It's taken me an insanely long time to write this because I don't want to believe that it's over I spent last weekend living on a dive boat with Dolphin and it was genuinely one of the top experiences of my life. As a greener diver, I went into this trip thinking I'd just take my time, see what it was like, and figure out what I could handle. Instead, it changed my perspective on diving and, to a much larger degree, the way I see myself. Steve Ramirez and Rich DeWitt made me feel so comfortable. They gave great tips and instruction without ever making me feel like I didn't belong there. I credit both of them for being able to do the dives and be fully present for them, knowing that they were nearby if needed with answers. Tell me why I live in Los Angeles and I'm considering driving up to Sacramento to further my dive education these two guys are the reason. The boat's crew was kind, helpful and incredibly aware. They anchored at beautiful dive sites, making it extremely easy to explore and look for whatever interested you on each dive. Their briefings were informative and helpful, there was always something available to refuel or hydrate, and they answered every question I had. They provided a type of hospitality I didn't even know existed. One of the crew caught a halibut while spearfishing and they cooked it right on the boat for us to try. I'll admit, I was scared to sleep in a bunk room with 21 strangers, with basically no privacy, on a little boat rocking to whatever degree the ocean decided was appropriate that day. But waking up first thing in the morning and getting into the water helped me achieve something I hadn't even realized I'd been looking for, to quiet the noise. I've always liked diving since I got certified. Now I love diving. I love the ocean. I love myself. There are places out there on this great planet where beauty and joy outweigh personality, follower count and financial class. Moments where you feel like you're on the moon. Underwater shapes of rock and rubble where you can almost see exactly where the earth crumbled, and just how resilient the creatures living there have become, willing to adjust to something new. There are little animals. Big animals. Kelp growing from rock. Silence. Awe. Moments laughing at dinner, wondering what the people on the other boats are doing, with people who were strangers a day ago and somehow already feel like friends. There's kindness. True hospitality. And this general sense of togetherness because everybody on board has the same goal: have a safe dive. Be able to go on the next one. Witness. Observe. Engage to whatever degree we're allowed, and leave the ocean as we found it. I thought what I was looking for out there would be something else. A shark. A ray. A seal. A dolphin. Turns out, it was me. I can't wait to go on the next one. Thank you, Dolphin, for giving me an experience I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. read more

I had the pleasure of attending a liveaboard trip in the Channel Islands this past weekend that was organized by Dolphin Scuba Center. My wife and I are relatively new to diving so three days of nonstop scuba was both something we were excited for but also a little scared to do. Dolphin Scuba instructors Rich D. and Steve Ramirez were such an incredible pair that both taught us so much about scuba diving and allowed us to tag along with them on all of our dives. They made us feel very at ease in the water, gave us tips to improve our form and they both had endless stories to tell about diving while we hung out in the galley at night. This was our favorite scuba experience we have had thus far and I would 100% recommend joining them on one of the many trips they organize throughout the year. We can't wait to attend another trip with them in the future! Thanks again! read more

Dolphin Scuba Center - Scuba Diving Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Epic scuba center. I live an hour away and it is well worth the drive to have so many options and get the top quality service and expertise offered by Dolphin Scuba Center. read more

Incredible selection of goods and services. Travel trips with them are top notch and incredible.

I came here for a scuba dive experience but the instructor was so rude. It's my first time and you are expected to learn how to work the equipment very fast. I couldn't figure it out and the owner helped me but was scolded by my instructor for it. The equipment is old, dated and doesn't work for real life settings. Only practice for the pool. Beware read more

I'm a returning diver and Mason spent a lot of time with me to navigate all of the new products. He really helped me determine just what I needed. Fabulous service. read more

We've had our 5-year-old in swim lessons for just over a year now, and honestly, we couldn't be happier with the experience. They've got a range of options to fit different budgets and schedules, which is a lifesaver for busy parents. Our daughter has come so far since she started, and it's been amazing to watch her skills grow. We're excited to see how much more she'll progress as she keeps at it read more

My family and I ended up here again after some decades past. When my mom passed away, we found ourselves cleaning up and purging a lot of old and outdated stuff in the house we grew up in. That's when we discovered my dad's old scuba diving gear. He is now 88 years old and no longer has use for said equipment. In fact, he almost forgot he still had it all buried under years of stuff until we brought it out to the light of day. Then his memories came flooding back! We called Dolphin Scuba Center and asked if they accepted old tanks from the 1960's. They said "yes"! We gathered up two scuba tanks, diving flag buoy, and diving weights. We drove down to the swim center and started reminiscing about the time our father took lessons here and got certified. Rich D. helped us unload and transport the heavy gear into their facility. He was very knowledgeable on all things scuba from it's history to the present. He was so nice to my dad and made him feel welcome and even important. We got a quick tour around the shop. It carries everything one would need for the scuba enthusiast. We also had a chance to view the pool with class in session. I even tried to take classes here when I was a teenager but failed miserably! But the main reason for this review is that my dad had a chance to reminisce about happier times in his life when he was a young and active man! Thank you Rich for making our visit positive and being able to accept my dad's equipment for the diving museum! LOL! I just couldn't bear to see it all going to the dump! read more

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My son, who has autism, has been enrolled here since February of 2024 in a semi-private class (2:1). He has gone through several instructors and loved most of them. His favorites deserving the highest honorable mentions are Jenae, Naomi, Chris, Nicole, and Hannah. There are some other great ones too that have subbed in but these ones are his Mount Rushmore, if you will. I too would strongly personally endorse any one of these instructors having seen them in action first hand teach my child over a period of time. 12/10 stars and then some. Gems, each of them. My son who is almost 7 has looked forward to every lesson and enjoyed his time there week to week immensely. I can echo what others have said in that their progress isn't consistently measured with benchmarks to meet. Some more than others for sure. It definitely sounds Deja vu a lot of the time but it doesn't bother me so much because of how much my son enjoys his lessons and does in fact improve at his own pace. I do wish they would keep track and record the progress of their students online for parents to see as they first did when he started. Management has really dropped the ball with the website offerings in showcasing that progress and generally speaking. I also have to add my voice to those who already complained about the aquatics director, Stacey. A lot of the complaints written about her sound familiar to my own experiences. I had an issue today where my son's teacher was unexpectedly out, which is fine and to be expected sometimes. We still love her. His substitute teacher looked pained to be there and I literally thought she was going to say something inappropriate to my son at any moment with the negative energy she held during his lesson wanting to be anywhere else. She was really short and snapped at him a couple of times. He doesn't have anyone else in his semi-private class right now but a toddler girl joined him today in what I imagine was a make-up lesson. The substitute insisted on keeping them both in the baby end of the pool and disregarding everything his normal teacher had shared with her to continue working on. It was honestly laughable if it wasn't so upsetting. I kept looking around the room as if to say, I did not pay for "this" or are you guys seeing what I'm seeing. Another teacher even tried to nudge her by telling her that my son is typically swimming in the middle of the pool and she was brushed off as if to say she didn't care. My son was bored out of his skull and it was something he could have done at home in the bath tub. He learned nothing. He brushed up on nothing. It was back and forth from the stairs to the rope a few feet away and back as opposed to across the pool and back. That in combination with the substitute's demeanor was enough to say something. After seeing enough and being unable to watch anymore I excused myself briefly to go talk to Stacey who almost always has a phone to her ear, and she did. I explained to her when she got off the phone what was going on and that I was unhappy and wanted a makeup lesson and as others have said, she could not care less in reciting what the policy was in not offering make up lessons for lessons attended. Even on a case by case basis such as this and my son having attended as long as he has. She fed me some bs spiel about his normal teacher relaying information to the substitute and when I said she is disregarding all of that, she said well I'll tell her to make up for it next week as if any of it were his regular teacher's fault. What about the "lesson" I just paid for? It left such a bad, sour taste in my mouth that I immediately started looking up alternative swim schools. As soon as we find one that works for his skill level and schedule, we're gone. Absolutely unacceptable on Stacey's part. I will go out of my way not to deal with her any further. We love our normal teachers, many of whom have been let go recently, but I can't deal with that kind of attitude towards parents and children. For any badass teachers reading this and I hope you know who you are, we'd follow you anywhere. Never thought I'd write a poor review of this place based off of the mostly stellar teachers alone but here we are. read more

This is a very special place. They actually CARE about their customers. Mike, Julie, and the many Steves actually truly want to help you fall in love with diving. This Scuba center is a hidden gem in Sacramento, and if you love the ocean dive into this spot. You will regret nothing!! read more

Dolphin Scuba Center - Buckle up Buttercup... this is going to be fun!! - Scuba Diving Near Me - Sacramento, California

Unfortunately due to the new Stay at Home orders, the Dolphin Scuba Center is closed for the time being. So this review is for when I took my open water course last year prior to Covid chaos. To "Scuba Steve" Ramirez Jr.: Such a calm, patient and knowledgeable instructor. I had the open water dive course with him and highly recommend him. I can tell he truly enjoys scuba and teaching others. His passion is infectious. Thank you for helping me conquer my fear and finally "get" what all the fuss Scuba is about!!! To Brandon Flood (Assistant Instructor): Funny guy who also is very knowledgeable and will help you to feel comfortable. The Open water scuba course is partial classroom, partial pool practice (pool spoils you with the nice heated temp), then an open water test. You have your choice of where to take the open water course. For me since I tend to panic more in murky water, I chose Lake Tahoe which was just like being in a big swimming pool. They have equipment that they can loan you for the entirety of the class or you can bring your own. I actually brought my own that hubby gifted me and wanted me to get comfortable with. They also offer swimming lessons and fun international scuba trips. read more

Dolphin Scuba Center - Lake Tahoe (Meek's Bay) - Scuba Diving Near Me - Sacramento, California

The owner Micheal is a stand-up guy. And Bill is great and always accommodating, going the extra mile when I need a bunch of tanks filled in short notice when my compressor is down. The Dolphin crew have always been super helpful and professional. read more

Everyone there is extremely nice and answers all questions about what you need. Also Richard, Mike, Steve, Bill (in back with equipment), Michelle (manager). All the instructors are awesome. Some instructors, take the extra time, on their time to help. Then when it comes time for open water, altitude, buoyancy and other classes that you are interested in. They are extremely knowledgeable. No pressure to buy what's not necessary. But can instruct you on products that are better than others. Hold to their word and as far as me. They know me by name. That takes it to a personal level and respectful to me. The best in the greater Sacramento area hands down. If it is you first experience and don't know if you'd like it. They provide equipment to use on every other Friday a month, to see what it's like in their pool area. Most importantly Richard Dewitt is a 30 year professional teacher and will show you exactly what to do as far as masks are involved. You don't need the most expensive mask if it doesn't work. He will stay with you and explain everything until you find your mask. Excellent teacher as the rest are as well. There stories are priceless. This is supposed to be a fun sport. As they will demonstrate as much. Wouldn't go anywhere else. read more

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I came to Dolphin Scuba Center for a refresher course in my scuba certification. It had been a few years since my last dive and I wanted to brush up on my skills to potentially volunteer with a local cleanup effort. The instructors were great and the course was exactly what I needed. I loved that they allowed us to tailor our pool time to specific areas that we were interested in refreshing. I also dropped off some of my gear to have it checked over and serviced, again since it has been so long since I lost dove. Their service team was friendly and upfront with their pricing. I'm looking forward to getting back in the water! read more

Brought my (normally nervous about new people) toddler in for a makeup class but her regular teacher, Ms. Stephanie, who she is obsessed with, wasn't available. She was placed with Mr. Messiah, who was an absolute rockstar and got her comfortably in the pool and swimming in under five minutes. Between his and Mr. Chris's reassurance, she had a fabulous makeup class. The teachers here are all so great at making the kiddos feel comfortable and supporting the littles in their swimming endeavors. read more

By almost every measure, this was a less than stellar experience. We signed my son up for two weeks of swim lessons that were not only plagued by their scheduling mistakes but ultimately overpriced, rushed and disorganized. This may be a good place for scuba, but it wasn't for a young child's swim lessons. Things were rocky from the get-go. When I first called to secure lessons, the gentleman who answered said he had failed to track down someone from the swim side of things for me to talk to so I left a message they never responded to. I called back a week later for my second attempt, left another message and was called back several days later. My initial impression was they seemed busy and overwhelmed. The lessons come in two week blocks, two days a week. When we arrived, we wandered around until we came across a guy in the middle of this busy room with a paper pad writing down the names of who was coming in without any real verification of who they were or whether they were signed up. As for the lesson itself, it was a rushed, impersonal experience. We walked in for the first time, were told to send our son to one end of the pool and then watched him try to get down some basics in the span of half an hour with an instructor who did not introduce herself to us or try to understand why we had brought him there in the first place. We also eventually learned she was a substitute instructor for someone else. When we showed up for our third lesson we were told it had actually been cancelled so they could accomodate a Cal Fire scuba school and that they had failed to inform us. I stood at the desk, told the manager about all our frustrations so far and she seemed to hear me, even offering us some extra lessons as an apology. That offer was never followed through on or honored. Ultimately, we felt more like we were being pushed through for a quick buck without any concern for why we were there, what our goals were or long-term customer retention. The priorities here seem to be larger training classes like Cal Fire, then scuba divers and ultimately the kids. And with four quick half hour lessons in a two week span, it wasn't worth the cost. There is no tangible discussion or measurement of how your child has improved, but we were told about six different times that we should get him to start scuba someday. The silver lining in this was that our son's instructor was quite friendly and he seemed to like her during their brief interaction. And after I complained, she did spend some time talking to us after a lesson, which is something. read more

Dolphin Scuba Center - Scuba Diving Near Me - Sacramento, California

This place has given my family the most AMAZING experience with my son's swim lessons. He has grown tremendously over the years here. The teachers really take the time ensure that the kids are reaching their full potential in learning the different strokes. The swim directors are phenomenal and go the extra mile to make sure they can accommodate your family's needs. I would highly recommend Dolphin Scuba Center to anyone looking to get their kids involved in a fun and engaging swim lesson! read more

SSI certified shop that has gear sales and service. I bought my full gear package here as they are also the only Scuba Pro certified shop on the area and I wanted the Hydros BCD. They are knowledgeable, friendly, and have lots of products and services to offer. Best selection in the greater Sacramento area! read more

I only need this kind of gear for work every couple years, but year after year I've received friendly and excellent customer service. They are extremely knowledgeable there, and always take all the time necessary to fit a mask to my face or hood for my head, etc. I wouldn't want to go anywhere else and I hope that I never have to. Thanks, Dolphin folks! read more

A decent swim school, they do a good hob at preparing you for scubaing. They have a medium sized shop and an pool and school adjacent to teach you the topes. I thought the school and diver were nice and did a goos job. My three stars is because I thought their services were pretty standard (nothing wrong with that), and I did have trouble with purchasing gear. I didn't know what I was doing and so a shop associate made all decisions for me. I ended up with shoes of two different sizes and got a hefty infection and couldn't walk for a couple weeks because the shoes chafed me and bacteria got in from swimming there. I will advise they took the shoes back and got me better fitting ones, so kudos for that. The owner is a great guy. Another reason was that when i took my exams, and rented from them, there were lots if holes in my suit and gloves they said they'd fix, but they didn't so the freezing water from Monterey cane in and was miserable. After my exam, I haven't wanted to go scubaing as that experience was just cold and miserable. Also, i felt kinda nickeled and dimed, and was misguided into getting extra classes I didn't need but misunderstood. A good place, i have no regrets. Just check rental equipment and know what classes you need. read more

Overall pretty negative experience w/ Dolphin Scuba but didn't want to burn any bridges w/ a neg review since this was the only scuba place around us (or so I thought- recently learned of Fish Eye Scuba in Folsom). Pros: One of the few scuba places in the Sac area. Indoor pool & locker room were clean. My one on one refresher course w/ Brandon Flood was pretty good. He was patient and gave me some pro tips. Cons: instructor, rental manager, salesmen...so...almost everything. On looking back, we were pretty unhappy w/ Steve Ramirez as an instructor. Husband signed up for a scuba class where Steve was an instructor. He felt Steve was not very patient during some in class lessons. He was also persuaded to sign up for the nitrox class, thinking it was only $10 more (apparently for the class materials only). But it ended up being about $100 more. We felt like that was a bait & switch...they could have explained it more clearly. Moreover, we were led to believe that he'd use nitrox during the open water dive instruction class, so we were told to rent nitrox tanks. NO ONE ELSE in the other classes had the certification (& we were told that beginners cannot take the nitrox course BEFORE passing their open water certification... so really... why did he have them take it??) so we didn't get to stay underwater longer, only ended up paying more for rentals (& no, it didn't make us feel like we were more "refreshed" to use nitrox since most instruction dives in Monterey don't come close to using up O2, it's the cold that gets you out of the water sooner). Moreover, in places like Hawaii, no one even offered nitrox rentals, so it was not a super useful skill to have (we really only wanted to dive on vacations). Moreover, I was also told I HAD to get the certification to dive with my husband (I was in a diff class) since his whole class would be doing nitrox. So I also ended up paying an extra $120? (I had to pay more bc husband got a discount for being an open water student while I only did refresher course) for a skill I will not be using anytime soon. Husband & I highly disliked one of the salesmen- I think his name was Jason (wore American flag mask that he constantly wore under his nose wrongly for covid safety precautions). First, he was not very patient w/ answering our Qs since we were both new to coldwater diving. And he sold my husband boots that were way too big (sz 11 boots when husband's shoe sz was 10), but said that was how it was supposed to be. So after our trip to Monterey, the shoes had chafed his feet so bad that he developed CELLULITIS from this (see photo), so he needed antibiotics & we got a medical bill on top of the discomfort & now useless boots. When we went to Hawaii, I thought getting neoprene socks under the boots would help, but even that didn't completely stop the chafing & he got another infection AGAIN ugh. It's great to have painful feet on vacations. I was very unhappy w/ the rental manager because he sized me completely wrong for the neoprene hood (gave me a LARGE), so when I went to Monterey, my googles & everything were very loose & I got chilled very quickly/ I had trouble putting on my mask due to my hair & hood being so loose. I had never needed a hood before, so I trusted his judgement. My instructor saw right away that the hood was too big and I had to pay AGAIN to rent another hood at Monterey for $7.50. There I was told that Hoods only are not common anymore, everyone uses hooded VESTS now. So I was not only sized wrong, but given only a hood when everyone else at the class had vests which kept them much warmer (I am a thin person, so I needed all the warmth I could get!!!). I also was told at the Monterey Dive Shop that I couldn't just rent a hooded vest without a wetsuit rental since they come together. Moreover, they tell you the rentals are in great condition, but my husband's neoprene gloves had GIANT holes in them & the rental manager said to him "oh we'll give you different ones on the day of" but it was the exact same shitty gloves he tried on during the fitting, so his hands were freezing during the dives. If they're that shitty, please replace them already! Prices for gear did seem high but I compared it to Amazon prices and they were similar (& you do get a discount here if you're a student). HOWEVER, we went scuba diving in Maui and found that equipment was SO MUCH CHEAPER there with different brands that worked just as well (at least at Scuba Shack in Maui). For example, the googles that were at Dolphin were about $70-100+, but the goggles that fit me really well in Maui were only $45. Overall, we were both pretty unhappy with Dolphin Scuba, felt like we were taken advantage of but didn't know of any other places around here. We recently learned of Fish Eye Scuba in Folsom and will be going there instead for future scuba needs. But the negative experience w/ Dolphin has made my husband not want to scuba much unfortunately, esp cold water diving read more

Dolphin Scuba Center - Cellulitis from constantly chafing thanks to an eager salesman selling boots that were way too big. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Sacramento, California

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I've had my dry suit repaired here a few times and they provide a professional service and good prices for pressure testing. Wonderful to work with a quality job done every time! read more

My husband and I went to the Dolphin Scuba Center to get scuba certified! This was a 2 weekend course that was very fun and enjoyable! The first weekend consisted of some book work and learning the ropes, as well as getting into the pool to learn the basics. The staff was very helpful and great to work with! After learning in the pool, the following weekend was in Tahoe! We were able to set up at the beach and we actually went into the lake to get certified! We first performed our drills that we needed to learn, and then we were able to go explore a bit! We had a great experience and would highly recommend Dolphin Scuba Center! read more

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I purchased a punch card for toddler swim class. They changed the time every week and eventually they stopped using the punchcard system. I tried asking about how to get reimbursed since I was still owed two classes. I called twice. Each time just got brushed off by the employees and told management would contact me. That never happened. I'll just have to count my losses since nobody that works here seems to give a crap. Definitely not a place to go for kids swim. The classes are not a priority for them and the place is run by a bunch of checked out employees who couldn't care less about customer service. read more

*** This review is for Dolphin Swim School ONLY *** I am very torn about this place. This place came highly recommended by coworkers who took their babies to parent-and-me swim class. I have been told by few people on NextDoor that quality of the classes have gone downhill since pandemic started. But I was willing to give this place a try. When we were in another state, we have been to handful of parent-and-me classes, and they usually start with singing "welcome" songs, singing songs while introducing babies to certain movements, do few exercises, and end with "closing song". I have now been to two classes at Dolphin Swim School, and each time, the teacher seems frazzled, not sure of what to do, and just goes from baby to baby to do the exercise. So out of 30 minutes of class, 75% of the time (each class has 4 babies), my child and I are just floating and playing by ourselves without any direction. The class doesn't have any songs, no real regiments, and basically, I shell out money each week to use the pool, which I could've done that elsewhere, closer to my house. If I didn't pay for entire summer, I would've stopped after June, but I am an idiot who paid for three months worth. If the classes get any better, I'll update the post, but somehow I doubt it, considering I signed up for 3 months of classes with the same instructor. PS: in case you think it's just the instructor specific problem, two classes I had, each had different instructors, and both were equally terrible. read more

I am a certified diver from another school, but my son recently went through his Open Water certification at Dolphin. I'll say, there were plenty of issues, in things like this, that can happen. Dolphin, and more specifically our open water instructor Matt, did an amazing job navigating the changes and issues that arose. The actual open water dive experience was fantastic. I was one of those parents that is already certified, and wanted to be a part as much as I could. Matt was quite flexible, while keeping his focus entirely on my son (the one getting certified), which I very much appreciate. It's easier to be flexible in a private class, but it felt like he balanced the line between his job (my son), and keeping me engaged and happy as well. Also, in retrospect, I'm surprised by the amount of sales he got in, without being over-the-top with it. From the advantages in his mind of the continuing education SSI offers (vs others), as well as Cozumel, Micronesia, and other dive trips, I got quite a lot of product pitches over the two days.  I didn't even realize that till I was trying to recruit extended family (certified) onto a dive trip with me. It was very well executed. In all, our experience with Matt was great. My son loved his dives, I got to enjoy some semi-solo dives, the skills work went without a hitch, and my son is excited to head to his next dive, whatever it may be.  Thank you to Dolphin, from a very satisfied customer. read more

Dolphin Scuba Center - Lake Tahoe dive prep - Scuba Diving Near Me - Sacramento, California

Best dive shop I've ever been in bar none! The also have a pool on premises for teaching scuba diving. They have a awesome repair an checkout facility an factory certified of course. They also organize dive trips local an to many exotic locations. read more

Knowledgeable people. Fair prices. Good selection Great service. Wish they would go back to PADI from SSI

We came in to purchase snorkel gear for a trip to Hawaii. Dessie was absolutely phenomenal! She helped us find the right gear, at the right price and made sure everything fit just perfectly. She was very patient as we tried on lots of different types of fins until we found just the right pair. She even give it gave us tips on the new sunscreen laws in Hawaii. When we come back we will definitely ask for Dessie. read more

I am doing my open water certification with Dolphin Scuba. The people are amicable. I had problems with equalizing, and they have been extra patient with me. They also have open water pool sessions between 2-3 pm weekdays. You can test your gear or practice. They also sell and rent equipment out. Wetsuits, bcds, regulators, air tanks are available for rent. read more

I provided a fairly brutal review after visiting the week of 11/29. None of the observations I thought were below the belt. The owner did reach out to me and for that I must congratulate him and his business. He did the most important things which are apologize for the experience and more importantly explain why the store had a rough day and corrective action going forward. I do have a philosophy that the speed in which one hands out criticism should be matched by the same speed when pointing out something done well or correctly. Accordingly, I did promise to amend my review. Originally, I was certified at Dolphin and it was excellent. The teaching tips I learned have kept me safe and been used in non-diving water activities. I will go back and buy a BCD and will contact the owner per his request. I believe my experience will be very different and then I will amend this review to a full five (5) stars. The owner has run this business successfully for thirty five (35) years. It was clear to me in a very tough environment how Dolphin has stayed in business when so many retail establishments have disappeared. Well done on the owners part. read more

Always great service at Dolphin Scuba. Jason is a great salesman with lots of knowledge about product as he's a seasoned diver. He's very patient as we made decisions on some initial product purchases. No-pressure sales and no attitude. At this point in Sacramento, there's no reason for me to go anywhere else. Thank you Jason for all your help! I'm sure we will see you again! read more

So after being there for years, the new "Aquatics Director" Stacy, would not allow us to reschedule a make up class. They took my money and provided no service. But gee she "understood my frustration" because "it isn't fair." Life is not fair, but in business, we need to provide services that were PAID FOR in advance. What isn't fair is we have been paying for my special needs granddaughter to swim since APRIL. She was passed around like a bag of Dorritos because they cannot keep their swim instructors. The majority of the instructors were trying to be best friends with the kids rather than correcting their swim mistakes. So if you want to teach your kids to swim, find another location. If you want pandemonium, chaos, lack of communication and struggles, go ahead with the Dolphin Swim School. read more

I was always curious about what it would take to Scuba, so I took the Try Scuba class at Dolphin. Actually I was expecting gorgeous underwater videos and information to encourage people to sign up for their programs - but none of that. We reviewed some basic safety and gear info, then went right into the water with full equipment. Dennis, Sarah, and Ben were wonderfully helpful (and patient) in making sure each of us were comfortable and competent. It was a great experience! Just wished I had done it before. Next step - certification! read more

We scuba certified together as a family. The staff is amazingly helpful, knowledgeable & dedicated to customer satisfaction. There were no hidden fees or costs that we were not aware of up front. We appreciated that. read more

Dolphin Scuba Center - Final dive certification in Tahoe. Our instructors were AMAZING & so patient. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Sacramento, California

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At first I was just irritated with my dealings with the Dolphin Scuba Center, but now after getting back home with a functional snorkel mask and checking their website, I am really ticked off. I urge people to be cautious about doing business with this company. A friend recommended going to this store to get a snorkel mask with corrective lenses. She said that they have many corrective lenses in stock and that she was able to purchase and go home with her new mask during her one visit. Early in March I went to Dolphin Scuba to purchase a snorkel mask for myself. I brought my eyeglass prescription with me. The gentleman who assisted me looked at the prescription and then went to see if there were lenses available. There were not any in stock for the corrective number he was looking for, so I agreed to special order them and paid in full for the mask and lenses. I was not able to try on any sample corrective lenses to see if I could see clearly because he said that they did not have any available. I also paid $8 to have them shipped to my home in Davis when the store received them as I don't get into Sacramento much at all and wanted to avoid making a second trip to Dolphin Scuba. My mask arrived a week later but was unusable. The new mask made everything even blurrier than without my glasses. I contacted my optometrist and he said that Dolphin Scuba had used the wrong numbers from my prescription, they had used the final number (a plus number for reading) instead of the first number (a negative number for distance,) a major mistake from a business who should know better. I contacted Dolphin Swim and asked them to correct their mistake. They told me to come back in or mail the mask back. Since I had already paid them to ship the mask to me so I wouldn't have to come back so that was not an acceptable solution. The owner finally got on the line and said that I should come in so that they could try different lenses on me to see which would work the best. So I drove back to the store (one hour round-trip each time BTW) The owner looked at my prescription, acknowledged that the wrong numbers were used, and then went to get lenses for me to try. I guess the mask I did buy did not have the correct lens in stock because he came back with a different mask with corrective lenses. These worked great, I was able to see perfectly through the mask. He then asked for my receipt so that he could input the exchange into their system. After he did this, he made a comment that the new mask was $35 more than the one I had purchased but he would not charge me because of the inconvenience I had been caused by them. I asked for a bottle of anti-fog spray too. He repeated that the mask was $35 more but agreed to the spray, a whole $5.95 retail (which doesn't even cover the $8 for the shipping I paid, let alone the extra trip to Sacramento.) Now for the rest of the story: I checked out their website to see what mask I ended up with and compare it to what I had first purchased from Dolphin Scuba. The price for both on their website for mail order was substantially less money than what I had paid. I first purchased a Deep Sea mask for $59.98. That mask is currently online for $39.97. I ended up with an Oceanic ION 2. Retail in the store is $83.98 however, online it is on sale for $49.97 (so $10 less than what I had paid for the Deep Sea mask) A friend accompanied me on my return visit and she decided to buy a mask with corrective lenses too. She bought the Oceanic ION 2 at the full retail price of $83.98 as well as other items. We both feel ripped off. read more

Great selection of regulators. High to low end. We researched our needs and called. We were shown regulator's that matched our needs. I felt our needs were more important than anything else. Regulator that we saw on line was priced higher in the store. Price was matched! All items that connected to the regulator were attached and tested by service dept. We were informed how to maintain and clean all parts. Great experience! read more

Joining them was so easy! No fuss. When I called, they answered the phone and were so professional. I didn't have to leave a message and wait for a call back like other places. Then, when I arrived as a walk-in, I was greeted immediately by a team member. That person directed me over to Tanith who was ready to help me and answer my questions about the types of classes they offer and their schedule. (I have two little boys that love to swim and need to practice on their technique.) Tanith was so helpful and so nice. She made it easy to sign my boys up for as long as I wanted and on the day and time that I wanted. Wow! Excellent offerings for the new customer! What great customer service! I love that Dolphin is equipped to progress with the student as the student swimmer advances in technique and age. They are set up to teach swimming techniques as well as scuba diving. Obviously, scuba diving will be on our to-do list as a family once the boys are old enough. The other nice thing about Dolphin Scuba Center is that they do NOT demand keeping your credit card on file for billing purposes. They allow you to pay in advance in order to avoid my having to keep my credit card in their database. Anyone who has been a victim of fraud understands my concerns with letting anyone keep their credit card info on file. It's obvious that if government agencies and large corporations like Target or Home Depot cannot keep your credit card information safe, then there's no reason for me to expect that anyone can. This is why I prefer to NEVER leave my information available and vulnerable in any database. And, here at Dolphin Scuba Center, they made it easy for me, as a customer, to feel comfortable, safe, and accommodated. I am looking forward to many years of fun swimming and scuba at Dolphin Scuba Center. It's no wonder they have been around many decades! read more

The phone system is so unorganized. When you call and ask to speak to swim they always sound annoyed. The employees have little to no customer service experience. They always rude. I would not recommend swim lessons here for your kids. I put my twins in swims lessons semi private. Which is two kids to one instructor. But I have to get into the water with them. Which is no problem however. They are directing my son more than my daughter. I have to ask them over and over what to do with her. We do the same thing every week we are not advancing any skills, I asked for a certain instructor thinking my kids would do better. We are never placed with her. I prepaid for all of the lessons, they charge you per lesson. However, after multiple times complaining. I finally called and asked for a refund on the remaining four lessons. I was met with a condescending attitude by the assistant manager. Saying that they bill monthly. I pre-paid for all lessons before starting, and they charge by the lesson. She would not put me through to anyone above her and told me I had to email and wait for them to get back to me. I'm very disappointed from this experience in the amount of money I paid, hoping to get my kids, more comfortable and you know water safety. read more

Not sure about the actual store but their website leaves a lot to desired. Ordered a SEAC mask that was on sale online and they are quick to take your money and process your order. The problem they seem to have is actually having the product to fill your order. Apparently, their process is to search for your item for 6 days in their massive warehouse, hope for Devine intervention and when that fails send you an email cancelling your order. Here's a suggestion. Don't advertise stuff you don't have on your website. read more