Riverside Scuba is an extraordinary shop l! In an area with only 3 shops in a 50 mile radius they go above and beyond for customer experience and education safety. Pros: 1. Nico and staff goes above and beyond to make sure your gear is to your liking and meets all safety while allowing you to match your swag and budget. 2. Nico isn't focused on making a sale but educating and allowing you to make sound gear decisions. 3. This shop is not focused on selling you their shop branded gear Cons: 1. Need more shops like this. read more

The shop is well stocked, I really appreciate the amount of stock that they carry, it's a lot for a small shop. Staff is friendly, albeit not terribly knowledgeable unless Nico is there (owner). But, for the Inland Empire, it's a great shop if you need equipment. i can't speak for their classes because I've never taken any from them. I'm sure the classes are well run, the cert agencies see to that. What I would NOT recommend is their repair service. It's the worst I've experienced in the LA area. I've left a reg and a SS1 there (separately) and even tho they were promised to be ready by my trip. The date came, they weren't ready. Both times, the gear was there for over a month. This last time (and it will be the last time) they promised a month; i got busy and left it 2 months. I called, it wasn't done. When I threatened a poor review, the owner called me, got nasty and said he didn't appreciate the threat and my SS1 was going to 'magically' be done that Sunday. Here's the facts: I don't ever threaten, i write honest reviews, both good and bad. So the next person knows what to expect, that's what YELP is about. So, as they say "if the shoe fits" and if it fits in a bad way, then FIX IT. I am not happy about it and it really is a shame, they are local and I prefer to do business locally. I lived in the SoBay for 30+ years and retired to the Inland Empire... i would prefer to do business here, but they gave me no choice. If you need a referral, contact me. read more

Every time I visit I get excited. Dalia was So kind & helpful. Did I mention they have the Best prices? WOW! Don't sleep on Riverside Scuba! read more

Riverside Scuba - Store - Dive Shops Near Me - Riverside, California

If I could leave zero stars I would. Stay away from this shop, the owner is a tool, he's so obnoxious and rude. Claims he has been diving since 1981, well he sure didn't learn anything. I went in for some equipment service and just talked done about my equipment , telling me it was garbage and I needed to upgrade. Unfortunately this was the only place around for me, other wise I would have driven elsewhere. Beware stay away from these guys!!! PS they NOT affiliated with law enforcement or military as he claims!!! read more

I walked in and waited over 15 minutes before anyone came to help me. Not going there again.

Another shout out to Riverside SCUBA and Nico. I just completed the Master SCUBA Diver training with Nico. Riverside SCUBA has been wonderful about working with me to learn how to be a better and most important, a safe diver. Every time I am in the shop, Nico always comes out and talks to me, takes the time to answer any of my questions (and I have a lot of them), and always makes me feel welcome. The level of support I have received from Riverside SCUBA is amazing. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, the shop has a "dive family" atmosphere. Thanks Nico and looking forward to diving with you again soon! read more

I cannot express the excitement to have found this place! Nico is amazing!! I came to start my journey into scuba diving and signed up for the open water course. From the moment you sign up, everything is very clear and organized. Nico is very knowledgeable, has passion for what he does and is very flexible! Words cannot explain how amazing this place is. Not to mention, they are super friendly & treat you like family! Thank you, Nico!! read more

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! LOOK ELSEWHERE!!! My experience with this dive shop was frustrating and disappointing from start to finish. After completing two pool sessions, I was verbally confirmed to continue with open water dives and given dates. Upon confirming the dives with Nico he cancelled without clear explanation. I felt that Nico was getting frustrated trying to schedule my open water dives. He told me I could go with another instructor on a beach dive. I made it clear I was uncomfortable with breaking the surf and wanted to start at the lake. Nico then abruptly told me that I was a "danger to myself and others" and that he was terminating my training. When I stood up for myself and explained that this was unreasonable, he reversed course--but instead of continuing to work with me, he handed me off to the other instructor I had already said I did not want to work with due to a prior unprofessional experience during the gear fitting. Nico made it clear that all further communication would be through this new instructor and he stopped answering my calls and text messages, as well as emails to the shop. The trust I had built with the dive shop was gone and I did not want to continue working with a disorganized and unreliable instructor. For a business that claims to prioritize safety, they showed zero regard for comfort, communication, or professionalism. I was dismissed, ignored, and ultimately ghosted. A TRUE AND HONEST WARNING- I would NOT trust this team for training or certification. Look elsewhere. They will be happy to take your money and not deliver what they promise. read more

I highly recommend checking this scuba shop out. Great experience doing training with Nico and Brandon. Very professional. Ty Riverside Scuba! read more

Just finished my open water certification at Riverside Scuba! My dive instructor Nico shared with me all of his knowledge and wisdom. I feel super comfortable now in this new world of scuba and excited for the adventures to come! Thank you Nico! read more

Riverside Scuba - Lake Perris scuba certification dive - Dive Shops Near Me - Riverside, California

I'm just getting back into SCUBA. Nico and the rest of the team at this shop have been amazing. They got me right into a refresher course and now I'm back in the ocean working on other advancements (advanced diver, wreck survey, night diving, deep diving, hunting). This group has been super patient and accommodating. I'm impressed with the focus they have on safety. Just dove the Star of Scotland with them. Saw several enormous sun fish. What an amazing experience!! I highly recommend this shop based on their knowledge, patience and level of professionalism. It's a great place to grow at any skill level. read more

I finally made the step to learn to scuba dive and I'm so glad I did! Everyone at Riverside scuba was so helpful and made themselves available from the start. Dalia the shop manager helped with all my gear and was really nice and encouraging as I was a bit nervous. The process to get certified was easy to understand and follow. First I did the online classes then graduated to the in class session. After this I was ready for the pool and open water. I struggled with the skills in the pool my first try and Nico as well as his assistant Cesar where so patient with me. I had a lot of anxiety and they eased that and I was able to successfully complete my skills. I am now certified and can't wait to scuba! I can't wait to get in the water! Thanks Riverside scuba I look forward to diving with you soon. read more

I just finished my open water certification and felt very prepared and supported thanks to the quality instruction from the Scuba Locker. Roy & Greg were great at getting me set up and helping with gear. JP was an amazing instructor-very thorough and patient which put my mind at ease as I felt anxious the first time in the water. JP made sure all of us students felt prepared and took the time we needed to prepare for open water. Angie & Cesar were also a great support and knowing one of them was always there with us in the water helped me feel so much better. I am so glad I went through the Scuba Locker for certification and can't wait to join the Dive Club & complete more dives! read more

Had my LPSteel cylinder serviced and a new valve put on. Excellent service, quick and ready to go within a couple of days. Dalia, was great. Always helpful, with a positive, get it done attitude. Two thumbs up. read more

Riverside Scuba Locker If you want the adventure of a lifetime, something that will be in your mind till you part scuba is for you!!! So I recently retired and a year ago I was certified as a deep water diver in the Yucatan peninsula. Covid 19 has kept us prisoners of our home and environment so I decided to take a diving trip but if you compare the warm waters of the Caribbean to our California waters is an intimidating comparison. I went to Scuba Locker (Riverside)to sign up for an upcoming trip. Greg was so welcoming and he advised me to take a refresher and I could not agree more. I took all my gear to get it tuned up and when I picked it up Roy waited on me... Roy was so patient on teaching me how to properly assemble my gear. He spent more than an hour describing all the safety features of my gear. Needless to say I'm an extremely happy camper with this business. If you want professional knowledge, treatment and training give Scuba Locker a chance you won't regret it. read more

Excellent little family run business, great thing to see nowadays very knowledgeable great pkace

Got all of my gear here and my refresher and advanced scuba courses! Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Keep on rocking!

The staff here is absolutely amazing! Kaytlyn was so incredibly helpful answering all my questions and directing me towards the proper gear for my plans ! 10/10 will be back ! Love the staff , love the environment, love the enthusiasm to help a fellow diver! read more

What a great experience! The family owners provided outstanding service, taught me a lot about the equipment I needed, and made it a pleasure to shop here. I will recommend them to all of my family, friends, and coworkers! read more

I'm new to scuba diving, and it's something I wish I had gotten into sooner. I have passed by their building many times and never went in. I decided to finally do the thing and get started. I went and met Roy and Greg, the new owners of the dive shop. Formerly it was Wiley's Scuba Locker, he is now preparing for retirement sailing to the South Pacific, now it is "Riverside Scuba Locker". Both Roy and Greg have a lifetime of scuba experience and Greg (the lead instructor) did EOD in the Navy. They are very friendly and know a lot about the equipment and services needed to provide for a safe and enjoyable scuba experience. I took the open water certification training and they explained the process that new students go through. First there is an e-learning portion at the TDISDI website (the industry standard for all scuba certifications) then after a review the class gets fitted and scheduled for a pool dive. Once the pool dive is done we found a date to do our first dives in the ocean at Catalina. Today I am a certified open water diver scuba diver and I can't wait to get more engaged with the local dive club which meets on the second Saturdays of the month at the dive shop. Looking forward to continuing my education and the next dive. Thanks! read more

New to diving and stopped in today to get the basics. They were very helpful and gave us their full attention. Didn't try to up sell with things I don't need. Great family business and very friendly!! Will be going here for future needs without a doubt! read more

My entire family has received multiple dive certifications from the Scuba locker, and I only have positive things to say about this shop, the owner and the instructors. We have had the opportunity to work with Greg and go on several dives with him. I appreciate his patience and expertise when teaching my adult(ish) kids, and working through skills completely. Their customer service has been great when handling questions on equipment, and offering competitive pricing on both new and used gear. It should be noted that this dive shop has recently changed ownership, and while we did not have the best experience with the previous owner that has all changed since the new owner purchased the shop. We are looking forward to many more dives with our new friends at the Scuba Locker! read more

I'm so thankful to have found Riverside Scuba Locker! The guys there are so amazing! Our whole family decided to get certified and the people here helped us every step of the way. Never once did we feel like "just a number". From the first moment we met them, we felt like we were now part of the scuba family! Every dumb question I had was answered with patience (I had a lot of dumb questions, sorry for that Greg! lol). But I always knew that they would take the time to make sure I knew what I was doing, and I always felt safe. We finished our certification and have already gone on additional boat dives with the dive club. SO FRIGGIN AMAZING!!! We already have 2 more dive trips scheduled! The dive club's leader, Angela...not enough words for this angel! She is so patient with helping me and I can't thank her enough for putting the trips together!!! Cecilia must have answered eleventeen bazillion questions about dive equipment that I had....thank you Cecilia...you are the queen of patience :) Big shout out to JP, he calmed my nerves more than once! Without him, I would still be diving, just a basket-case doing it! LOL This place is gets 5 stars from our family! They were excellent in making sure our son knew what he was doing...right through to giving me and the hubbs the patience to learn at a slightly-slower "older person" pace! lol Love you guys!!! read more

I just finished my Open Water Scuba Cert and I highly recommend the training and instructors here at Riverside Scuba Locker! Chris was our main instructor in the water and he was very patient with my slower pace and millions of questions, with lots of stories and experiences to relate, and different things to try when challenges come up. JP and Greg were also teaching and training in class and at the pool and the years of experience and expertise is very impressive, always making sure we know our stuff, asking lots of questions to make sure we are paying attention, especially with the teenage divers going through certification. I enjoyed classes here and now I look forward to many adventures underwater! Great place and great people! read more

I searched for a dive shop to get my Open Water license and decided to try this place out. I couldn't have been more pleased. The experience was smooth and rewarding, and I had loads of fun! The first portion is e-learning, which takes about a week if you do ~15 minutes each day. This consists of watching instructional videos and reading info and then being quizzed. If you pass the test at the end, you are sorted into a "class" of anywhere from 3-8 people and advance to the pool sessions (we did ours on consecutive Saturdays). This is where you really get your...feet wet...learning techniques like underwater mask removal and regulator recovery. Finally, we completed the ocean dives at Casino Point in Catalina, and the final (fourth) dive at Corona del Mar on consecutive weekends, and today I was awarded my Open Water certificate! Chris and Angie are skilled, patient, clear, and overall amazing instructors. I never felt anxious at any point. In addition to offering courses, the shop sells merchandise for nearly every diving-related subject under the sun, at (from what I can tell) reasonable prices. There is a dive club that meets every month, and I hope to get as involved as my schedule allows because I can hardly think of a better way to spend my time! See you in the reef! read more

If you're looking to get your scuba certification look no further! I highly recommend you get it at the Riverside Scuba Locker. From the very beginning when I decided to get my certification, everyone was so nice and welcoming. Roy and Greg always made sure I had all I needed from the shop and always had smiling faces. My actual instructor, JP, was the best instructor I could've asked for. Although it was a group class, he made sure each and every one of us had the attention we needed in order to succeed. Our success was his success and he made me feel comfortable and prepared for anything that I could face while diving. His co-instructor, Cesar, was helpful and funny and cared immensely for each of us. He was always willing to lend a hand or advice and greatly improved my experience. The people at the scuba locker don't just want your money, they care that you'll get a quality experience that you'll cherish forever. read more