About Channel Islands Scuba

The Team:

Chris Emch- Owner

Rich Hale- Sales

Tim Coates- Instructor/Sales

Darrell Walker- Instructor

Jay Fischer- Instructor

Brandon White- Instructor/Sales

Lisa Queen- Instructor

Kevin Grossman- Instructor

Wayne Behrend- Divemaster

Kevin Augarten- Divemaster

Jim Traverson- Divemaster

Founded in 1988 by Mike Dahan, Channel Islands Scuba is the oldest SCUBA facility in Ventura County in our 21th year. Since our inception, we have strived to provide exceptional service and only the best products to a clientele that rightfully expects this level of unmatched quality. At Channel Islands Scuba, we are a team of professionals that will answer your questions, provide advice tailored to your individual needs and offer the latest advances in scuba technology. Our classes are smaller and more intimate, allowing us to offer lessons that will meet your needs and result in you becoming a competent and safe diver. There is more to scuba diving than just signing up, it takes knowledge and a willingness to adventure. At Channel Islands Scuba, we believe that diving is a lifestyle that offers many years of enjoyment and endless opportunities for the entire family. So, come on in and check out all that we have to offer!
 

Chris Emch has stepped in as new owner of Channel Islands Scuba and plans to carry on the same quality as Mike Dahan. Chris met Mike back in 2003 and immediately became friends. Chris is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and NAUI Instructor Trainer and is qualified to teach every specialty that PADI and NAUI offer. Chris is a retired Police Officer and grew up in Southern California where he attended UCLA. Chris has added many new products and lines to the store and enjoys diving whenever possible. Channel Islands Scuba is now offering the Poseidon MKVI Rebreather, the Dolphin Semi-Closed Rebreathers as well as Inspiration/Evolution Fully-Closed Rebreathers. Stop by and say hello, we would love to start a relationship with you and fulfill all your diving needs. We are dedicated to the sport of scuba diving, we do not sell any other products.

We live in an age of chain super stores and the internet, which is great if you are looking for a tennis racquet or sleeping bag. Looking for a good “deal” is what most of us try to do when shopping for something new. I always tell my clients to save money on their vacation, their hotel, their flight but certainly not on your LIFE SUPPORT equipment. This is why I recommend divers buy quality products for their safety like Poseidon, Atomic, and Scubapro who offers a lifetime warranty. Going to a specialist when your safety, comfort, and enjoyment are on the line just makes sense. We do not pretend to know anything about fishing gear or skis, and you won't find the shoe salesman behind our counter, all of the staff at Channel Islands Scuba are accomplished scuba divers with more than 50 years of combined experience - this is what we do! We use the gear we sell and we service it all on site too. For example, we feel that it is important to assemble and test each regulator we sell to our clients because we don't want to take a chance that their new purchase 'should work' out of the box. Instead, we make sure it will work. In addition to testing, we also offer yearly service and check-ups, all of which are completed in a timely fashion in our state-of-the-art facility. Our customers prefer the one week turnaround (standard at C.I.S.) compared to a 3-4 week turnaround from a store with a centralized service center. They would also prefer to purchase their life support equipment from experts who can service it and ensure its reliability. Unlike some of those larger chain stores who pull it out of a box and say, 'It should work. If you have any problems, just bring it back and we will send it out for repair.' It is your safety and experience at stake -don't say we failed to warn you.

"I've always wanted to try it,
but I've never had the time"

How many times have you heard someone say this about learning to scuba dive? We hear it everyday and hundreds of times each year. But that excuse is no longer valid, Channel Islands Scuba has made every effort to offer scuba classes that can fit into anyone's schedule. If you have always wanted to swim over a coral reef, float through a kelp forest with sea lions, or bring home a lobster dinner, now you can! Just like thousands of other who have taken the plunge, now you can join in the excitement, adventure and incredible sea life scuba diving has to offer. Getting started is simple and you can do it today, just stop by Channel Islands Scuba, we strive to fit our courses into your lifestyle and learning requirements. If you want to realize your dream, the first step is to take a PADI Open Water Diver course. This is the most widely recognized and respected diving certification in the world and Channel Islands Scuba is a PADI 5-Star facility, meaning you will receive only the finest level of instruction here. Within a few days, you can be enjoying the underwater world. We look forward to providing excellent service to you and all your diving needs.