaching but in advice from seasoned divers. Chob is the best, he can get you great deals on your gear and he will take into account competitor prices. As far as their prices for classes they have some of the lowest prices I have found. You just show up and all your gear is ready to go no extra charges, unless you choose to dive off the boat.

I contacted Beach Cities Scuba to get certification for myself and two pre-teen children.

I had a nervous daughter but once she met with Jennifer at the Laguna Beach pool her fears went away and soon looked foward to the adventure. Jennifer has the capability to teach the (3) of us starting at different levels and bringing all of us to getting certified without missing a beat. The children are now avid divers and are always looking foward to new adventures in diving.

I had Jen "Scubaholic" Miller and Chance as instructors at Beach City Scuba when I took the dive class.  OK.  At first I thought she was going to be really tough because she seemed so serious during the classroom part.  I got through that pretty well.  I was nervous at the pool because I have had trouble in the past with pressurizing my ears and I'm not a really strong swimmer.  They were both was sooo patient and helpful offering different tips on how to clear my mask and ears and do the various exercises.  And they were really good at communicating with the students to make sure everyone knew what they needed to do and that they were ready to go.  I give them my highest recommendation.  Besides, they are just really cool people.  I think it would be fun to travel on dive trips with them.

Stopped by on the way to Laguna beach. They were very helpful and had everything that we needed. Although they didn't have the widest selection it was enough to get us through the dive!

I have been through certification both at Beach Cities Scuba (fka Laguna Sea Sports) and Sports Chalet. Beach Cities Scuba costs a bit more. The personal service and rigor  that Beach Cities Scuba provides is worth every additional penny, Dive instruction is serious and I my experience at Sports Chalet was that they went through the motions just to get through the skills on schedule. I was concerned about the training my 14 year old son received through Sports Chalet 2 years ago. Last week  had my twin 12 year olds go though diver certification at Beach Cities Scuba in Laguna Beach with their private instructors. Three days is all it took, 2 on a boat out of Dana Point. No parent was required to be in attendance which was a huge convenience. I was very happy with the older and very experienced instructors who made me feel safe entrusting my children. 

If you are an adult and you want more rigorous training for your safety, Beach Cities Scuba is the way to go if you can get there. For parents whose kids want to be certified, not having to be present and the private instruction with very experienced instructors will put you at ease.

Went on a guided dive with Jeff, who was very helpful and friendly.  Great experience!

Perry and Chob were very accommodating to me.  I was visiting from the East coast and they provided a beautiful tour of Shaw's Cove.  Safety was their primary concern and they definitely were not pushy or trying to make a money off of me.  I would definitely seek out this dive shop again if ever in So. Cal again.

I don't know why there are bad reviews, because I absolutely loved it! The only thing I can think of, is that those people are shy and more quiet personalities, which is totally fine, but being outgoing and willing to make it happen definitely helped. The instructors were great! I had 3 different ones, which I really liked because they all did things a little differently making it fun. Mike was my beach dive 4 and 5 instructor and he was great!! Very patient and made the skills easy to do. Chob is legit as well, he is way enthusiastic about diving and every time I saw him he was showing me something new and all. I loved my experience with them, and visited 3 of their shops. I'll be doing my advanced diver certification starting soon!!

Laguna Sea Sports has great instructors that are experienced in all sorts of scuba diving. They care about teaching you right and although keep things light and fun, make sure that all the important stuff is stressed and reinforced. I also received one on one instruction for my pool instruction which was fantastic and allowed me to really work on what I needed to accomplish. The professionalism yet friendly atmosphere at Laguna Sea Sports makes it a great place in my opinion. If any of my friends wanted to become certified I would not hesitate to point them to LSS. I am very glad to have gotten my certification here thanks Laguna Sea Sports!

Came in here for a quick purchase. They were very helpful. I'm definitely coming back.

This place is AWESOME!  I was certified years ago, but then life got in the way and CA diving seemed less friendly (colder) than the warmer locations of the world.  Now that the kiddos are older, I decided to get back into diving.  I spent a lot of time researching gear and information online, then dropped by BCS in Newport to "try on gear" before purchase.  It was then that I met Greg.  That guy is a rockstar!  He not only knows his stuff, he's cordial, warm and instantly took my price concerns off of the table.  He worked with me on better gear at a better price than I could find elsewhere, but most importantly, I felt as if I was in good hands with a thoughtful mind on what was needed for safe diving.  It's been a couple of weeks now, and Greg got me set up on a refresher course at their Laguna location (definitely worth the money since I'm just bad/good enough to kill myself) and I've started the AOW certification. 

This place is about safety, education, high quality gear at a reasonable price comparatively and they all seem to work well together between locations.  The communication is great. I keep going back to see what Greg is up to as the guy is that awesome.  After I finished my refresher, Greg called to find out how it went, then my first class (Peak Performance Buoyancy) got cancelled due to lifeguards closing the beach and within an hour Greg called to find out whether I got cold feet or not!  The guy didn't know yet that they had closed the beach, but he knew right away when my class cancelled....hilarious! 

Pretty soon, I'll need a compass for underwater navigation.  I wouldn't even think to buy it anywhere else.  Greg is the bomb!  GO to BCS Newport, you will not be disappointed! Two thumbs way up and 5 stars across the board.

PS Got kids? Got dogs?  no problem!  Greg will take care of them too...He's got Milkbone's on hand for your furry friends and is calm and friendly with the kiddos.  You can't go wrong in this joint.

Every time I come down here the staff is always friendly and happy to help.   I don't go anywhere else

I have been buying gear, and having my tanks filled at BCS for as long as they have been open in Newport Beach (a long time now) and they have never given me any reason to complain about anything they do or sell there. I'll be doing business with them for as long as I scuba dive.

Super cool place. They always lend a helping hand and answer any questions I have. If you fill your tank as often as I do get the fill card and you get a nice discount. People are knowledgeable and welcoming.

Chob is the %^*#.

I got PADI certified from BeachCitiesScuba. I used Groupon from BCS. Staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. I found the most important part in getting certified is Ocean Dives. James (Jim) was my dive master and he was very helpful, calm and patient. I can differentiate these necessary qualities as another dive master I was diving with for another ocean dive was very pushy and impatient underwater. I didn't like at all. Other than that it was a good experience. Its a good place to get PADI certified.

I just did a private lesson with Jay for dive one and two.  I had such a great experience that I asked to book him again for my third and fourth dives next weekend.  I originally tried to do dive one and two off the boat but was too overwhelmed.  Jay was very patient and made it a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

What a great and friendly staff! 
They're always cheerful and happy to help. We learned to dive here, bought gear here and always rent from them. I recommend them to everyone who wants to learn to dive.

HI Scuba friends and future scuba friends. 

Once again, another great day at Cypress Scuba shop, went into fill my new Tank. Was talking with Jed at the store, and I decided to buy my wife a brand new Reg(Atomic Z3), I got a great deal on it..plus my wife was happy with her new Reg. Since we have been doing business at Beach cities in Cypress, I have had nothing but great service from Jed Grundy and the store. Look forward to the next dive.

My Girlfriend and I  took  PADI Scuba Diving Lessons thru Beach Cities Scuba. For the confined dives we have Shane and Greg as our instructors. These guys are good on what they are doing. Excellent instructors and  very knowledgeable on Scuba Gears.

Customer service in the store was excellent.

During our 1st and Second Open water Dives we had Linda as our instructor.

Excellent Instructor as well.

On our  3rd and 4th  Open Dive we have Randal Smith as our final instructor.  We had great experience with Randal , he's very clear and concise and have a very enjoyable dive with him!!!

The crew of the Riviera Dive Boat  was excellent love those guys!!