I am an experienced scuba diver and wanted to get my 10 year old certified. I signed her up for the confined water classes offered by Adventure scuba and had a wonderful experience. Tom, the instructor was incredibly nice, capable, competent, and patient. The classes are very intimate with only four students. The proximity of the pool to the dive shop is literally across the street. We had amazing experience with my daughter learning all the skills in a very short period of time. I will follow up on this post as we were going for the open water dives next week. Thanks again to all the people adventure scuba. You all did a great job and we had a great time. **** Ok - following up on the above, great news. She passed her open water check outs with flying colors in the Caymans. The instructors thought she was perfectly prepared and will be a safe and capable diver. Thanks again to the Adventure Scuba team for solid work!! read more

Adventure Scuba - Charli crushing the class - Sporting Goods Near Me - Manhattan, New York

I'm sadden to write this account as I wanted to like this place, but my experience was 100% avoidable. I went through the certification process elsewhere despite trauma I had to undo from Adventure Scuba. I tried twice to go to Adventure Scuba--big mistake. I arrived excited and ready, but left with an intense anxiety of scuba diving because of the comments the instructors made combined with their lack of support. The instructors boast having years of instructing experience, but had zero helpful advice while I had difficulty breathing except: "collect yourself" "what's going on with you?", "you need to relax and pretend your in the spa", all of which was monumentally unhelpful to hear as my body quickly spiraled to a panic. The worst was the female instructor. Hyper condescending. She was visibly irritated by my anxiety (I was astonished that my trouble breathing was a nuisance to both of instructors). The unfortunate part is that when I first conveyed I was having difficulty breathing, I didn't feel ANY fear initially, I simply tried to explain I was experiencing trouble breathing, and to ask questions, but I was quickly dismissed and told to "make up my mind if this is something I want to do." These comments quickly fueled a feeling of intense panic when I received NO answers to my questions and reattempted to submerge myself only for the cycle to repeat and lead several times to the same outcome of not being able to breath well. Repeating this several times rendered me freaked out, confused, and exasperated. I don't remember her name (but to be fair she kept calling me the wrong name which also contributed to my confusion). The male instructor accused me of not listening to him (although I proceeded to repeat everything he had just said, so no idea why he made that assumption). The bright side is, I have since been to two different dive sites (one to complete certification the other just to dive for fun) and they both were vastly different experiences from Adventure Scuba. Surprisingly, there was no insults or condescending statements, no visible impatience, no accusations. Only support, encouragement, instruction, and understanding which is not a lot to ask. I learned that the difficulty breathing wasn't in my head or something wrong with me, but breathing (unlike i was told at Adventure Scuba) does feel different under water and shouldn't be rushed. Now that's good instruction! The absolute worse part was I probably was in the pool both times for five minutes each and they happily kept the money despite lack of instruction. ASTONISHINGLY wrong. So I write this review and also let fellow divers know: please avoid this place. Ultimately, I'm glad I didn't give up despite this truly unpleasant experiences of my life. I would say its an ok place if you've already been diving a few times before, but definitely not if you expect to be supported, not rushed, and respected when you voice you can't breath or want to ask questions. I would definitely caution against spending hundreds of your dollars for that kind of treatment trust me other places are able to train without that nonsense. My sister did it with me she completed with Adventure Scuba, but fully agreed that the experience was lacking due to the treatment and how rushed the class felt. My feedback would be if someone isn't relaxed-- don't fuel the apprehension, it's NOT helpful. read more

I took the Saturday One-Day Lesson (which is the confined pool part of the open water certification) with Tom. Tom was a wonderful instructor: he was knowledgeable, direct, able to describe instructions as many ways as needed for everyone to understand, and above all he was patient. Tom is also honest and direct - certain things must be learned and there is no way around that. What Tom teaches (and taught our class) will be necessary to ensure your dives are safe...and could save your life. I was joined by two other students for this class, and the small group size was a pleasant surprise to me. I recommend that everyone and anyone - no matter your skill level - who is interested in this class take it here, and take it with Tom. read more

Sad to say I was sold a product that was not for ocean swimming. Just to make a sale in the Winter time .?? Wore it once. It did not work. The expereinced salesman knew it would not?? then got weak customer service. read more

Good prices on wetsuits! (Cheaper than Amazon Prime) They also carry Hero GoPro cameras. And full scuba outfits. Their dive courses are all conducted in Dutch Springs, a cold lake in PA. Beyond that, they have dive club recommendations for ocean dives. Staff is informative and helpful. Asphalt Green & a nice park are right nearby and worth checking out while you're at Adventure Scuba. read more

Found Adventure Scuba per a Yelp Deal -- not sure if I'm more grateful to Yelp for the referral, or to Adventure Scuba for the awesome lesson! Seth was the lead instructor for the Discover Scuba (first timer) class, and he was great, as was Justin! They were both friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Just as described, we watched a brief prep video and then headed to Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics across the street for our in-water lesson. After suiting up, our class of eight (10 with the instructors) was in the pool about 30-45 minutes. It was hard to swim underwater too much because of the small pool size, but your body definitely experiences what it's like to scuba (breathing with a tank, being submerged, handling the equipment, etc). Follow up/advanced lessons take you in to a larger pool. You can get your PADI certification through Adventure Scuba as well (they provide discounts post-introductory course if you want continue), which averages about $500 for the lessons and online training. Definitely recommend this place. Thanks Yelp and thanks Adventure Scuba! read more

Adventure Scuba is a great resource for scuba (naturally), snorkeling and swim gear generally. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. I took a class (offered at Asphalt Green across the street) and had a wonderful one-on-one snorkel session. A terrific local resources and the type of store that makes NYC a great place. read more

Stopped by to get snorkel equipment and had a great experience with Tom. He cleans the equipment between customers and so we were able to actually try on snorkel masks which was essential to finding the right fit. We're so glad we didn't just order one at random online! We will definitely come here for any other snorkel or scuba related gear or lessons. read more

I just got my PADI Open Water certification referral and gear through Adventure Scuba. For the most part, it was a good experience. My instructor John was nice, very knowledgeable, and got all our classroom and in-water stuff done in one day during the Executive Weekend class. The confined water portion was done at Asphalt Green, which is right across the street, which was very easy. My only complaint came that there was no rental gear available. Being a beginner, I obviously have no frame of reference for scuba, but for snorkeling, most shops will let you at least rent fins. Not the case here. But as far as getting certified goes, they're good at what they do. read more

I signed up for the executive weekend class a month ago but wasn't able to finish all five modules of the pool session due to time constraints. The owner Seth was very helpful by letting me come back two weeks later to complete the course w/o any additional charges. In addition to Seth, the guy in the front is also very friendly and helpful. I couldn't find a wetsuit that fit me well despite trying on four to five wetsuits, but rather than pushing me to make a purchase, he suggested that I look online or go to Patagonia. The two instructors that I had (Tony and Ray) were also great. They were both very thorough and patient in explaining and demonstrating the skills. Overall, I was very pleased with my experience with Adventure Scuba and highly recommend them to everyone. read more

My girlfriend and I took the Discover Scuba class at Adventure Scuba on the Upper East Side because of a package deal we found on Yelp. The class ran from 6-8, but we spent the first hour watching an introductory video and gearing up before even getting wet. Although the video was helpful, I think a little more hands-on experience would have been worthwhile. Our instructor, Ray, was super patient and made the best of the little time we had. I guess for the price, an hour of practice was worth it. I just think scuba diving is something that requires a bit more practice, and you can't really learn a skill like this in an hour. read more

This place was awesome. Seth, the owner, was very helpful and I ended up doing the coursework and pool training with him. All of the instructors were really nice and patient (but also good at catering to more advanced students, like myself). I had a blast and am super excited about being certified and will probably go back to do more advanced training (weekend trips) with them. Also, one of the better deals ($) in the city to get certified with some sweet student gear packages! read more

My wife and I took the two-weekday "confined water" part of the open water certification with Tom as our instructor. He's a lovely human being--patient, warm, and with a great sense of humor. Underneath that welcoming exterior, he's also a deeply experienced and knowledgeable diver. The weekday class didn't feel rushed at all, and we both left feeling thoroughly prepared for the open-water portion, which we'll complete this summer on vacation. Seth (at the store, we didn't dive with him) is great, too--very friendly and helpful. All in all, Adventure Scuba is a friendly, neighborhood dive shop and feels like the right launch pad for years of adventures. read more

My partner and I took our Advanced Open Water training through Adventure Scuba, and this course was a relatively terrible experience for us. Please note that due to character limits, this is an extremely short-form version of my full review, which you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/Aroarus/posts/10221231922416116 A) Our main problem was with John, the instructor, whom we found incredibly unprofessional. This came in three main forms (examples for all three listed on full review): 1) He was not a good teacher 2) He was crass 3) He did not respect his students. 1) Not a good teacher - John was simply not a good teacher, and did not offer the quality experience we expected from a PADI instructor teaching an advanced course. 2) Crass- Throughout the weekend, John made a series of crass and inappropriate comments and jokes. Some of John's jokes and comments were completely inappropriate. Others would have been fine amongst friends, but never from a teacher to students. Additionally, the power dynamic was such that it was very hard for any of us to speak up - we had invested a LOT of money and a fair amount of time into this weekend to get our certifications, and he had the power to make that all moot if he felt like it. 3) Did not respect his students - It did not feel like John respected his students, their time, or their learning. He actively mocked his students and refused any discussion or questions from the students while in the water. B) Unprepared student was added to the class last minute Our second problem was the last minute addition of a completely unprepared student. At the last minute, a new diver who only got Open Water certified 2 weeks ago was added to the lesson. She also had not done the online component of the AOW course, and did not have any of the basic concepts like how to use a compass. As a result, John had to spend a lot of time working on basics with her and keeping her safe. I think that was the right call for safety, but it definitely detracted from our experience as students in what was supposed to be an advanced course. It is the responsibility of the shop to match qualified students with courses, to protect the quality of their course for the other students. Not doing so is a sign of profiteering at the expense of your students. C) True cost of the course was unclear Our third problem was that the true cost of the course was not apparent until after we were already committed - a list price of $495 ended up being close to $850/person, and was incredibly overpriced compared to alternative options because of the items that were not included. To compare this, local dive shops near Dutch Springs offers an all-inclusive package (online course, all gear, park admission, tank fills, etc) for $300/person. A destination dive resort in Belize offers an all-inclusive course for $400/person. What we fundamentally didn't grasp until we were committed was how unimportant it was that the dive shop be local to our home - given that we were going to have to transport everything ourselves, that was actually much more of a hassle than working with a shop near Dutch Springs. D) Conclusion I cannot recommend classes at this shop to anyone, and will be actively steering my friends away from it. I think it's a fine retail operation, but open-water classes here should be avoided. I do not think that John Cassidy should not be responsible for student safety and learning, nor should he be in a position of power over women. Given that he is likely to keep instructing, I hope this helps anyone signing up for a class with him be very aware of what they are getting into from a humor and professionalism standpoint - especially female and transgender students. read more

Tom was great! I did the two weeknight group lesson back in April 2018. There was only one other person in the group so I felt that I had a lot of attention. Tom is super knowledgable with wisdom that comes from someone who obviously not only loves the sport but has also traveled all over the world for it as well. I finished my open water dives in Cayman Islands but passed with flying colors because I started the certification here. Would highly recommend! Got some nice gear as well that fit really well. If you are going somewhere I would definitely recommend dive shoes to protect your feet! read more

This review is for Tom. When I decided to learn about Scuba and get my diver's license, I called several places in NYC and found that Adventure Scuba was open on the weekend (the only time i'm available for anything other than work.) So I went in one Saturday and had the pleasure of meeting Tom, an experienced diver with a lot of patience. He helped me find the perfect wetsuit (I'm a pear-shaped woman. Nothing ever fits, ever! But Tom magically was able to find me a wetsuit that slipped on like a glove and worked for my budget.) After getting dive gear with Tom, I decided to sign up for the dive class. As it turns out, Tom also teaches classes in addition to working sales at Adventure Scuba. On the day of my pool dive, I was incredibly nervous. There's so much material to learn, and I haven't taken a formal test since college. Luckily, Tom is an incredibly patient, reassuring, and pleasant man to work with. He is highly experienced and frequently cracks jokes, so if you do have any anxieties going in, they're quickly removed. Tom made what could have been a tedious, anxiety-inducing experience very fun and relaxed. If anyone is thinking of taking a dive course in NYC, I highly recommend taking the course with Tom. read more

Adventure Scuba was GREAT. I contacted them for a review of my PADI before I went diving in Greece. Seth was amazingly helpful to me for getting me a temp card (I had lost my original PADI card). I had an emergency the night of class and missed the course. I called later and was able to come to the next lesson. I had picked up the refresh book earlier so was ready for my class. My instructor Christophe Thomas was incredibly great. He was very attentive and adapted everything to my level. i am sure he teaches this course alot, but I never once felt he was bored or that the course was routine. He gave me incredible insight and instruction - I felt this refresh was better than my original course. I am now re-enthused with my diving and plan to progress and get more PADI certifications next spring. I will definitely be using Adventure Scuba for those certifications. read more

Adventure Scuba was amazing! The PADI program overall is really well designed, and the combination of textbook + videos really ensures that the knowledge sticks. I took the class on a saturday with my boyfriend and we were matched with two lovely instructors. They were knowledgable about the course material and had personal stories/advice on virtually every topic. We will finish our certification this week by doing our open water dives in Cancun, and I for one feel completely ready. I should note that there is NO PRESSURE TO BUY ANYTHING, but we bought all of our gear before we got into the pool (great quality and great discount) and when I had some issues with sizing I was able to make my exchange during our lunch break and get back into the pool perfectly equipped. I cant stress enough how important fit is, so this really made a huge difference in my experience. I would recommend Adventure Scuba to anyone interested in getting highly personalized and personable scuba instruction. read more

What a great experience! On a very rainy Saturday, Tom brought sunshine on our day and made us travel through his diving experiences and stories. We are much looking forward to our trip in Mozambique for our honey moon and feel very lucky to have had such an experienced instructor. We will definitely recommend Adventure Scuba and Tom to anyone looking for a PADI certification! read more

My brother and I loved our experience with Adventure Scuba! We signed up for the Open Water classes in January 2018 (the two-night weeknight option) and were pleasantly surprised by the small class size (2 other students). Our instructor Tom was great - knowledgeable, patient, and really helped synthesize the information covered in the eLearning. The shop itself has a great range of equipment and my brother and I felt reassured that we were purchasing what worked best for us. The customer service experience didn't end after our two classes were over. Two months later, as we were en route to complete our 4 open water dives, I somehow lost ALL of my required documentation (log book, forms, AND my electronic dive planner!!!) between Honolulu and Maui. In a complete state of panic and shock, I called Adventure Scuba and Seth emailed me - within 10-15 minutes - copies of everything that the Maui dive shop required from me. Notably, Tom's confidence that each of us had a solid command on the technical skills required for the OW dives was definitely not misplaced. Despite the two months lapse between our OW lessons/confined dives with Adventure Scuba and the OW dives, we were well prepared. I've never written a Yelp review before but I really appreciate and respect this dive shop. Thanks for everything! read more

Tom has been our go-to instructor at Adventure Scuba for me and my younger brother. I am now an advanced diver and considering rescue diving because of all of his incredible support, patience, and training. Of all of the instructors I've been with at other dive shops in the city, Tom, Seth, and everyone at Adventure Scuba are by the far the best. From helping me choose optimal gear to ensuring that I am ready for my next diving trip, Tom is not only knowledgable and kind, but has a wonderful passion for diving. He has instilled this very same excitement in me, which beforehand was certainly a fear of mine. Diving is now an integral part of my life, mentality, and motivation. This is invaluable. Thank you, Tom. read more

Had a great time doing my confined water dives with this dive shop. I did the two weeknight deal which worked out great with my schedule. I was way more comfortable on the second night and could tell I made progress. Highly recommend Matt! He's laid back but a complete professional in the water - perfect. read more

My husband and I took the Open Water Referral executive course prior to our trip to the Cook Islands. Prior to the one-day course, Adventure Scuba mailed us two books and a course DVD for our review. We read the book and answered all the knowledge questions. However, when we tried to watch the DVD, we realized that the second part (there were two parts) did not work. We realized this the day before the course, so we were unable to contact Adventure Scuba and get another DVD on such short notice. On the day of the course, we met our instructor Tony, who at the time seemed competent and even mentioned having been certified since 1993. The only red flag raised at the moment was, he kept insisting that we would need to purchase wetsuits, despite admitting to the pool temperature being around 75 degrees. We politely refused the wetsuits (really, we're NYers, we can do 75 degrees!) and he even laughed and said we would definitely regret our decision not to buy them. We also mentioned that the second part of the DVD course didn't work and Tony did not seem overly concerned about this, so we figured we would catch up by practicing. Once in the pool, we went through the first two modules with no obvious problems. The afternoon session was more intense and I had a hard time completing one of the skills before running out of time, whereas my husband completed all of his confined water dives within the time frame. As we expected, wetsuits were completely unnecessary! So we go back to the dive shop, Tony hands me my referral for the 3 modules completed and my husband his for the entire 5. He told us to take the referrals to the Cook Islands (where we were to continue our certification) and we would have no problems with our next PADI center. Imagine our surprise when, on Open Water Dive number one in the Cook Islands, we realize that Adventure Scuba gave us all sorts of wrong instruction! To start, we were taught that if we were wearing purge masks, we only needed to know one method of clearing our masks. Also, Adventure Scuba neglected to teach us to properly descend by holding the BCD deflating hose at its highest point and instead insisted that we descend by pulling on a cord on the right side of the vest! To say that we were vastly unprepared for our first confined water dive is an understatement! Our PADI instructor was so concerned with our safety and lack of competence that he decided to abort the rest of the dive and instead go over the skills we were supposed to have learned at Adventure Scuba. He said he has never seen anything like this and he worries that Adventure Scuba is signing referrals for people who are clearly not in a position to do an Open Water dive yet. Eventually, we were able to learn these skills with the help of a very patient and competent instructor in the Cook Islands, and get certified as PADI Open Water Divers, but it took going back to the basics and learning everything we were supposed to have learned at Adventure Scuba. After coming back from my vacation, I contacted Adventure Scuba and told them about my experience. I was screamed and yelled at by Seth who claims he's never heard of anything like this happening and even argued that his rental equipment does not have a deflating string on the right side of the BCD. This is a lie and he knows it. Instead of an apology or partial refund, I was told that it was the fault of the PADI instructor in the Cook Islands that we didn't know what we were doing in the water. I find this lack of professionalism unacceptable, and hope that people considering Adventure Scuba for their certification find a better PADI center to spend their money. read more

We signed our kids up for the PADI Junior Open Water Diver Certification doing the one Saturday confined water dives. Tom is definitely NOT the instructor to work with kids. He used intimidation and threats instead of excitement and calm with our kids, and he told our son that he couldn't finish the first day of training within an hour of starting. He was a nightmare, yelling at our son and threatening to end the session every few minutes, when we went back for another session after he ended the first. In addition, both Seth and Tom's communication is very poor. One says one thing and the other says another, and they change it immediately afterwards. The water at the pool was freezing, and Seth had sold us shorties beforehand (same thing about the money as other reviewers here: all Seth wants is to sell you stuff). They didn't even have full suits that would fit the kids, but he wanted to make a sale, so the kids were shivering after only a half hour. If we had known about the temperature of the water, we would have bought full wet suits and brought them. However, Seth would have lost a sale, so they had said that we could purchase everything we needed at the shop (they also didn't give us the student discount). Anyway, our ten-year-old son was a bit apprehensive, despite the fact that he had done "try dives" before and loved it. Tom was the worst thing for any hesitation. Threats are not the way to deal with a kid that is a bit scared. Then Seth basically accused my husband and me of lying about our kids doing try dives in Thailand last summer. After stopping the training with our son, Seth and Tom acted like there was never going to be any way that a single Saturday would be sufficient for the confined water dives, so I don't know why they offer this option, especially for kids. The communication was horrible, and we will definitely never return to this shop. We are so lucky and thankful that we had incredible open water instructors in Mexico (no associated with Adventure Scuba). Otherwise, the experience our kids had with Adventure Scuba could have prevented them from ever wanting to dive again. The only bright spot in this whole organization is Maryanne. She met our kids one weeknight and did some training with them, and she was everything that Tom was not. She was encouraging, enthusiastic, calm, sympathetic, and helpful. The kids did great with her. In the end, we our son only got SOME of the confined water dives before we went for their open water referral dives in Mexico. We will not be going back to Adventure Scuba. read more

I rarely write reviews. I think I've written maybe two or three since I started yelp. I'm just so annoyed that I had to share my frustration with the yelp community!. I'm writing this review because I'm notorious for not doing my due diligence. I decided to go to Adventure scuba because it was so close to my house. I'm taking a trip in a couple of months and want to be certified. I would recommend the course because Matt and Ray are amazing. They make you feel comfortable and if you don't feel 100% comfortable under the water at any point they never make you feel like there is something wrong with you! If I decide to go for my advanced open water I would still go to adventure Scuba because of Ray and Matt. However, Seth the owner is a bit of a scam. He'll tell you you'll need equipment when you don't. He had me buy a $55 dive planner that I will NEVER use again (which he knows). To make matters worse, the dive planner he made me purchase is free with the elearning course which he knew I was taking because he recommended it! It's obvious this guy is ONLY about the money for this business and not what's right for his customers. But again, my fault like I mentioned. Didn't do my due diligence! I hope people considering getting certified here read my review and tell Seth to F off when he tells you that you need the dive planner. He will literally lie to you and tell you need something just to make a buck. He'll also tell you that he has the best prices for gear which is also BS. Buy your fins, goggles and snorkel some where else, half the price! He has great prices on wetsuits and that's about it. The funny part is one of the girls I took the class with felt the same exact way. In her case, she was smart and brought her own gear and felt Seth was rude to her because she didn't buy anything but the course. Adventure scuba gets 3 stars because of Ray and Matt. If it was Seth alone I'd give it 1 star and tell you to find another place even if it's an hour from your house! There's nothing worse then a business owner who knows people are new to a sport and takes advantage of them. It's unfortunate! So just be smart, don't buy anything from this guy other than your course and maybe a wetsuit :) read more

My 14-year old had certification training today and I have to say the experience could not have been better. From the first phone contact with Seth (and several others I had with Seth and Tom through the online training period) to the in-store experience on arrival this morning, to - ESPECIALLY - the in-pool training my son received from Tom at Asphalt Green today, everything was efficient, thorough and easy. Tom kept my son's attention and made him feel confident through the whole training. He was great, and his love for SCUBA is contagious. My older son and I were certified here in 2012 and had a positive experience, and today was no different. If you're in Manhattan and contemplating SCUBA training, you really don't need to shop around. Go here. I wish everything was as easy as they make this. read more

Just got certified to go diving for the first time. Not a huge fan of the PADI empire, but these guys are great - a little salesy but in a harmless way, they guide you through everything you need to know, both about being safe, but also some common sense workarounds and from their experience as pros. A lot of fun, can't wait for the first dive of my vacation! Would definitely go back or recommend them to anyone in the area. read more

I went in there recently during the week. The older gentleman behind the counter (who I assume is the owner) was incredibly rude, discourteous, and dismissive. I had questions which seemed to annoy him. I would rather give my money to a store which appreciates my business. If anyone were to ask me, I would tell them to go shopping for scuba/swimming gear somewhere else. read more

Only interested in your $$$. Friendly at first to get you signed up and registered for a course, but once they have you enrolled and after you buy their equipment, all they are interested in are your $$ read more

Seth and Tom had been extremely helpful from the moment I walked in. I'm happy with the gear that I got from the shop (mid-range mask and snorkel, Oceanic), scuba pro split fins and NeoSport boots and wet suit that fit comfortably, thanks to Seth's valuable guidance. I took the old-fashioned route and opted for the paper based open water manual that came in a waterproof packet together with the DVDs, eRDP, log book etc. I spend my whole day in front of a computer so it was nice to read from the book. After completing the manual and DVDs, I went back to the shop to review my answers with Seth and take the final exam. The confined water dives at Asphalt Green was led by Matt who was very thorough and made it such a fun experience for me and two other students. I like the semi-private, two day class...was just right. Overall I'm so happy that i chose Adventure Scuba! read more

My husband and I were debating getting certified prior to our honeymoon and signed up for classes with Adventure Scuba. We were so hesitant at first because of all the costs and were so nervous about being underwater. We signed up for the two weeknight course and we are so thankful to have had Tom as our instructor. He single handedly turned our hesitation into excitement. We loved our classes and could not believe how comfortable we were under water. He was so thorough with instruction and never once made us feel uncomfortable and guided us through the training with ease. We are so tremendously thankful for his guidance because we were able to dive at the Great Barrier Reef and in Fiji over our honeymoon and it was the most incredible experience of our lives!! I am so grateful for his encouragement and enthusiasm otherwise we would have not continued and we are SO happy that we did. We felt so comfortable under water and owe that to Toms training. Best experience ever and we are looking forward to our next trip! read more

I took my confined water dives with Adventure Scuba and had a terrific experience. The shop is right across the street from the pool and the staff is really helpful in helping to select equipment (and they offer a discount if you're taking one of their programs). My instructor knew his stuff and worked with me 1:1 to make sure I mastered all of the skills. The only reason why I gave this 4 stars is that I took the Saturday class and there was a long break in the middle. If I would've realized how long the break would be I probably would've split the class over 2 sessions. Regardless, I highly recommend Adventure Scuba to anyone in NYC who wants to pursue PADI certification. read more

Adventure Scuba made me a Scuba diver. Which, I must say, was a feat for Scuba Tom. Apprehensive about the process, Tom was able to guide me though the process. He was great. That said, he could have made some more basic tips - I had to find out from my father-in-law that I was over breathing the first round which caused intense fatigue. All in all, a good experience. read more

GREAT SHOP! They make it easy and convenient to complete every aspect of the open water certification process. The staff (owner included) are knowledgable, and have no problem reviewing even the simplest information. They never pressure you to buy equipment but are happy to suggest pros and cons for each variety when you are ready to buy. Overall: the perfect scuba experience! Can't wait to go back for new gear before my next trip. read more

When I decided I wanted to obtain my PADI Open Water certification, I did my research, and Adventure Scuba seemed to be the best - and they are! After registering for the Executive Weekend Class, Seth (the owner) called me and talked me through the next steps, where to find the courses online, and what I'd need to do before class. He made it really easy. I completed all six modules of the online class, and stopped into the store to purchase my gear, before showing up for yesterday's Executive Weekend pool class. As others have mentioned, the class is at Asphalt Green, and it's very convenient. These guys have this class down to a science. They run it so efficiently, and my small group (two other girls), plus our instructor Thiana, had so much fun! Thiana is an excellent instructor and is so patient and clear when she teaches you each of the new skills. I'll continue to obtain my certification with Adventure Scuba by doing the Open Water dives with them out in Dutch Springs. If you're looking to become certified, I can't imagine it be any easier, fun and educational as doing it with Adventure Scuba. read more

I got gear and took my open water PADI classes at Adventure Scuba this summer in preparation for my first dive trip to Bonaire. All the staff were friendly and really helpful - from my initial call with questions, to choosing equipment, through PADI class and my contained dive training. I waited to write this review because there were a few weeks between the end of my instruction in NY and my final open water dives in Bonaire to complete certification, and I wanted to put my gear and new skills to the test. Thanks to Adventure Scuba (and Tom!), I felt confident in my training, and comfortable in my gear, which allowed for the absolute best experience possible. Highly recommend! read more

This was a scary new skill for me to take on and Adventure Scuba was fantastic! Seth was calm and cheerful which had me comfortable from the start and aided in the rather uncomfortable process of learning a new (scary) skill. John my instructor was funny and sensitive to my fears. I felt safe with him and his guidance allowed me to overcome my fear and turn scuba into a fun activity. I am very thankful for my experience! read more

Great service from the time I walked in. Seth and Tom walked me through every step of the way. What a great introduction to SCUBA.

I signed up for the executive weekend course just before my wedding this past June. I had always wanted to get certified and thought our honeymoon would be the perfect time to start diving with my new husband. I'm comfortable in the water and love snorkeling so I didn't think I would have any trouble completing the somewhat intensive 1 day pool course. I flew through the first few sets of skills without a problem until we got to the mask removal. As hard as tried, I couldn't stay down without breathing in some water. I stayed till the end of the course, completing some other skills and repeating the mask removal over and over, but simply could not do it. I was pretty devastated, since I never thought wouldn't be able to complete the course. My wedding was around the corner which meant I had very little time to get certified. Seth, the owner, was very understanding and encouraging and even allowed me to come back and complete the course at no additional cost. I must of had some sort of mental block or perhaps the wedding stress got to me, because the second time around everything was a breeze, even the mask removal. Seth really seemed to care and understand my determination to get certified in time and because of him I was able to complete the open water dives with my husband on our honeymoon in French Polynesia! The diving was amazing and I'm really glad they took the time to help me master these skills because overcoming your nerves and controlling your breathing is definitely the most important aspect of diving. A couple of our dives were pretty dicey with very strong currents and tons of sharks circling (not exactly what I expected on my 2nd open water dive!). Had I not stayed calm, things could have been really bad. Instead of panicking, I focused on my breathing and had an amazing diving experience. Thanks so much guys! read more

So glad I went here! I was going on vacation, and knew I was going to get the chance to do some diving, but my gear hadn't seen the water in years - tropical vacations being a bit hard to come by these days. So I decided to get a refresher course in before I left. I picked Adventure Scuba because of convenience to my apt and positive reviews from people before me. The price was also to die for: only $120 for a 4-hour refresher course, including review booklet and BCD & regulator rental. I'm very glad I went here. My instructor, Kyle, was fantastic. I was the only student (even more value for my $120 - a one-on-one!), so his attention was quite strictly on me. He was very patient with all the things I couldn't remember or messed up (and I did!), very helpful, and amazingly communicative even underwater. I don't remember ever thinking I didn't know what he was trying to signal. He walked me through all the signals he'd be using before we got in the pool, and I was never confused about what to do. He demonstrated every part of the lesson very clearly as well. Very friendly guy, great instructor. I didn't use the shop at all, since I didn't have any purchases I needed to make, but it looked decently stocked, and Seth was very friendly when I came into the store before my lesson. If I ever need a replacement piece of gear, I'll almost definitely hit them up! In a nutshell: Great place, great guys, great lesson. I think I'm ready for my return to diving! read more