Favorite LDS?

[Phil_218]

Who is your favorite LDS(s) and what is it you like about them?

My "Local" DSs are in San Antonio and after the experiences I've had with each I choose to take my business to the furthest from me, which is Duggan Diving. I think their prices are fair and the people are friendly. John, the owner, is very knowledgeable.

I like Tom's Dive and Swim in Austin, because I had a good experience with them servicing my equipment this past off season. Unfortunately they are too far of a drive for me to get to on a regular basis.

I like Scuba Toys also, but again, way to far to drive (internet works nicely though).

Anyways, I thought it'd be good to hear your thoughts on the other stores around Texas.

 

[k ellis]

Wow I think thats a difficult to answer for me because its case dependent.

For my training my favorite LDS is Poseidon adventrues (Poseidon Adventures - Tulsa's Center for Scuba Diving Certification, Training, and Equipment) as they are more like my home training grounds because of convenience and devotion to the sport. They are great for this purpose but I have found they have limited availability in stock mainly due in part that the shop is really not a large shop.

For my product line of choice which is Zeagle I have to goto Dive Site which is the local supplier for them. They have a tad more selection available and stock alot of the opposite brands the Poseidon stocks as well.

For convenience though I am a scubatoys.com fan. I like that I can order most products early in the day and if they have it in stock then I can usually get it by the next day with free shipping over $50.00

 

[heavyjeffd]

Scubaland is by far my favorite "local" dive shop. As I live in between San Antonio and Austin (actually slightly closer to Austin), Scubaland South is the closest shop to me.

Due to my extremely busy schedule and amount of commuting I do every day, I tend to shop at Scuba Toys a lot. I consider them a "local" shop to a degree since they are in Texas. I had the chance to stop by their shop the last time I was up that way and did, they were incredibly nice people.

I've had mediocre experiences with the SA dive shops, so I generally limit my purchases there to air fills or small items.

 

[Beach Head]

Texan Scuba for me. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. They are always willing to work with the customer and provide some of the best customer service I have seen in a while. Top rate instruction and their dive trips are always a blast and hard to beat for the money.

 

[ajtoady]

My fav is in Flackville, NY, Bluefin Diving, and has a very good instructor base along with great offers! John and Jim are by far two of the best persons that I could ask all my "dumb " questions of, and not feel like a total fool. They definitely go the extra nine yards when it comes to diving.

 

[TexasKaren68]

I haven't been to all the LDS's in San Antonio (yet), just one so I have nothing to compare them to. I've been meaning to get to Duggan Diving, just to look around but haven't made it over there yet.

I did a little shopping at Scuba Toys when I was in Dallas. They were very helpful and nice. Wish I could have spent a bit more time (and money) there.

 

[davetowz]

I did a little shopping at Scuba Toys when I was in Dallas. They were very helpful and nice. Wish I could have spent a bit more time (and money) there.

So does Larry!

 

[Ottoman Diver]

Over in Galveston we have Island Divers Tom is a grate person he makes the dive shop feel as if it's your home away from home. He knows his stuff and when you are talking to him he won't push his stuff on you as some dive stores do. He will gladly share all the pros and cons about all the gear he has with out hiding anything just to make a sale. I love that place and I send every one I know ( new or experienced ) there knowing they will not be ripped off and that they will receive their money's worth.

 

[electrix]

Blue Sea Adventures in Rockwall is a great dive shop they have good inventory, great instructors,two instructor trainers,tec training, nitrox and a friendly knowledgeable staff. If they had their own training pool they would have it all. They also do a lot of online sales as scubagoo.com.

 

[halocline]

I really like the guys at lonestar scuba in Ft Worth.