ABOUT US

Los Angeles Dive Shop: Mission Statement of Eco Dive Center in Los angeles

Our Mission:
Diving will change your life forever. Once you’ve been underwater, you just won’t see the world the same way. The landscape beneath the waves is an unlike any other environment on Earth. When you descend into that world you become weightless, your body floats free and you become aware of the soothing sounds of your own breathing and the gentle rhythms of your bubbles. You’ll see that diving is much more than a weekend hobby.

At Eco Dive Center we’re dedicated Exploration, Conservation and Education and to the lifestyle of scuba diving and the community of divers who embrace that lifestyle. Look through the bios of our team and you’ll see a recurring theme. For all of us at Eco, diving is our passion and teaching others to dive is what we live for.

For all of its diversity, the underwater environment is under siege. An integral part of our mission is to help educate, protect and conserve these fragile ecosystems. One of Eco Dive Center’s main goals is to train divers in marine life awareness as well as how to be better underwater explorers.

We want to make you one of California’s best divers and to do that we build upon the three essential pillars of scuba diving: Knowledge, Experience and Equipment.

Knowledge: As a PADI 5-Star facility, our instructors are among the most knowledgeable you’ll find anywhere. From Open Water certification to PADI Specialty Course to Instructor training, our staff will be there to guide you on your way.

Experience: Our goal is to give you the experience to become a better, more confident diver. We offer a complete schedule of exciting boat trips to the nearby Channel Islands as well as opportunities to explore our extensive local beach diving spots with our staffers. We want you to dive as much as you’re able to do it.

Equipment: We maintain a fully-stocked and staffed equipment center to insure that you get the gear you need at the most affordable prices. Everyone on our sales team has a passion for diving. Many are also instructors or dive masters with the underwater experience to help you make the best equipment decisions for you and your style of diving.

Our dive club serves as a hub for the Los Angeles diving community. All are invited to club meetings where guest speakers talk about everything from the latest equipment to environmental topics and diving destinations. Eco Dive Center is here to train, support and celebrate California’s best divers and to make sure that there’s great diving for all of us for years to come. Welcome!

• All levels of dive training (Tec, pro and recreational)
• Fun & safe instruction
• Special guest club speakers like, SCRIPPS & NOAA
• Boat trips to all nine local islands
• Fun events like, scuba camping trips, night dives, beach paries and clean ups
• Tropical island adventure trips and excursions
  
• Large,....Huge selection of dive equipment at our Los Angeles showroom and online store
• Instructor development with job placement at resorts world-wide
• Environmental events (beach and underwater cleanups)
• Travel services like, airline reservations and custom trips with our in-house travel agent
• Equipment rentals
• Equipment service and repairs - Need your annual rebuild?
• Current dive conditions
• Online Dive Buddy Board - Find a local dive partner
• E-mail newsletters
• Resources
• Diver photo gallery
• Online scuba store
• Open diver club called, Eco Divers

Our Credo:

At Eco Dive Center, our credo is “Exploration, Conservation, Education.” Appreciation of the natural environment is the foundation of our business. Recreational scuba divers literally immerse themselves in nature’s largest playground and witness first-hand the beauty and sensitive nature of the ocean. Given our unique position, we feel it is our duty to promote environmental awareness and responsible behavior in our student divers, embrace sustainable business practices, and actively pursue community and global stewardship efforts.

As student divers learn about and witness marine life, they realize its intrinsic value and importance as part of the global ecosystem. Our divers are certified by PADI, the world’s largest recreational scuba organization and founder of A.W.A.R.E., Aquatic World Awareness Restoration and Education, the dive industry’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the aquatic environment. For each student we educate, Eco Dive Center donates to A.W.A.R.E. to support their conservation efforts. Educational programs offered by Eco Dive Center such as A.W.A.R.E. Diver, National Geographic Diver, Underwater Naturalist, and the new Eco Diver specialty certification are designed to increase awareness of issues threatening aquatic life, develop knowledge and appreciation of marine ecosystems, and stress proper interaction with the underwater environment. We also offer hunters an opportunity to trade in their spear guns for underwater cameras.

In addition to educating environmentally responsible divers, we strive to operate a business that makes minimal impact with regards to airborne emissions, runoff, and trash generation. Eco-friendly fluorescent light bulbs are installed throughout the shop and we use non-toxic cleaning supplies and recycled printer paper. The bags we provide to our customers are either used grocery bags or recycled heavy duty plastic. We refrain from selling granular soft weights, as they have been known to leach lead into the aquatic environment. By installing a water filtration system on site, we have eliminated the emissions and plastic waste generated by having our drinking water delivered. Our new solar power array generates clean energy while decreasing our dependence on fossil fuel sources. We would like to thank Culver City for waiving our solar power permits. Also, Culver City’s excellent recycling program has enabled us to reduce our garbage output to the point where we have five recycling bins and only one trash can in the shop.

Eco Dive Center’s commitment to the environment isn’t limited to our shop operations and educational programs. We play an active role in community efforts to conserve and restore the environment. We’re proud to be affiliated with fine non-profit organizations such as Santa Monica Baykeeper and Heal the Bay, both of whom act to protect our local waters and beaches through restoration and monitoring efforts, political advocacy, and education. Our free monthly club meetings often feature presentations by these organizations to the community and we make regular donations to support their causes as well as the National Resource Defense Council and the Historical Diving Society. At the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup Day, Eco Dive Center led an underwater cleanup of the Santa Monica Pier in which over thirty volunteer divers participated and removed hundreds of pounds of trash from the water. During 2008, we are sponsoring five beach cleanup events to foster environmental awareness in children from our local schools.

Here at Eco Dive Center, our credo is “Exploration, Conservation, Education.” What’s yours?