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Aquarius Dive Shop
14 reviews for Aquarius Dive Shop
14 reviews in English
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Review from Lisa R.
1/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Nice dive shop. Conveniently located on the way into Monterey. They also fill nitrox tanks. Sometimes the old guy that took over the shop is a bit curmudgeonly, but today he was pretty mellow.
Good selection of merchandise. -
Review from Erika G.
Boston, MA
3/10/2011
I thought the customer service at Aquarius was top notch. The man who helped us not only outfitted our full rental package but took the time to help us completely plan and map out our dive at Point Lobos down to which parking spot was the best in the park. Not being from the area this was extremely helpful and definitely appreciated. I also appreciated that they carry women's wetsuits :)
Additionally, we had both lost our snorkels on our last dive and he did not push us into the most expensive option but rather talked up the pros and cons of each option in the store.
But safety is paramount, and my boyfriends bc inflation hose button was difficult to push down. Even though he pointed this out as we tested the gear he was assured it would "be fine in the water" well... it wasn't and he needed to use two hands to even fill the bc with air, on top of that it was leaking. 50ft down you can't risk what else might be wrong with your equipment so we ended up doing a very shallow dive.
It was completely irresponsible of the shop to not have 100% safely functioning rental equipment. Because of this we will not return to rent equipment.Listed in: If You're Going to San…
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Review from Tim B.
Seaside, CA
2/4/2011
They rented me a leaking Buoyancy compensator so I couldn't do my dive one Saturday. Thanks for wasting my time, guys.
At best, this is poor customer service, and at worst it's downright dangerous to rent people faulty equipment. This store lacks basic professionalism.
I don't know why people come here; Bamboo Reef in Monterey is much more professional and well run. I have basically stopped shopping here. It is technically my closest "local" dive shop but I don't mind driving another 4 miles into Monterey to visit Bamboo Reef.
I will say that I experienced good customer service when I bought my regulator here; however that same employee has since left Aquarius and now works at Bamboo Reef! haha Thanks Rod, you're a rock star. -
Review from v v.
Mountain View, CA
4/20/2011
I have had the same experience as the other reviewers here with the woman having an attitude problem. The other people working in the store seemed indifferent to helping me as well. In general this place is not friendly or helpful.
I will for sure be going else where when I dive in Monterey. -
Review from Joyce L.
10/12/2007
A thought came to me the week before Columbus Day weekend... It's been 6 weeks since I moved to SF, and 8 weeks since my last dive.
I needed to get wet in Nor-Cal. BADLY. QUICKLY.
Have learnt from years of diving that scuba communities are very tight knit, and unfortunately I don't have any local contacts...Google is your BFF in situations like this.
I boiled my choices down to Aquarius, and Monterey Bay Dive Co. To be honest Aquarius won because of $... they're slightly cheaper in both rental and underwater guiding, and that's important for me as I needed to hire a lot more gear that I usually need.
Their rental gear is up to date and generally well maintained - would say the BCD and regs/ guages issued to me were of a better standard/ maintenance than ones I've rented from the Australian Great Barrier Reef day boats.
The only thing I would nit pick on was on the steel cylinders issued to me... they were a little rusty on the outside (but registration still in service so they're perfectly legal).
I found their staff professional and helpful - I liked how they want to watch you set up your kit in the shop... to ensure you are certified on paper and in practice. So many times I've seen shops rent out gear to people who are not ready (usually in popular resort areas).
As my buddy was newly certified we stuck up some sample but popular sites near the Monterey Pier. Whilst we didn't see anything spectacular (too much traffic in the water), it was still fun and the dive guide chose very well for a leisurely dive.
I have no hesitations going back to the same shop, but would probably experiment with a few more before settling on my favourite. -
Review from Justin S.
Stanford, CA
10/10/2010
I went to Aquarius today with a few of my friends and was very pleased with their service. The rental rates were pretty good, and the equipment was in pretty good shape. They could do with a few smaller size fins. My friend who is short like a hobbit but without the large feet had trouble renting fins small enough for her. Other than that though they were great.
After our dive I had problems with my personal gear. My pressure gauge was leaking. Rather than just fix the gauge for me, Bruce the owner showed me how to fix it myself so next time I'll know what to do. Not only that he didn't charge me for the help. I plan on going there again. Keep it up guys. -
Review from Steve N.
Pacifica, CA
3/25/2007
My favorite dive shop in the area. I haven't been to many of the others but if you're happy with the place you're to going why change?
I have a bought a large portion of my wardrobe from here because they have a cleaning station that's free and I always feel the need to buy something so I don't feel like a freeloader. -
Review from Mike M.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/4/2010
Woman who works here is extremely rude and unhelpful. I have stopped at Aquarius several times since learning to dive 3 years ago, since it is on the way from the Bay Area to both K dock for boat dives and breakwater for classes.
Yesterday, I stopped in for a new battery for my dive computer. I was greeted by a woman who was looking for any excuse not to help. Don't know the model number? Don't have the manual? Can't help you. Luckily another gentleman took the computer, opened the battery compartment (requires simple tools), and found the number. While they didn't have the part number, they called their other shop, and when they found it wasn't in stock advised me to go to CVS. Walked away disappointed, but felt the gentleman had genuinely tried to help.
Did my dives using tables, bought a battery at Radio Shack, and returned the next morning since I knew they had the tools to open the battery compartment to install it. The same woman greets me, man was nowhere in sight. "Can't help you, we don't carry your brand." I told her I had all the parts and just needed help swapping the battery, and that the man from yesterday was able to do so. "Can't help you, he is busy." Realizing she was actively avoiding being helpful, I left.
Went to Bamboo Reef, swapped battery in 30 seconds. I offered to pay but was told it was trivial. Those guys have earned my business by working to help solve my problems. I will drive the extra 3 mins to Bamboo Reef next time I need anything. -
Review from Brenna M.
Santa Cruz, CA
4/19/2010
Pros:
A great location. On and off the 1 in a zip. Parking is super great. Air fills reasonably priced.
Cons:
Extremely rude service.
Not my ideal dive shop. -
Review from Cory U.
Marina, CA
10/7/2011
I was a little apprehensive going into this shop after reading some of the reviews on here, but I had a pretty good experience. I came in just needing some help getting my battery out of my dive console and they were more than willing to help. I ended up buying one of their two-piece 7mm suits for $100. I don't think you can really go wrong with that. I'm going to head back over there next week to get my tank hydro tested and inspected for $45; I think that beats Bamboo Reef's $80.
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Review from Tristan M.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
7/19/2010
I had the same experience with the woman (owner? manager?) who works there. Went in for a simple purchase- attitude was that they were doing me a favor. For Monterey, go to one of the other shops- Bamboo Reef or Glen's Aquarius II (NOT affiliated with this Aquarius shop). Who would think running a dive shop could make somebody so grumpy?
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Review from Brandon B.
Salinas, CA
4/13/2010
As a "regular" Monterey diver, this is the best shop hands down. Now some people may know I DM here, but I have also offered the same service to other Monterey shops, they are the only ones that took me up on it. However, well before I was a DM here I was a customer and student for numerous certification classes.
There are several reasons why this THE shop to go to in Monterey...
1) Air Fills. All air is "Hyperclean/O2 Service" certified air, but they bank 32% Nitrox, can fill argon, and fill your tanks in a cool water bath. You can also get partial pressure fills to whatever EAN mix you want (assuming you are certified).
2) Parking, not only is there a LOT of it, but its free.
3) This is a Scubapro shop through and through. I have owned several brands of various pieces of gear, but in the end I have learned Scubapro is the way to go. Not only do you get free parts for life on your regular annual services, but they are excellent when it comes to customer service. The shop does excellent work on servicing, and I have no problem trusting my life to the gear once it comes back from them.
4) Rinse bins are another huge convenience. When I first started diving I would rinse my gear at home, I quickly learned that not only did it take a lot of time to fill up my Rubbermaid tub, but it took a lot of water. Plus now when I get home all I have to do is hang it up to dry.
Also as far as I know they are the only PADI 5 Star IDC, so if you are local and want to become an instructor or continue down the instructor path this is the place to go! -
Review from Dan A.
Albany, CA
11/17/2010
I avoid this shop but have been there many times over past few years, and have often witnessed very bad service. I hate bringing students in there as the experience often dampens their enthusiasm about diving. Read the two "filtered" review by clicking the link near the bottom of the page.
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Review from M B.
Ventura, CA
9/25/2009
my wife and I are new divers and have been out about a dozen times. we took a trip to monterey in hopes of having a great time at the aquarium and then diving. we set up a rental at aquarius and called ahead to make sure all was set. we went a day early to get fitted and were made to feel as if we were more than bothering the woman owner. she was with other people and said we should come back later in the day. we were on vacation and to come back later didnt fit in our schedule. we were the customers not the other way around. we finally got her to help us and got fitted. the service was awful. we contemplated leaving and canceling but we had a deposit in and a guided dive scheduled. so we came back the next day to the huband owner saying that his wife yelled at him at home because we had come a day early to get fitted. why is this our problem? while we were standing waiting for this guy to help us he took two phone calls of which he spoke to the poeple on the phone as if they were morons. unbelievable. so we finally got through the rental and met our dive guide. he seemed to not care about much. they talked about where to take us and, girlfriend in tow, he took us out. i asked that we be able to stop during the dive to look around a bit and not just keep swimming while he led and, of course, that did not happen. before the second dive, i asked again and sure enough, it didnt happen. so as he was 'leading' me i just stopped. he kept going. dont know where he went but he returned after a couple minutes. when we got out of the water he didnt even ask if we needed any help. didnt help us with tanks, etc. basically was there to make some money. absolutely lame. so we get back to the shop and another group was there with us. they were obviously from another country because they didnt speak english very well. the owner asked him a question and the foreign guy tried to answer and the owner asked him again. when the foreign guy tried to answer again the owner raised his voice, and got completely mad at him. it was so embarrassing. i could not believe that this was the best of the monterey dive shops. we will never go there again and will make sure our dive friends use another shop.
