SD Expeditions

La Jolla, United States

5

Closed now

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 858-707-5666
Website:
sdexpeditions.com
Address:
2148 Avenida de la Playa Ste E, La Jolla, CA, 92037
b/t El Paseo Grande & Calle De La Plata
La Jolla Shores
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.3 mi30
1.9 miNobel Drive
2.1 miVA Medical Center
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Bussiness info

Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (La Jolla) 1:45 AM Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Do Something Different. From transformational animal encounters to eye-​opening guided dives & scuba instruction, we make it happen.

We specialize in private and semi-​private scuba classes and guided scuba tours throughout La Jolla. Whether diving the La Jolla Shores canyon or our world-​famous kelp forest at the La Jolla Cove, we provide an exceptional, personalized service to make sure you have the most fun possible underwater.

If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, our expeditions are meant to provide you with that amazing animal encounter you’ve always wanted — from blue whales to blue sharks to great white sharks, or the harmless La Jolla leopard sharks!

History

Established in 2013.

Founders Nick and Kyle have both been avid San Diego divers for most of their lives. Having met on a great white shark diving boat 2 years ago, they pooled together their years of blue whale, white shark, and extensive scuba experience and launched SD Expeditions.

Our Mission:

SD Expeditions is committed to being the premier scuba dive and ocean expedition company in Southern California. Through inclusiveness and an ocean mindset, we are partnering with the leading organizations in diving and marine research — giving back to the community through education, encounters and unmatched experiences.

Meet the Business Owner

Kyle M.

Business Owner

Kyle is one of our top scuba instructors, who is passionate about marine biology and sharing his knowledge with all our guests. When you go out with Kyle expect to come back to shore a whole lot more passionate about what you just saw!

Kyle is also our professional underwater photographer and videographer, and shoots all the photos and videos you see on our website — and is more than happy to provide his photographic services to our guests at no cost.

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20 reviews of SD Expeditions

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
We did a guided dive with Emily, and it was awesome! We had never been diving locally, so we did a guided dive to get the lay of the land. Emily was great – attentive and informative on land and under water. She took us out to La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove. She’s a great diver, knowledgeable about gear and the local sights, went at a great pace, and she’s also got a super interesting career. I loved learning about what she was working on. Thanks again, Emily!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Booked a trip with SD Expeditions months ago. It was supposed to be a big birthday trip for my brother and our family flew in from all parts of the U.S. Unfortunately, we went on the one weekend where it actually rained in California and thus, had to cancel our trip. That said, Kyle (etc) were AMAZING to work with. Had they been able to part the clouds with a wand, I think they would have. They kept watch on the weather and were honest about the situation, professing that they’d rather have us rebook than waste money on a bad trip. In the end, we had to cancel but SD gave me a full refund. We will absolutely be back on a sunny, sharky day very soon in the future. Class acts!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Just finished a two tank dive in La Jolla with John. He did a great job judging our skill level and kept the pace at the perfect speed that we didn’t feel rushed, but also didn’t have to deal with much idle time. He was very friendly and professional and went out of his way to show us some great marine life. Much thanks to John and SD Expeditions, we had a great time!
Place rating: 5
Monument, CO
Phenomenal diving with SD Expeditions! We had two dives: La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove. I absolutely loved the Cove and was fortunate to have my own personal dive with Dive Master Katie. Katie was extremely professional, friendly, and had thorough knowledge of the marine life and ecosystem. We were bummed to have missed the hammerhead that was hanging around the area that afternoon, but we did get to see quite a few other animals. Also, diving through the kelp beds was a new and fun experience. I really loved my dives with SD Exp and can’t wait to come back for more diving — I highly recommend diving with this crew!
Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA
My boyfriend and I were in San Diego for the weekend and went on two shore dives with SD Expeditions in La Jolla – first at the shores and then at the cove. Our dive master, Katie, was very friendly and knowledgable. We saw a lot of sea life included a sea lion, lobster, bat rays, and others. Will definitely be returning to SD Expeditions in future trips.
Place rating: 5
Eatontown, NJ
What an unreal experience. The crew at SD expeditions is so professional and patient! This was my girlfriends first dive after certification and first ocean and shore entry. Katie made her feel completely comfortable and talked her through every step of the process as she was very nervous. I would absolutely recommend this dive shop to anyone planning to dive in San Diego. Thanks again guys we had a great time!
Place rating: 5
Laguna Beach, CA
Had such a great time meeting with a good amount of people to swim with leopard sharks! I’ve never done anything like this but felt really comfortable to go out with Kyle … He was information and fun to explore the ocean with! Highly recommend everyone to swim with the leopard sharks at least once
Place rating: 5
Scottsdale, AZ
Nick was a great scuba guide and very knowledgable about the area. He made sure we went to the best sites possible based on the conditions of the day. Two different dive sites in one excursion is really a bonus and they are the only dive guides in La Jolla that offer that. Their gear is really nice and well maintained. We will definitely be repeat customers!
Place rating: 5
Grand Haven, MI
Nick and staff are one in a million. Professional, knowledgable, patient, kind… it doesn’t get any better than this. Our two tank shore dive was awesome and memorable. As a beginner diver and first time in the Pacific Ocean, I was very satisfied with every moment as well as the overall experience. There’s no doubt I’ll bring my family back to dive with SD Expeditions and wouldn’t think of diving with anyone else!
Don’t forget to check out Upwelling Fine Art Gallery. The underwater photography is amazing.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
I was lucky enough to schedule a dive in San Diego during the time I was there. At first, I had contacted a larger organization, but due to the holiday weekend, they were completely booked. They referred me to SD Expeditions and I’m SO glad they did! Not only did I feel confident in Nick’s ability to guide me through my first ocean dive, he also took the time to give the group a lot of fun and useful information about the wildlife and the area. Nick made sure my first ocean diving experience was full of fun, and it’s a day I will never forget!
Place rating: 5
Chula Vista, CA
Went on a blue and mako shark trip a few weeks ago and loved it. Nick and Kyle were great. I stayed on the boat 99% of the time and still had a great time. They did not pressure me into going in and completely understood when I wanted to get out of the water. Kyle talked to me the entire time I was in the water and was incredibly comforting.
My husband and the two other guests that were adventurous enough to jump in with the sharks loved every minute of it. These guys are great and I cannot praise them enough!!!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
I went with nick and Kyle on a free dive with blue sharks it was the best experience I have ever had they were so professional helped us out with anything we needed. This experience is definitely a must if you come to San Diego nothing like it anywhere. I will be going back for sure in a few months and I recommend anyone that is afraid of sharks or love sharks to do this experience it will change your perception on this beautiful misunderstood predator
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Enjoyed the professionalism and personality of the SD expedition team, they are friendly and engaging. The dives were great, customer service was great, over all a really positive experience.
Place rating: 5
Bakersfield, CA
I just finished my Rescue Diver certification with Nick and Kyle instructing; I also went on a Blue/​Mako trip with them a few months ago. They run a really great company and I had a great time on both trips. Everything they offer is done in groups of 4 or less to keep the group size small which makes it a lot more enjoyable. They’re great instructors/​guides and great guys to be around. They include all of the equipment for no extra fee (wetsuit, regulator, BCD, computer, compass, tanks, fins, etc.). I highly recommend them for guided dives, certifications, and their expedition trips. They’re awesome.
Place rating: 5
Medina, WA
My 17 And 12-​year-​old son and I had a wonderful to dive day with Kyle and Alice. They were all set up and ready for us at 8 AM at the park. They even brought extra equipment for my 12-​year-​old to make sure everything fit just right. They were very thorough in their die briefing and safety checks. They made us feel very comfortable in the new dive environment. My boys really enjoyed kyle’s comfortable attitude.
We all look forward to diving with them again. Possibly getting our advanced cert when in town next.
Place rating: 5
Atlantic Beach, FL
Booked an expedition for 17 Aug 2014 at both La Jolla Shore and Cove. Divemaster was Karma, who was exceptional from start to finish. Such a friendly person with a clear passion for diving in San Diego. Underwater was great and so different from what I am used to in Florida. Tons of wildlife and loved diving through the kelp forest. Karma even took pictures of the expedition and provided them afterwards, free of charge. One great advantage of SD Expeditions is the small groups. Max of four people per dive ensures that you get a very personal experience.
When visiting San Diego, I will definitely dive with SD Expeditions again. I have already recommended them to friends and coworkers!
Place rating: 5
Del Mar, CA
So I have to say that everything about my experience with SD Expeditions was stellar. From my initial phone call, to discussing our needs (GF and I were already certified but a looonnnggg time ago), to our lessons it was smooth, easy and fun.
April, Nick, and Kyle all treated us with respect and we really enjoyed re-​learning from Nick.
All in all — I would definitely recommend SD Expeditions to any/​all friends, and that is my criteria for a 5 star review on Unilocal
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
I just went out on an awesome shark diving trip with these guys. I got some great video and a few really nice photos! It felt like I was on shark week… which btw, they helped film.
The guys run a tight outfit. Their combination of experience, credentials, and professionalism makes it easy to relax in an otherwise stressful situation. As an out of towner with only one opportunity to go out, their 100% success ratio was also reassuring.
Thank you Nick and Joel. I had an amazing time.
Place rating: 5
San Marcos, CA
I actually signed up with Unilocal just so I could write a review.
We went out on the Blue and Mako shark diving drip 3÷29÷14. I had an AMAZING time. Nick and Kyle were super professional yet laid back. It’s clear from the moment you meet them that they are passionate about the ocean and really enjoy sharing that passion with their guests. It took a little while for the sharks to show up but they did a great job of taking care of us and making us feel at home on their boat while we waited. With the ocean you never know what your going to get. On our trip we had visits from a baby whale and a 5ft, Mako. The guys did a great job helping us make the most out of our encounter.
Here’s a little clip from our trip. Can’t wait to go again!
Place rating: 5
Vienna, VA
There was one thing I wanted to check off the list when I flew out to SD, and that one thing was scuba diving. And with SD Expeditions, I not only got that checked off the list, but the experience was also better than anything I could’ve asked for.
Logistically-​speaking, SD Expeditions was very professional in starting on time, giving me brand new gear, informing me of weather and ocean conditions, and letting me know what to keep an eye out for on each dive. As an inexperienced diver who just got certified, I was incredibly appreciative with how attentive and careful Nick was on our first dive. However, he didn’t let my novice status keep him from showing me everything he could under the sea at a pace I was comfortable with. He went out of his way to carry a sheep crab over; he pointed everything out to me and later explained what was awesome about it — he was very knowledgeable. Then, on our second dive we saw two seven-​gilled sharks and swam behind them for a bit.
Diving experiences aside, Nick was a genuinely friendly guy and I enjoyed talking with him in between dives and during lunch. I would definitely recommend him and SD Expeditions as a group to scuba with; and I know I’ll definitely be coming to them again when I return to SD.