I am so glad I found Calypso Diving of Tampa! I originally went in to learn more about scuba diving…read moresince I am going to the Great Barrier Reef next year. Everyone was so nice and treated you like family. That is when I realized this is where I wanted to get my open water certification. I met Dan the instructor for the first time on day one. He was personable, patient and genuinely wanted to get to know us. What I appreciated the most was that he always reiterated that he would go at our pace and would not rush us. He constantly checked in through out the process and made it fun. Dan also mentioned a good mask was very important, which I learned very quickly in the first open water dive. That day I drove to Calypso and Rob helped me find the perfect mask. Day two of open diving at rainbow river was an experience I will never forget. I truly appreciate all the staff I have met there and look forward to future dives with the Calypso family!

There is more to a modern dive shop than sales or even the training of new divers. Calypso gives a…read moremore than fair break when it comes to the former and is among the most conscientious, professional and safety-minded when it comes to the latter. You won't go wrong if this is where you decide to get certified, re-certified or make a great purchase. But modern dive shops should do more than these admittedly essential tasks. They have an obligation to grow the sport and make possible exceptional adventures to the diving community. Larry does exactly that. Calypso arranges for local dives to hunt for Megalodon teeth and trips to the East Coast for diving adventures in the Atlantic. They also regularly offer impressive trips that take divers around the world. Recently my wife and I joined Larry and Laura on a dive trip to Puerta Galera in the Philippines. The planning and execution was exceptional with divers being able to get in as many as five quality dives a day. Every aspect of the trip was first rate and something remarkable was experienced on every dive. In part this was due to the high quality care of the resort and their staff, but also to the first-rate attention to detail of Larry. So, if you are looking for a dive experience that is world-class and out of the ordinary, take a close look at what Calypso is offering. If you don't, you may be missing the opportunity of a lifetime.

Gulf Coast Divers is located in a small plaza off N Dale Mabry and they are great if you're…read morelooking for a local, family owned dive shop that actually cares about their students. I just completed both my Open Water certification and my Nitrox class with them, the experience was solid from start to finish. The shop has a friendly vibe, you can tell they genuinely love diving and teaching. Matt and Jason were my instructors, and they were both informative, patient, and safety focused without making anything feel intimidating. They took time to explain the "whys" behind everything, not just the steps, which helped a lot with confidence and understanding. They were also very cautious in a good way always giving helpful corrections, and making sure everyone felt comfortable before moving on. Training days were a lot of fun, not as stressful as I imagined . Our dives at KP hole at Rainbow River State Park and Devil's Den were well organized and ran very smoothly. They balanced learning with fun. If you like supporting local businesses and want instructors who are knowledgeable, safety focused and that still make the experience enjoyable I'd recommend Gulf Coast Divers. Great people, great training, and a great overall experience.

Went in to get a prescription mask for my husband for his birthday and wound up talking to Mark,…read morewho convinced me that I should bring in my husband so he could find the mask that fit him best. We had a great time working with Mark and wound up getting a whole dive system from him. He has great patience, vast knowledge and experience and is funny, too! The shop is full service; from equipment to classes and dive trips. Ask for Mark, he'll take great care of you!

We were super lucky to have Dylan recommended to us by a friend. He's a great instructor and very…read morepatient. He is very thorough and makes sure you're having a great time. I can't wait to dive with him in the future!

We're just back from our open water certification with Dylan and I can't say enough nice things…read moreabout him and his operation. We took four 13 year old boys and three novice adults down to Tampa to complete our PADI certification and were just plan lucky to have landed with Dylan. For 2 days he instructed and tested our group and led us on some cool dives. Even though the conditions weren't ideal, Dylan did his best to keep it fun, particularly for the kids. He's a true professional and really knows his dive stuff. I felt comfortable with his leading all of us inexperienced divers, ensuring our safety and making sure that we had a good time. I really can't recommend him highly enough. Don't take a chance on your dive trip to the Tampa Bay Area, go Dive with Dylan!

Thank you to Heidi and Andy for the awesome time! So special getting to swim with manatees, and…read morethanks for answering all my many excited questions!

This was our second time using Birds to swim with Manatees and we will choose them every time now…read more Had an amazing experience with Captain Misty and Guide Gina. Highly recommend the 6am tour as you get viewing time before it gets really busy. I really appreciate Birds Underwater as they do a great job educating you about the manatees and how to passively observe. Made the manatees more comfortable and as a result we got to have some amazing interactions with them.

I went In for a pair of Dyneema Gloves (8X Stronger than Kevlar Material), because my brother Hiram…read moreGarzaro saw the gloves featured on a YouTube channel "Deer Meat for Dinner", which is an independent user, not paid by the manufacturer, and they stress test these gloves . . . . that's how interesting my visit rooted out from. I walk In, but before that I was greeted by a big sign at the warehouse door that says "Deliveries, Vendors Etc. please ring the bell", you walk through a small office, and then you have to walk around-in to the warehouse (which is split in two/three sections, between storage, shipping dept. and showroom) to encounter myself in one of the most nostalgic moments of my life . . . . . . . when you used to buy from the Manufacturer, with the Inventors, the RD Dept., Customer Service, Shipping Dept., Sales, Purchasing Dept. . . . just because is a local company (with stores in California and elsewhere) with a small group of people, driven by their passion for they trade, and they represent everything I believe in, as far as Small Business in USA should be. Their product selection was simply insane, be prepared for specialized items, not your HSN or QVC items!!! I'm talking about the real deal!!!!! Their prices are super solid. Their customer service and professionalism exceeded my expectations by a million light years. Their expertise blew my mind. I ended up buying a WetBagPack, a pair of Dyneema gloves & 2 T-Shirts. . . . . . . and they hooked me Up with a Neptonics, fabric made Beach Bag, a serious handful of Stickers (WHO DOESN'T LOVE STICKERS?), not to mention, they even gave ma a discount!!!!!! Ryan and Jeff, thanks for the experience, I'm coming back soon. Just keeping it 100.

Bait and switch site. Just look at their reviews. Advertised a Garmin GPS unit for $79.99. When…read moreyou search their site for this unit, the page that comes up shows the GPS unit and tells you about all the features. This is copied directly from their site: "Garmin inReach Mini 2 by Garmin Current price$79.99 Pay in 4 interest-free installments of $20.00 with Learn more Your purchasing power is . Learn more The Garmin inReach Mini satellite communicator provides off-the-grid contact even when size and weight matter. At only 3.5 oz, it has 2-way texting, tracking and SOS capabilities." In a single text line, smaller than everything else on the page, it says "Garmin InReach 2, Inreach waterproof case" So for $79, they shipped a plastic case. The main photo for this listing is also the GPS unit. The second picture, kinda hidden at the bottom left of the page, is a case. I emailed customer service but no response as of yet, I'm guessing I'll have to pursue it with my credit card company. Would not purchase from Neptonics again.

I visited the Clearwater Acquarium as part of a corporate awards dinner, so my visit was different…read morethan many who go during the day (although I have visited as a tourist a few years back). My group was brought over from our hotel on trolleys and directed up a flight of stairs. Once we found the correct door, we were led into the dolphin room. We had cocktail hour there, which was cool - as we could walk around the dolphin exhibit while enjoying a cocktail (or 3). After cocktails, we went upstairs to a ballroom area and had dinner and drinks, listened to award presentations, and then had a live band with karaoke. The catering staff was great, although the fish entree was cold and not very flavorful (not the fault of the aquarium IMO). This was a highlight of my business trip and I thoroughly enjoyed the dolphins.

I'm not one for leaving bad reviews, but the Clearwater Marine Aquarium was a little disappointing…read more There is a large tank when you first walk in to the aquarium that was completely empty. Literally no fish whatsoever. You walk around the tank as you walk around the aquarium there are window all the way around, but again, the tank was completely empty. There were other areas of the aquarium that were under construction due to either renovations or expansion. Due to this there were multiple enclosures that had no fish are animals to view. It's a little disappointing when you are traveling for vacation and the aquarium was the place that your daughter was looking forward to the most. All this while still charging full price for admission. All that being said, they have a very friendly and informed staff and volunteers that clearly do a lot for the marine life. It is very commendable the way they are nursing injured marine life back to health. Definitely more of a rescue center than an aquarium.

One of the best things about the trip was Captain Sean. He was a great guide. He was filled with so…read moremuch information and so many fun facts. He had a great sense of humor. He also knew where to find all the manatees. Also our photographer Serena was great. The photos she took were unbelievable. Well worth the money spent. Which was not a lot considering the amazing pictures we got. It's going to capture our memories at snorkeling with manatees forever. It was on our bucket list of things to do and I totally am amazed by the experience. It wouldn't have been the same without the captain in the photographer. It was just the perfect day.

Awesome adventure they took our time with us and the tour guides really take such special care of…read morethese precious manatees. We loved it!!

Garrett was a blast! We are just coming into the warm season and most manatees are back in the…read moregulf, he still got us to 7 manatees, 2 gators, and we caught a dolphin in kings bay towards the end. He gave us plenty of time to look for things to come up out of the water which was great for my 2 year old. Boat was shaded and was enjoyable even with a small child. Other tours wouldn't let me book because she was under 3- we brought our own lifevest but they did also have some on board that were her size.

Thank you Piper and Wade (best guide and captain combo ever!) for an experience my wife and I will…read morenever forget! Amazing! We learned so much and got to go face to face with a big old male. Piper's encouragement and direction kept us calm when things got exciting! Would recommend to everyone who loves nature. Also the office staff were gracious and made great recommendation for lunch at a local deli. 100% glad we chose these guys.

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, easy entry point for a day on the river. Great time…read morekayaking with the manatees!

MANATEES ARE MAGICAL! We saw well over 30+ manatees on our late January kayaking outing. We rented…read morea 2-seater top kayak (comes w paddles and life vests). And from the staff to the dock hands, to the quality of the vessel and cleanliness of the shop: 10/10. A guide handed us a laminated map (nice touch) and told us where to head for manatee sightings. And even pointed us to a cove that homes a lot of turtles and alligators. We saw it all! They have volunteers overseeing the 3 sisters springs, to help monitor the safety of the manatees (and scold ignorant people lol). Great time! If you're unsure, let me assure you.. just book.