Kosh
Contributor
After seeing that some of you are from the greater DC area, I thought I'd see if you have any recommendations for a local dive shop with a good selection of trips (preferably warm water destinations).
DC area shops
- Thread starter Kosh
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I think you are pretty near Adventure Scuba, but Sea Ventures and The Dive Shop are also pretty close to you. There are clubs in the area that run some trips too...I know Patowmack Divers is running a Dominica trip in Feb or March (www.dcdiver.com).
drizzt117
Contributor
How would you rate Adventure Scuba? I am planning to get some gear in the near future, and am still debating between LDS vs. LP. Adventure Scuba appears to be a dealer in brands of most of what I want. Thanks.
Thomas
Thomas
Let's wait for Divernva and Kstakem to come around...they frequent Adventure Scuba and can give you their opinions.
kstakem
Contributor
Well I would say I like them and think they are a very decent shop.
I started from nothing in July. I talked to them at the store a couple times before I decided to do my OW with them in August. I liked the fact that Henry and Ben were very honest about what to expect, gear, how to do things, the order to do them etc... I took my OW and have gone hog wild since
After my OW, I decided that I wanted to get into scuba for good and wanted my own gear. After talking to them many times I decided to get a reg & octo, bc and dive computer. I told them what my budget was and what I wanted and they worked everything into my budget. I actually went over by about 500.00 but I got a tank, wetsuit, a bunch of odds and ends stuff like dive knife etc. I think I prolly spent about 300.00 or so more than I would have online but I felt they earned my business. I would have to say I spent clost to 10 hours of time just asking question and having them show me gear and stuff. So I didnt have a problem with it.
I actually just got back from doing my Advance and Nitrox with them this past weekend. I had a great time and meet some good divers that I hope to dive with in the future. Everyone from the divers to the DMs to the Instructors are friendly and fun.
I think my only problem with them is not really their fault but more of a PADI / Size of class thing / Amount of time and air. My OW had like 12 students and 2 instructors plus a ton of DMs. I think every buddy group had a DM with them, so I liked that too. I also took the accelerated class, which I dont think I would reccomend for begginners with no experience. The problem was we had just enough time to do the skill once and then move on. They of course helped people that were having problems with the skill but even then it was a bit rushed. I just figured I would practice later to get it perfect and only worked on making sure I understood how and when to do the skill during the class. So my comfort level was a bit lower than I hoped after the class but I knew I had the knowledge to increase it and now with 20 dives under my belt, I feel much better. O-Ring and Divernva have been a ton of help and great dive buddies So I am sure that helped me out too.
As far as trips go, I haven't been on one with them yet but I plan too as soon as I have money. Hehe so next year prolly. They seem to have the normal trips planned like most shops. Galopagos(sp), Belize, Crystal River, NC Wreck trips are about the only ones I can remember of the top of my head. I do wish they updated their website a bit more tho.... I might have to talk to them about that, since I'm a out of work web developer
Hope that helped, let me know if you have any more questions.
Kevin
PS, I will be out of town till Thursday... Pray for lots of tuna and no Hurricanes or Tropical storms !!!
I started from nothing in July. I talked to them at the store a couple times before I decided to do my OW with them in August. I liked the fact that Henry and Ben were very honest about what to expect, gear, how to do things, the order to do them etc... I took my OW and have gone hog wild since
After my OW, I decided that I wanted to get into scuba for good and wanted my own gear. After talking to them many times I decided to get a reg & octo, bc and dive computer. I told them what my budget was and what I wanted and they worked everything into my budget. I actually went over by about 500.00 but I got a tank, wetsuit, a bunch of odds and ends stuff like dive knife etc. I think I prolly spent about 300.00 or so more than I would have online but I felt they earned my business. I would have to say I spent clost to 10 hours of time just asking question and having them show me gear and stuff. So I didnt have a problem with it.
I actually just got back from doing my Advance and Nitrox with them this past weekend. I had a great time and meet some good divers that I hope to dive with in the future. Everyone from the divers to the DMs to the Instructors are friendly and fun.
I think my only problem with them is not really their fault but more of a PADI / Size of class thing / Amount of time and air. My OW had like 12 students and 2 instructors plus a ton of DMs. I think every buddy group had a DM with them, so I liked that too. I also took the accelerated class, which I dont think I would reccomend for begginners with no experience. The problem was we had just enough time to do the skill once and then move on. They of course helped people that were having problems with the skill but even then it was a bit rushed. I just figured I would practice later to get it perfect and only worked on making sure I understood how and when to do the skill during the class. So my comfort level was a bit lower than I hoped after the class but I knew I had the knowledge to increase it and now with 20 dives under my belt, I feel much better. O-Ring and Divernva have been a ton of help and great dive buddies
So I am sure that helped me out too.As far as trips go, I haven't been on one with them yet but I plan too as soon as I have money. Hehe so next year prolly. They seem to have the normal trips planned like most shops. Galopagos(sp), Belize, Crystal River, NC Wreck trips are about the only ones I can remember of the top of my head. I do wish they updated their website a bit more tho.... I might have to talk to them about that, since I'm a out of work web developer
Hope that helped, let me know if you have any more questions.
Kevin
PS, I will be out of town till Thursday... Pray for lots of tuna and no Hurricanes or Tropical storms !!!
Is there a particular agency you'd like to receive training through? Most of the shops are PADI: Splash (Arlington / Herndon), Aquatic Adventures (Alexandria), Adventrue Scuba (Chantilly). I think The Dive Shop (Fairfax) and Sea Ventures (Annandale) teach SSI. The American Watersports (Arlington) is NAUI. You may also want to base your decision on where you spend most of the daylight hours. Some of the classroom sessions may be held during the weekday.
The closest shop to Centreville is probably Adventure Scuba in Chantilly. They teach PADI and TDI primarily. Just to reiterate Kevin's post, they run a good shop. Scott and Henry are great. My OW instructor was Tom Black. He is/was part of the Search and Recovery team for Fairfax County Police (I think). I've never been on any of their trips, but all the people I've met through the shop have been top notch.
Scubaboard is a great resource to learn about scuba. I didn't know about the board when I started my dive training. In hindsight, I have to honestly say that I felt as though I had blinders on. I can't blame it on the shop, since they are generally associated with one training agency and carry specific manufacturer product lines. Use Scubaboard to learn about the training styles of the different agencies as well as equipment.
If you ever have question, please feel free to post or private message.
Ken
The closest shop to Centreville is probably Adventure Scuba in Chantilly. They teach PADI and TDI primarily. Just to reiterate Kevin's post, they run a good shop. Scott and Henry are great. My OW instructor was Tom Black. He is/was part of the Search and Recovery team for Fairfax County Police (I think). I've never been on any of their trips, but all the people I've met through the shop have been top notch.
Scubaboard is a great resource to learn about scuba. I didn't know about the board when I started my dive training. In hindsight, I have to honestly say that I felt as though I had blinders on. I can't blame it on the shop, since they are generally associated with one training agency and carry specific manufacturer product lines. Use Scubaboard to learn about the training styles of the different agencies as well as equipment.
If you ever have question, please feel free to post or private message.
Ken
Thanks to everyone for the replies. Kstakem, you mentioned your OW experience with Adventure Scuba. How was your AOW with them? I have my OW and am looking to get my AOW before the end of the year.
Divernva, Im not dead set on a particular cert. agency. My OW was through PADI, but I feel it is more beneficial to have a good instructor than the certifying agency.
Ive been to all the shops mentioned in this thread, but I didnt get to talk much about instructors with any of them. We talked mostly about equipment with a couple of the shops really trying hard to sell to me. I may shy away from them in the future; they seemed a little pushy to me. Anyone have any really good instructors they would like to comment on? I think I would prefer to do my AOW dives in the ocean, but Ive never been to Millbrook. Have all of you done the AOW dives there (Millbrook)? I guess most of the shops will do cert. dives on a group trip, but I havent found a trip with space available before the end of the year.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Divernva, Im not dead set on a particular cert. agency. My OW was through PADI, but I feel it is more beneficial to have a good instructor than the certifying agency.
Ive been to all the shops mentioned in this thread, but I didnt get to talk much about instructors with any of them. We talked mostly about equipment with a couple of the shops really trying hard to sell to me. I may shy away from them in the future; they seemed a little pushy to me. Anyone have any really good instructors they would like to comment on? I think I would prefer to do my AOW dives in the ocean, but Ive never been to Millbrook. Have all of you done the AOW dives there (Millbrook)? I guess most of the shops will do cert. dives on a group trip, but I havent found a trip with space available before the end of the year.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
PM me with your email and I can send you his contact info...
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