I took the lifeguard certification at Gigglin' Marlin for Red Cross and I had no IDEA what I was getting myself into. The shop staff was nice and respectable and they loved their jobs. The instructor on the other hand, was unfocused, unwilling to get into the water, belittled us every chance he got, and learned nothing from him but to relax. There were moments where he left a class of nine students to teach a overlapping swim lesson... for an hour. This is just one instance where he left us unattended. The only reason we passed was a student was getting her certification and she was knowledgeable in the water. I wish no one this abominable experience, unless they train some new instructors and made sure that they did their job well instead of taking a back seat. read more

Been going here for kid swimming lessons for over a year and he loves it! They really teach the fundamentals and I know he's safe as possible in the water. All of the teachers show care in what they do. Special shout out to a Coach K, who's the best! They also have a dive shop inside. read more

My son took the scouting swim test here. The process was easy. They have a nice store that we could peruse while waiting for his test. There was some confusion around if I had to schedule an appointment or not (I didn't need to), but I got a confirmation via phone in advance that there was availability and no private party conflicts for the day I had in mind. read more

Horrible experience, took three of my children to get certified with me and we were the only people in the class that didn't cry. It was not a fun experience for anyone and now none of them are interested in diving on vacation. read more

Giggling and Marlin scuba shop has been an extraordinary journey of discovery, offering exceptional support and life-changing opportunities! Kelsey has been a phenomenal mentor, helping me soar in swimming, mermaid and scuba diving skills... I've joined Lifewaters dive club for open water certification and Nubian divers club! EXCITED to see what the future holds!!! read more

I recently got my PADI open water certification here. The instructors Doug and Juan get 5 stars in my opinion. They were extremely friendly, knowledgable, passionate and safety oriented. Unfortunately there were too many rental equipment issues. During the first non-pool (lake) dive my tank started gushing air uncontrollably right before jumping off the dock. This was apparently due to a busted O-ring. I understand things happen but this was extremely disconcerting as I was about to enter the water for my first "real" dive. Other people in my small group had issues as well, including someone who had a leaking secondary air regulator. This was inconvenient for the PADI skills drills (practicing switching to secondary air) but would've been a real danger if there was an actual emergency underwater. I also don't understand why they require you to buy weights for the PADI course. I just assumed that it's something all divers need to have because I didn't know otherwise, but in reality I'll never use them again because use of dive weights is included in the cost of virtually all recreational excursions. No one travels on vacation with 10-20lbs of weights in their suitcase. I spent ~$150 on weights when they could've just rented them to me. On a positive note, the shop staff was very patient taking the time to help me find the perfect fitting mask, fins, etc. If this place is convenient to you I recommend it due to the quality instructors, otherwise I wouldn't go out of my way to take classes here. And if you do, definitely look to buy used or cheap dive weights elsewhere because a weight is a weight and you'll never use them after the class. read more

I write reviews often to help my fellow consumer be more educated in the decisions to engage with a business or purchase a product. I was referred to Gigglin Marlin by a friend who had been a customer for quite a while and raved about the shop, employees and instructors. With 2020 causing wide spread chaos I was looking for a place to relax, learn deeper diving skills, get expert gear advice, and find others who are adventurous. During 2020 and 2021 I completed 6 PADI and 1 SDI training course. Course Director and Instructor John Lachelt is extremely impressive with his vast depth of knowledge, extensive dives logged, and technical understanding of dive gear. John is a perfect instructor, patient and I highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn basics or expand advanced skills. When inquiring and shopping for dive gear the experts are there to help guide you sharing the pros and cons, fitting gear, and making gear adjustments for the ideal configuration. The shop also has a full service maintenance department and those technicians are well trained, experienced and think safety. They can explain how to maintain, store and protect your gear for years of safe usage. If you love to dive, snorkel, or just swim then Gigglin Marlin is a fantastic place to find it. If you stop by you may even find me in the pool, or browsing the shop aisles for new gear. read more

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signed up for a refresher dive, purely discretionary. I was given a disclaimer form before the dive. One question was do I suffer from seasickness and I checked Yes as I regularly take something for motion sickness on the ocean. GMD refused to let me dive in their POOL without a signed note from my doctor. Funny, I used GMD the previous year for refresher dive and all was well with no refusal of service. THey aren't cheap so and they aren't close to me so I'm gonna try another one. I was stunned. read more

These people do not know Poseidon regulators, and they do not give a damn. I have numerous issues with getting my regulators serviced here. My order was, break down a doubles long-hose configuration, replace hoses with rubber ones and attach the two second stages to a new Poseidon Black first stage (which they were to order). I also wanted to upgrade the console to a three-spot one from the two-spot one I have. Prior to even getting into the nitty-gritty, the owner tried to sell me a regulator, I came in to spend a few hundred bucks but he wanted to make almost two thousand on this mark instead. I told him I was not interested right from the start, but he continued on for about twenty-odd minutes trying to sell me on the idea of sidemount and the benefits of a turret. I have done technical diving with doubles and a deco bottle before, but my number of technical dives is less than twenty. This guy tries to hold me upside down and shake me until money comes out. The first issue I had was there was a lady working there who never bothered to listen to what I was asking to have done, I repeated myself three times before I even left the store. I am not sure this lady even knows how to breathe, when she did actually call and leave a message she just left her name NOT the company she works for. I actually did remember her name though, because she was so incompetent (think bad Home Depot employee). Second issue, the staff, other than the owner, is not trained to order parts; it took about an hour just to get the order put into the register. I called them about a week after the month service time initially quoted, but the technician had no idea what I was talking to and was going to ask me to repeat myself yet again. At this point I asked for the owner and chewed him out. He managed to talk me down, mostly because they already had my equipment and already had five weeks (and a new first stage) invested in them. Admittedly, I was furious with them at this point, sick to death of repeating myself in vain. I called them about a week and a half after chewing the owner out, and my regulators were supposedly ready. When I went to retrieve my regulators I received another unwelcome surprise that they had ordered a standard Poseidon Deep Black Extreme (with a metal-colored housing) rather than the Poseidon Deep Black Extreme (with a black-colored housing). Their excuse was the descriptions are the same, well the prices are not the same and the part number sure as heck is not the same. This tells me that not only did they not check the part number when they ordered, but even worse, the technician did not check the part number when he/she/it performed the maintenance. Nobody reviewed the ticket prior to confirming the order was ready either, nobody gives a damn, or worse is competent enough to check. A lady, same last name as owner, offered to call Poseidon on Monday to try and get another special edition first stage to replace the one they misordered. However, I bought one of the last two special editions to match the one this illustrious shop was supposed to order for me. Now I have mismatched regulators, but I think a better store might be able to help me resolve Gigglin' Marlin's mistakes. I told them I am never coming back and just want my regulators, which they gave me. The lady did offer to mail the fixed regulators to me, but at this point I was completely out of patience and have doubts they could even mail the regulator to the right place.... I also doubt the service quality of the job, so I am paying another shop to check their work. The logic is, if they lack sufficient attention to detail to check a part number then what chance do they have with checking a critical seal or seal surface on a regulator component? The reason this is not a one star is I do not think they overcharged, and the owner took his well-deserved scolding well (I swore at him, yelled and talked poorly about his employees). I have seen "Diver's Ready's" comments on You tube about what what an ruse the "Padi five-star rating" is, and boy was that ever true with this place. To paraphrase Diver's Ready, "A five-star PADI place is one that hits metrics by churning out "trained" divers and "trained" instructors." The five-star rating has nothing to do with service quality, which Gigglin' Marlin's service quality really is abysmal. I think this place is no-good for anything beyond the standard recreational rig, but even then ask yourself, "Do you really want to engage a clearly incompetent organization with a risk-inherent activity such as scuba diving?" Think about that girl who died in the dry suit up in Montana. I did not engage with the instructors, but at this point they could be the best-of-the-best and I would not care because the sales & "service" department is one of the WORST I have ever seen (counting places like Home Depot and Walmart). I think Gigglin' gambled big on the location and cut back on staff quality. read more

I generally don't leave bad reviews. If I don't like a place, I just don't go back. The end. But the Scuba Diving Community is a really special one where everyone looks out for everyone else. Even in the busiest of shops, Divers are the friendliest, most welcoming people who understand how important it is to not only love your gear, but to make sure you're absolutely informed about every ounce of every feature on every piece of equipment. It's kinda what I love most about this community. Boyfriend and I were in town from Austin for the UFC fight. We arrived in Houston early to visit different shops and research (and purchase!) my first BCD. He was also gifting me a brand new mask for my birthday. All of this is to say, we came to spend. This was our third shop of the day so I pretty much had narrowed down the features I wanted for both my new mask and first BCD. Shops are always crazy busy on Saturdays with swim lessons, diving classes, etc. so we had no issues wandering around the shop until someone was available to assist us. Finally a nameless person who never introduced herself to us asked if we needed help. I specially told her I was looking for women's BCD without the cumber bun - something along the lines of the Zeagle Zena. (Pretty specific, right? Certainly enough information to let her know that I'm not exactly a nube). They didn't have a Zeagle, only had Scuba Pro - which, cool, a lot of shops carry a limited number of brands. Unfortunately, there weren't any on the floor so she had to pull one off the wall. No biggie, except I noticed the one she pulled down had a sticker insider that said Men's Large. She's a diver. She told me she is a diver. She should know that men's BCDs are not cut for a woman's body -- they're usually too long on the waist and don't always comfortably accommodate boobs, hence designs specifically for women. When I pointed out to her that she pulled down a men's style, she asked me if I wanted a smaller size. I told her, no, I wanted a women's style. She responded that a smaller size would fit the same. I thanked her for her time and we left. read more

We were excited to return to swimming lessons for our kids after being here previously for 2 years. We scheduled well in advance only to arrive at the first lesson, be treated as strangers, and essentially asked to leave (our kids were beginner level and there were two other kids in the same class that were not), despite us being the first to arrive, instructor preferred to teach the other two kids that arrived late. So we had to get our kids out of the water and explain to them why they could not swim on that day. Since then, I've requested a refund (on multiple occasions) and yet to get a single response or acknowledgment of this request. I.e .they are charging me for a service that I did not receive. This is very unfortunate because the area in which this place is located needs these types of services for families with children. It's clear they do not care for the people in the community they are located. UPDATE. Got a very irate and rude voicemail from a representative of this company today. As I mentioned in my initial review, I contacted this company multiple times to get a refund (with no response, phone call, or acknowledgment that they received my request and someone will be reaching out). Given this, what am I supposed to do short of contacting my credit card company and disputing the charge? 1) They need to treat returning customers better. 2) I should have gotten a prompt response once we canceled, instead I had to send multiple emails (over the course of 2 weeks) requesting a refund. 3) See #1. Very unprofessional but I'm glad that they are showing their true colors that they have no intention to be a constructive citizen of this community. UPDATE. Contrary to the owner's response: 1. Never did we say our kids were anything BUT beginner swimmers. That comment is flat-out untrue. 2. If he was there at the time, he was not visible. At no point did he come out and try and either accommodate or help to resolve the situation. We were essentially asked to leave after booking well in advance and being the first in the class to arrive (they chose to accommodate others that arrived later). This was a complete waste of time and lack of effort on their part to accommodate returning customers that live in the neighborhood. 3. My last resort was to dispute the credit card charges given the lack of response I got from the company. There was never a request to refund twice. Yet I still got the rude, irate message from their representative because of me not wanting to pay for a service I didn't receive (and their inability or unwillingness to respond to or acknowledge my refund request). Note, I never got a response only the aforementioned message once the dispute went through. 4. Most disappointing, we were returning customers (that live in the community) and treated like total strangers by everyone that was working there (staff and teachers all of which we had recently interacted with). read more

Wow! Cozumel trip was amazing! Sold on their trips. They make everything so fun and easy. Have been going to Gigglin for years. Got PADI certified with them. They have a great indoor pool and nice classrooms. One time I had issues with some gear I bought there, not the shops fault, and they worked with the manufacturer and resolved everything. I've been to Cozumel before, but not like this, spectacular diving, great crew and boat. read more

The new location is great- even in Aug heat all the overhead doors open give a nice breeze. The entire place is clean and well kept- ditto bathroom changing room. The water is salt based rather than chlorinated. Our swim instructor very direct but good natured. I appreciated focus on safety in and around water and "what if" senarios so each child can examine possible situations and problem solve. Instruction on basics like straight arms and feet paddling were on target age appropriate. We purchased family membership so "free swim" would be available. Parents should be aware that pool goes from 4'6" to 12 feet. A small underwater platform is available during lessons for beginner swimmers. read more

Gigglin' Marlin Dive & Swim - Giggling Marlin offers swim lessons - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I literally drove 4 hours just to take the spearfishing class that Gigglin' Marlin teaches. I'm pretty sure Gigglin' Marlin has the best/only Spearfishing course available in Texas. The class was better than I ever expected. Extremely informative, and the teacher/owner "Bill" was an absolute joy to learn from. He is extremely passionate about diving and spearfishing. The day after the class there was an actual underwater spearfishing course that you get to practice in which was awesome. Last thing, the spearfishing class that is taught is an actual SDI certification, and guess who authored the course that is now recognized around the world? Freaking Bill. If you live in Texas and are interested in spearfishing, I cannot recommend learning at Gigglin' Marlin enough. read more

Extra upset, shock and honest very angry at how negligent this place is. The teachers were not responsive by any means when my 4 YEAR OLD niece slipped under the water while they WEREN'T watching here and almost DROWNED and my sister had to jump in and save her god for bid. And then the teachers didn't even give any attention to the situation like nothing happens. Will NEVER come back. will NEVER recommend. A law suit waiting to happen. WORST experience!!! read more

Great pool! Clean place and friendly staff! Even during COVID I feel safe there as they keep capacity low and the place spotless.

We had a couple of great experiences with Gigglin Marlin this week I'd like to pass on. 1) We took a Nitrox course from Katie who was incredibly enthusiastic about diving and very knowledgeable about the course contents and scuba diving in general. She made a fun and interesting course out of what could be some pretty dry material if not presented so well. She's even almost convinced me to give cave diving a try, horrors! 2) Mustafa helped us out by putting some specialized oxygen-line fittings onto a replacement section of tubing. We could tell he has some solid technical skills, but he just did this minor job for us in his spare time and saved us a bunch of fiddling around. He also noticed a minuscule leak around the threads of a pressure gauge on an oxygen tank last week and fixed it up properly before giving it back to us. That's the attitude of a real craftsman at work, doing the job 100% right. Thanks again guys! read more

I heard about one of the staff members openly insult a customer on her weight while looking for equipment. The store itself may not be bad, but that staff member is read more

I finally decided on buying a BCD that would grow with me as my experience grew and after research I found that the best one for me would be the HOG TBCS and Gigglin Marlin had it in stock, before I came there I called to make sure it was in stock and the staff I talked to was amazing. When I went in to actually purchase it and I wish I remembered names the gentleman at the counter went out of his way to answer my questions and when I called later with a question they once again went out of their way to make sure I got the answer I needed I am hoping to get to go on one of their dive trips because I know these are the people I can dive with. read more

I took snorkeling lessons from Suzanne and learned some really good tricks to clear out my mask without sucking in sea water, as well as increase my ability to dive to the bottom of the pool and swim longer distances under the surface. I'm so pumped to go to some tropical destination to use my new skills! In the meantime, I'll have to put in some more practice in a pool or lake. They are also super helpful when it comes to picking the right gear for your needs. They offer scuba certification and organize dive trips all over the world throughout the year. I'll definitely be signing up for that soon! read more

Passing along thanks to Tonya and the folks at Gigglin' Marlin for our fantastic diving experience in Roatan. A trip delayed 2 years by Covid could not have been better. Tonya rebooked our 2020 diving trip with accommodations at Anthony's Key Resort. Divemaster (Edwin), equipment, food, lodging and service were all first class. Our kids were certified through Gigglin' Marlin in 2018 and their training came back to them quickly. This was our first post-Covid trip as a family and can't thank Tonya and Gigglin' Marlin enough for their efforts in ensuring we had a memorable experience. read more

Being a scuba diver was a dream of mine. When a Groupon deal for Open Water Diver Certification at Gigglin Marlin popped up, my husband and I jumped on it. This investment (details below) was our Christmas present to each other. The staff at Gigglin Marlin is phenomenal. I never met a bunch so friendly and accommodating. They make you feel like part of their family. I'll name drop to give everyone the props they deserve. *Tonya is a truly involved owner and she runs a tight ship with excellent staffers. *Jesse & Jonathan, you are both awesome and knowledgeable salespeople without pressuring us too much. *Lauren is efficient during the messy business of distributing rental items amongst a class of people. *John is the go-to guy for gear rental, and you can't help but love that mustache topped smile. *Nicole and Randy are amazing dive masters and always there just when you thought you were lost, alone and underwater. *ADDITIONAL PROPS for my instructors Ron Clark and Tom Nylander. These two are scuba diving bad asses. They make a great team in teaching and in the water. Ron is calm, gentle and always has an answer to your most obscure question. Tom is firm in the most important lessons, and is a strong, comforting presence in the water with you. When you take classes at Gigglin Marlin, GET THESE GUYS. __________ Financial investment: OW certification is an investment in yourself because it isn't something you should do on a whim for a weekend of fun -- this class will change your life. I'll be detailed because I was slightly naive before going in to this. Below is the average price I invested for ONE person. - OW Class via Groupon: $200 Gear you MUST buy for the Open Water Diver Certification class: - Mask: $40 online, $80-100 in store. We bought in store originally, and found identical masks online for 50% off. Mares brand is our preference. - Snorkel: $16 online. It's just a tube you breathe from on the surface. Buy it cheap online. Promate is the brand we chose. - Booties: $25 online. In store they are $44, but we actually found pairs we liked better online. I'd recommend you stick with whatever pair feels better on your feet. NeoSport is the brand we ended up with. - Fins (not 'flippers' I quickly learned): $50 (high-end used) to $80 (low-end new) to $200+ (high-end new). We bought our fins in store because the fit really does make a difference. If you order online, definitely try on in store first. Mares and Aeris are the brands we chose. - Weights & Belt: ~$35 Craigslist and Ebay. Weights are EXPENSIVE ($4/lb in store) and you should go as cheap as possible on this (IMO) because there is no way it will malfunction and no proper fitting required. It's just lead weight strapped to you. - Mask defog: $4.86 online, and you're stupid if you don't buy this. - Mask cleaner: $2.99 in store, and you could always use toothpaste. Additional fees required for OW class: - 288 Lake entry fee: $17/day x 2 days = $34 - Dive master gratuity: $20 x 2 DMs = $40. This cost is up to you, but our dive masters were helpful and passionate. Optional fees based on staff recommendations due to weather: - Drysuit specialty course deal for winter OW classes: $99. We were hesitant to put up the extra cash for this, but I'm glad we did. We were toasty in our drysuits in 50 degree water, plus we got an additional certification all in one swoop. TOTAL INVESTMENT: $500+ per person. Keep in mind that this number is probably on the low end due to me getting a Groupon, online purchasing and Craigslist bargain hunting. __________ Reason for 4 stars: Limited selection of sizes of rental gear and gear for purchase. I'm a curvy girl, and I had trouble fitting in to the drysuits that were available for rental. They were all mens sizes, so my hips and bust would be tight, but I'd have extra material on my legs and stomach. This made me feel more awkward than I would have liked on my first few dives. I also wanted to try on some wetsuits for purchase, but they only had 1 in my size. There seemed to be a limited selection of fin colors and sizes. For instance, the Aeris Mako fins my husband got come in 5 different sizes and 5 different colors, but they only had 2 pairs available, so if you need fins immediately, you take whatever color is available in your size. There were quite a few different brands and prices of fins. It seems like they keep the basic sizes and colors in stock, and the staff encourages ordering other colors and sizes. ___________ BOTTOM LINE: So, was it worth it? YES! Get your open water diving certification (or continue your Scuba education) and do it at Gigglin Marlin. read more

Gigglin' Marlin Dive & Swim - All geared up for our final lake dives! L-R, DM Nicole, my husband, Instructor Tom, me, student Sergio, Instructor Ron. - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Houston, Texas

They try to up sell ANYTHING; and for new divers, it's really hard to tell. So beware. read more

This place is THE place to go in Houston for dive equipment and classes! Our Venture Crew needed to get PADI certified in order to go to Seabase (a scout camp in Florida) and SCUBA dive. We went to several dive shops and were basically ignored until we found Gigglin Marlin. They worked with our schedules and got us Open Water certified with plenty of time to spare. As for our experience in the store, can't be beat. All the staff there are friendly and answer any questions you may have from both technical knowledge and personal experiences. They look to make you more comfortable rather than push the thing that is more expensive, but doesn't fit your need. So, If you need any dive gear or want to take some dive classes, this is the place to go. Just to add, I am not an employee of Gigglin Marlin and am not profiting in anyway by posting this. This place is just that awesome. read more

Fantastic hidden gem for anything dive-related. Gear priced competitively to online digs & you don't have to wait for it to ship!

There are many great things to say about Gigglin Marlin: Tonya Merritt manages a well-run organization with deep knowledge about Scuba training and supplies. Extensive products available. Courses offered from beginner to advanced. Master Instructor John Lachelt is extremely impressive. He was a perfect instructor and I highly recommend him. I was surprised that we had to purchase weights, which were very pricey. When we went diving at our destination, the Scuba place provided weights and said they didn't see why an instruction shop would require students to buy weights. The weights are too heavy to bring in our luggage. Added to the fins, boots, and masks, the weights are one hidden cost too many. read more

I took the Emergency First Responder and Rescue Diver Course through Gigglin' Marlin. My reason for taking this course was primarily to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform basic life support and be confident in my ability to rescue divers in distress. I am writing to express the incredible job that Daniel did as an instructor. He is, by far, the best PADI Instructor I have ever had the pleasure to be a student of. Daniel's deep knowledge of diving and further the requirements to become a competent rescue diver were impressive and built confidence in my abilities. I asked Daniel to be tough on me at the beginning, and he was. He ensured I truly mastered the skills necessary to achieve this certification and because of that, I feel confident I can assist a diver in distress. Daniel is thoughtful, thorough, knowledgeable, and shares invaluable insight into the reasoning behind the skills needed. In my opinion, Daniel upheld the strongest standards of PADI and should be commended. I will also say that I witnessed other shops in the area hold their Rescue Diver Courses at Lake 288. In my opinion, what those shops are calling Rescue Diver Certification is laughable and I am glad I did not enroll in this class with anyone else other than Gigglin' Marlin. Should I seek any additional certs in the future, I will certainly return to Gigglin', and ask that Daniel provide the training. I will also recommend Gigglin' Marlin and Daniel to any fellow/prospective divers. read more

I just got my PADI Open Water Diver Scuba certification with GMD and had a wonderful experience. I bought a Groupon and they were so accommodating when I kept pushing my start date back because I kept having things come up and you need to do all your classes in the same week to avoid having to change classes and instructors and incur a reschedule fee (I believe if you pay for a private class you can tailor it to your own schedule though). Also when I wanted (pink) fins and they didn't have in my size they went out of their way to rush order them for me so I would have them in time for my dives and even covered the express fee. I had Greg P. for my instructor and he is awesome. Greg has practically encyclopedic knowledge of all things SCUBA and was always really patient and really cares about his students. I had 4 other people in my class and I think we all really appreciated him and everything he did. Same goes for our Dive Master Scott. I'm already half-way through my Advanced Open Water Diver certification and look forward to doing many more dives with GMD. read more

I love Gigglin Marlin dive shop! Huge facility with lots of gear. The best indoor pool in Houston hands down. Active dive club with fun activities every month. Great place. read more

Gigglin' Marlin Dive & Swim - The 2014 Cozumel group. Nobody does group dive trips better than Gigglin' Marlin Divers! So much fun. - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Houston, Texas

I have passed this building a bazillion times over the past 20 years and never knew what was available inside. I just completed an amazing snorkel lesson with a phenomenal instructor. Check out all that they have to offer read more

Wow, what an exciting week at Gigglin' Marlin! We didn't know what to expect but Joe had us rolling the entire time. We didn't have any problems telling him what a budget was, he helped us out from each and every item we needed and didn't need right away. Joe and the crew were very nice and very informative with the upcoming dive schedule. They made us feel calm and answered all of our questions. The divers certification week went by pretty quickly, and although the pool was fun to get our gear wet, the trip to San Marcos for the Spring Lake dives were AMAZING! A special thank you to Christina and diver master, Jared for keeping us safe and showing us such a great time! I highly recommend Joe, Christina and Jared but everyone at the shop is super nice and great to work with as well! read more

This place is AMAZING! They have very friendly and professional staff, nice pool, small classes. It's a great place to get your licenses or to learn how to swim! Our instructor Katie. I can not ask for anyone better than her, she's the BEST! She's informative, highly skilled, friendly, patient, fun, and most importantly she's someone you can rely on. It's not common to see all those good qualities in one person! Highly recommended! I'll definitely go back for events or classes! read more

So they'e updated the parking situation, so you know where you can actually park. Alas, 7 parking spots is still not enough. Unsure if you can park in the lot of the somewhat abandoned establishment behind it (but I parked there anyway once I saw the "lot" was full and the street parking is a mess). Gigglin Marlins still has the latest and the greatest equipment. After visiting a few dive shops in Chicago, I appreciated the fact that Gigglin makes the effort to carry the latest in technology even more. I was trying to buy my mother the Lava Core wetsuit, which they carry (good luck finding anyone else carrying it in a store) -- and this is the wetsuit that beats all wetsuits. They carry a better variety of sizes now, and was able to find the perfect sleeveless Lave Core hood. Price was right. They fixed my new dive computer (that I shamelessly stole from my mother) and attached it to my octo without charging me. They even carried weight belts, (different kinds and sizes) which a LOT of places poo-poo. Why have a weight belt when every new BCD has integrated weights? Because I HATE integrated weights, it doesn't give the proper weight distribution I want. Well, they had plenty of sizes and nice ones too. I couldn't even find this on leisurepro! read more

Seller stole my money. I retuned a wetsuit over a year ago and they received it, but have failed to return my money

My husband and both of my oldest sons received their scuba certification from this place. The process was enjoyable and easy. They sell equipment at the school but I chose to purchase some on Amazon. I will say that the quality and price of some of the items were far better at the shop than online, I just did not want to spend that much money for my young sons. We have also attended parties at the pool and enjoyed the experience. My husband is now looking into getting his next certification and we are sure it will be at Gigglin' Marlin. read more

UPDATED: Chase bank had closed BOTH of my disputes against this dive shop. They realized what Bill did was wrong and I was refunded the FULL amount I paid for. Lesson learned! Always use your card so that you are always have a legal team to help you against those people like these guys. I can't even imagine how it would have turned out if I ended using cash... read more

Having just completed Open Water certification at Gigglin Marlin, I couldn't be happier with my experience with the instruction, team and dive shop. I have no reservations about recommending that my friends go to Gigglin Marlin for their diving needs in Houston. Every time I've gone into the dive shop, I was welcomed by the staff, and I'm far from a big spender ... The only things I've purchased from them are a mask and two slates, but that fact hasn't changed the way they've treated me. If you're looking to learn or continue scuba in the Houston area, check out Gigglin Marlin. Parking isn't the best near the dive shop, but that's more a product of their convenient location than an oversight on their part. read more

I wanted to get my dive certification for years, but it wasn't until I planned my honeymoon to Curacao that I decided to go for it. My fiance is a diver and I wanted to be able to share this activity with him. I decided to start my class 6 weeks before my wedding. I wouldn't recommend adding this type of stress for a bride right before the wedding, but Gigglin' Marlin made the whole process easy and stress-free. They offered classes at multiple times and explained that they have ways to fit my busy schedule. I opted to go for a private certification with Dustin Mitchell - just to make sure my classes would be conducive to my calendar. Dustin was fantastic. He was informative and patient and has a wonderful sense of "calm" about him. He really calmed me down during a couple of "freak out moments" and was able to have me quickly laughing again and ready to go for it! Gigglin' Marlin is a great dive shop. They have the biggest gear selection I have seen in Houston. I got completely outfitted there and my fiance was able to make a few upgrades to his old gear. Bill at the shop even sold my fiance his personal Mares mask until the new one came in - all so that my fiance could dive with that mask on our honeymoon. Everyone in the shop is friendly and helpful! They always remember my name - even after the very first visit! Getting my SCUBA certification was truly one of the biggest accomplishments of my life, and I am so very glad I got it through Gigglin' Marlin. I would recommend them to anyone - no matter what level of diver! read more

Great dive shop. Off the bat, the owners took the time to make a personal assessment and layout a lesson plan based on experience and interest. And they continue to accommodate my schedule so I can progress. The personalized nature comes right from the owners and extends to the instructors. Recently I did a Drysuit course with Daniel B and I can't say enough good things about his method and intensity. He immediately recognized my enthusiasm and drive to get things right. Daniel quizzed me a bit to get a baseline. Then in the pool he pushed hard and he ran the drills again and again with some real intensity - and he even stayed late (after teaching a full day) when I asked to go back and run them one more time. Along the way he started introducing future skills little by little - knowing what direction I want to go with my diving progression. At the lake he continued to throw skills and drills my way underwater and took the time to answer questions and share his own experience at the surface. The debrief was super thorough and full of great first-hand tips. And he had some great suggestions for future dives both within my skillset and beyond - goals to aim for. GREAT instructor, I look forward to more dives with Daniel and Gigglin' Marlin. read more

Dive Instructor= A+++ Completed my Dive Certification with James and he literally Rocked the Class! He is an EXCELLENT communicator and always makes you feel comfortable. I am adventurous and love to try new things but I was still a little skeptical diving with all the gear at first. James demonstrated every skill and explained how we would feel and how to have fun and be safe. The class was 5 days and we were in the pool after day #2. I did my open water at Aquarina and couldn't be happier. Shop- Owner is so cool and she has been everywhere diving. There is a dive club that meets for a variety of events around town and diving excursions. I love the variety of gear and the staff at the dive shop as well. Everyone there has a lot of experience and makes you feel at home. The training pool is clean and beautiful. Very large which makes it fun to swim around in. I loved the experience and can't wait to do some more diving! read more