Dolphin Scuba Center Reviews

My kids are taking swim classes here for almost 2 yrs. Warm pool and nice, friendly staff.

Dolphin Dive Shop, has a great selection. They have an indoor swimming pool for lessons years around. They carry the latest in gear if yo oiy want to buy and a week equipped rental shop.i did notice everyone saw me as I walked to the back to pick up my tanks I had Hydroed. And they where very very friendly.

bad experience, very bad customer service. arrogant sales associate do not recommend this place ...

Love this place! A+ on the courses and trips they plan.

Me and my wife had a great time at the Dolphin Scuba Center! We did the scuba introduction class. Mark was our instructor and he was very helpful and very informative. He answered any questions we had and never made me feel stupid for needing to repeat a demonstration. I was nervous to try scuba diving but this experience was a ton of fun!

I live in Idaho and needed a part to repair a Mares X Vision mask. With no authorized dealers in the state, I starting looking online. Other places told me the part wasn't available or it would cost more than a whole new mask. The people at Dolphin knew exactly what I needed, ordered it and sent it to me for less than the MSRP and very reasonable shipping. Their service couldn't have been better! Thank you.

Dolphin's customer service compares to nothing. Best prices you will ever find.

Dolphin Scuba advertised a Scuba trip to Cozumel, Mexico and I decided to go even though I didn t know anybody. Before signing up I called them and told them that I was a beginner and they assured me that they would help me. Fast forward it s the first day out and we re on the boat. I tell the man sitting next to me that I don t have a buddy and that I am a beginner and he responds we re all beginners .
So I think this must be the boat for beginners. A little while later I learned that he s actually a dive master for Dolphin Scuba, so I don t know why he didn t introduce himself and offer to help me. Instead he pawned me off on some guy to be my buddy who it turns out was diving with his wife and had NO interest in being my buddy. In fact when I jumped in the water he was nowhere to be seen. Then the guide started yelling at me because everyone else was already under water and he was supposed to be with them. So much for everyone descending and ascending together. I was number 7, the odd man out, without a buddy and seeing everyone else on the bottom and I got nervous and panicked and aborted the dive. I think they had an agenda that they were there to certify people who had taken their course in Sacramento and that was all the work they were going to do. After all their assurances that they would help me I only did ONE dive with Dolphin Scuba. That was entirely their fault and I talked about it at length with the owner Mike Johnson. He talked about compensating me for the bad trip but I haven t seen anything.

Great Customer Service
Mike and all the staff does a great job at making sure things are right. Every time I go to the store there is someone to help me as soon as I enter. I purchased a Scubapro DMask from them and Mike worked to make it fit perfectly. I've purchased quite a few diving items from them since I was certified over three years ago and never a complaint. Dolphin Scuba Center is the best.

I did my PADI dive class here. It was a great experience. I had no expectations. I was surprised with the knowledge level of the instructors, their attention to detail, and the positive attitude that didn't involve rushing through the material. They genuinely gave the material and the students the attention they deserved.
In the shop, there was no rush to sell or up-sell. Although my beginner questions were probably a constant repeat for them, the staff didn't treat them that way. Their answers were knowledge and equipment based, which I liked. Next, warm water open water dive for me!

Knowledgeable and friendly staff, and nice gear at fair prices...what more could you ask for??

Best thing about Dolphin Scuba is the employees. They are always helpful, non-judgemental about your dive experience, and they are not pushy when it comes to sales.

I was nervous getting SCUBA certified at first, but getting Open Water certified at Dolphin SCUBA center was a pretty easy, straight forward and comfortable experience. Mike and the staff were patient and thorough when answering my questions on the Open Water Certification process and cost. When completing the coursework for Open Water Certification, there were no major surprises in cost, everything was exactly as Mike and staff explained to me. There was some apparent miscommunication between the storefront staff and my instructors, but as long as you do your own homework and clarify any confusion with the staff, everything will be fine.

Excellent we did the tri scuba course learned a lot defiantly getting into scuba diving lol.

Friendly, funny, and knowledgeable staff here! Came in for a gear rental and they even helped me carry my gear (plus 3 tanks) out and load it into my car.

We had an awesome experience getting our staff lifeguard certified through dolphin scuba. Great service and even better people!

Got Certified in 1985 By NAUI.
Excellent Scuba Diving Classes And Business!
Allot Of Great Memories!

The staff usually does a good job, but if there a problem Mike is usually available to help make things right.

It's hard to give 5 stars for a retail store, however this one deserves it. I wanted to start off by saying the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly.

The purpose of my visit was to try on, and buy a scuba mask for an upcoming dive trip. This was my first visit to Dolphin Scuba and upon walking into the store I was immediately greeted and asked if they could help with me anything. Steve assisted with answering all of my questions and he went above and beyond to help me find the perfect mask. He seemed very knowledgeable in all topic areas that I had questions about.

I can ensure you will be in good hands if you shop here.

Had a difficulty with order through Amazon as sold by this center. Mike and Christian solve the issue promptly and actually helped me with a product discount that I did not even ask for. Stand up service and great guys taking care of their customers. Would use this dive shop again!

A great place to learn how to scuba. The pool is very warm. They have a great dive shop for all your gear.

Service here is always courteous. They have a great selection of scuba equipment. Their service department is very efficient and knowledgeable.

Good swim school, well worth the money for beginning swimmers, especially children.

One instructor and two kids max, ten classes flew by and my kid had dramatic growth from fear of having water on his face to diving off a block and swimming to the stairs! His instructor Cody, and Dolphin Swim School are highly recommended.

I did the intro to skuba diving class on Feb 24 @ 12 pm. It was truly amazing. The instructors were very friends, had jokes for days, & were very knowledgeable. I was in a class of 12 & they went to each one of us to make sure we knew what to do, felt safe, & comforrable. Very hands on training. I plan on getting certified here. I recommend anyone that's what to lean about skuba diving or want to get certified to come here.

They are the best! They have an excellent children's swimming program. Wood suggested over anything anywhere from Miami, Monterey, San Luis Obispo this is the best!

The staff is very knowledgeable and patient. I went in as a new driver and didn't know anything about anything and left far more informed and was shown all the options available and explained the pro's and con's about all of it. The pricing was great, but most of all their instructors are top notch. Very patient with their students who needed a little more explanation or time getting comfortable while keeping the more advanced students morning through their skills.

I ordered a replacement part for my dive watch and when it didn t work with my screws, they sent correct screws right away. Turns out those screws broke as well but they ordered a 2nd replacement for me. Great customer service.

I bought the fins less than a month ago, I could not try on a sock, since the store did not have socks corresponding in thickness. I swam with the fins once, the size did not fit. The fins are intact, no damage. when I bought the consultant said that I can return the fins without damage. this store is cheating. But the consultants refused to accept the fins back because the packaging had been opened. This is not US territory, the return rules are in accordance with the rules of wild countries such as North Korea or Russia. do not buy. Just try on, buy in other civilized places.

Training Portion: This center is not out to make a quick buck by selling anything and everything to you. Student rate discounts on gear and rental equipment are a godsend. I had an outdated book and Rick offered to let me borrow a current version for free rather than have me buy a new student package. From being a little n00b tadpole in the confines of pool dives to spreading my fins and gliding at the bottom of the restless pacific for the open water portion I never once felt in danger with this cadre of well trained instructors. Mitch is a guardian angel with dive treats such as bananas, ginger snaps, and other useful foods. Don't rely on free treats! Always bring your own stuff.
In Store Experience: As I enter the center I'm usually greeted but other times staff members are busy talking with each other. While I wander around I don't feel like I'm being watched to be sure I don't shoplift anything, which being a minority is quite refreshing. This also means no high pressure salesmen breathing down your neck. Also, the dude in charge of rentals is one cool cat.

This is a great place to go if you are looking for a 5 minute lecture on doing anything other than the way they do things.

They don't care to understand what you are trying to accomplish they just want to lecture you and sell you this weeks newsletter bs.

I HIGHLY recommend this facility for all your diving needs. Their attention to detail and customer service is unsurpassed. Especially their representative Steve who went above and beyond to help me in my purchase of my first scuba camera (SeaLife). I m so appreciative of his guidance through the purchase and getting my item delivered overnight (right in time for Christmas). What a beautiful surprise to have that gift to play with on Christmas! Made this holiday very special! Thank you Steve!!!

My adult children and grandkids took an Introduction to Scuba class at Dolphin Scuba Center. It was an AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!! We were treated with friendly, attentive customer service. Each employee seemed genuinely happy to be there! The front of the business is swim, snorkel and scuba retail. They have a large selection of gear. The scuba class instructor, Brandon Flood, is a great teacher! Fun, informative, personable, patient! Somehow he managed to instruct and engage a class of adults and kids successfully! Everyone learned to operate their equipment and scuba around the pool. I recommend Dolphin Scuba Center am looking forward to another class!

I bring my granddtr here for summer swim lessons. I initially tried La Petite Baleen in Daly City (she lives in SF) and i was extremely dissatisfied with the quality of their once/a-week instruction. So brought my little one who had a deathly fear of water to Dolphin and after 2 weeks she was happily playing in the pool under the guidance of teacher, Anna. After that initial small group lesson, I signed her up for private lessons each summer thereafter. She swims like a fish and loves Dolphin Swim School. Will be bringing her again this summer to work on her technique and increase her speed. Worth every penny!

I don't like this place we had a terrible experience here last summer. The instructor was jerking my son around out of frustration. He was not gentle and made it hard for my son to enjoy the lesson. I wanted to kick the man after the lesson that's how furious I was.

Rick Rowett is by far the most experenced dive instructer in the the Valley. Very through teaching he will make sure that you are comfortable with the skills and feel ready for your adventure. He is skilled at custom fitting your equipment to your needs. If you want to learn scuba diving Than Dolphin is the place.
Really all the staff is great.
I have been going there for years and never had bad advice or direction.
Thanks

Full service dive shop. From discover scuba to advanced trimix. General manager, Rick, is a course director. Best place to take a wreck diving class.

Service is excellent. They have everything you need to go diving. They have an indoor pool for lessons. Scuba and swim!

Arrived just before store was to close on a Sunday and they did not rush me and gave me great, friendly service. Sean in the service center provides great follow through and service for your dive equipment. The whole staff is very friendly and helpful and worth the drive from Placerville.

I had a real bad experience but the owner, management, and staff did a good job in resolving my issue. The pool and the pool time was awesome, I could not have asked for a better experience.

Scuba Gear, Training and Travel

A large scuba shop with a large selection of gear for purchase and rental, on-site swimming pool and classroom for training, and sponsor of group dive trips to the Caribbean, near and far Pacific, and elsewhere.

Where do I start other than 37 years diving & after seeking advice & purchasing equipment from many shops, Mike and his staff are "The BEST"! I drive 130 miles round trip to this establishment because their customer service is worth the time and expense. Mitch is by far the best Dive Master on any trip I've taken around the GLOBE! Jason & Jared are amazing in the Pro-Shop, the rental/repair shop is top notch too. Bottom Line I highly recommend this business to all my patients, family & friends.

Sincerely, Dr. Glenn Barney

Kid does swim lessons here which are great. Made my first purchase of some awesome goggles and snorkle and was equally pleased with the sales service. Thanks guys.

Come here and shop before buying Anything online, you will Not regret it! Outstanding staff, extremely knowledgeable, supper friendly and unbelievably accommodating!
My first time in the store I came in to enroll myself and my girlfriend in their scuba diving class all the way up to Open Water. We both work different schedules so it is very hard for us to both get the same days off work. Michael Johnson was the man who was helping me (who unbeknownst to me at the time but he is the owner) and went far beyond what I expected in helping us sent up class dates that work for her and I both. Michael even interrupted a class for me to ask the instructor if he would be able to accommodate two extra divers in an all ready full class. (Yup I was that guy, sorry) Michael and the instructor were able to work it out and accommodate our needs. Thanks Team!
Now fast forward a week and here I am coming in for my second time and with my girlfriend. Our goal was to at least get her set up with a mask, snorkel and fins and hopefully with a good deal. Insert the best Sales Associated I have ever delt with, Steve Gilmore. I m sure all the sales associates there are smart and friendly but Steve is on another level. Steve was supper friendly and unbelievably knowledgeable in all the gear in the store and in diving in general. We browsed the stores online shop before coming in to get an idea of what they had and prices. Steve was very patient with my girlfriend while she tried on Tons of masks and he explained pros and cons of each mask and style. Now my girlfriend already knew what fins she wanted from our searching online, she wanted the ones hat looked like Mermaid fins, yeah I know palm to forehead. We did not see them on the display shelf and asked Steve about them and he said they were in the warehouse for online sales and asked if we could give him a min to send a runner to get them for us! While we waited for the runner we asked about wetsuits and Steve once again was very patient with her as she tried in a few sizes and styles. Steve explained each style in very great detail and gave recommendations on what ones he thinks would fit her and meet her needs but did Not steer her into any one brand and did not try to Upsale a more expensive suit. Now we did not plan on getting a wetsuit at this time and we told Steve this but that did not deter him from giving us tons of knowledge and advice on what to look for when we were ready to get one and he Never pressured her to make a purchase. The runner came back with several sizes of fins in the color and style we wanted but when Steve had her try them on he realized she needed the size in between the two, of which the runner was unable to find. Steve did not simply accept this and try to sell us a different fin, no he went to the warehouse himself and eventually found her size and color!
Now we are checking out with her fins, mask and snorkel and Steve shows us the deal we got for doing a bundle and the discount for being students. Wow! We ask if he could show us what it would cost if we got the wetsuit today... again wow! Just to give you an idea, and this will very depending on how much you bundle and on Brand specific packages but we got a mask that was $120 for $79 and a wetsuit that was $400 for $319. That s just some of huge savings Steve was able to get. After seeing this we decided to get Everthing including a BCD+Regulator package and the more we got the more we saved! After getting all this gear Steve went to Michael Johnson (the owner) and he took care of us even More! My girlfriend now has Everything she needs to scuba dive and the best part is she will get to learn from the very begginging on Her Own gear and build that confidence with it right away! Thank you so much to Steve Gilmore and Michael Johnson and the rest of the crew at Dolphin Scuba!!

My daughter and I had a great experience with the intro to scuba course. Instructor was very patient and took the time to attend to each student's needs as they came up. I'll definitely be going back for more courses.

The facility is well maintained and the instructors my baby had a chance to work with were cool. The reason I am giving the dolphin school 3 star rating is because of the lack of organization. Before my daughter classes started they changed her instructor. When I made it to the second class ( I missed the first because I I sechdualed the session in March for July, and I forgot. A curiosity reminder e mail would help for families that sechdual early) I didnt get the original instructor, ok no big deal. Next session she goes to the original instructor but another parent got upset because they changed her son instructor. Ok to diffuse any further issue I was ok with her yet again changing instructors. Last day and shes with the same instructor from her last session. I will come back and sechdual specific instructions and hope for no more confusion.

AWESOME customer service - had a glitch on my side of the purchase and the staff was the best ever to work with and were professional and helpful and spot on with friendly customer service- great shop ! I will definitely be back!

I will never go there again since you fired that nice boy Mike. He was the only decent employee you had!

I have purchased several items from Dolphin Scuba Center. The staff I have dealt with have always been professional, courteous, knowledgeable, and very helpful. I find it hard to beat the prices offered on products at Dolphin Scuba Center.

Knowledgeable and helpful staff. Found some good sale prices. I was able to try on all the gear I needed. Scuba, swim lessons, gear rentals.

Dolphin Scuba had plenty of inventory and made my shopping for a good wet suit for my 4 year old a great experience. The staff were very friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. My future water activity shopping will be with Dolphin Scuba. Oh and the prices were affordable as well. Thanks Dolphin Scuba!

Look no further for scuba diving lessons. I started off incredibly nervous to learn how to scuba dive, but the instructors put me at ease. They are patient, understanding and extremely experienced and knowledgeable. I felt completely safe in their presence and really appreciated their willingness to answer questions and slow down to explain things. One example that sticks out in my mind is when my buddy was underneath the water and panicked and switched from her regulator to her snorkel (meaning she wouldn't have been able to breathe) and the instructor was there in a split-second with a regulator in her mouth. They really watch out for your safety and make sure you are prepared for going out in the ocean. Thank you so much Rick and Rick - I couldn't have had a more positive experience. From, a once-skeptic - now enthusiast.

Best place to learn how to scuba dive and if you have already learned go on some of their amazing trips! Channel Island is the best trip I have ever been on! Me and my brother in law have been going every year since we got certified, this will be our 4th time this October/November