Aqua Safaris Scuba Center
Glide weightlessly over Santa Cruz's rocky kelp gardens, breathing underwater through one of California's most productive Pacific reef systems—then surface ready for more.
Aqua Safaris Scuba Center sits on Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, serving as the home base for divers exploring the kelp forests and rocky reefs of Monterey Bay. Ocean training dives run at local Santa Cruz and Monterey sites, where students and club members encounter the classic California kelp-garden environment — dense canopy, rocky bottom, and abundant marine life. The shop's dive club organizes regular local dive schedules and weekend trips around California for certified members. The training program spans the full PADI recreational ladder: Open Water certification ($685, including PADI e-learning, pool sessions, and four ocean dives with rental gear) through Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver ($500), and Divemaster ($1,050 for the one-on-one mentored program). Specialty offerings include Nitrox/Enriched Air ($302), Sidemount Rec Diver, Self-Reliant Diver, Search and Recovery, Dive Against Debris, and Emergency First Response. Class sizes are intentionally kept small, with a minimum of two students required to run most courses. Beyond instruction, Aqua Safaris operates a full retail floor carrying brands including Mares and XS Scuba — BCDs, regulators, and accessories — at prices the shop describes as the lowest in Santa Cruz County, with 15% discounts available on personal gear for enrolled students. Open Wednesday through Sunday, the center is a hub for the local dive community and runs the Santa Cruz Dive Club, which sets local dive schedules and coordinates California weekend dive excursions.
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