Our aim is to help ease you from that seat by the computer to a rocky reef beneath the kelp forests of California. We are a specialized company devoted to one task.  Our purpose is to get you under the waters of the Northern Channel Islands. We book the trip, provided dive rental gear, and room accommodations.

My name is Ted Cumming I started a business some years back called Take Me, Too!  I have lived in Ventura County all my life and I grew up working fishing boats and dive boats.  The Channel Islands are my backyard and have been since boyhood.  When my daughter was barely old enough to speak she said, “take me, too!” when I headed to the dive boat Spectre in the morning.

I have been a licensed captain for 29 years and have spent the past 15 years as skipper of the Spectre, a job I continue to enjoy today.  My daughter did come to work with me and later my son joined in before he was three.  The kids learned to swim in the hot tub on the Spectre then later they learned to snorkel at Anacapa Island.  It seemed like such a great deal for them that we started “Take Me, Too!” encouraging divers to share this experience with their own children.

A few brought the kids but over time we discovered that many divers need a break from children and a day of diving provides it. We still welcome children and divers as young as 10 become certified on our boats.  But most of our work involves aiding divers in their search for the right trip in the confusing world of California boat diving.

We now call ourselves Cal Boat Diving because that is what we do. Of the eight Channel Islands the northern chain of Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel are the most spectacular with a diversity of sea life and underwater environments found no where else in the world. All our dive adventures depart from Ventura Harbor located between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.  This is the closest access to the Northern Channel Islands.  We send divers on the boats Spectre, Peace, and Explorer. Local dive shops deliver rental gear to the boats. Our guests may choose The Four Points Sheraton in the harbor or the La Quinta Inn just a few minutes from the boats. .

When you contact us we make it easy to do a one-day dive or plan a complete package.  We can also aid in island tours, whale watching, and kayak adventures.  There is no added charge for our service.  You can contact us by phone 866-cal-dive,805-486-4486 e-mail, or use the forms on this site.  See how easy it can be to dive in California.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Ted Cumming