Favorite Northern CA dive shop

[Lynn CA]

At Penisula Dive in Mountain View, Doug the owner is an ex marine who has done thousands of dives & really knows his Very low key, easygoing, and friendly. He has written the training specs for some of the cert agencies and everfywhere in the world I have gone to dive I have met up with people who know & respect Doug. He is far more interested in geting people knowledgeable enuf to be safe & have fun, that in selling stuff (which is probably why the store has stayed so small). I have taken several classes from his shop & lots of the DM's & Instructors he has trained show up to help at each class (I will too in the future), just beacuse he has taught them to care as much as he does. All the classes I have taken have had about a 1:1 ratio of staff to students, and sometimes the staff have outnumbered the students.

 

[Shasta_man]

y

well, i've lurked without participating long enough.

we've had good luck with blue water divers in sunnyvale (although for the silicon valley, the web site leaves something to be desired . the owner and his staff have been courteous, prompt, and more than willing to special order for us.

on the subject of diver dan's in santa clara... i have serious concerns as well.

 

[LChan]

i would also like to know because I go to Diver Dan's also

However that post was from two years ago.
it seems like they have probably worked some of it out.

my experience with them has been great so far.

 

[Scuba Susie]

So cool to hear so many people loyal to their dive shops in this age of the internet. I am a big fan of supporting your local dive shop! My fav.....Harbor Dive in Sausalito

 

[capybara]

My favorite shop is Wallin's in San Carlos. They have a pool and will let you practice in it for $10/hr w/free tank if there are no classes going on. All the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Bought an Xcel wetsuit on sale recently and they recommended someone for alterations (Heatwave in Santa Cruz) who did an excellent job. We've also bought lots of other stuff from them. They have sometimes given us freebies like a tank inspection or installing our safe seconds.

As for where to spend your money, I believe in giving it to the people that earn your business. I'm not against Internet sales and have had good experiences with Scubatoys.com and Divetank.net. They both have given helpful advice and have good prices and are authorized dealers. I want to support the LDS but only the ones who earn my business. Dive shop attitude really turns me off.

Two examples: we were looking at Scubapro and Seaquest BC's at Diver Dan's; the saleswoman was very friendly and said we could come back next week to try them both out in the pool. We called the next week and they said we could come that afternoon but when we showed up the manager was trying to refuse to let us into the pool because there was a class. But the class was already over and we had driven over an hour to get there after calling to confirm. So then they let us in but then didn't want to let me try both BCs, just one. They kept rushing us saying that they were about to close. Then when we got out they put on the pressure and said we'll stay open if you buy the package tonight. Forget it, I didn't like they way they were jerking us around. It wasn't the salespeople, it was the manager who was causing the trouble. I ended up buying the BC's from Wallins (asked them to match DD's price) and it turns out DD was not going to be carrying or servicing Scubapro anymore anyways. At Bamboo Reef I was looking at the HydroOptix mask, $50 off list, but the salesman was condescending and rude so I walked out and bought from California Dive Center instead, they had them in stock and matched the price.

Dive shops who emphasize good service and don't try to price gouge will stay in business despite Internet competition.

 

[jumsted65]

Aquatic Dreams in Modesto is nice Great people. Great service. Knowledgeable technician who lets me hang out in the shop and use his tools. Unfortunately their prices are high and they don't do my diving style. I use Dolphin for that stuff. Largest gear selection and most robust staff I've ever seen in a diveshop. Good prices. Good everything. They're outta my way though so it's a hassle. I got picky about who fills my O2 clean tanks, so Manta sees me most every weekend. Ben has a new basset puppy who is way cute. I plan to take advanced gas classes with Capt. Phil soon. I used to rent tanks from Aquarius Del Monte. They treated me well and have a nice dog too. Richard at divetank.net is super nice and gave me a great deal on a drysuit. Great deals can be had on ebay for those willing to take a chance.

I believe in supporting my LDS. Maybe someday they'll meet my needs. They don't even do nitrox, and won't allow black rubber fins of any sort in their pool

There's only one shop in the world I wouldn't recommend, and that's for personal reasons. They shall remain nameless.

Do I have a favorite? Guess not. If I had to choose one and only one, it would be Manta Ray, but that's just me. Oh, and I'm addicted to the tri-tip as well

 

[Darth_Rahl]

Dive shops who emphasize good service and don't try to price gouge will stay in business despite Internet competition.

Wow this is an old thread but I feel I should post this because I have had a very negative experience at diver dans.

I took my open water class there at Dan's earlier in the year, and then bought a full setup, wet suit, BCD, Reg, and two 100 cubic steel tanks. I spent over $4,000 at Dan's and my GF is about to buy herself something similar.

Today I went over there to enquire about a DUI try suit, and the staff was less then helpful. I asked if I could try on an off the shelf suit, and was told that it would not fit me. I asked if they had any lager sizes, and they just looked at me like I was an idiot.

After talking to a friend it turns out that they don't stock any suits there. You have to get sized and then they order the suit for you. What I want to know is why didn't they tell me this? Why did they have to give me such an attitude?

Based on my own personal experience I would say that Any Water Sports is the place to be. They are much more accommodating and friendly over there.

 

[Noboundaries]

Wow, no kidding this thread has longevity.

Like others in the Sacramento area I take my wallet to Dolphin when I'm in a buying mood. I've seen a lot of the same faces there since 2004, and that says something when employees stick around. They have a great selection of gear, great prices, and truly want your business. Mike (owner) and Rick (GM) are two terrific people and it is reflected in how their staff works with customers. As big as they are, when my wife and I walk in there, Mike always greets me by name and spends time talking with us.

They do quite a bit of business online too. Great shop. Honest and exceptional repair/service facility. If you want to watch them work on your gear, they're happy to let you and will explain exactly what they are doing and why.

Here's their website.

Dolphin Scuba Center - Scuba Sales, Trips, Service, and Education.

 

[Jim Ernst]

Wow, no kidding this thread has longevity.

Like others in the Sacramento area I take my wallet to Dolphin when I'm in a buying mood. I've seen a lot of the same faces there since 2004, and that says something when employees stick around. They have a great selection of gear, great prices, and truly want your business. Mike (owner) and Rick (GM) are two terrific people and it is reflected in how their staff works with customers. As big as they are, when my wife and I walk in there, Mike always greets me by name and spends time talking with us.

They do quite a bit of business online too. Great shop. Honest and exceptional repair/service facility. If you want to watch them work on your gear, they're happy to let you and will explain exactly what they are doing and why.

Here's their website.

Dolphin Scuba Center - Scuba Sales, Trips, Service, and Education.

I want to thank you for this post, Mike Johnson is a personal friend of mine and Mr Rick Rowett is my Instructor/Friend And I take personal the kind words of your post, Mike keeps an eye on this board and the post's that are about his shop and he will be very pleased to see your post.

 

[blewgrass]

I'm noticing the shops in my area that are not mentioned in this thread. I won't mention any names but I live in Sonoma County and have had some problematic interactions at several LDS.

I will give a shout to Bodega Bay Pro Dive and Petaluma Sport Dive because they are good guys and offer fill cards that allow cheap air fills. BB dive is $2.90 per fill for 10 fills and Petaluma dive is $3 per fill. They will also order gear at the typical internet discount prices for Zeagle, Oceanic, etc. They spare me the 20 minute local dive shop speech.

For online purchases, Scuba Toys is wonderful!! I can't say enough good about them. They ARE a local dive shop as well!

Steve