We all ways need good want Scuba diving Very grateful for healthy happy my experiences Review my profile for reference my history Excellent for warm area can but good enough My friends had done scary but recourse was good time worthy not cheap read more

See all

Wow. Just wow. I ordered a snorkel mouthpiece last May. Never got it. Emailed Nick and Brandon three times. Never got a response. I attached a screenshot of the order confirmation of the item never received. Thanks for taking my money and running. read more

Berry Dive Center - My order never received - Scuba Diving Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

I ordered a zipper repair treatment kit on 7/8/23 and received a confirmation email, but never received the product. They did not charge my credit card either, and haven't responded to my multiple attempts to get an answer on what happened to my order and payment. Unresponsive and unprofessional. My advice is to order online from somewhere else. read more

Nick (owner) is a great guy that understands a "good customer is a repeat customer." He always goes out of his way to ask questions and understand what you need (as an individual diver). He has never tried to "sell" me anything. Instead he explains the pros and cons of the equipment based on my level and types of diving. Diving is expensive, so when I make an investment in equipment it is important to know that I am dealing with a guy that is looking out for ME and my wallet (not a quick sale). Go visit his dive shop. You will like the extensive inventory, and get some great knowledge from an experienced divers / shop owner. read more

I was trying to squeeze my open water diver certification in before vacation and as with everything in my life, I waited until the last possible second. I called the shop and spoke with Nick (owner) who helped explain what was involved in the certification and (several questions and a few phone calls back to him later) got me into a class that same weekend. I picked up my book a day or two before and attended the classroom session that Saturday. Joe was our instructor - super nice guy, very engaged and made it fun and interactive. The rest of the class completing the certification went to the pool session the next day (Sunday) but because people start having babies and what not when you get older, I had a shower to attend and couldn't make the pool time. So normally, it goes classroom session, pool session next day and following weekend four open water dives. Here's why Nick is awesome - I told him I couldn't make the Sunday session, so he let me come in during the week after work and did the pool session 1:1 with me when none of the other teachers were available, just so I could make the open water dives the following weekend and be ready for my vacay. When we got to the open water dives the following weekend - I'll admit I was a little nervous but they (Joe/Nick) did a seriously great job of prepping us. There was a small group, so it was easy to learn and even a few times where I got nervous or felt uncomfortable, I swear Joe would swoop in like my little scuba diving angel and ease the nerves. Sounds ridiculous but he legit made me feel safe. I read a couple of these other reviews and honestly was really surprised by what people wrote. Those people need to get a grip on reality. I had a great experience overall and would highly recommend these guys. read more

Owner (Nick) made diving fun and easy! I had a few issues in the pool and Nick did not hesitate to take extra pool time to make sure I had all the skills perfected. He did not charge me extra for additional pool time and was more concerned on making a safe knowledgeable diver then making an extra dollar. You can tell he loves what he does and has years of experience in the water. Can't wait to dive a shipwreck in lake michigan with Nick and the Berry crew!! read more

The owner (Nick) helped me discover scuba !! I was super uncomfortable but he made it extremely easy!! Breathing underwater was amazing !! Best indoor pool in Chicago !! The art work is unreal!! I will be back! read more

TLDR; Nick (owner) basically ripped me off $900 worth of gear. Didn't get my money back or any kind of update on my order until I stormed into the store saying I was getting my money back or calling Amex and filing a dispute. I will never do business with these people again. Extremely unprofessional. Went into the store and made a $2500 purchase for new gear - about $900 of which had to be ordered as Nick didn't have it in stock. He told me he'd let me know the next day when they would arrive. As you can probably guess, I didn't hear from him the next day. I waited about 2 days and started calling the store. I was only able to reach the employees as apparently Nick is an absentee owner and is rarely in the building. After calling several times and inquiring about my order (which, by the way, the employees were completely clueless about), I finally received a text from Nick telling me he would give me an update in an hour. Surprise, surprise, no update. I gave him another few days and called the store a few more times and got nothing. At this point, I am fuming and sent Nick a final text saying if I didn't get my items this week I would cancel the order and get a refund. Get a confirmed read receipt that he got my message and he completely ignored it. The next afternoon I went to the store to get my money back. Unfortunately, Nick wasn't there - I was looking forward to dealing with him in person but had to settle for the refund. When I brought up that Nick ignored my text message to the employee, he told me that Nick had told him we were talking and resolved the issue! So not only is he blowing me off but also actively lying when asked about it. Unbelievable! I gave Nick several opportunities to make the situation right and he outright ignored me and tried to keep my money. After being treated in such a disrespectful manner, I will NEVER give these guys another penny and am making sure to tell any would-be customers to watch out and avoid my experience. Oh and final thing: all the gear I bought I was able to find online for substantially cheaper without paying the 9.25% local sales tax so you may also want to consider that if my horrible experience isn't enough. read more

My family and I recently completed the Open Water Dive Referral Course at Berry Dive Center. Nick was easy to work with in setting up a private class for the four of us. Pam, the classroom instructor, and MooJay, the pool instructor were great. They were very patient, answered all our repeated questions and took time to make us feel welcome and special. It was a wonderful experience and we look forward to diving with the shop after completing our Open Water dives in Hawaii. read more

My wife and I just finished the full PADI open water certification yesterday at Haigh Quarry using the groupon, and we couldn't be happier. We didn't have any organizational issues and they even helped us pick up our gear a little bit early from the shop since we couldn't make it to the shop during the week. My wife was very nervous about diving but I needed a buddy and talked her into it. The first pool session we had Roger as an instructor, and he was amazing. Took his time to explain everything really well and cracked some great jokes to help keep my wife calm. Fantastic instructor and we all did really well that night. For the Quarry dive, we had Nick and he was also amazing. Even though it's getting chilly out, the wetsuit they hook you up with does a great job at keeping you warm, but I would suggest getting some hand warmers for between sessions as getting out of the water is when it gets cold. Nick did a great job with our small group of 4. He also explained everything really well, and again his calm demeanor and sense of humor helped my wife relax and really have a good time doing the final open water dives. We all passed, and learned a lot in the process! Overall, we both really loved the "family" feel of the dive center, as some of the other dive centers out at the quarry seemed to be more "cookie cutter" trying to churn out big groups at a time. The instructors were great, the groups were small, the gear was in great shape, and we had a lot of fun getting certified. Yes you do have to make a few trips to get gear, return gear, etc, but that's how they keep track of it so I have no problem with that. Can't wait to take our first dive vacation! read more

My girlfriend and I did our PADI Open Water certifications through Berry Dive Center, and it was an amazing experience. Our classroom instructor, Pam, was very knowledgeable, and was patient with us throughout the course. Our Open Water Dives instructor, Mark, was excellent as well, and made us feel comfortable doing our dives at the Quarry. The owner, Nick, is awesome and informative! He had no problem answering the plethora of questions that I had for him, and gave us no-nonsense information as we start our journey as Scuba Divers! **Please note, that the instructors are brought in as-needed, and sometimes can be difficult to get one outside of normal scheduled hours. They are people too, and have lives outside of the shop! The Shop itself is filled with great people, and definitely has made this a fun experience. 10/10 would recommend! read more

Last summer I signed my sons up for PADI open water certification instruction through a Groupon that was being offered. The one full day of class room was hard on the boys, plus the instructional area wasn't ample enough to hold the amount of students that were in attendance. Not to mention parking, if you plan on getting a parking spot you best arrived an hour or 2 early, it was horrible. The classroom session seemed rushed when I quizzed my boys after class they were still unsure of a few things. The following weekend we went to the Aquatic Center, if that wasn't a circus, again parking was limited and the pool instruction in my opinion was rushed. There was no "easing into the water" to get used to the equipment. It was cut and dry, lets jump in feet first on your first entry into the water with all of this gear that is new to you. Plus the amount of time spent in the water wasn't nearly enough. A friend of mine and I along with his boys went to Scuba Emporium in Orland Park. I have to say that the comparison is like night and day. Although it was a further drive and spread out over few weekends. I felt like this was a much better teaching environment. After my boys completed their 2 weekends at Berry Dive Center, I opted to take them to Scuba Emporium for some additional training before they went to the quarry. My boys said they had a better understanding after that. I wouldn't recommend Berry Dive Center for kids of any age or to people that are uncomfortable in the water. Also if you are on a budget this will not be helpful as there are additional fees that and not included in the price. I do have to give them credit for an informative staff and a very knowledgeable sales associate, Tom I think his name was, a very tall gentlemen. Knew a lot about the dive equipment and was very helpful in sizing my boys and I to some new gear! read more

We attempted the Advanced Open Water Certification with the Groupon and got what we paid for. If I had to do it again, I would go to a shop that didn't have to offer Groupons to get customers as this was just not worth the headaches. Went to pick up the gear before the diving weekend, but the staff at the store was clueless, texting the owner as to what to give me and still got it wrong. It would be nice if they collected the gear from you on the last day of diving, but instead they make you make another trip to the shop to return everything. First day of diving, we completed 2 out of 3 dives, mostly because the instructor (Roger) liked to chat a lot, mostly about the stupid mistakes he's done as a professional diver or his substance abuse problems (reassuring right?). During dive planning I had to correct a few brain farts of his. The only reason I went in the water was because I felt comfortable with my own skills and knowledge and only needed the instructor to sign off on the certification. Second day of diving, we had to make up the missed dive from the first day and get 2 more in. We did only one, as my dive buddy felt sick and could not go on. The conditions were rough (super cold in late April) and I believe her wetsuit did not do the job. I could have went on and finished my dives and got certified but went on home with my dive buddy instead, with a plan to finish at the resort on our vacation. This is where the headaches begun. I'm not an expert on the referral process for finishing the certification somewhere else, so I asked the owner Nick for everything I would need to finish our certification at the resort. All i got was a signed dive log. Our new instructor at the resort was not amused and wanted to contact Roger to verify a few things and discuss what he did not provide. Getting in touch with him was impossible, mostly because he never gave us any of his info. Contacting the owner Nick was no help at all as he never bothered to respond. It felt like they got their money and didn't care about the rest. We were able to complete our certification with the resort and the great professional instructor there, but with no help from the Berry Dive Center. I would not recommend this place to others due to the lack of professionalism. I'm sure they have plenty of satisfied customers, but personally, when it comes to serious matters like training for extreme sports, I would try to find a more professional operation. read more

Although I had been diving several times in the past on various vacations, I used a Groupon to get my Open Water certification and it was an overall great experience. Nick (owner) is very personable and accommodating. Diane, Rob and the other stuff are wonderful to deal with -- very professional and knowledgable. They made the learning process very fun. Following the completion of my certification, I went diving in Mexico and the dive shop there was very complimentary of the education given to me by Berry Dive Shop. They mentioned that typically a new student coming out of the Open Water certification course has ran through the basics very minimally, but they could tell Berry Dive Shop fully explained things and educated their students. I'm in the process of completing my Advanced Open Water certification with Berry now! read more

The absolute most unprofessional business I've ever dealt with. On top of lying and cheating his customers and not ever answering the phone. I was sold a $1200 drysuit that was supposedly brand new. I found out that was a lie and then the drysuit was faulty. They did nothing to help the situation. I work in commercial diving. If they have no problem screwing over professional divers and doing this type of thing to the commercial diving community just imagine what they'll do to a new comer. Stay away from this place. Myself and the rest of my community have already put a huge red flag on the Berry Dive Center as well as our friends at Hollis. (Being that this place sold a Hollis product that was faulty or damaged before I got it) read more

Extremely unorganized. Used Groupon to purchase open water dive course. Received 1 email acknowledging scheduled class but otherwise no instructions. I received a call 3 days before class to say pool time had been changed. At that time was informed I should have picked up the book and have it read before class. They are 1 1/2 hours away. No instructions as to what you had to do to complete course. I had to search the website to find out the few things I did. Went to class and then pool all was fine except pool time was cut short due to a storm, no fault of theirs. But found out we would have to go to their shop and pick up gear for the quarry dive, they don't bring it out. And the quarry fees are not included. Got the gear and was then told we would have to bring it back to them after the quarry dive. Went to quarry only to realize I didn't have same gear as I used in pool. And some people in our class wasn't told the same time so had to wait for them. At the quarry was told we wouldn't need weight belts we used in pool, even though we now had on neoprene wetsuits. Needless to say we could only float. Now instructor is becoming short as we are holding up the class. Added more weight but still only floating. There were 4 instructors and 6 in class. Instead of breaking up class they held up everyone. In the end we just got out of the water so everyone else could complete the dive. If we had received an email explaining everything we could have made the decision as to continue. And we would have decided that 4 trips of 1 1/2 hours each way wasn't what we signed up for. And that another $75 plus fuel wasn't what we wanted to pay. read more

Nick is the man to see for all your scuba needs-both equipment and training. Do NOT go anywhere else. The staff is welcoming and knowledgable. They will make your dive experience pleasant and rewarding. read more

Update.... lots of extra costs for rentals books etc but diane makes it worth it. It was super fun and she was so patient with me along with her helper ray. They were as awesome as can b and worth every penny read more

Overall: Good training program and instructors, but they make every step of the way a colossal pain in the butt. I decided to get PADI open water certified with a few friends via a groupon, which was $250 and lasted over three weekends. Great, I was thinking, that's not a bad price at all. But literally every step of the process involves a fee that they don't tell you about beforehand, as well as a separate trip to their store to take care of something. When you live in the city, commuting to their little store in Northbrook is no easy task. In addition to the cost of signing up ($250 via groupon), you have to come to the store separately to buy additional equipment ($200+), you have to come to the store separately to get sized for a quarry wetsuit, you have to pay the entry fee for the quarry dive ($20, paid twice for two days), you have to pay to get your actual certification card ($30), you have to pay to buy a dive log (between $5 and $20), you have to pay to have your air tanks refilled ($9 per refill), they make you carry all of their heavy equipment (that you don't even own) home with you, and they make you take it back to the store separately after the final dive. There's no reason they can't settle all these extra steps in their store (buying extra equipment, sizing wetsuits, etc) all in one day instead of making you come back once or twice every weekend, ESPECIALLY when everyone is there at the same time for the classroom session. There's no reason they can't just tell you upfront about all of these extra fees and costs that you will incur and provide an all-in-one package. There's no reason they can't be the ones responsible for transport of their own equipment and air tanks for the quarry dive. I have no idea if this is the norm for scuba certification, since it's the only program I've ever done. The trainers were nice and accomodating, and the act of scuba itself was enjoyable with them. But every step of the way involved some extra fee or a trip to their store that they didn't tell you about initially. It was a colossal pain, especially on my wallet. I'd recommend either looking elsewhere or at least being aware of all of this extra money and effort before you sign up with them. read more

Got my PADI open water certification w/a Groupon. Unfortunately, I never received my Certification Card, and I've tried following up with Berry Dive Center for over a year now, and no luck. The diving instructors, however, were wonderful! read more

I've used this shop for my scuba maintenance (tank, regulator) and for some training(PADI Rescue Diver, Deep, Wreck, and Nitrox certifications). This is a basic entrepeneur's shop. I gotta be honest that the retail portion of the store, in spite of one of the best web sites of a scuba shop I've seen, is an absolute horrid mess. This may really annoy you but I can handle it (kinda - I guess tolerate is a better word). They have fair pricing for their courses and provide good quality instruction. For future certifications, I seem to have a knack for being busy whenever they have scheduled training but that's something I can't fault them for. Overall, a good shop. Oh, and can you guys actually stock a size L 7mm wetsuit - I looking to buy if you'd actually get one in stock, ya know... read more

I just became a Certified Padi Open Water Diver today!!! I'm in my 50's and diving has always been on my bucket list but I have been REALLY nervous to take the plunge. I had Nick and Pam for my instructors and they could not have been more patient, calming and clear in teaching me the safety skills needed to become a diver. I don't believe I could have done it without their gentle guidance. Thank you so much, my grown children are already certified and I can't wait to explore some great dive sites with them!!! read more

I took the PADI Open Water dive certification course here. The quality of instruction was fine, but Berry Dive Center could not be more disorganized. First off, they lost my email address so that I didn't receive half the updates I was supposed to about course logistics. Then, once I straightened that out with them, I found out that they had inadvertently removed me from the registration list for the second weekend (it was a two weekend class). Then, once I fixed that, they registered me for the morning session but told me I was registered for the afternoon session. So I got an early morning phone call from one of the instructors wondering where I was. To top it all off, they waited until a couple days before the final class to tell everyone that we were responsible for returning all of the equipment we used to their dive shop, which is 2 hours away from the quarry where the open water training dives were held. Are you kidding me? I don't know about everyone else, but I don't have an extra 2 hours to waste doing your job for you. If this was part of the deal, it should have been stated so up front so that everyojne could plan accordingly. Hire an administrative assistant, or do whatever you need to do to get your act together Berry Dive Center. Until then, there are more professional places to get dive certified. read more