Favorite Northern CA dive shop

[Old Skool Diver]

I am curious why you slam Wallin's fill station. I used to go to AWS for my mixed needs before Wallin's installed their gas blending system and while AWS is great, I have found Wallin's every bit as good. As far as the fill station, no other store in the area compares to Wallin's. Really, if you haven't seen it, you should. It is a work of art.

I live in Redwood City and have been shopping at Wallin's since Karl oppened his first store on El Camino. While there have been times I have had to have things special ordered for me there selection seems are broad as any store in the area (and yes I have been to all of them over the last 25 years.) The staff seems knowledgeable, at least three of them have been with Wallin's since they were on the other side of the freeway and that was close to 15 years ago.

They do teach alot of people, is that bad? As far as the $100 snorkel fleecing, that is simply untrue and you know it. Comments like that just degrade the usefullness of message boards.

And to the comment that they are not even the best store in San Carlos, the last time I was in the only other store in San Carlos, they did not fill tanks (no compressor). When I dive I need air and fell a dive shop should have it. It has been a while and maybe the other store does now.

Anyway, it souds to me like Wallin's will be better off if you keep filling your tanks at the gas station. JK really curious why the slam. By the way, does anyone else remeber the Bamboo Reef in Berkeley? They were next to a barbeque place. They had the best tasting air ever.

 

[Gombessa]

IMO Wallins is just fine, and in fact I've spent more money there than anywhere else. But there's something about AWS - you walk in and you just feel comfortable. You can chat with the staff and the customers, the people there are friendly and helpful and just love talking about diving, and you can just sit on the couch and chill if you want. Also, the staff is empowered to give you a break, and they often do. I've gone in to top up tanks and sometimes they just do it for free (and I'm not really a regular there either).

To be fair, Wallins has given me perks too (free pool time), and I love the fact that they have a pool that you can use on those thumbed weekends, but there's something about the place - maybe the layout - that's a bit sterile and retail-like for my tastes.

I've found myself driving the 30 miles to AWS more often than the 2 miles to Wallins too, but not because I have anything against Wallins.

 

[rhlee]

Really, if you haven't seen it, you should. It is a work of art.

I have seen it. Last I was there they didn't have separate whips for the Ar and He supply bottles, but had to remember to move the whip from one to the other.... well, suffice to say they forgot (I'm sure it happens quite a bit) and filled my buddy's Ar bottle with pure He (which IMHO is easily as dangerous as filling breathing gas tanks with Ar).

Very very confidence inspiring...

The staff seems knowledgeable, at least three of them have been with Wallin's since they were on the other side of the freeway and that was close to 15 years ago.

come on. please. let's see... I think my favourite was when I was told emphatically that an HP80 contained 80cf of gas whether filled to 3000psi or 3500psi. honestly...

They do teach alot of people, is that bad? As far as the $100 snorkel fleecing, that is simply untrue and you know it. Comments like that just degrade the usefullness of message boards.

get your reading glasses dude. I said they should stick to what they do best. They do pump out alot of classes. Is that bad? No it isn't necessarily; I never said it was. One of my favourite dive buddies was OW trained by Wallins. They do push $100 snorkels. Go in there and see for yourself.

The instructors (at least all of the ones that I know) are great; my comments are directed at the retail staff and management.

And to the comment that they are not even the best store in San Carlos, the last time I was in the only other store in San Carlos, they did not fill tanks (no compressor). When I dive I need air and fell a dive shop should have it. It has been a while and maybe the other store does now.

uh... I don't remember saying anything about San Carlos or Aquan...

Anyway, it souds to me like Wallin's will be better off if you keep filling your tanks at the gas station. JK really curious why the slam.

Probably. And that's fine by me.

I'm curious about you. This was your 3rd post and one of the other 2 was also a plug for Wallins.... Maybe if you fill out some dive details we can better understand where you're coming from.

Myself, I've been diving seriously about 3 years and have patronized a large number of dive shops (at least 5-10) in the bay area over that time. Wallins is probably at the bottom (or near the bottom).

 

[Gombessa]

I have seen it. Last I was there they didn't have separate whips for the Ar and He supply bottles, but had to remember to move the whip from one to the other.... well, suffice to say they forgot (I'm sure it happens quite a bit) and filled my buddy's Ar bottle with pure He (which IMHO is easily as dangerous as filling breathing gas tanks with Ar).

FWIW, I've had employees at Wallins and Aquarius in Monterey try to hook up fill whips to both manifold valves (when I told the guy at Aquarius to only hook it up to one side, he asked if that meant it should be filled to 4800psi instead of 2400psi!). Gotta be careful out there I guess!

 

[Hepcat62]

come on. please. let's see... I think my favourite was when I was told emphatically that an HP80 contained 80cf of gas whether filled to 3000psi or 3500psi. honestly...

I've been filling my HP80 tanks there since I got them, and I've never had this problem. In fact, they've consistently given me the best HP fills, while the shops I've been to in Monterey always come up a bit short (with the Aquarius at the Breakwater by far the worst). Granted, that has only been since a few months ago.

They do push $100 snorkels. Go in there and see for yourself.

I think this depends on the salesperson. I'm sure some of them do, but when we were buying our gear for class we were explicitly told (by a salesperson, not an instructor) - "buy the cheapest snorkel you feel comfortable with; you probably won't care so much about it beyond class".

Anyway, I'm not sure when you had these experiences, but I've had consistently good experiences with the current staff. Just my 2c...

 

[sillygrendel]

When I moved to CA and was looking for a refresher class, Susan Bird was recommended to me as an instructor. She teaches out of Wallin's, and they were my first LDS experience in CA. Susan is an excellent instructor.

My experience with the retail arm of Wallin's hasn't been as great. I did purchase a drysuit there, and it was a decent experience, but they really don't meet my day-to-day diving needs. They did start to fill my Ar bottle with He, but caught the mistake. I've been in there several times looking for various small bits of gear they didn't have (SS buckles, bolt snaps). I wanted to buy a pair of Jet Fins (I had Large ones, but needed XL for my drysuit), and they tried to sell me Twin Jets instead. After discovering AWS, I too make the long trek to SJ. Wallin's just isn't effective at supporting the type of diving I do - they don't "Get it".

That being said, I did recommend Susan as an instructor when my girlfriend wanted to get certified. She had a great class experience. After class, she was similarly "alienated" (her word) by the Wallin's retail staff.

 

[Old Skool Diver]

Rhlee

True yesterday were my first 3 posts. One about a dog at Wallin’s in a thread that was discussing dogs at bay area dive shops. Shame on me, I guess I don't understand the etiquette (or lack of it here). The second was to give a referral to someone that asked for it, and a third asking about comments that were very different from my experiences.

The fact that you choose to make personal attacks on me leads me to believe you are just that kind of person that complains about everything. I thought signing up for this board would be a fun way to exchange information about my favorite pastime, but you take the fun out of that so don’t worry I won’t be making anymore shameless plugs for anyone.

By the way, I called Wallin’s and they don’t have, never have had or know of any $100 snorkels. Since you clearly have make reactionary, know it all, and untrue comments twice about them selling $100 snorkels, it is hard to believe anything you else you have said.

I’m outta here. I was looking for fun and information, not senseless bashing.

My 4th and final post.

 

[rhlee]

Rhlee
True yesterday were my first 3 posts. One about a dog at Wallin’s in a thread that was discussing dogs at bay area dive shops. Shame on me, I guess I don't understand the etiquette (or lack of it here). The second was to give a referral to someone that asked for it, and a third asking about comments that were very different from my experiences.

The fact that you choose to make personal attacks on me leads me to believe you are just that kind of person that complains about everything. I thought signing up for this board would be a fun way to exchange information about my favorite pastime, but you take the fun out of that so don’t worry I won’t be making anymore shameless plugs for anyone.

All I said was it might be helpful to others (and myself) if you fill out some details in your profile... it would help to understand where you are coming from. Certainly nobody has personally attacked you

I’m outta here. I was looking for fun and information, not senseless bashing.

My 4th and final post.

\shrug. No need to get all huffy puffy... just simply sharing my opinion about an LDS.

 

[Smelly]

Just got back from Wallin's and couldn't find the infamous $100 snorkel.

 

[sillygrendel]

Hmm... Could this be the famed $100 snorkel?

Kapitol Reef Snorkel from LeisurePro.com

It even comes in gold! (No, I'm not going to call Waiin's to see if they stock it) Of course, if I worked at Wallin's and had all these people coming in asking about $100 snorkels I'd start stocking them!

Can you complete the quest for the famed golden snorkel? It is rumored to lie in San Carlos, CA... Maybe we can call it the "Golden Snorkel Challenge".