Sea Stallion Scuba Outfitters

This is my very first review with Unilocal and i felt the need to write a review for Sea Stallion because i have had such a difficult time with them.
They are very poorly organized. Since day 1 I would be told one thing and someone else would say something different. I purchased a Groupon for certification, scuba diving had been something i wanted to experience. I am currently getting certified through them and THE ONLY people i have found to be helpful are Kevin and Colin (who prob no longer works there). Day 1 pool dive certification i was told just come as is, the shop would supply what I needed, I also called the day before to verify. The day we did our pool dive i was told I need a mask snorkel and fins, but when i called i was told i did not need it. So now i have to purchase everything at the store. I was in there on black Friday November 27^th 2015 and purchased a regulator that was out of stock so it had to be ordered. Ok. No problem, they ordered it that Monday and they would call me when it came in the estimated arrival date was Wednesday. Wednesday came and I received no phone call, so Thursday (Dec.3^rd) I called them and Steve answered the phone and told me it was not in. He said he was hoping it would come in the following Monday (Dec. 7^th). No phone call. It is now Dec 22^nd and I called the shop to see if what I had ordered was in. Steve answered the phone, the person who had previously informed me of my products status. I asked Steve if it was in, and he said yes. I asked OK, so no one bothered to call me, his response was, No I wasn’t there when it got in. His response is the reason I write the response. It shows how much this shop really cares about their customers. Shows lack of communication between staff, and had I not called I would have never known my product was ready for pick up. And because someone else dropped the ball in the shop, no one else can assume the responsibility of picking up the phone and calling your customers?
This shop is extremely unorganized, there is lack of communication between the staff, which leads to customer frustration. Your really have to be on top of this place and practice extreme patience. I would not recommend this establishment to a friend and would advise them to research more than I did, to find a better place to get certified.
The only plus has been my experiences with Kevin, he is the one I’m currently doing my open water dives with. He is stern and only wants the best for you. He is wants you to learn the proper way and wants you to be successful under water so that you can enjoy any future endeavors.
I hope this was helpful to anyone that was looking into this shop.

Th r es a new fellow there that just rubs us all the wrong way. He drove out the good workers like Gene and Jeremy
The owner must want this business to close :(

This is a review for the scuba lessons they provide here.
I don’t even know where to begin. The classes were about double the time they needed to be, and the instructors were very pretentious.
Each class ended with a big sales pitch for the stuff in their store. They were very condescending when I told them I didn’t need their equipment.
The instructor smelled like fish, and would openly brag about being on unemployment. This guy was laughable, and would give me completely unnecessary orders. If I didn’t obey he would yell at me as if I were 12 years old.
One example: My brother and I were in the class and were out on our first dive. We were entering the water along with the rest of the group, when I saw a fairly large wave coming. My brother and I are surfers and knew exactly how to get through. The instructor told us along with the group that we should turn to our side and «brace» for the wave. My brother and I disobeyed and swam under the wave. When we surfaced we saw that the rest of the group and the instructor had all been knocked down by the wave. The instructor was obviously embarrassed and started yelling at me for disobeying him.
The guy was a complete clown, and seemed very inexperienced. I would avoid this place when looking to get certified. My friend just got certified from a guy on Craigslist with half the time and half the money.

Took my classes, love this place even more! Great instructors! Can’t wait to continue on my dive journey!

I have been buying gear here for years. Super knowledgeable and nice people. Great selection of gear and dive training. Keep up the good work!

I had a great time taking my academic courses and pool dives this weekend with Sea Stallion Scuba. Mandy was very helpful in helping me schedule by e-​mail even though I had to reschedule a few times (due to my own conflicts). My instructor, Colin was AWESOME! He made the class room sessions entertaining. While he was funny, he was also very clear, concise and articulate. I was very excited (and a little nervous) for getting in the water, but Colin prepared our group so well that I felt confident. He was very thorough and attentive to each of us, ensuring we were comfortable in completing each skill before moving on. I can’t wait to complete my certification in Catalina!

Colin’s attention to detail and passion for diving made the classroom and pool dive memorable. The staff is very helpful and glad to spend the time to explain the science behind diving and the equipment.

Colin, Ron and all the staff are nice and non intimadating. Very knowledgeable and helpful in giving tips and pointers on how to scuba. Most importantly they are HONEST about prices. No BS they just love the sport! I WOULD BUY ALL MY GEAR AT THIS PLACE!

Great shop. I’ve been coming here for years. They are always friendly, willing to help, and have a nice variety of gear.

I had the opportunity to receive instruction from Dave, Laura, Ron, and Colin during my open water certification; can’t say a bad thing about any of them. With my experience every instructor was positive, patient, informative, and very professional.
If you are thinking about getting certified or need any information related to scuba, I would drop by the store and talk to Colin. I can’t say enough about this guy and how helpful/​friendly he was; just a great overall positive personality. He ultimately was the reason I decided to sign up for my certification with Sea Stallion Scuba. I went to the store two or three time before I actual purchased my personal gear and he patiently walked me through ALL the personal gear every time. Couldn’t be happier with my personal gear selection thanks to Colin.
Note: If you’re going to sign up with the Groupon, gather some information first so you can make an informed decision w/​o assumptions on how long and what you will need additionally to get certified. This really is an amazing deal when you break it down! I got lucky with their schedule and was able to get my certification in (2) week (From start to finish) with the optional two-​day Catalina trip. What an experience!

This place is great. They have many wonderful and crazy people here. I started my lessons from September, and just got certified last month (because of my crazy work trip schedule). I never thought I could pass (I am just that bad with all these) — and all 3 instructors were very patient with me. They are all different, so it will prepare you better if you can get instructions from all of them.

Update: Sea Stallion has new management — that has made a world of difference in the store, the selection, even the dive trips. Definitely a good stop before heading to Catalina. If you can book a trip with Scottie, do it. He is full of fantastic tips that will make the trip amazing.

I took the open water class here with Scottie and he is HILARIOUS… You will have a good time in class, in addition to the water ! So I took the class all by myself… had a better time than dragging someone along with me… The instructors really make you feel comfortable and really inform you of EVERYTHING before going in the water. Trust me, take your diving with Max… You will feel safe and have an amazing time. Before this class my biggest fear was the ocean, after getting certified today my favorite hobby is diving. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE :)

I was certified through Sea Stallion in Late November 2013 and fortunately had great conditions during all of my dives. My instructors I had we very patient and walked you through things. The shop is great for all of your Scuba needs and certifications. Just make sure you are very patient with the staff, and shop in general, as they are a little short staffed and may not have what you need in stock right away. As long as you can PLAN ahead prior to any dives/​vacations then you’ll be fine and it’ll be worth it to visit there.
If you’re looking for anything specific that you can’t find anywhere else then they can get it for you, but keep in mind that it may take time due to shipping.
If you’re local and plan on diving a lot then make sure you ask about their memberships on tank refills because it’s definitely worth it and they give awesome COLD FILLS! If you go to sport chalet the fills are not as good because they are not cold fills. Instead of 3800psi on a high pressure tank, be ready to leave with 3000psi From Sport Chalet.
Collin and Scottie are both great, they will work with you to get you what you need.
In my opinion I definitely think Collin should receive a raise of some sort because him and scottie both work their asses off there and give great service.
4 stars for the new staff. would’ve been 5, but shipping takes a little while if they don’t have things in stalk.
— Jesse P.

If you see a groupon for certification From here I would recommend not purchasing it and instead buying one from another company. We bought their groupon a year ago (nov 2012). The owner is rude and has horrible business/​customer service. We were so unhappy with our experience here. I would’ve rather paid more and gone somewhere else. 2 out of 3 of our instructors were very nice but one was awful made gross and racist jokes just not okay!!! Overall: bad business. Some nice instructors but Owner is awful. I’d recommend going somewhere else.

A terrific shop!
(and apparently, the «bad apple» is gone…)
I recently got my brother into scuba. When we looked for a place in is area, the closest location was Sea Stallion. I was leery of taking him there to establish a relationship because of some of the reviews — particularly those referring to one unpleasant individual.
We could not have been happier. We told them we weren’t buying anyting at the moment, but they spent literally 2 – 3 hours just talking scuba with us. I was just visiting the area (I’m from Chicago) and they took me behind the counter so they could pull up web pages showing me the best places to dive around the area.
When on a subsequent visit we rented stuff from them, they could not have made it easier. Their prices were absolutely fair.
I am a divemaster with a fair amount of experience and time in dive shops. I felt completely comfortable telling my brother that he could trust these guys to do him right.

Well, this is interesting. I held off writing a review for the longest time, because I was pretty torn about it. There are some really, really good people here. But 2 years later, a friend of mine asked me where she should get certified, and I asked myself, would I recommend Sea Stallion to her? And the answer is no.
There’s outstanding potential for this place to be a 5 star operation, but there’s a bad but significant apple, that you may or may not run into, purely by luck depending on whose shift it is that day, that can totally change your experience to a 1 star. It’s pretty much Russian Roulette, and helps explain why the reviews here are all over the place (look at the chart, it’s piling up between 5s and 1s). Because everyone else there is exceptionally friendly and professional. Meanwhile, Mauricio always seems to be in a foul, impatient mood, and the general feeling you’ll get from him is that you are wasting his time. In fact, I’ve called, had him pick up, then call back later in the hopes of getting someone else, and gotten completely different answers. It’s bananas how stark the difference in service is. The mere fact that he is still employed here after multiple bouts of abhorrent customer «service» tells me that he must be part owner (or related), and so I don’t see the problem getting better, unless he recuses himself from any customer-​facing operations, or fixes whatever it is that’s eating him up.
On one of our final dives for our license certifications, we came back to the store to drop off our rental gear. We were late by 1 or so, but we had been given the OK by our instructor (who was super friendly) who had wanted to grab lunch with us after the dive. The moment Mauricio sees us, he just opens up on us and makes a couple back handed comments, all in front of other customers. He does not give a shit (nor did he care for our explanation). I’m not one of those types who is very aware of my own mood, so while I was annoyed, I held back on saying anything. It wasn’t until my friend pointed out just how quickly the day had gone from essentially perfect and relaxing to edgy, tense, and defensive that I realized how powerful mood can be (but I’m going off topic).
I have very rarely seen my friend angry, and I didn’t think she was the confrontational type, but after we got changed, she approached Mauricio in the store and calmly, but firmly explained to him why he was out of line, how he had essentially ruined her day and put everyone in a bad mood, and how his unprofessional behavior precluded her from ever wanting to go back to Sea Stallion again. Go Nancy! Based on his past behavior, I was expecting to see the Apocalypse unfold, but he apologized, and mumbled about having a bad day (to which I thought, wow that must be everyday), however, I’m not sure if it’s because there were fresh customers in the store watching the whole thing pan out or what.
The dives themselves were awesome. All our instructors demonstrated professional knowledge, yet were very friendly, like you could hang out with them someday. One of the women in our group had a serious fear of diving, and I really wasn’t sure that she was going to make it, but they worked with her patiently, and she pulled through!
But yes, the bad apple spoils the bunch as they say. Is it worth paying your hard-​earned money for the risk of having to deal with major attitude? Not really.

I was shopping around (like at the «Evil Empire» as Scottie puts it lol) for different dive shops to get my open water cert, then I got the groupon… actually read it (like some reviewers should have) and bought it.
Day 1: 1^st thing in the morning I made a mistake, Scottie helped me out with the issue that was my fault without a problem (thanks again Scottie). The class was taught by Scottie, he did a great job of teaching something new to me in a way that was easy to understand. The pool part (I admit I was a little nervous about) was great also, I had so much fun.
Class 2: This one had more technical learning it, like the dive tables, I was lost at first, but Scottie did a great job of teaching them… This time the pool part was more technical, Scottie took the time to help everyone get it.
Day 3: Well that class is this weekend, I can’t wait, I know it’s going to be so much fun…
Tips: The class can run long.
Yes the pool sessions are at a country club, it works out fine, just remember that when you take the gear back it will be wet.
I did purchase the TDS, Scottie was very upfront and was able to give me a great deal, which I later double checked and it was… lol (I’m not cheap, I just like to make sure)
As for some of the other reviews… Mauricio helped me with booking and got me in with 2 days notice. My 1^st 2 class had 5 students and then 6 in the classroom and 8 at the pool on the 2^nd day. Also, the gear they provide is in great shape and everyone I delt with was very friendly.
All in all… Great dive shop!!!

I’ve changed my review from 1 star to 4 stars. All reviews that mention a particular rude employee can be ignored because he is no longer there.
The instructors are great and the prices are normal. They are quick, but they make sure to really educate you about SCUBA instead of just giving you minimal instruction. Great place.

My boyfriend purchased the Groupons for us and surpriced me for my birthday (BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!!) So far everything has been fantasic. We have completed our class courses and pool dives; our first open water dive is on Sunday.
Due to their amazing offer we also purchased our complete dive systems from their shop. If you do this they reimburse your total dive course fees by subtracting it from your overall purchase. THIS IS AN AMAZING DEAL, considering you get 10% off the sticker price for being a student and they match prices. If you can afford it I recommended buying your dive systems and taking it with you to your pool sessions, I know I feel much more comfortable learning while using MY OWN equipment.
We had the pleasure of working with several instructors during the pool sessions and they are all so friendly and helpful, they really want to teach you how to feel comfortable under the water and let you go at your own pace. There were a couple students who were not feeling very comfortable and they pulled them aside to work with them one on one, I thought that was really cool.
The only down side was that there was a month gap between our class sessions and our first open water dive. I think this is mainly due to the large amount of traffic because of the Groupon. We expected this so it was not a major issue. I would recommend scheduling your class sessions and open water dives at the same time; we should have thought ahead and done this but we were just too excited to get started.
If all goes well we will be certified in 2 weeks and because of Sea Stallions amazing deals we already have all our own equipment.