About Us | Bamboo Reef Diving

OUR STORY

Bamboo Reef has been serving Bay Area divers since 1961, and Monterey Bay divers since 1970. We are proud to be one of a handful of SSI Platinum Training Facilities worldwide, which means we have the experience and knowledge to train dive instructors as well as students.

Founded by Al Giddings in 1961, the business was owned and operated from 1972-2016 by Sal Zammitti; with 5 stores throughout the Bay Area at one point. Bamboo Reef is now owned by the father/son team of Mark and Brian Stanley.

Brian and Mark have been working in the SCUBA industry since 2004 and have more than 30 years of experience between the 2 of them.

Join the Bay Area's most experienced operator when you are looking for diving lessons, equipment, or travel. See what Bamboo Reef has to offer and join us in the world below.

Our Story

MEET THE CREW!

The Crew

SAN FRANCISCO CREW

Meet The Crew

Brian Stanley

Business Owner
SCUBA: Assistant Instructor Trainer
Freedive: Level 2 Instructor Evaluator

Brian is the Co-Owner of Bamboo Reef and has been scuba diving since 2002 and freediving since 2008.
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Brian spends more time training for freediving and spear fishing. He has achieved a personal best with a 5 minute breath hold and a depth of 40m/132ft.

If you haven't attended one of his free dive training sessions then you are missing out on some serious fun!

DEVIN

San Francisco Store Manager
SCUBA: Dive Master Instructor

Devin runs and operates the San Francisco location and has been scuba diving since 2014.

Devin recently completed her Level 2 Freedive training and is currently working towards her Freedive Instructor Certification.

When not diving, Devin can be found sailing the open seas like a true sailor, cuss, flair, and all.

Alex K. S. FraseR

Bamboo Reef Training Director
SCUBA: Dive Master Instructor
Sidemount Instructor

Lexi designs, leads, and breathes excellence into all of the training at Bamboo Reef.

Since 2016, Lexi has been working with Under the Jungle and Survey Down in Xpu Ha, Mexico to map out the Cenotes and underwater cave systems.

If you haven't had the pleasure of diving with Lexi, then you should attend on of her classes or workshops.

Paul Keller

Bamboo Reef Lead Service Technician
SCUBA: Open Water Diver

Paul is the lead SCUBA repair technician at Bamboo Reef, with over 16 years of experience in regulator repairs.

He received his open water certification when he was only 13 years old and completed his ocean checkout dives at the famous Monastery Beach in Carmel!

When Paul's not working on equipment he is spending time with his favorite person in the world, his daughter Avery.

Liz Ramstad

Social Media Specialist
SCUBA: Dive Master

Liz got certified at Bamboo Reef in 2018. She was hooked immediately and quickly started traveling full time and diving along the way. She has been diving in Central America, Mexico, Mozambique and Egypt! She started working at Bamboo Reef's San Francisco location this year when COVID brought her back to the Bay Area. She is currently working towards her Master Diver, learning how to freedive, and enjoying cold water diving!

Niko Kowell

SCUBA: Open Water Instructor

Niko is SSI/NAUI Instructor, Diveheart Adaptive Scuba Instructor, a queer trans person, a lifelong community activist, an avid diver, and an ocean lover.

Niko created the Queer & Trans Dive Club (QTDC), which is building a community for queer and trans folks around diving.

Niko spends his free time volunteering at the Aquarium of the Bay and working with Diveheart Foundation.

Audrey Yang

SCUBA: Dive Master
Freediving: Level 1 Instructor

Audrey's been freediving for ~10 years, scuba diving for 12, and teaching freediving for 5. She loves freediving in particular, because it unlocks underwater enjoyment in more remote areas, or situations where you aren't prepared or can't bring scuba gear. While dive travel is great, California is home and the kelp forests here are pretty amazing. Over the years, she's appreciated diving as a means to other ends, such as free (with fishing license) snacks, or contributing to with citizen science through Reef Check.

Paul Harvey

SCUBA: Assistant Instructor

Got a late start to diving (2005) but doing my best to make up for lost time. Do all the traveling I can and favorites are Indonesia and Philippines. Most of my classes are refreshers to get folks back into the water comfortably and safely.

MONTEREY BAY CREW

Alyssa Bellamy

Shop Manager
NAUI SCUBA Instructor & First Aid Instructor

Meet Alyssa, one of our new full-time Monterey shop crew members and scuba instructors. She grew up in Half Moon Bay, CA, and moved to Monterey in 2013 to attend CSU Monterey Bay where she started her scuba diving journey. She graduated with honors in 2018 with a BS in Marine Science and later continued to work her way up to become a NAUI Instructor! ⁠
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Fun Fact: Alyssa also competed in the 2019 Catch & Cook Competition and placed 5th for her delicious fish taco recipe which you can find at the link below:

Deconstructed Fish Taco with Avocado Crema & Grapfruit Salsa

Rebecca Torres

NAUI & SSI SCUBA Instructor

Rebecca started her diving journey at CSU Monterey Bay working her way through the program to graduate with a BA in Marine Science, a NAUI dive master certification and an AAUS certification. Her passion for teaching open water students began at CSUMB during her time assisting with the open water classes as well as the master diver classes. After crossing over to SSI and starting work at Bamboo Reef as a tank filler, she quickly worked up the ranks to a dual certified NAUI/SSI Open Water Instructor. She loves to pass on her love for the ocean through teaching SCUBA.

Brandon

NAUI Freediver Instructor

Meet Brandon, our newest Freedive Instructor! Brandon made the move from scuba diving to freediving when he was 20 years old and living in Florida. He was hooked, and over the years has continued to practice and take courses, eventually becoming a Freedive Instructor with the goal of teaching safe and effective freediving to the masses. Brandon moved to Monterey to fulfill his dream of spearfishing and freediving in the kelp forest. Fun fact about Brandon…he has two golden retrievers that love the ocean just as much as he does—they just can’t dive as deep! We’re stoked to have him and his pups at Bamboo!

Tori Bartindale-Guffey

Crew Member
NAUI Divemaster

I am originally from San Diego where I grew up snorkeling and tide-pooling. I moved up here to attend CSUMB and began my diving career there 3 years ago. Now I spend most of my time diving, hiking, and taking my dog to the beach!

SAM

NAUI SCUBA Instructor

Meet our instructor Sam, who can be spotted expertly leading tours, conducting refreshers and teaching scuba classes. Somewhere between a sea lion and a Cal Poly Mustang (a seahorse?), Sam has excellent water and land skills. Truly a master of trees and seas, he is currently working to complete a degree in Forestry. Next time you’re in Monterey make sure to sign up for a tour or class with Sam!

Kacy Cooper

NAUI Divemaster

Kacy's love for scuba diving began when her dad took her diving at 10 years old! She is currently a graduate student studying ocean and coastal resource management, and works on local kelp restoration efforts on the Monterey Peninsula. She loves exploring new dive sites in Monterey and introducing divers to the wonders of kelp forests!

Kai Oda

NAUI SCUBA Instructor

Kai learned to SCUBA dive in college at UC Santa Barbara. He went on to obtain his AAUS certification and dive for research labs on campus. He's been sent to retrieve oceanographic instruments in white shark nurseries and swap temperature sensors in the crystal clear waters of French Polynesia. Kai became a NAUI instructor in 2020 and now helps to introduce others to the wonders of the underwater world!

CODY

NAUI SCUBA Insructor

Originally from Ohio, Cody got a taste of diving in Florida and never looked back. He loves being able to share his passion with students and seeing them learn new skills, overcome fears and discover the joy of being underwater.

OUR LOCATIONS

Facilities

San Francisco

Located down the road from Oracle Park, the original Bamboo Reef sits nestled in Mission Bay, San Francisco. With it’s door’s first open in 1961, Bamboo Reef has catered to thousands of divers all across the globe.

Contact:

(415) 362-6694 - info@bambooreef.com

Address:

584 4th St.
San Francisco, CA 94107

Business Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am – 6:00pm

Sunday: Closed

Facilities:

Classroom
Pool (on-site)
Changing Rooms
Bathrooms
Store
Gear Repair
Rentals

Monterey Bay

Located just a couple of blocks from the historic Cannery Row, Bamboo Reef Scuba Diving Centers Monterey has been voted best dive shop 10 times by Monterey County Weekly! Come to the Monterey shop for…

Daily guided scuba dives in the majestic kelp beds of Monterey Bay
An air, nitrox, or trimix fill from our state of the art “Big Bamboo” blending station

Contact:

(831) 372-1685

Address:

614 Lighthouse Ave
Monterey, CA 93940

Business Hours:

Monday: 12:00pm - 6:00pm

Tuesday - Friday: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 7:00am – 6:00pm

Facilities:

Classroom
Pool (off-site)
Changing Rooms
Bathrooms
Store
Gear Repair
Rentals

SF Store

Monterey Store

OUR STORY

MEET THE CREW!

SAN FRANCISCO CREW

Business Owner
SCUBA: Assistant Instructor Trainer
Freedive: Level 2 Instructor Evaluator

San Francisco Store Manager
SCUBA: Dive Master Instructor

Bamboo Reef Training Director
SCUBA: Dive Master Instructor
Sidemount Instructor

Bamboo Reef Lead Service Technician
SCUBA: Open Water Diver

Social Media Specialist
SCUBA: Dive Master

SCUBA: Open Water Instructor

SCUBA: Dive Master
Freediving: Level 1 Instructor

SCUBA: Assistant Instructor

MONTEREY BAY CREW

Shop Manager
NAUI SCUBA Instructor & First Aid Instructor

NAUI & SSI SCUBA Instructor

NAUI Freediver Instructor

Crew Member
NAUI Divemaster

NAUI SCUBA Instructor

NAUI Divemaster

NAUI SCUBA Instructor

NAUI SCUBA Insructor

OUR LOCATIONS

San Francisco

Facilities:

Monterey Bay

Facilities:

Bamboo Reef Dive Centers

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!

OUR STORY

MEET THE CREW!

SAN FRANCISCO CREW

Business Owner SCUBA: Assistant Instructor Trainer Freedive: Level 2 Instructor Evaluator

San Francisco Store Manager SCUBA: Dive Master Instructor

Bamboo Reef Training Director SCUBA: Dive Master Instructor Sidemount Instructor

Bamboo Reef Lead Service Technician SCUBA: Open Water Diver

Social Media Specialist SCUBA: Dive Master

SCUBA: Open Water Instructor

SCUBA: Dive Master Freediving: Level 1 Instructor

SCUBA: Assistant Instructor

MONTEREY BAY CREW

Shop Manager NAUI SCUBA Instructor & First Aid Instructor

NAUI & SSI SCUBA Instructor

NAUI Freediver Instructor

Crew Member NAUI Divemaster

NAUI SCUBA Instructor

NAUI Divemaster

NAUI SCUBA Instructor

NAUI SCUBA Insructor

OUR LOCATIONS

San Francisco

Facilities:

Monterey Bay

Facilities:

Bamboo Reef Dive Centers

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!

Business Owner
SCUBA: Assistant Instructor Trainer
Freedive: Level 2 Instructor Evaluator

San Francisco Store Manager
SCUBA: Dive Master Instructor

Bamboo Reef Training Director
SCUBA: Dive Master Instructor
Sidemount Instructor

Bamboo Reef Lead Service Technician
SCUBA: Open Water Diver

Social Media Specialist
SCUBA: Dive Master

SCUBA: Dive Master
Freediving: Level 1 Instructor

Shop Manager
NAUI SCUBA Instructor & First Aid Instructor

Crew Member
NAUI Divemaster