Gulf Coast Scuba - Houston, Texas

Dennis S.

I just completed my Advanced Adventurer course here this weekend. Everyone here is very helpful and friendly. My instructor Kevin is great, I had 5 really great educational and fun dives with Kevin! I highly recommend this dive shop for getting your open water certification and to further improve your skills and take their advanced and specialties courses!

Janis J.

Dishonest, deceptive, incompetent, and unprofessional.

The shop incorrectly measured and incorrectly ordered a $3200+ Santi drysuit that is way too large for me (Santi confirmed I fit almost perfectly into a smaller size with measurements even smaller than XS)

I contacted both the shop and the US Santi Rep in 2020 (I have email evidence with the Santi Rep in 2020 & 2021) about how big the suit was. It never fit me. I've attached a photo from 2020 and you can see how baggy it is.

The shop refused to help and refused to even change the wrist seals that were too large. Santi replaces these for free the first time. Shop tried to charge me. They ordered the wrong size hood, pee valve placement, etc. They blamed me and tried to hide their mistakes from the US Santi rep and from Santi manufacturer.

I recently asked them to help with the suit again and they didn't respond to my email.

The drysuit is extremely baggy, which causes my harness and my sidemount CCR to slide around. My shearwater P3 also slides around.

When I was measured, the co-owner told me that women get fat and warned me not to gain weight. He then told me a story about measuring a woman who got fat and couldn't fit into her drysuit so he told me I better not get fat too (extremely offensive). He also made me put on my undergarments for measuring, which is NOT correct per Santi.

While I was getting measured, the other co-owner tried to pressure me into purchasing new fins because, according to him, "all women have floaty feet" (I do not have floaty feet). He shoved fins into my hands and said "see, aren't those heavier than your current fins?" When I told him they feel heavier on land, but I don't know how they will behave in the water, he said "whatever is heavier on land is also heavier in the water". Not true. An empty AL80 is heavy on land but floats in the water. He then tried pressuring me into purchasing a Mares SCR and said there's nothing to see below 40m so I should buy the Mares. He also didn't know what gas density was and said it was the same as partial pressure.

I was only there to get measured for, and purchase, a dry suit. I still use the same fins without a problem. They are desperate for money and will resort to deceptive practices. They were a new Santi dealer and completely incompetent .

When I went to pick up my drysuit, the neck seal was too tight and the wrist seals were too loose (the wrist seals had a gap). The co-owner told me I got fat in the neck and that I lost weight in my wrists. He then proceeded to cut the neck seal with scissors while holding the dry suit up in one hand and cutting it with the other (which caused the neck seal to be jagged, suspectible to tears). When the US Santi rep saw this, he asked if I did it. I did not. The shop did it. The co-owner also said he ordered it a little large because "women get fat".

The neoprene socks, while both marked size small, are different sizes. The co-owner told me just to use gaitors because "that's what everyone does". They also said Santi doesn't make XS flexsoles, which was a lie.

This shop has refused to rectify the issue with the drysuit. If the shop had contacted Santi timely when I told them the suit was too big in 2020, then, per Santi, they would have remade the suit. But instead, this shop tried to hide its mistakes from Santi and the US Santi rep because it was a new Santi dealer and had just qualified to become one unbeknownst to me.

Do not trust this shop. They are not competent and are not knowledgeable about the products they sell and refuse to rectify the situation and instead resort to blaming the customer. They will also pressure you to purchase equipment they claim you need even though they've never seen you in the water. They also seem to misunderstand theory even though they claim to be a tech shop. I'm sure I will receive much hate mail from their lackys but for the discerning customer and knowledgeable scuba diver, you're going to be very disappointed (and a bit shocked) by this shop. Take your money elsewhere.

Ali S.

Excellent service from start to finish. Professional measurement experience where Aiar confirmed each measurement in full detail, followed up with Santi factory in Poland to expedite, delivered ahead of schedule to make sure I could take the Santi drysuit to my Truk trip. Santi drysuit fits like a glove and exactly as Aiar had described! Thanks for a great service! Highly recommended!!

Now just gotta stay away from them cheeseburgers and shakes to make sure I can still fit in the suit!! 🙂

Joanna J.

Went here recently for my open water certification. This place is friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Their intent was clearly to educate and support their students/customers rather than to nickel and dime them. I'm not an especially adventurous person by default, so scuba diving is at the fringe of my comfort zone. Throughout the course of my certification class, whether it was in the pool or out in the lake, I felt safe and at ease with these guys. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking to be certified or simply looking for a scuba shop in Houston.

Daniel R.

I have obtained my open water, advanced and rescue diver certifications from the owner, Jim Baber. I will never go anywhere else to get further certifications. Not only is the instruction and mentorship unmatched, but Gulf Coast Scuba offers the most competitive pricing and they do not require you to rent/buy gear. Their passion for scuba is infectious and makes you want to continue exploring parts of the world that you wouldn't be able to otherwise.

Brad W.

There’s a reason Gulf Coast Scuba has so many 5 star reviews.

My family was looking for snorkeling gear for an upcoming trip. Gulf Coast Scuba had 3 people helping us on a Saturday morning. We didn’t know much about what we needed but everyone there was so nice and helpful. I drove an hour from Magnolia and I’m glad I did. I will definitely go back and refer anyone I know to them. Thanks to everyone at Gulf Coast Scuba who assisted us with our purchases this morning! Great experience!

Reid L.

Needed a front refresher course for a dive trip and I picked the right place. Friendly and knowledgeable owner. Great equipment. Great price. My instructor Carl was the best.

Robert K.

My Daughter and I just finished our dry suit course with Aiar and Gulf Coast Scuba. We were measured and sized, ordered our suits, took the training course and training dives all with Gulf Coast Scuba. The entire process was perfect. Our dry suits fit perfect and are great quality. The class was very informative and really enjoyable. We feel confidant and well trained as new dry suit divers. I HIGHLY recommend Aiar and Gulf Coast Scuba.