SoCal Dive Guide

Spend the day at sea off the Southern California coast — three tanks, steel cylinders loaded on board, and a fast 46-foot boat ready to deliver you to Catalina or the Channel Islands. Come for the guided experience or take the helm of your own adventure; either way, the underwater world is waiting.

SoCal Dive Guide is operated by PADI Instructor Mike Grossman, who has been diving since 1994 and working out of Ventura Dive & Sport at Ventura Harbor. The operation serves two distinct diving environments: Catalina Island's Dive Park, reached by a short ferry ride and offering land-based shore access in Avalon, and the Channel Islands National Park, where day trips run aboard private dive boats. Mike previously crewed on the Spectre Dive Boat as a Divemaster for two years and brings professional guided-tour experience to every trip. The flagship private charter vessel is the Raptor — a 46-foot, 16-foot-beam boat cruising at just over 17 knots, capable of reaching the Channel Islands in about an hour. The Raptor features an enclosed main cabin, a spacious upper deck, an oversized swim platform with massive swim ladders, a freshwater camera rinse tank, and a camera table. All steel tanks are included in the trip price, and there is no need to carry tanks to the boat. Tours are available as fully guided (led by a PADI Instructor or Divemaster) or as an unguided self-sufficient charter for already-certified divers. Trips depart at 8am and return to dock at approximately 4pm. Beyond day charters, Mike offers the complete PADI curriculum — Basic Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, and Divemaster — at fair prices and with professional instruction. All guided tours must be booked at least two weeks in advance, and dive boat operations fill up quickly.

Dive details

Dive trips

Dive sites

Where you'll dive

Ventura, United States · departs from Ventura Harbor

Included

Compared across booking platforms

You'll book directly with the operator on their site. Prices, availability, payments, cancellations, and safety are handled entirely by the operator — verify details before paying. We may earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you.