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    Blue Octopus Scuba

    4.8 (36 reviews)

    Blue Octopus Scuba Photos

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    Relaxing after Day 2 of Open Water class at Lake Phoenix, VA
    Adam B.

    I took the 3 day open water course from here. Great experience from the outset. The team made me feel welcome and I was comfortable asking all my noob questions - No egos or attitudes at all. Everyone was super helpful and friendly, the shop was clean and well run. I met the owner on my second visit to get fitted for my wet suit - John was a really great guy. No pressure to buy, just an all around great experience. My class was out at Lake Phoenix, VA. Gene was my instructor. He was exceptional. A real pro, and a regular guy too. 30 years diving experience, so he knows his stuff. He was patient and paced the instruction to meet our needs as students. He made it fun, and I appreciated how seriously he took safety. By this point at the end of the second day, I am totally comfortable, and I feel prepared for my planned diving vacation. I'm pretty much a Navy SEAL at this point I think... ;-) Thanks Gene, John and the Blue Octopus team. I highly recommend this place for your first SCUBA experience.

    Blue Octopus dive shop draconian return policy
    Kathy D.

    My 73-year-old husband talked me into going to the Blue Octopus to purchase hooded scuba ice vests and fins, because he wanted to support a local small business. The manager and her colleague told us that they didn't have hooded ice vests, but that they wore Bare Exowear jackets with separate hoods, which they highly recommended. They didn't have my size, but swore that I should wear a size smaller that they did have. After that they showed us fins, beginning with the most expensive, which they said they used. I said I just wanted the full-foot kind that didn't need separate booties. Instead they showed me the next most expensive fins and said I would be much happier with them and booties. When I asked for the price of the fins they had shown me, neither one answered. I asked to try on the full-foot fins and then, again, how much each cost. The full-foot fins were half the price of the second most expensive fins, which would have also required booties. Even though I felt very uncomfortable about their up selling, my husband bought the jackets, hoods, booties for himself, who had already bought his fins there, and the full-foot fins for me. In mid-June we left for our three-week vacation. The incredibly tight jacket was still too bulky to fit under my wet suit and the water wasn't cold enough for my husband to need his jacket, so we wanted to return them. We hadn't even taken off the tags. That was when I was told of the Blue Octopus' draconian return policy: "All product sales are final and not eligible for refunds." When I protested the manager and her colleague left the room. When they came back, the manager was holding a "Refund Policy" in a plexiglass frame (see photo). She said that they always told customers the policy at the time of purchase. I know that isn't true, because I would never have let my husband pay almost $175 for a jacket that didn't fit and that I was pretty sure I wouldn't wear. The other unfair Blue Octopus policy that potential customers should beware of is "Educational courses are refundable with a doctor signed letter stating student(s) are not cleared to participate." Yet the very next sentence says "Educational course may be rescheduled within one year of purchase." All in all, this business does not earn my respect and I recommend that divers and potential divers look elsewhere for their scuba needs.

    Evangeline T.

    My husband and I came in to get his tank filled and I came out with a brand new Zeagle Zena BCD. Thank you to Mike and the crew for outstanding service and sharing their expertise. They have a great selection of the top brands and are quick to make a special order. We'll be back again!

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Signed up for SUBA Certification. So far so good! Very helpful and informative! In water this weekend and next!

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    2 years ago

    Great local dive shop. Always have what I need and at a decent price. Staff is always super helpful.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Just got fitted. The team was great. Knowledgeable, through, and friendly. Will post more as I go!

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    9 years ago

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    Mike W.

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    Mike W.

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    9 years ago

    Local dive shop with knowledgeable staff. Looking forward to taking classes here and trips too.

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    Mike W.

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    13 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Gene helped me out in a bind. He's patient and was really attentive to what skills I needed help with.

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    Ask the Community - Blue Octopus Scuba

    Do they offer free diving courses / certifications? Been scuba diving on and off since 2010 but getting interested in free diving, looking for somewhere locally to learn the basics and perhaps initial verification(s).

    There are 2 free diver instructors that we know of in the area. You can contact them through their web sites. No At Breathholddivers.com and Lindsey at Mindbodyfreediving.com.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Patriot Diving

    Patriot Diving

    5.0(1 review)
    9.2 mi

    Honored to be the first reviewer. I know one of the two partners, Roger Shields. Roger ran…read moreoperations for the previous Patriot Scuba that he renamed Patriot Diving. This is a very experienced and customer-oriented shop. Roger is a veteran combat medic so helping veterans is an active effort among other Occoquan community services. Instructors for the many courses they offer have been outstanding in every way, and competitively priced. They lead excursions to carribean sites and Florida where training courses can be accomplished, as well as several megadon teeth hunting trips off North Carolina.

    From the owner: Some of you might know us from Patriot Scuba. Roger was the Store Manager for Patriot Scuba, and…read moreAllie had been diving with them for years and volunteers with Patriots for Disabled Divers events. In early 2023, when Jeff and Merial decided it was time to leave the retail dive business that is Patriot Scuba, Roger and Allie knew how much this dive shop meant to them and everyone else connected to it and decided to keep up the tradition of a veteran-run PADI scuba dive shop. As the shop goes through several transitions, please bear with us while we work to give you the best experience while letting the new owners put their spin on things. Can't wait to work with you all and see you in the water! We will still dive every weekend, so please call or email us with any questions. We look forward to making new memories with all of you!

    Photos
    Patriot Diving - Damaged dive computer

    Damaged dive computer

    Patriot Diving - Corrosion in the battery compartment

    Corrosion in the battery compartment

    Patriot Diving - Corrosion caused by flooding in the battery compartment

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    Corrosion caused by flooding in the battery compartment

    Diventures - Welcoming all water enthusiasts to our new store in Ashburn!

    Diventures

    5.0(28 reviews)
    23.5 mi

    I dove my open water certification for more than 10 years and thought that I knew a lot about…read morediving since I had more than 70 dives under my belt... boy was I wrong. I had no idea that I would have so much fun from the moment I accepted the Master Scuba Diver challenge (to receive the highest rating for recreational divers) back in early 2013. I have since doubled the # of dives in less than 2 years than I had completed during my first 10+ years of the sport! The staff, especially Drew have been extremely patient with me as I continue to build confidence from achieving each milestone along the way. Advanced Open Water was fun, but Rescue was even better! Working through all of those specialties were a lot of fun...thank you Drew! The rest of the friendly staff at Sterling Silver Scuba seem to know the answers to my 100's of questions along the way. The camping n diving weekends are a great way to unplug from a busy 8-8 schedule. You just can't beat 4-6 dives in a weekend while having awesome food, wonderful accommodations and of course all the stories and laughter that one could handle. Melissa has gotten the logistics down to a science. She and her staff works hard to provide everything that you need to be and stay successful in the sport so that you can enjoy yourself learning new skills in the water. Oh, and thank to Jason, I have watched movies while enjoying smores next to the campfire can't go unmentioned either... Bottom line: Great Staff- knowledgeable on all safety requirements, competitively priced trips, sell top of the line gear... what more could you ask for in a friendly family-oriented local dive shop?

    I stopped by this past weekend to look at some fins. Grace is very, very knowledgeable and she was…read moreable to answer all my questions and more. She pointed out the trade-offs between various types of fins and fin straps. I was surprised there was so much to consider when buying fins. She also pointed out some other things about scuba (not about fins) that were very helpful. I also had some questions about regulators. My concern was that the hose I used at the OBX felt too short and was almost about to come out of my mouth so I had to hold the regulator in my mouth or bite down hard on the mouthpiece. She answered questions about that as well as concerns I had about water leaking into the mask. She pointed out many things to consider. In short, Grace is very knowledgeable. She definitely knows what she is doing. I hope Diventures is paying her well because she deserves it.

    Photos
    Diventures - Tropical vibes and all the gear you need for your next scuba adventure. Come see us!

    Tropical vibes and all the gear you need for your next scuba adventure. Come see us!

    Diventures - From gloves to full suits, we've got you covered (literally). Plus, our team is super helpful with sizing for exposure wear!

    From gloves to full suits, we've got you covered (literally). Plus, our team is super helpful with sizing for exposure wear!

    Diventures - Wall-to-wall essentials! We've got a big selection of masks, fins, and snorkels to get you water-ready.

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    Wall-to-wall essentials! We've got a big selection of masks, fins, and snorkels to get you water-ready.

    One Ocean Scuba - We sell all sorts of scuba, snorkel, swim and travel gear!  From BCDs to fun keychains!

    One Ocean Scuba

    5.0(4 reviews)
    20.2 mi

    I signed up for the reactivation class. Sam was very helpful and responsive when I asked questions…read morebefore and after I signed up. I did the reactivate this past weekend. My instructor was Israel. Over the last few years, I tried getting back into scuba at two other places which sucked because they couldn't correct trim problems I had. Israel is definitely the best dive instructor I've had. He was very patient and more than willing to answer the many questions I had. He also mentioned things that other dive instructors never mentioned. I'm glad I was assigned to Israel for the reactivate class. If you decide to take a class through One Ocean Scuba, I would recommend requesting Israel as your dive instructor.

    I've always been curious about this shop tucked in a corner of Kemp Mill Shopping Center next to…read moreShalom Grocery Store. Rich and I don't scuba dive but recently went in to drop some toys in the Toys for Tots donation box. It's a nice store with items displayed neatly. There were goggles, wet suits, and a variety of products I'm not familiar with. There were some scuba/ocean related like stuffed sea creatures and a few holiday ornaments. On a black board in the back was a list of upcoming excursions, including one to the Maldives. I heard the owner talking to a customer about the difficulties of picking up trash in the Potomac River because you can barely see anything in front of you. I was really impressed with the neatness and organization of the store and with the wonderful attitude of the staff.

    Photos
    One Ocean Scuba - We sell several different types of fins for all levels of divers!

    We sell several different types of fins for all levels of divers!

    One Ocean Scuba
    One Ocean Scuba - We also sponsor dive trips to amazing places like St. Lucia!

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    We also sponsor dive trips to amazing places like St. Lucia!

    Blue Octopus Scuba - scuba - Updated May 2026

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