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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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've recently become a stay at home mom and I'm looking for more to do in the Clearwater area. A…read morefriend recommended the aquarium which I somehow had never been to! Well it turns out it's much more economical to be a member so we splurged on the 4-person membership for around $240. The staff is all super nice. It was a weekday so rather than paying $14 for parking (members only pay $7 with validation) we found free street parking. My 4 year old loved the touching tank upon entry and we learned about how lobsters shed their shells. It's a mixture of old and new structures so it can get confusing to navigate but we figured it out for the most part. Another favorite was the stingray area as well because you can get wet. I personally couldn't locate the otters but I will make it my mission next time. Lots of scheduled presentations! I think we will find plenty of reasons to come back. I noticed they also have a food court. Would love to see some sort of splash pad addition like at the one in Tampa. There is a cute waterfront playground just a stone's throw away!

Positive: Become a member. Everything in the gift shop is discounted and your parking is half…read moreoff. Not to mention it's only an extra $30 and you can come back as many times as you like. Which turned out to be a caveat because apparently today was a day everybody decided to come to the aquarium. If you didn't already know this is where "Dolphims Tale" emanated from. Florida is and has always been dedicated to the preservation and rescue and Rehabilitation of the marine species and environment. The drive out here is something. Crystal Blue Azure Waters surrounded by pristine white sandy beaches.

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.

I don't know where to start…read more This was the absolute best day. We started at the River Ventures Dive Center at 6:30AM, where we were offered coffee, tea, hot cocoa and snacks, and spent the next bit with an educational video and a wetsuit fitting. From there, we took a bus to the dock, in the most gorgeous sunrise light. let by our Guide Nat. Captain Emerson met us at the covered, heated pontoon, and our group set off through the water, for the protected manatee zone. The water was FULL of our sweet sea potatoes... in fact, it was difficult to even get off the boat because our new friends swam right up to the ladder. Nat had given excellent instructions. We immediately leaned into our pool noodles and gently followed her lead through the water. It took just moments before manatees were all around us. We stayed calm and quiet, and they either continued snoozing, or swam up to investigate us. Nat was on point with the camera, and with showing us things like the tarpon and sheepshead fish, and she was also shared little details about the manatees as we floated. Of course, with nature, there are no guarantees, and I really had no idea what to expect, but I was absolutely delighted by the interactions we had. The cold snap absolutely played into our favor, and I am so glad we showed up with our adventurous spirit. When we returned to the boat, there were more snacks, as well as hot cocoa, coffee, tea, and a variety of drinks in the cooler (water, beer, wine, soda, and white claws). We were so grateful for the boat covering and heater as we made our way back to the dock, and we had great chats with Nat, Emerson, and the other group on our tour. Was it cold? Sure. But the water felt great at 72ºF, and our wetsuits did a wonderful job of protecting us and keeping us buoyant. Our experience was incredible, from booking, to engaging with the staff with any questions we had, to the actual tour itself. The photos and videos were absolutely phenomenal, as well, and we were happy to purchase the package, as well as some gifts from the souvenir shop. We will be back for more manatee viewing, or to try one of their other tours. Thank you so much for the best day!