About Aqua Creations
Everything about Aqua Creations traces back to one plaster pool that failed too soon. More than 35 years later, the same Ventura company is still resurfacing pools with its own crews, its own AQUA-GLASS™ fiberglass system, and the philosophy Richard Dietz Sr. started with: principle before profit.
It started with a homeowner who wanted a surface that lasts
Richard Dietz Sr. did not set out to start a pool company. He set out to fix his own pool, and then to fix the way fiberglass resurfacing was being done.
Do the job right. Protect the customer. And build something that lasts.
In the late 1980s, Richard owned a pool that was only several years old, and the plaster was already failing. He was maintaining it himself, so he did what careful homeowners do: he researched his options and learned about fiberglass resurfacing.
A fiberglass resurfacing company offered to train him in sales. His first appointments went well, and he found he liked sitting at a kitchen table explaining the work to a homeowner with the same problem he had. He also noticed that the work was not equal. Some crews produced finishes that lasted. Others rushed. If he was going to recommend a surface, he wanted to know it would be done right.
So he started his own operation, while still teaching school, a career he kept for 24 years. He studied why early fiberglass systems broke down. The filler in the resin was the weak point: over time, pool chemistry wore it away and let fibers work through to the surface. His answer was stronger lamination, thicker protective layers, and a process built in stages instead of a single coat.
From the start it was a family effort. Richard and his wife, Susan, handled everything from sales to operations. The company grew less through advertising than through word of mouth. Pool builders and contractors saw the work, and many had their own pools resurfaced first before recommending Aqua Creations to their clients. You can read the longer version in 35 years of craftsmanship: the story of Aqua Creations.
How a better pool surface became a 35-year company
Each milestone changed how Aqua Creations resurfaces a pool.
- 1991
AQUA-GLASS™ comes to Southern California
Richard Dietz Sr. introduces AQUA-GLASS™ fiberglass resurfacing to the Southern California market with one goal: the most user-friendly, longest-lasting swimming pool surface. At the time, most fiberglass was rolled on with buckets and paint rollers, which led to weak bonds and poorly cured finishes.
- 1992
Eric joins the company
Richard first met Eric on a fiberglass repair project for a property he was developing. When the business needed help growing, he invited Eric in. Eric’s business background brought structure to the company, and customers still name him in their reviews today.
- 1994
The vinyl ester barrier coat, and the Northridge earthquake
Aqua Creations adds a vinyl ester bonding barrier coat to the AQUA-GLASS™ system. That same year the Northridge earthquake left thousands of Southern California pools damaged, and demand for a durable fiberglass solution grew fast.
- Next generation
Richard’s son, Rich, comes home
Around the same time, Rich left a small house-painting business in San Luis Obispo to work with his father. Helping out became a full-time commitment. He grew into operations and sales and built the relationships with contractors, municipalities, and commercial clients that brought in larger facilities.
- 1996 to 2008
Best Alternative Surfacing at the Western Pool & Spa Show
From 1996 through 2008, Aqua Creations was the only fiberglass resurfacing company to win Best Alternative Surfacing at the Western Pool & Spa Show, one of the largest pool industry expos in the United States.
- New safety rules
Anti-entrapment drains for pools and spas
When federal safety rules began requiring updated anti-entrapment drain systems, many owners of aging pools and spas needed help fast. Aqua Creations took on that work alongside resurfacing, and today handles VGBA compliance and safety upgrades for commercial and community pools.
- Today
35+ years, 7,000+ projects, one specialty
The company still works from its shop on Los Angeles Avenue in Ventura, with more than 25 long-term employees and crews covering five counties across Southern California and the Central Coast. Richard Sr. has stepped back from day-to-day operations, and the next generation runs the business on the same philosophy.
How we work on every pool
The details below are why Aqua Creations stayed with one specialty instead of chasing every corner of the pool industry. They are the same on a backyard pool and a resort pool, and they sit behind every fiberglass pool resurfacing job we take on.
Our own crews, every job
We never use subcontractors for AQUA-GLASS™ work. The company invests in its people with benefits, retirement plans, and steady year-round work, and some crew members have been here for decades.
One documented method
Every pool gets the same AQUA-GLASS™ method, from grinding the old surface to gun-laminating the new one. The AQUA-GLASS™ fiberglass finish page explains it in full.
One specialty, by choice
Through recessions, new regulations, and shifts in construction, the company kept its focus on fiberglass resurfacing and structural rehabilitation instead of chasing every corner of the pool industry.
Mixed right, tested for cure
Our materials are pH stable and mixed to a high-shear consistency, and every finish is tested for cure when the work is complete.
Color that cures evenly
To prevent uneven fading on colored finishes, crews adjust the ratio of surfacing agent to curing agent and control surface temperature for a uniform, fully cured result.
Straight answers up front
Estimates are free, assessments are transparent, and there is never an obligation to sign. Financing is available for qualified customers.
From backyard pools to resort pools, the work follows the same standard. See every service we offer, from resurfacing to tile, spas, and drain upgrades.
See our pool resurfacing servicesLong-term crews, not a rotating roster
Richard always believed people were the real foundation of the company. In the early years he hired through local contacts and former students. Over time the company built a core of craftsmen who stayed, which is rare in construction, where crews often change from job to job.
That stability shows up in the reviews. Customers mention Ole in sales, Eric answering their questions, and Kyle and the crew by name. It is also why property managers and facilities teams trust Aqua Creations with commercial pool resurfacing, where a crew that knows the system matters most.
The Aqua Creations crewWhat customers say about the people they worked with
I am very impressed with the workmanship of Aqua Creations. It is so good to know that there are still honest hardworking companies around and I am so fortunate to be found and hired by Aqua Creations.
I am really pleased with the pool. Everyone at AQUA has been responsive and very professional. Your technicians did a beautiful job and have provided excellent customer service. Thank you!!!
Want to see the work before you call? Browse finished residential and commercial pools, from backyard pools to resort lap pools.
View the project galleryTalk to the company that has done this since 1991
Call the Ventura office or send a few details about your pool. We will set up a free, no-obligation assessment of your pool.
- Visit or mail1547 Los Angeles Ave, Suite #108, Ventura, CA 93004
- Office hoursMonday to Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM
- Emailaquaglass@aquacreations.com