Buckle up, friends. This is a long story with a short message. Do not give your money to West End…read moreDiving / Bonne Terre Mine. Manipulative sales practices and safety concerns should keep you far away. I was a staff diver with them for a short period of time and the complete lack of attention paid to safety was shocking. I left after just 4 weekends of working citing lack of training and safety concerns. I never received any pay for the time worked and now find myself out thousands of dollars for the experience. I got open water certified through West End Diving in Jan of 2020. My instructors were impressed with my skills & the owner Doug told me about their staff diver program where they supposedly train you to be a divemaster, pay you for your labor, and let you dive for free. This is where things all began to fall apart. Doug is a salesman who likes to apply a lot of pressure. Telling you things like: "You should never buy your gear online." "It's life support equipment and you must have your shop in your corner to make sure things are safe." And of course, "NEVER buy your gear from a private seller or eBay." Doug feels so strongly about this that though he charges you $1500 to join the staff diver program, that price surges to $2500 if you buy a single piece of gear somewhere else. Case in point, my dive computer. West End Diving sells Mares gear. Most Mares computers are not great imo. They are not back lit, dark, hard to read. I wanted something with more features than the $200 computers he had but not as high end as the $1200 Mares Genius high end model. I was told that I had to choose between those options or else pay the $1000 extra for the program. Cool, right? I did eventually pick up all my gear through West End Diving. I did tons of research but with every piece of gear I researched, Doug told me it wasn't good enough for a pro diver. There were requirements for the staff he told me. He pushed me to the highest end gear for everything ringing up about $6000 in total sales. It was more than I was comfortable with as I told him again and again but he swore by the gear, the service, said it was going to last me forever, etc. I had reservations but I trusted him and bought all in. Then COVID hit. Lots of the things I paid for were suddenly cancelled. (Oxygen administration and CPR classes for example). Despite the fact that we couldn't (and still can't) do those classes I was told I had to keep the materials and equipment purchased specifically for them. "No refunds." The mine was closed at the beginning of COVID but was soon up and running again. "Come down and begin your training" I was told. And things, at this point, got worse. The first weekend I showed up, no one seemed to know I was coming despite me following Doug's instructions for getting on the schedule. Regardless, the divers were eager to have help. I was trying to be cautious. Maintain distance. Wear my mask. Some of the other divers were less cautious. Not wearing masks around me or others. Trying to shake hands. Ignoring leaving space between people. When I expressed discomfort at this I was given excuses. One I heard was "Don't worry. He can't spread it. He's already had it." Another one I heard was "He's protected by God." Despite these warning signs, I persisted in going. I wanted to help and I wanted to train and I figured it would just be on me to navigate this situation where the staff wasn't taking COIVD very seriously. When I mentioned it to Doug he told me "in rural areas, such as Bonne Terre, wearing a mask is not typical, nor 6 feet distancing be regarded as necessary." Great. Nice to know the virus is somehow weaker in Bonne Terre. How silly of me to be worried about it. Now, let's talk about my training... There wasn't any. On each visit I was repeatedly asked to do things that I hadn't been trained on - including TO BE THE SAFETY DIVER ON THE DIVE. On every weekend I was there I was asked at least once to be the person responsible for the safety of the guests. This is despite the fact that I did not know the trails, I had no training, I cannot maintain neutral buoyancy myself, and that I am not even Advanced Open Water Certified yet. IT IS SHOCKING THAT THEY WOULD WANT ME IN THAT POSITION. I reached out to Doug after 4 frustrating weekends and told him about this and several other safety concerns. I told him, it was clear I was not a good fit for the staff and that I would like to find a way to remove myself and part ways amicably. I asked for a few concessions: 1) Refund the fee I paid to join the staff as I received no pay and no training. 2) Buy back my barely used gear at a discount (he sells used gear in the shop). 3) Refund me for the classes that were cancelled. His response: "I suggest you sell your equipment on Craigslist or eBay" When I asked if he felt he had no responsibility for any of my concerns and would he not offer any assistance, he ghosted me. This is me warning you.

Doug the owner is rude, manipulative, and a want to be salesman. The below post spell it all out. I…read morewill say it's a shame because his dive staff was amazing, but I would never recommend this place just because of the experience I have had and others have had. Go to any other place but here. The mIne isn't that special either, no wild life, just rocks and rusty equipment.

I had the pleasure of working with Chris Ellis of Midwest Scuba to complete my rescue diver…read morecertification a few weeks past. He was hands on from the very beginning, in both educating me on the written materials in a classroom setting and instructing me on the practicum skills necessary to obtain certification. Aside from being one of the most quality scuba professionals I have ever worked with, Chris is an outstanding person. Patient, respectful and calm in his nature, he made me feel confident and comfortable in performing rescue skills that I had difficulty with at first, but with his direction and focus, felt at ease with at the time of my testout. I was also fortunate enough to have several divemasters in training join us at Quail Run Quarry in Rolla, MO to assist in my certification, which showed me the impact that Midwest Scuba has had on the scuba community by the stellar people associated with the shop. Impressed by the friendliness and camaraderie I got to experience being in the company of Chris and his divers, I look forward to working with Midwest Scuba in the near future to further my own pursuits of becoming a divemaster.

FAST HYDRO (hydrostatic testing) TURN-AROUND. I dropped off a cylinder at 10:25 am. I picked it up…read moreat 5:42 pm the NEXT DAY, with new hydro numbers stamped into the cylinder and a new VIP sticker. They offer a discount to military veterans.

I took the reactivate class one on one with Heather . She…read morewas awesome and very knowledgeable, I would recommend this dive instructor and the dive shop

Just got my open eater with the help of these guys and it was a fantastic experience! The…read moreinstructors are extremely knowledgable in and outside the field, and guve you all the help you could ever need. I would recommend to anyone looking into diving to come here first, because you'll never need to go anywhere else!

I've done the first half of my open water referral course (theory and confined), a nitrox cert,…read morevarious equipment purchases, and now a regulator service with Y-Kiki. I can say that each time I've worked with them has been an absolute pleasure, and would unequivocally recommend them to anybody looking for a dive shop in the area. My OW referral course was excellent. Diane helped with set up the course and with my initial purchases, and she was fantastic. I took the theory and confined dives with Scott and Matt, both of whom were consummate professionals. I did my nitrox with Scott, and I've bought gear from him and Phil. All of these people were amazing, and I'd give 6 stars if I could just for the customer service this shop offers. The two shops (more on that below) are fully stocked with quality gear, and they can order stuff for you from several companies if they don't carry it. I haven't gone on any of their dive trips, but I signed up for their emails and it looks like they offer several to exotic locations throughout the year. They also have a couple dogs running around the west county shop. It's basically how a good small, locally owned business should run. Note: Since this branch is one of two and it'd be too complicated to separate out my experiences, I decided to write the same review for both.

They were great when I visited to get some snorkeling gear but the other two times I tried to come…read morethey were closed 15 mins early, came back the next morning 25 mins after opening and there was a note saying "be right back". My suggestion is to call first to make sure you aren't interfering with their personal schedules.

I've done the first half of my open water referral course (theory and confined), a nitrox cert,…read morevarious equipment purchases, and now a regulator service with Y-Kiki. I can say that each time I've worked with them has been an absolute pleasure, and would unequivocally recommend them to anybody looking for a dive shop in the area. My OW referral course was excellent. Diane helped with set up the course and with my initial purchases, and she was fantastic. I took the theory and confined dives with Scott and Matt, both of whom were consummate professionals. I did my nitrox with Scott, and I've bought gear from him and Phil. All of these people were amazing, and I'd give 6 stars if I could just for the customer service this shop offers. The two shops (more on that below) are fully stocked with quality gear, and they can order stuff for you from several companies if they don't carry it. I haven't gone on any of their dive trips, but I signed up for their emails and it looks like they offer several to exotic locations throughout the year. They also have a couple dogs running around the west county shop. It's basically how a good small, locally owned business should run. Note: Since this branch is one of two and it'd be too complicated to separate out my experiences, I decided to write the same review for both.

Rude dismissive instructor that I never asked for. Made wrong insinuations and assumptions and got…read moreothers to try to intimidate. Treated like I was incompetent. FYI. A dozen certifications... not including open, advanced, rescue and master levels. Will be addressing this further about the behaviors that where shown to me, including the rudeness, intimidation and assumptions that were clearly out of line. I've had a variety of instructors.... All fun and professional but this lady went out of her way to imply things.... A Karen she was!!!

A great family run dive shop. Their instructors are very knowledgeable and take their time in…read moresmall groups to teach more efficiently. They really treat you like a person, as opposed to just another number. I highly recommend.

Great group of people it is a new shop built on an old one. Most of the staff worked for years at…read morethis location. They have a lot of years teaching diving and love to teach

Looking for a Fun thing to do? Especially in this heat?…read more Head to Bonne Terre Mines... it is a Cool 62 degrees all year around!! The Tour Guides are very knowledgeable and make the tour fun! It is Amazing how the miners back in the day worked underground. Now this is a walking tour with many steps. So if you can not do that then this is not for you.

This was our first time. It was fun and not too bad of a trek. We went on a short boat ride as part…read moreof the tour which was really cool (only subterranean boat ride I've ever been on). Most of the floors are slippery so I would careful if you have trouble with this. They also have scuba diving.

I first came to Scuba World to earn my Open Water certification after getting my Scuba Diver cert…read moreon vacation. Since then I have completed the Advanced Open Water, Rescue and Divemaster certifications. The staff at Scuba World is extremely knowledgeable, patient, kind and fun. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to learn to scuba or continue their education.

From the owner: Scuba World, located in Swansea, IL, has been training families to "dive" into fun since 1992. If…read moreyou are looking for something new and exciting that you can share with friends and family, stop by and schedule an introductory session.Our professional staff will take you to the safe confines of a pool to try your first breath underwater. You will experience the freedom of being weightless as you swim underwater, breathing comfortably from your scuba gear.Our products and services include: Training classes Equipment and gear Group travel Scuba World is a member of the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI). We are a PADI 5 Star Dive Center, offering lessons for beginners up to instructor. We have all your equipment needs and offer sales, service and rental of some of the top of the line manufacturers, such as Aqualung, Seaquest, Deep See and Henderson.We also offer travel, so once you have taken care of your training and equipment needs, you have professional staff to lead you on your diving adventures. Scuba World offers trips to local dive sites as well as trips around the world. Whether it is a local lake or quarry, Florida, the Caribbean, or even Micronesia, let Scuba World be your guide to fun and adventure. Planning a trip on your own? Let the team at Scuba World help. Being a member of PADI Travel gives us connections to dive operators in 180 countries and territories around the world.Call Scuba World today for more information.

Do not use this agency. I found the agency by way of a popular wedding website and it came highly…read morerated , so I decided to try it. When I went on the website, I took their very detailed survey about my past vacations and where we were looking to vacation/honeymoon (Colorado). I receive an email back from an agent named Susan. In the email, the only thing she mentioned from my survey was that I had been to the Dominican Republic - additionally she asked what kind of resorts we were looking at, what kind of activities we wanted to do (ie: scuba diving, etc.). Right there, I was mad because I knew she spent zero time on actually reading my survey. But, I politely re-answered her questions gearing them towards Colorado again. Then, she emailed back and practically told me to book my own trip. I apologize for the long review, but I wanted to make any potential customers aware of her business practices.

From the owner: Go Travel Stl is a free service with the goal of saving you money and reducing the stress of travel…read moreplanning. Go Travel Stl provides expert advice on everything from optional resort experiences, to the value of travel insurance, or familiarizing you with hidden fees. If you book travel through an online travel giant/agent, who do you go to if something goes wrong? Can you reach that agent for help and assistance? Go Travel Stl is a full-service agency that you can reach out to for assistance. Susan of Go Travel Stl offers expert advice and assistance for destination weddings, honeymoons, vacation leisure travel packages, cruises and tours for destinations worldwide. You get personal service, best prices, and expert advice based on first-hand travel experience, on-site resort inspections, and personal feedback from clients and other travel agents. Take the online vacation assessment to find your dream vacation. Whether you are planning travel for a family, group or honeymoon, Susan can consult with you and advise you on the destinations that match your preferences. Susan's experience planning and booking travel gives you the advantage of knowing all of the information that is important to you. Her knowledge and site visits of resorts is an asset to you for choosing a final destination that is perfect for you. Her organization and planning give you more for your travel. Her service does not end after you make your travel decision and book it...