If I could give negative stars, I seriously would. This is one of the worst experiences that I have ever had with both diving and customer service. We were in Puerto Vallarta over Christmas where my 17-year-old son was going to do his open water certification. He did his first 2 dives with Silent World Divers (who, by the way, are AMAZING: professional, gracious, honest: everything Chico's is not) but was not feeling well on the scheduled second day. We scrambled to find another SSI dive shop, and Chicos said that they could take him for his third and fourth certification dives. We clarified that with them both on the phone and it was clearly written on the receipt when we gave them our money. Then ensued a comedy (or, rather, tragedy) of errors. We were told to go down to the peer and look for Eric on the Chicos boat. We could not find the boat, but overheard some other people talking about Chico's and they turned out to be other divers on her trip also looking for the boat. We finally found the boat, and after we had left the pier the sole dive instructor on the boat introduced himself as Raul. I quickly piped up and said, "I thought we were diving with Eric." "Eric's not coming," Raul replied. I explained that my son needed to get his SSI certification, and Raul said that that would not be possible because he himself was not an SSI instructor. Eric was the only SSI instructor at the shop. Raul then said that my son was welcome to dive, even though he wasn't yet certified, wouldn't get certified, and there were four other divers (in addition to us, at various levels of training/certification) also on the boat. I protested, as we were leaving in a couple of days to fly back to the Pacific Northwest and this was my son's one shot to get certified. Then Raul offered to have Eric sign my son's checkout form, even though Eric was not on the boat and would not have witnessed any of my son's skills. I I observed that that was terribly unprofessional, and after some further back-and-forth we requested to go back to the dock without diving. I would have been willing to chalk that up to an unfortunate misunderstanding, except that when we went back to the dive shop to get our money back they refused to refund it. We spoke to Eric on the phone, who said that we had been given an option of diving, but that it had been our decision not to proceed. I reviewed multiple times that we had specifically signed up for SSI certification and that they were unable to provide that, but he steadfastly refused to refund the money for the dive we never did. I am a very kind person, and it takes a lot for me to lose my temper. I probably raise my voice once every 2 or 3 years, and this was the once every 2 or 3 years. I was very forceful and saying that if he did not refund my money, that I would write negative reviews on every review site that I could find documenting what happened that day. He finally relented, and told me that I would need to come back to the dive shop (which was very distant from where we are staying) in a few hours when he was able to get there. I pushed back again saying that that was not the way we wanted to spend our vacation, and this led to an approximately 1 month ordeal of back-and-forth and supposed transfers of money that finally came through a couple of days ago. So I would say that if you do not value safety, honesty, or integrity, you might want to dive with Chicos. Otherwise, go with Silent World. read more

We booked this with our hotel, Villa Del Palmar. Was a bit apprehensive after reading reviews but felt we would give it a try. Arrived early at the pier and spoke with two of the boat taxi guys who said they would let the dive shop know when they arrived. Right on time Eric and one other gentleman showed up to offload gear and park their truck. Walked us down to the boat and off we went. We had an excellent time and Eric did a great job with us. Give them a try. read more

I wish I could give them 0 stars. They were the worst scuba company I have ever used. My dad was unable to make the dive due to health reason, and they did not give us any of our money back... they also did not offer or tell us they were not going to be taking ANY pictures of our dive because their go pro was "in the shop" They were an hour late getting started. The dive masters were okay, however, and I got to see some cool things but their front of house needs serious work. read more

Nacho and the boat driver were awesome. We had a wonderful time :) they were on time and provided good equipment. Pleasant day and experienced operators. I would recommend this dive company ! read more

Chico's Dive Shop - Scuba Diving Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

I do not recommend Chicos. They stole my deposit (1000 pesos). Posting this as a warning to anybody thinking of dealing with Chicos on the Malecon that they're not trustworthy and as a reminder to myself to listen to my instincts. Summary of events (see attachments for additional proof): 1. On Tueday, 2021- 02-23, I was walking past their storefront on the Malecon and asked if they were doing any diving on the weekend i.e. 2021-02-26 or 27. 2. I was told no because they needed more than 1 person and I was the only person so far who was interested. 3. They took my phone number and said they'd contact me if something changed. 4. I walked away and got about 5 meters when the woman (Alejandra) chased after me and said "Actually we can do Saturday". This was my first red flag. 5. I said ok great, and went back to the shop where she wrote down my sizes for fins, wetsuit etc. 6. She then asked how much of a deposit I wanted to put down. This was my second red flag, and I should have listened to it. We agreed on a 1000 pesos, and I got a receipt. 7. On the Friday, 2021-02-26, I was called and told that actually Saturday was not possible due to an issue with the boat. I assume they just couldn't get a second person, no problem stuff happens. 8. I asked if I could come and get my deposit. I was told no because she didn't have the money because the owner wasn't there. I was told to come Sunday between 10-15:00 to collect my deposit. Huge red flag #3. 9. I showed up on Sunday at 14:45. Woman says she doesn't have the money because the owner still hadn't been there. I asked where was the owner and I was told he took a group out but it was a private tour, which why I couldn't have gone on it. 10. I asked how I was going to get my money, and I was told via Paypal, and that I would 100% get it tomorrow (i.e. 2021-03-01) I provided my paypal e-mail address. I asked for my receipt back to ensure that I had something to show that I hadn't been paid back and was given it. 11. Called yesterday, and was told that the owner still hadn't come so she still didn't have the money but definitely would be sent tomorrow 2021-03-02 before 15:00. 12. I called today, 2021-03-02 at 14:34; I was told Alejandra (woman I booked with) had had an emergency, wasn't working today and headed back to Guadalajara but they would reach out and ask her. I heard nothing. 13. Called back at 17:00. Still no news. Obviously at this stage, doesn't look like I'm getting my money back. Lesson learned for me and hopefully this helps other people. read more

Chico's Dive Shop - Scuba Diving Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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So it was a nice place, the dive guide was nice and helpful, the boat ride out to the location was enjoyable. What earned this place two stars was that as me and my mother ascended from the dive with the guidance of a dive instructor we ascended much to quickly and my mom actually got the bends. That evening she ended up in the emergency room and spent 24 hours in the ICU being treated for decompression sickness. The actual dive was okay, visibility was average. We did get to see and octopus and a couple puffer fish which was pretty neat. Was kind of just a freak accident but make sure to stop as your ascending as to not get decompression sickness. As fairly new divers we were depending on the diver guide for instruction but were not given the best of instruction which led to a pretty hefty medical bill read more

Chico's Dive Shop - Scuba Diving Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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Let me start with the lesson. The instructor was very thorough and repeated all important facts and instructions multiple times. The highlights were then repeated once more on the boat ride before the dive. Victor, the captain, was very nice and helpful... even with taking our pictures :) Brian, the dive master/guide, was very patient with and kind to us! My wife panicked a few times while in the water and wanted to get back in the boat before enjoying the full experience... Brian was very kind to her, calmed her down, and guided her through the rest of the dive(s). He stayed with her the entire time, allowing her to stay calm/collected. We loved it! We had so much fun and will never forget this experience. This is a definite "must" and Chico Dive shop is a wonderful company to have guide you through this experience :) read more

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In 2008 we took a Mexican Riviera Cruise from Long Beach down to Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Cabo. My pre-cruise research led us to Chico's Dive Shop for snorkeling. We prepaid before the trip and from the PV harbor took a cab downtown ($10?) to their oceanfront dive store on the boardwalk. Chico's has been in operation since 1968 and are still there in 2014 at the time of this review. They led a group of about six snorkelers across the street to the beach and we waded out to a small boat. The boat takes you further out to a pontoon which takes you to your snorkeling spots. From the harbor you get a sweeping view of the beautiful crescent-shaped harbor of Puerto Vallarta. Very nice. The shop does scuba diving tours also. One of our snorkeling spots was the Los Arcos Underwater Reserve which has a large population of sea life including: sea horses, nudibranches, octopus, zebra moray eel, angelfish, surgeon fish, butterfly fish, jacks, snappers, sea chub, spadefish, and dolphin fish. We brought our own wetsuits and snorkel gear so I can't comment on their gear for rent. A wetsuit keeps you buoyant and cozy warm. Though I love the ocean, I am a cold water wimp and the water might be a little chilly sometimes, even in southern Mexico. At the end, the small boat takes you close to the beach and you wade back to shore and back to the shop where they have a shallow pool to rinse the sand from your feet. After that we ate at a beachfront sport's bar and took a cab back to the boat. Mission accomplished. Significantly cheaper than the crowded "dog and pony show" tours offered by the cruise line. I'm not sure if it's "good for kids" as the ocean at PV is pretty strong. It's good for kids who are not beginners. read more

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Great dive shop. Small crew and fleet which gives a more authentic and individual experience. I enjoyed it so much I booked an additional day of diving. I have had a lot of good dove masters around the world but Nacho is the most memorable. He was so kind and humble and told us about his family and pointed out the village he was from, we had really nice conversations about family and culture. I will come back to PV just to dive with him again read more

Great choice for a dive tour in Puerto Vallarta. Nacho and David the Divemasters on the boat treated us very well and cared for us all for the two dives. Would absolutely to go to these guys. read more

Honestly I read the reviews(Google)on this place before we decided to take a tour and I was EXTREMELY sceptical..... But let's get one thing clear before I dive Into this review(no pun intended) this place was AMAZING point blank!!! Ok so to start out the review the people and customer service were second to none the price itself for snorkeling was unbeatable (if you want to scuba dive I would suggest this place for sure). Our Capitan was chuey and our master diver(guide) was Nacho and I promise if you ask for these gentleman nothing short of a good time is to be had(ask about the bird while diving) I give Chico's five shop a 10/10 on ever level. They even brought small snacks like fruit and granola bars if you get hungry which was a HUGE bonus for us. Send the place we went to snorkel was awesome and we so so many different fish species and even saw some stingray. They go above and beyond for their customer so to the naysayers and bad reviews of this place I hope you are ashamed for saying anything negative about this business. Keep up the good work Chico and hope you keep Nacho and chuey around they are TOP NOTCH employee's!! read more

I dove Los Arcos, in a two tank dive with Ricardo and our dive master. He was excellent, he grabbed a puffer fish, causing it to inflate, he then released it and jt swam off and we watched it deflate (the puffer fish wasn't harmed). We also saw a 150 pound grouper, a few sea turtles, and schools of fish. Also all of our equipment was great, however we had someone in our group who brought their own equipment, and his computer failed going from 550 PSI to 0 PSI, Ricardo was excellent, let him use the octo reg and we all safely ascented. read more