Where to buy scuba gear in SoCal

[Triggerman]

Hello,

My wife and I are flying into LA from Canada on wednesday, a stopover before heading to the Philippines. We need to buy some wetsuits, where is a good place to buy wetsuits, ie. large selection & decent prices? We have a car and are willing to drive where ever we have to go to buy some wetsuits. Thanks for your help!!

 

[Ericlt1]

The best dive shop near me is Hollywood Divers, but LA is a big area. What part of LA? I am assuming it is somewhere near LAX.

 

[Triggerman]

We arrive @ LAX, but we have a car, so whether we go to a dive shop in LA area or drive down to San Diego, doesn't really matter. We have a day to tour around socal!! We might go visit some friends in San Diego.....
All we are looking for is a dive shop with a large selection to choose from and decent prices.

 

[TracysaCADiver]

Hello,

My wife and I are flying into LA from Canada on wednesday, a stopover before heading to the Philippines. We need to buy some wetsuits, where is a good place to buy wetsuits, ie. large selection & decent prices? We have a car and are willing to drive where ever we have to go to buy some wetsuits. Thanks for your help!!

You've got Scuba.com in Irvine... I'm sure they would love your business. Just look them up on the web and get the address - then google it for a map. Should be pretty easy to find from LAX.

(No, I'm not an employee of Scuba.com)

 

[Triggerman]

Thanks for the info, looks like a perfect store for us to find the gear we need!!

 

[diversteve]

Sports Chalet might be another option if Scuba.com doesn't have what you need.
Dive Wetsuits - Dive Suits and Accessories - SCUBA - Sport Chalet

There's about a dozen stores between LAX and San Diego. Including one in Irvine. Sport Chalet

I've never been there but I've been to several here and in SoCal. One had a wall of wetsuits - probably 100 or so.

Only some of their stores (at least here) carry Scuba gear so you may want to call first.

 

[on_two_wheels]

How long are you in CA? Doing any diving here? I'd 2nd Sport Chalet. Hollywood Divers is a great shop. However, you'll pay more there than you would sport chalet. Browse through this section of the forums. I think a new shop just opened up in the Long Beach area. Again, individual LDS type places tend to be a bit more expensive than sport chalet from what I've seen. However, if they have the same (or close to it) suits many will do their best to price match too. If you have time to check sport chalet BEFORE going to an LDS, get their prices and take that info with you.

Should be noted, Irvine is about 40 min drive one way with no traffic. It can take double that (or more) with traffic. Certainly starts making spending a few extra bucks worth it to not spend your day in traffic.

 

[Kevrumbo]

In San Pedro (Port of Los Angeles): Pacific Wilderness Dive Shop

Closest Sport Chalet to LAX: Sport Chalet Marina Del Rey

Tech Diving in the Philippines, I use a 0.5mm full suit with a 3mm hooded vest for water temps 26 to 28deg C, two long deco dives per day maximum; a 3/2 full suit for repetitive recreational dives, 3 per day or more, should be fine. . .