As a beginner diver, I'm so glad I found High Sierra Divers! Learning something new can be intimidating, but having great people around you makes all the difference. Tina, Doug, Rob, and both Nicks are all fantastic--welcoming, encouraging, and a pleasure to spend time with. What stands out most is the people. They make you feel like you belong, even when you're just getting started. I've really enjoyed beginning my scuba journey with this crew and look forward to more dives with them. If you're thinking about learning to dive, I would absolutely recommend HSD. Great people, a welcoming atmosphere, and a great place to get started! Shawn read more

Doug and Tina are true scuba professionals. Flexible and knowledgeable. Thanks guys!!!!!!

Great people to work with, a big shout out to Doug and Tina, Rob, Randy. I look forward to diving with them in the future.

If you want to learn to dive safely, this is the shop to go to. They are a one stop shop for education, sales, and service. Doug and Tina are very patient and will address any concerns you might have. Diving can be a little intimidating, but they will make sure you are well prepared to make the journey. They also have a fantastic team of instructors that will keep you safe while going through the learning process. read more

I don't think you could find a more accommodating, helpful dive shop. Doug and Tina are very informative and stand behind there products. My wife and i recently took open water diver and nitrox certification courses there, my wife has anxiety problems and sinus issue yet the staff took a very gentle understanding approach and made sure she was comfortable and competent. If your buying gear buy it here, the prices are below internet pricing and if not talk to them and I'm sure it will be lol. When you buy equipment Doug immediately sets it up for you, explains the functions and maintenance and then offers the opportunity to use the pool at there home to make sure it fits accordingly and you understand the operation fully. Again i can't state it enough, SUPPORT THIS SMALL BUSINESS. read more

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ABSOLUTELY GREAT DIVE SHOP! These folks know how to do it right. From Training to Trips to Equipment purchase and repair. customer service at its best. They look out for their customers like family and truly strive to give you what you may need to have a wonderful diving experience. The Trips with them are outstanding. I can't wait for my next trip with them! read more

Another amazing dive trip from High Sierra Divers!!!!!! Thanks Doug and Tina for beautiful and exciting diving in Curacao!!!! I take home wonderful memories in this beautiful paradise with our High Sierra Dive group! I also appreciate traveling with such an experienced group of divers and the warm friendships that last forever. Been diving with this group for 8 years and looking forward to many many more adventures!!! read more

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Needed to fill an avalanche airbag cartridge on my way up to Tahoe. Friendly, fast (just off 80, out in 5 min), $8. They have the adapter that is compatible with most avy calendars (Mammut Snowpulse and BCA Float). Call ahead because we were warned by the guy who helped us that some people who work there are not able to fill these. read more

Customer service zero. Questioned my integrity. Consumed my time. Never going back. Encouraged my family and friends to find a new dive shop. I always support local businesses. High Sierra Divers is permanently off my local shopping list. read more

I love High Sierra Divers! I got Open Water certified through them 20 years ago. When my son turned 12 he got certified with them (he is 31 now). Best thing I ever did with my him. We took the Advanced Open Water and Nitrox classes together. High Sierra Divers put together the best trips. My favorite trips are going to the Channel Islands on live aboard for 3 & 4 day trips with my son and lobster diving. They also put together trips all over the world. My son's girlfriend also got certified there and is a good diver. Over the years I have purchased all my equipment from them and would not think of going anywhere else. Doug the owner is very knowledgeable and helpful. They back up what they sell. High Sierra Divers are the best! read more

If I could give this dive shop 0 stars I would. My husband, father-in-law and I are experienced scuba divers and came to this shop to get Nitrox certified to dive for longer periods of time more comfortably. I believe it was the owner's wife? A woman working the front desk refused to give me a new medical form when I had made a mistake on it. I had read one of the questions wrong and marked YES, but when I re-read it I changed it to NO. I turned in my paperwork & she told me I could not get a new one and that I would now need a doctor's note to get cleared in order to get certified. Of course she conveniently told us this AFTER we had completed the entire course. They refused to give me my certification until after I received medical clearance for a MISTAKE on a form, even though we had paid for the course already. She became very verbally hostile with me and we left. I had to spend money on a doctor's visit just to get my doctor to say I'm fine to go diving (even though I have been fine for many years) and then when we called the shop to email the doctor's note to them, the same lady told us we had to drive it to drop it off in person. Once again, in person she was very rude. Once I told them I was going to write a review, she suddenly became very "nice". This was the worst diving shop experience ever and I have mostly used dive shops in 3rd world countries; so that says a lot. I do not recommend!!!! Go to DOLPHIN Scuba instead! Much friendlier staff & very helpful. read more

Great technical dive shop. I have done a lot of dives and was really impressed with how well they prepare their divers. Also had them do some basic equipment repair and did a really good job. read more

One of the responsibilities of a dive shop is to hire experienced and capable instructors that are able to make responsible and sound judgements to protect their student and to set a good example for them. The instructor that came out of that shop saturday May 5th, 2012 was the exact opposite of this description. My buddy and I were thinking about diving monastery that day but after checking the conditions we knew it wasn't gonna happen but we drove by anyways to check for ourselves. Before we even got out of our car we saw the way the waves were breaking on the rock formations, laughed, and called the dive. However, we saw some people with scuba gear in their trucks so we walked over to say hi and talk to some divers. We find that they were actually setting up to go for the dive. Skeptical of their decision we leave the beach to go check if we can get into Lobos. We didn't get in (of course) and as we're driving back my buddy suggests that we go watch them enter and see if they're ok. Just as we're walking up the hill I see a 12 year old KID and his fifty-something year old father (?) entering the water and doing everything wrong and most importantly without their regs in their mouths (obviously they weren't briefed properly on how to enter this dreaded beach). They both get caught up in the waves, lose their masks, and get rolled a few times. The kid disappears in the waves for a few seconds so my buddy and I run over to help carry the older guy from his tank out of the surf zone and get him out of his gear as he tries to catch his breath. The instructor (I think) was able to pull kid out of the surf zone and into the water before escorting him out of the water. We go over to help them out of the water. This is the exact reason why people DIE at that beach. Not only did the instructor made the extremely irresponsible, stupid, and brash call to dive that beach on that day. He also made that call for his inexperienced students, including the 12 year old kid, that now have a near drowning experience with scuba! The worst part is that some of the students never realized how dangerous of a situation they were put in because of that instructor that they're supposed to trust. Unfortunately, certification and qualification are two very different things... read more

I was a student (57 year old man) in the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver course at Monastery Beach on May 5, 2012, and I considered the instructor's, owner of High Sierra Divers (HSD) in Auburn, CA, briefing on the hazards and dangers of diving here quite thorough. One must consider the title of this class "ADVANCED" and the inherent dangers in diving when they choose this sport and opt to take this class. Like gymnasts who jump and flip who could break their neck in an instant, advanced means they know the risk and are ready to make their own decisions. They (small children) like us are taught and briefed before we get to the point when we must make our own informed decision to continue. Monastery Beach, below Carmel, CA, can be a difficult beach to enter and exit and divers frequently get rolled there. Data as of 2008 indicates that while Monastery beach had one death associated with beach entry for diving, thirteen other diving deaths occurred in other areas of Monterey included those in several novice dive areas like San Carlos Beach (beginners training area), Lover's Point, and Cannery Row. Please note the article critical of HSD was written by Shady M., an employee of Seven Seas Scuba of which he gives five stars and doesn't mention that he is an employee. Also please note that the two YOUNG men in Shady's diatribe (YELP article) chose to help the "fifty-something year old father" who was on shore when they saw the 12 year old disappear in the waves. Additionally, Shady M. states the "12 year old kid" had a near drowning experience with scuba. Obviously, Shady M. does not know the definition of "near drowning." He had a difficult entry and lost his mask but it was far from a near drowning. This may be slander! Shady's article is on the verge of slander and has caused some people to avoid HSD. This past weekend, 11/10/12, I took HSD's SSI Stress and Rescue class in rough seas in cold water below Fort Bragg and it was taught by another of the many great, knowledgeable, and experienced instructors that HSD uses. I was there on that day that Shady M. talks so badly about in his YELP complaint, and I was also a student in the class. My dive partner , myself, and the Instructor were already in the water and waiting. The father and son team misjudged their entry and got rolled. We had been briefed about many things included whether we should use our regulator or our snorkel. My partner, Mike, and I both chose to use our snorkels so that our face masks couldn't be ripped from our faces if we got rolled. The father and son team made some bad choices as they entered and then got rolled. There was a dive instructor in the water and his assistant on shore to assist in any problems that might occur. Even if the two young men (honorable and would be rescuers) never became involved I'm sure everything would have been alright. I learned to dive with HSD just about one year ago and I give them a thumbs up, FIVE Stars! "The slanderer differs from the assassin only in that he murders the reputation instead of the body" - E.C. McKenzie Jerry Bare, P.E. read more

They have a decent inventory, prices are good. The place is well layed out and they seem knowledgable. But, my guy uses his Air Tanks on his job. He needs them. I went on Two Saturdays in a row and they closed early both days. So now a $20 tank fill is mow costing us $80. Since they were not open I had to pick up the tank and drive it down to the job. Gas, bridge tolls. I left messages and asking them to return my call, they did not. We cant afford to drop off his work gear and Hope they will be open posted hours. read more

These guys are life savers. My husband and I spent the day at Scott's Flat Lake and I accidentally managed to drop both our phone and my husbands keys out of my purse off the dock in pretty deep water. We were getting ready to give up trying to retrieve them when we saw a High Sierra Dive boat pulling up to the boat docking area. My husband went over and asked if they would be willing to dive down and get our belongings for some money. The dive instructor called the company in Auburn to see if they could bring down some equipment because he didn't have the dive gear with him. He wasn't able to dive that day because it was getting late and would be dark soon but he said he would come back the next day and try and find out belongings. Not only did he go back and retrieve our stuff the next day, he showed up to my husbands work (my husband told him where he worked) brought the phone and keys and asked for nothing in return. This was one of the kindest acts that has been done for us and it was just out of the kindness of this man's heart. This act of kindness is something we won't forget and we are so grateful that he did that for us. read more

Great local business. They were very helpful with certifying my old Regulator and computer setup. And there prices are very competitive. I would highly recommend them. read more

Top notch dive shop. Doug & Tina are professionals all the way. I've been certified for nearly ten years. This shop taught me my basic, advanced, and rescue courses. Ten years later, and they continue to treat me like family. I highly recommend this shop for anyone interested in diving! read more

I waited last minute to get some dry suit gloves. I found the closest scuba shop to my house which was High Sierra Divers. The woman and man that helped me out were very friendly and informative (I believe they were the owners). Even though I was not a regular customer and it was getting close to closing time, they took their time explaining their products and the ordering process to me. I needed the gloves right away and they did not have my size available. They were able put the order in and even talked to the supplier to get it there a few days earlier than expected. They called me on my cell phone a few times just to update me on the status, such follow through and good customer service was refreshing. If I need to purchase anything else scuba related, I will go back to High Sierra Divers. read more

I have been involved with High Sierra Divers for the past 10 years. Doug, Tina, and staff are extremely knowledgeable, service oriented, and great people. They offer the finest in scuba equipment and their shop has a quick turn around time. I have been on 3-4 day live aboard trips to the Channel Islands for the past 8 summers and several international trips with their groups. Thanks to High Sierra Divers I have had some of my life's greatest adventures and I look forward to many more. Tony Reyna read more

Excellent friendly service, very knowledgeable, and will go the extra mile to provide me with the equipment I need. My husband and boys are avid abalone divers so we have been going here for years and never had a bad experience. Great shop and great owners. read more

High Sierra Divers is an amazing shop! We signed up for our initial open water scuba certification because we are headed to Fiji next month and knew snorkeling wouldn't be enough. I must admit I was a little nervous about the whole experience but the dive instructors Marc, Ed, and Jack were great. They were very thorough and patient, even taking extra time to help me on skills that I was struggling on. I got the impression that they genuinely cared and wanted us to learn correct procedures so we could be safe. When we did our final dives I felt SO confident, it was amazing. Doug and Tina own the shop and we're incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. They took time to answer all our questions and provide us with a wealth of information. Tina even gave me some really helpful tips on how to master the skill I eas struggling on. We ended up purchasing our BCs before our final dive, one of which was on backorder. To our surprise they didn't charge the rental fee for the BC we had to rent even though the shop provided us with one. High Sierra Divers is a high quality shop all around! I would highly recommend them to anyone in the Sacramento area that is interested in scuba. read more

Doug and Tina want your diving experience to be fantastic, they went above and beyond to help guide us towards the right diving equipment within our budget. My husband and I are also in the process of taking several different training courses with Doug. We are very pleased with his knowledge and patience. If you go to high sierra divers you will not be dissapointed. read more