Panama city dive shops

[rr41mag]

I'm moving to Panama City Florida and have been checking out dive shops. Any of them better than others or any to watch out for. I've wanted to learn to dive for a long time now.

 

[TMHeimer]

I've had a couple of good experiences with Dive Locker-shore dives and charter.

 

[moosicman]

Hey! This thread may be helpful because we discussed a lot of the dive ops. in it. Feel free to hit me up when you're down and want to go diving. The Jetties are a MUST!

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/so...tes/425780-pcb-dive-boat-recommendations.html

 

[DocCarl]

My shop of choice in PCB is Panama City Dive Charters. The owner, Pat, (Patmygreen here on SB) is a great guy, and runs a top notch operation. Drop in and tell him I sent you.


Carl

 

[tm4diving]

Dive Locker shop in Panama City Beach was a complete disappointment. The first dive of the day was cut short and divers recalled to boat due to a passing thunder storm. I still had 1200 psi in my tank when I got back on board the boat. The second dive was cancelled and we returned to the dock. I don’t blame the captain or crew because safety should always come first. The disappointment had nothing to do with the weather or the boat captain’s decision. I was completely disappointed with how the Dive Locker shop handled the situation. They offered 30% off the next booked trip and 1 free tank rental. I explained that it was my last day in Panama City Beach and rarely ever come to this beach so I needed a refund instead of a discount on my next trip. They refused any type of refund, but they said they could make me a really good offer if I purchased something in the shop. I didn’t need any additional equipment and I wasn’t going to spend even more money just to get a discount. I asked for a manager or owner and was told that no one was available or authorized to make any type of refund. They had at least 4 to 5 employees walking around this small shop and no manager? No owner or manager available by phone? Really?? I felt like they were lying to me now. Don’t let the fancy web site, the “Premier” descriptions, the “award winning” descriptions, or the 5 star ratings fool you. They seem more worried about getting and keeping your money instead of serving or winning over customers. They also seem to be bending over backwards for the large dive group that was in the shop and ignoring the individual divers.

I’ve tried emailing the Dive Locker and have received no response. Pat Green from Panama City Dive Charters saw one of my negative online reviews of the Dive Locker and contacted me. He wanted to know if I would consider his charter next time. I told him I would be glad to give PC Dive Charters a try next time. He appreciated the opportunity to earn my business. Now Pat seems to be someone looking to serve his customers.

 

[turt1e]

We have used Panama City Dive Charters as well and were very happy. We have rented tanks and flags to dive the jetties from there and done charters. Great website with a calendar for availability and a very informative shop.

 

[Yarbrough]

tm4diving,

I am very sorry that you were displeased and would like to take a moment to explain the shop side of the story. The day in question was a stormy event. Tony, the owner was flying to pennsylvania to visit his family, so was only available while the planes were on the ground. He is the owner, and was contacted when the trip was cancelled and said give everyone 30 percent off the next trip and a free tank, so vouchers were made, and handed out. Everyone except for you seemed happy with this, but you expressed that you were headed out the next day, so I tried to call Tony again with no answer. At this time, I offered you a discount on anything that you purchased and was prepared to sell to you at cost just to try to make you happy because I do understand where it seemed disorganized. Now, while you were looking around, Tony called me back and said to give you a refund, which I remember doing, but it was for only the 30 percent approved for everyone else on the trip, so perhaps you meant to say "full refund" in your post.

Now, I can say that I take everything you have said personally, as it was me (Todd Yarbrough) not the Dive Locker that you were dealing with in the store. That being said, I have been with the shop for the better part of a decade, most people who know the store know me, and I hope know that I try to get things taken care of so that the customer is happy. What you witnessed that day was a series of bad events, starting with a lightning storm that cancelled a trip on a day when the owner was out of town. I am sorry for the inconvenience it caused you, however the damaging things you are saying here are false.

Pat Green runs a spectacular operation, and I truely hope you have a better experience there.

 

[Tom Winters]

I hope you enjoy Panama City. I stayed in Panama City Beach for a number of months at the turn of the century while I was roaming around CONUS but was ok with finally leaving.
One place I always enjoyed was Cypress Springs - a 79 to 90 million/gallon/day flow. It's closed to the public now that the Nestle Corp is bottling the water there, but you can paddle up from Vernon if you make it past the dog track at Ebro on Route 79.

 

[tm4diving]

tm4diving,

I am very sorry that you were displeased and would like to take a moment to explain the shop side of the story. The day in question was a stormy event. Tony, the owner was flying to pennsylvania to visit his family, so was only available while the planes were on the ground. He is the owner, and was contacted when the trip was cancelled and said give everyone 30 percent off the next trip and a free tank, so vouchers were made, and handed out. Everyone except for you seemed happy with this, but you expressed that you were headed out the next day, so I tried to call Tony again with no answer. At this time, I offered you a discount on anything that you purchased and was prepared to sell to you at cost just to try to make you happy because I do understand where it seemed disorganized. Now, while you were looking around, Tony called me back and said to give you a refund, which I remember doing, but it was for only the 30 percent approved for everyone else on the trip, so perhaps you meant to say "full refund" in your post.

Now, I can say that I take everything you have said personally, as it was me (Todd Yarbrough) not the Dive Locker that you were dealing with in the store. That being said, I have been with the shop for the better part of a decade, most people who know the store know me, and I hope know that I try to get things taken care of so that the customer is happy. What you witnessed that day was a series of bad events, starting with a lightning storm that cancelled a trip on a day when the owner was out of town. I am sorry for the inconvenience it caused you, however the damaging things you are saying here are false.

Pat Green runs a spectacular operation, and I truely hope you have a better experience there.

Todd Yarbrough,
I don't appreciate being called a liar. My account of the event is 100% correct. You must have me confused with another customer. There were two other individual male divers standing with me when we were told "no fund". The other two male divers seemed to look around the shop, but I left immediately without any refund or any offer to call the owner for approval. And the two employees behind the counter that said no one was available to approve any refund couldn't have been you because they didn't look old enough to have a decade of experience unless they were working at age 10. If you are the manager of the store, why didn't the other two employees refer me to you when I asked for a manager??

 

[Nemrod]

Nothing negative about any shop in that area but I can say I had a good time with the Dive Locker and would and do recommend them as a good operation.

N