Reviews of The Dive Shop (Travel Agency)

Mason Aiello

After owning a set of Poseidon regulators for 10yrs I figured it was time for a complete overhaul and service before heading to Mexico for 6 weeks (safety 1st), I took them to “The Dive Shop” on Macleod Trail. Upon arrival in Mexico and heading out on my 1st dive every area that could possibly leak definitely did. Lost 500psi in seconds. Called the Dive Shop to report what had happened and got a complete run around. I even sent a video proving that the service had gone horribly bad and something was not right with what they did to them. Just to mention for 10 years prior there was never even the slightest of issues with these. At 1st “The Dive Shop” said no refunds whatsoever. I argued about there level of customer service and in the end was told that I would receive a refund on all labour charges (minus the cost of parts) which did seem acceptable to me (even though they had to be completely rebuilt here in Mexico, which was done perfectly by a local repair shop). The other day my wife called “The Dive Shop” to enquire on our refund and she was told that I would only be refunded $30 and that’s it. DIVERS BEWARE! This company does not promote good safety standards nor does it have any level of customer satisfaction whatsoever! I would rather let the general public know about there unsafe and subpar customer service than receive a pathetic $30 refund on a $200 service that went beyond bad and unsafe. “The Dive Shop” might be the only option in Calgary for Poseidon equipment servicing but you are much safer and better off using a shop at your destination rather than this complete joke of a company. Sorry I forgot to mention that they used incorrect parts and that was the cause of all my problems. Thanks for the $30 offer Dive Shop but I’ll pass.

petroleumboy

The Dive Shop always takes care of me and my gear. I had an issue this year that was of my own making as I forgot to get my gear serviced on time. This service was part of an annual requirement with the manufacturer that provided me with free parts for life. When I explained to September, she immediately contacted the manufacturer and got me taken care of. Great service and I appreciate how The Dive Shop has earned my business

Melissa Herman

Such an amazing first time experience! I just completed the intro course with Jeff and September who were phenomenal instructors. Everything was so easy and so well explained. An experience I was hesitant about was made very smooth and do-able for people of all skill levels. Can't wait for more scuba diving adventures with this team in the future!

Dakota Doolaege

Local dive shop offering gear, dive trips and courses (including for freedivers!!). I joined their freedive training pool sessions and it has been a great opportunity to work on my skills and meet other local freedivers.

Sabrina Figliomeni

The best place for training and gear. I couldn't be happier that I chose this shop to learn with. If it weren't for them, I never would have continued diving.

Sean Langen

Been a part of this shop for almost ten years and love it. Knowledgeable staff, great selection of gear, several trips a year, great pool to do training in. Come join us!!

Trinity Bradfield

My husband and I spent the weekend at The Dive Shop with Jai and Rob, doing the Open Water class/pool work! Jai and Rob are both so lovely and so supportive; it really felt like they were invested in our Scuba journey. Jai took the time to hear what our goals were for diving and helped us roadmap our Scuba future. Such a wonderful shop, an AMAZING experience, and an overall outstanding experience!!

D.A.J.

Great staff and advice.

Shawn Affie

The costumer service is 10/10. They were friendly and informative. We learned at our own pace, in a supportive and educational environment. Would recommend any of my friends or family to attend their classes.

Fal T.

Great instructors and support staff in the ice diving certification course @ Lake Minnewanka. Classroom and pool preparatory instruction were all super helpful to reduce stress when out in the open water. Rental gear covers everything (± dive computer) except masks or fins. Highly recommended for the solid instruction and experience between all the dive masters and instructors.

Chantel Hinks

Awesome experience and can’t wait to complete the second part! Highly recommend Tieghan, she is knowledgeable, has the patience to teach a novice and made the whole experience so much fun! Thanks again Tieghan you’re awesome! James and Chantel

Joyce Chan-Kwok

My fiancé and I are going to get married in Hawaii, and going to Tahiti and Bora Bora for our honeymoon! My fiancé is a diver, so I am motivated to explore this activity, and to being able to dive with him in such beautiful place. My diving experience at The Dive Shop was awesome! I first had the Discovery Scuba Diving course with the French Jeff. It was a small class of four, and his humor made it very interesting and fun! Then I decided to plan my way to the PADI Diver certification. I took the e-learning, and had the weekend inpool dive with instructor Tony Schwengler, and his assistant instructor Michael. It was a 3 day weekend in-pool session with a class of 8 students. It was a full class, and I found it worked better for me as being a slow learner. After Tony showed us each skill, I got to watch the classmates doing it a few times, which allowed me to have enough time to observe and absorb, before going for my turn. Tony also gave alot of encouragement during the class. Pointing out the great things he observed from us during our practice. Tony and Michael are very knowledgeful, patient, caring and helpful. They’re always aware of every student in the class, and ready to provide all kinds of help making sure everyone’s good. As I am a small built lady, they made sure there’s always someone help me with lifting the scuba tank. They also took their time and helped us with any questions we had. For those students who are going away to do their open water dives like myself, Tony reminded each of us several times to check into everything with the local dive shop (such as if the PADI registration fee, and registration forms are included. If not, ask them how much). Making sure we are paying a reasonable cost on these items being away. On the last day of the weekend class, they even prepared a pink lemonade birthday cake with candles for a student in our class who had her birthday the day before. It was very thoughtful and sweet of them! And of course, the cake became an awesome snack for everyone after the in-pool dives! Before I left, Tony helped me looked around the shop for one gear and gave me a couple contacts in Calgary and Hawaii incase one place does not have them. He also gave me a sincerely warm wishes to my upcoming wedding and honeymoon. My experience with The Dive Shop totally went beyond what I expected. All instructors and staffs are extremely friendly and welcoming. I am now all pumped up and looking forward to doing my 4 open water dives in Tahiti!

Jonathan Taphorn

I had originally taken an SDI online theory course, but was able to take my confined water through the dive shop without any problem. My instructor Teighan was great. I'm looking forward to be able to book my open water with these guys.

Tracey Ast

My 13yo son recently completed the in pool portion of his PADI dive certification with Teighan, who was an awesome instructor! She is both knowledgeable and fun, as well as an excellent ambassador for her sport. My son had a lot of fun and can't wait to continue on with his certification. That alone, says it all! Thanks Teighan!

Terry Larson

The premier dive shop in Calgary, Brad and September and great to work with. They will meet all your dive needs.

Tara Jamieson-Stewart

We had a great experience with the Dive Shop! My husband and I did the first part of our PADI dive certification (in class room and in pool) with French Jeff. He was a great instructor, with a wonderful sense of humour. We had a great time in the class and in the pool. The Dive Shop really feels like a family, and you know that they'll do everything they can to help you have a great experience - with them, and wherever you are going to do your scuba. It was great to have the pool right there, so it was easy to have the combination of class room and pool time. All of the staff we encountered were very knowledgeable and helpful. They were great to also talk to for helping plan our upcoming trip! We had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend them!

Isabella Oxsengendler

Had an amazing experience during my first course. Sabrina is very passionate and knowledgeable with tons of patience. Highly recommended!

Chrystal Bailey

Very informative place. Was able to find what I need to get my PADI in Hawaii next month. The staff was very helpful and I will be back

James C

The dive shop is AMAZING. I normally dont write reviews but these guys and girls are absolutely fantastic. A big shout out to Jason and Teigan and Rob for being the best instructors, they are super friendly and knowledgeable. Brad is fantastic and knows everything and is extremely helpful. I will be a forever customer I cant say enough good things about the dive shop. I highly recommend anyone who is interested in Scuba diving to check this place out. Thank you so much for the amazing experience.

Brittany Friesen

Great place. Amazing staff who genuinely want you to have the best experiences both with them and diving in general. Very helpful when purchasing equipment and all my instructors have been incredible.

Claudia Ling

I did my ReActivate Program at The Dive Shop and the staff there were amazing and friendly. Everyone is very experienced in diving, especially CJ, who's the instructor for the refresher classes. CJ is very friendly and he keeps you relaxed and calm under water. He explains all the material very thoroughly and he makes sure that everyone in the class understands before proceeding to the next skill. When under water, he was able to clearly demonstrate the skills required, and making sure we are clear on instructions before performing the skills ourselves. I highly recommend anyone who wants to learn diving to go to The Dive Shop!

ed f

10 out of 10 would recommend. Just finished the pool and classroom portion of my training with our instructor Al who did a great job teaching and making sure everyone felt comfortable and confident in the water.

Jennifer Wuraftic

Great experience. September and Brad are great to deal with. Very knowledgeable and very friendly. The best prices in town Steve and Jen

S Ahmed

Spoke to September on the phone and she was lovely and helpful! I will be signing up soon!

Zane R

Too expensive

Carol Greaves

Arrived at 4.15 and it was closed, even though the sign says it doesn't close until 5.

Luke Anthony Neilson

The Dive Shop is amazing. I received my PADI certification and Dry Suit training here in October of 2020. My instructor, Jason Lockhart, was awesome. He is thorough, attentive, and good humoured. I felt like I was being trained to go all the way in recreational diving. He was very flexible and accommodating with training schedules. If you're looking to get certified, look no further than The Dive Shop and Jason. Brad always does a fantastic and timely job with repairs and inspections. Knows everything there is to know about gear. Thanks Brad!

Courtney Black

I’ve had a number of experiences with The Dive Shop, some positive, but quite honestly most of them have been negative. Over the last few years I’ve thought that it wasn’t worth it to post a review but recently I’ve come to the decision that I should voice my experiences. A couple years ago in December I thought since diving wasn’t a possibility that I’d get my nitrox certification, so I called and was told they’d put my name down and try to find some other people so they could have a class. By the end of January I still hadn’t heard anything so I called back and was told someone would get back to me. Nobody did. I figured it just wasn’t a popular class and they’d let me know when it was available. By MAY I still hadn’t heard from them so I called and was told that they’d had a few nitrox classes since I called and they had no idea why I wasn’t informed. Finally I got to take the class in June. Very disappointing for it to have taken six months to be in that class. From there I wanted to finish up my advanced certification. The summer before I had started it while I was doing my dry suit certification but was unable to complete it due to ear problems. I had tried to complete the last couple dives a week or two later and had everything booked to go down to Waterton, and three days before I was told they’d switched the location to Minnewanka and because I lost the money for the hotel in Waterton I couldn’t afford to go to Banff to do it. So then when I tried to do it the summer I did my nitrox, I called THREE times to try to book it and was told each time that they had my number and someone would call me back. No one ever did. Eventually I went into the shop in person to try to talk to someone and was told nobody was there to talk to and they’d get someone to call me. No one did. I called again a couple weeks after that and was told someone would call me. Guess what...no one did. I eventually got a call back in SEPTEMBER but it was too late as a week or so later I was leaving the country for six months, so I didn’t have time to do it. Again, I don’t understand why it took three months for someone to contact me. Now as of this summer I’ve been away and have gotten all the way to my instructor certification elsewhere, and my parents want to do their open water. They previously had a very traumatic DSD in addition to some fears in the water (claustrophobia, fear of open water) and are nervous, but want to overcome that fear. I called The Dive Shop to book their confined dives and the first person I spoke to (I’ve decided to leave their names out) was quite helpful, but I spoke to their course director afterwards and was not treated well. I felt as though they had no time for me and couldn’t wait to get me off the phone. I tried to explain my parents’ situation and was interrupted and cut off multiple times. I tried to offer a solution to my parents’ needs and was bluntly told “yeah we don’t do that” over and over. I understand that shops have their policies and things they can and cannot do, however there was no effort to talk to me about possible alternative options or ways that we could try to make it work so that they were able to have as comfortable a time as possible. Just “we don’t do that” and “I don’t think we’re being unreasonable”. I told them I believed they were being unreasonable but that was my opinion and we would have to then find somewhere else that would accommodate their needs. I am happy to say that we have in fact found another place that will accommodate those needs, so I guess everything happens for a reason. Needless to say that after being forgotten about and treated so rudely for many years, will not be using The Dive Shop ever again.

Laura Sawler

I can only speak to their customer service which was mind blowing, and not in a good way. In short, absolutely terrible service, poorly trained employees who give incorrect information, and an owner who cares more about making a buck (stealing in my opinion) than having any integrity. I can't comment on their dive instructors so hopefully they are better than the staff I had contact with. I want to share my experience so that this situation won't happen to anyone else. My husband called the shop to check availability for pool training as we had already completed the PADI e-learning on our own and we weren't sure if we could do the confined water dives along with our open water dives while we're away on holiday. The guy on the phone said that spots were booking up really fast for the only weekend we were available before our vacation (2 weeks out from the date we called) and suggested we book on the spot. It was going to cost $565 for just the pool portion of the training and I thought that was a bit pricey and wanted to see if it could be more cost effective to do it all together in Belize. My husband confirmed with employee that if we paid in full over the phone we could cancel before 5 days out for a full refund. I called a dive company in Belize and they told us they could do the confined water dives plus the open water dives for $625 so my husband immediately called the dive shop to cancel (7 days out). The employee he spoke with that day said we could only get a credit as it is clearly stated on their website that there is a no refund policy. We did not book through the website and the first employee explicitly said we could get our money back . After an extremely frustrating/long conversation my husband gave up. I called the next day and had a very similar experience, told it was a policy and there was nothing that could be done even though it was an error on their part that the employee told us we could get a refund. I asked to speak with the owner and was told he would be in shortly and would call me back. I waited 4 hours then decided to drive down to chat in person. I have never been treated with such disrespect in my life. I was so disappointed in the way we were spoken to, we were yelled at and told we were being unreasonable in still expecting a refund because it was told to us by mistake. It took 20 minutes of the owner making us feel guilty and yelling at us (he actually said he was getting mad and it wasn't worth his time to talk to us anymore). At the end of the day, we did get our refund. I just still can't believe that if we weren't persistent that we were going to be penalized for a mistake that was made on their part. Michelle was extremely rude and very insistent that we should AT LEAST be charged $100 even though, again, it was their error. I honestly felt a bit sick to my stomach after speaking with these two. I hope that this situation makes them look at their staff training a bit closer, and maybe take a step back and realize that in certain situations the customer experience is more important than a policy (that was not told to them). I think both need some work on anger management and how to deal with difficult situations. So that's my experience, obviously would not recommend.

Kaitlin bull

More helpful staff and better prices than I've experienced in other dive shops in Calgary!