Calboat Diving - Spectre Dive Boat
Calboat Diving - Spectre Dive Boat
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Ventura, California
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Travelers' Choice
2023
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Calboat Diving - Spectre Dive Boat
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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5.0
1,041 reviews
Excellent
966
Very good
56
Average
10
Poor
8
Terrible
1
Paradise18065987093
San Ramon, CA3 contributions
Mar 2020
Nate, Ryan, Dan and Chuck do a phenomenal job of making sure every guest feel special, from the time they board Spectre at zero dark thirty until she docs in the afternoon. Dive briefings and safety considerations are thorough and consistent. Nate selects the best possible dive sites, taking into account the ever-changing conditions. I recommend this dive operation to seasoned professionals, as well as the novice. Five stars!
Written March 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike D
Oxnard, CA12 contributions
Jun 2022
June 2, 2022 - Enjoyed another great day of diving with my friends on Spectre Dive Boat, based in Ventura, CA. Overcast "June Gloom" sky is the norm for this time of year, but ocean was calm all day and water was clear blue at all three dive sites. Highly recommend the Thursday dive trip as there were less than a full load of divers and we all had ample space to spread out. Caprain Nathan has made a lot of nice improvements on Spectre over the winter, upgrading the benches and the new dive stations on the bow are much nicer than the previous offering. The crew remains top notch, making sure all divers are checked off and back onto the boat for each dive and that air fills are handled quickly . I've been diving with this team since getting scuba certified in 1986 and Spectre looks better than ever, we visit great dive sites and the crew is always top notch.
Written June 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
side241
San Juan, Puerto Rico44 contributions
Jul 2020
I have dove on Spectre since the 1990's and always loved this boat. The crew works their tails off, the boat is really designed perfect for the mission. It gets a bit crowded when it is sold out, but still very comfortable. The hot Tub is a great feature, the food is a very nice lunch when they can. Most recent dive was July 4 2020 during Covid restrictions, everyone wore a face mask when not in water or eating. The staff was strict about it, as if they weren't they could get shut down - and no one wants that. Diving Anacapa Island is always great, saw a hole with at least 250 lobsters, and a giant sea bass was more curious about me than I him - we were three feet apart for 10 min! Also a sea lion gave everyone a great show both on top of and under the water - I'm less afraid of Bull Sharks than I am of that sea lion! First time all 4 in my family dove together, it was a great day!
Written July 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David S
2 contributions
Jul 2022
I and everyone I know love diving on the Specte. Capt. Nate studies the conditions and picks the best dive spots for the day. His family owns the boat so he had been on the boat since he was a little boy. The Crew / Dive Masters are so attentive to my every need. I have had multiple back and knee surgeries and the Dive Master helped me put my fins on and off (I could not bend my knee to and my new botties were too big for my fins). The Tri Tip was so thick and barqued perfectly. There were was breakfast and plenty of snacks. The Boat has been updated with a brand new heads and best of all, the Spectre is the only boat I know if with a Hot Tub (also brand new) that even has nice jets. I love to sit in the Hot Tub for the ride back to The Main Land (Ventura Harbor)The owners Ted & Shannon make booking very easy and are very flexible. I have 2 more tips booked this month, with long time friends and their sons who are getting certified on my first trip and with 2 new friends (one of which is a former client of mine I have not seen in a decade) I met on my last dive trip on The Spectre 2 weeks ago
Written July 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lara_Vimercati
Boulder, CO11 contributions
May 2022
My friends and I went on a full dive day with the Spectre Dive Boat.
The boat is way too crowded for its size, which makes it difficult to get ready for your dive.
Some staff members were not friendly at all and were also not willing to help us or provide suggestions when we had some issues with our dry suits. We had to ask for help to other fellow divers.
They definitely don't leave enough time between the 2nd and 3rd dive so that you feel very rushed to get back in the water after lunch.
All lunch options are filled with animal products and are very unhealthy. Considering the well known environmental cost of animal products we were very disappointed to see that the company doesn't make an effort to provide environmental friendly meals for all divers (we had to specifically request those instead). The lady in charge of meals was very nice and helpful to us and made sure we had an option for lunch.
One of our friends left a dive light on the boat but when we called the staff members did not offer to ship it back to our address paying the shipment, which would be a valuable service considering the cost of equipment.
Lastly, it would be best for the company to specify that no divemaster or guide is provided during the dives because it came as a surprise to us when we arrived. You basically are on your own, so this dive experience is definitely not for beginners.
Overall, we think that there is a lot of improvement that Spectre boat could do to provide a better experience.
The boat is way too crowded for its size, which makes it difficult to get ready for your dive.
Some staff members were not friendly at all and were also not willing to help us or provide suggestions when we had some issues with our dry suits. We had to ask for help to other fellow divers.
They definitely don't leave enough time between the 2nd and 3rd dive so that you feel very rushed to get back in the water after lunch.
All lunch options are filled with animal products and are very unhealthy. Considering the well known environmental cost of animal products we were very disappointed to see that the company doesn't make an effort to provide environmental friendly meals for all divers (we had to specifically request those instead). The lady in charge of meals was very nice and helpful to us and made sure we had an option for lunch.
One of our friends left a dive light on the boat but when we called the staff members did not offer to ship it back to our address paying the shipment, which would be a valuable service considering the cost of equipment.
Lastly, it would be best for the company to specify that no divemaster or guide is provided during the dives because it came as a surprise to us when we arrived. You basically are on your own, so this dive experience is definitely not for beginners.
Overall, we think that there is a lot of improvement that Spectre boat could do to provide a better experience.
Written May 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Teresa V
Gilbert, AZ2 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
Great two days with the crew! They were all super personable, accommodating and the food was delicious. We had some great dives, one of wich included numerous seals giving us a show! It was amazing! Wish we had that on both days but certainly can't complain. We would definitely recommend this dive crew to anybody consideration diving the Channel Islands. The captain and crew know their stuff! ❤
Written June 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Graham C. H
San Diego, CA2 contributions
Jul 2021
The crew was so helpful from helping getting my SCUBA gear up the steps onto the boat to helping me get my BCD on before the dives. They even removed my fins on the swim platform after each dive!
The BBQ food lunch was so tasty! (Insider tip, pay the extra $3 for the combo lunch, chicken and Tri-tip!)
The free-diving female crew member was so helpful answering my questions and filling tanks.
With comfortable stations to set up gear and two bathrooms on the dive deck the dive deck was well laid out for diving.
I had so much fun talking to the other divers I never went below to check out the bunks and third bathroom.
The onboard hot tub was a welcome feature for many divers.
Even though the boat was sold out I never felt crowded. I never experienced a line for any food.
Drive to Ventura and have a fantastic dive day!
The BBQ food lunch was so tasty! (Insider tip, pay the extra $3 for the combo lunch, chicken and Tri-tip!)
The free-diving female crew member was so helpful answering my questions and filling tanks.
With comfortable stations to set up gear and two bathrooms on the dive deck the dive deck was well laid out for diving.
I had so much fun talking to the other divers I never went below to check out the bunks and third bathroom.
The onboard hot tub was a welcome feature for many divers.
Even though the boat was sold out I never felt crowded. I never experienced a line for any food.
Drive to Ventura and have a fantastic dive day!
Written July 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nycolestap
New York City, NY6 contributions
Nov 2020
I recently made three dive trips on the Spectre boat, and have nothing but high praise to give for all of my experiences. The diving itself was lovely- I dove around Santa Cruz and Anacapa (Anacapa being my favorite). The spots we went to were great, with beautiful intact kelp forests and a healthy ecosystem. Best diving I have done in California. We were always the only divers at the sites we went to, which was awesome.
Besides the diving itself, I was extremely impressed with the crew on the boat. They were all super friendly, thorough, professional, approachable and helpful. They paid a great attention to detail when it came to the dive briefings and divers themselves and also made sure we were able to go to the best sites that conditions would allow. They were also all very down to earth- no power trips. Sometimes the boat crew can make or break an experience, and in this case they definitely made it. I will definitely keep diving with this boat in the future.
One last note, I was very pleased with how the Covid precautions were handled. There were strict mask policies in place with crew and customers, and everybody respected those rules amazingly. I felt as safe as could be expected, given the weird times we are in. Thanks you providing an awesome experience!
Besides the diving itself, I was extremely impressed with the crew on the boat. They were all super friendly, thorough, professional, approachable and helpful. They paid a great attention to detail when it came to the dive briefings and divers themselves and also made sure we were able to go to the best sites that conditions would allow. They were also all very down to earth- no power trips. Sometimes the boat crew can make or break an experience, and in this case they definitely made it. I will definitely keep diving with this boat in the future.
One last note, I was very pleased with how the Covid precautions were handled. There were strict mask policies in place with crew and customers, and everybody respected those rules amazingly. I felt as safe as could be expected, given the weird times we are in. Thanks you providing an awesome experience!
Written November 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
724seth
1 contribution
Jul 2021
Beautiful day diving both Santa Cruz and Annacapa Islands. Had decent westerly winds that might have otherwise made it a difficult day diving, but the crew worked hard and did an exceptional job setting us up in three great sites that were well sheltered! I've been diving on Spectre for almost 20 years and will surely be back soon. Great work from a team of true pros!
Written July 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren R
3 contributions
Jul 2022
We have continued to book reservations on the Spectre Dive Boat because it continues to be a great time. We are usually a family group of 4 divers. The service is good, the location is good, the ease to getting on and off the boat is good, lunch and brownies always taste great. The price is worth a day of diving.
Written July 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Calboat Diving - Spectre Dive Boat - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Calboat Diving - Spectre Dive Boat Information
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