I got PADI certified here! ...in our very own dirty waters!! Boston Scuba is located right in East Boston, right by the water. It's easy to get to and we always find parking in the lot when we go. They have the whole certification package for you - we did our pool session in a local school gym while having our classes and our four open water dives (two dives per trip/day) in their store location (by the harbor). It was pretty simple and easy to reserve - just make sure you pick days that work for you. Everyone is so helpful - dive masters are fun, knowledgable and passionate. I had an amazing time and would definitely recommend them...if you can handle that old dirty water. We went in July but still put on all the thermal gear (gloves, hood, shoes and all) that they provided! Overall, excellent experience and service. We haven't bought anything from the store, because I think it's a little pricey; however, students do get a discount that's available the week or two during and after certification. read more

My first dive with Jim and the Boston Scuba team and I could not be more impressed with the venue (cool area of Boston) the professionalism (low key confidence and super organized) and the dive boat is roomy and made to handle the harbor (12 tons of stability). Jim has a great play list during the dives and knows the water cold (yeah 50 degree at 50 feet so bring all of your 7MM gear) and where the fun stuff is. Lots of stuff to see on the ride as well between CodZilla and the pleasure crafts in the harbor. Sipped a couple of cold ones at the East Coast Cider outside lounge afterward...all in all a great day! read more

Jim took me out the Graves. I was freediving and he was very accomodating. I even got to fly my kite from Keep-Ah so I could capture an aerial photo of the lighthouse (Drones are not allowed). Thanks. read more

I got my open water certification there last year, and since then I been diving non stop. I have dove dozens of times on the Keepah!, Jim and his crew at Boston Scuba are the best. Very easy going and they were very helpful. Captain Pat is a riot. Learning to dive in New England is a challenge in itself, if you can dive here you can dive anywhere. It is not easy with cold temp and limited visibility. My favorite trips are the Scallop dives, they have secret spots where you can come back with a full bag an enough to entertain your whole street. If I was to write one critique about Boston Scuba is that they don't spend so much time advertising and promoting themselves, they can easily double their business if they wanted but seem to like the pace and flow of many regulars. I highly recommend Boston Scuba, I am looking forward to diving all year long with the help of my Dry Suit! read more

I can't say enough about this place. I just completed the open water certification (part 1) last weekend. This consisted of the classroom portion and pool dives. I will be doing my open water dives with them soon in preparation for an upcoming trip. We had Chris who did the classroom and my group in the pool. He was patient, funny, and thorough. In the beginning, I had a moment of anxiety under the water and took a break. Ron was finishing up with his group and took me 1:1 for a little while. He didn't have to do this, but it made a huge difference to my confidence and learning. I was fine to complete the rest of the tasks for the weekend. I highly recommend going with them! read more

This place is great. It seems they have moved, as they are now located in East Boston. The name has also changed to Boston Scuba. We went to get our Open Water Diving Certification. They are very organized and have loads of experience. Unlike PADI as a whole, they were not pushy about trying to sell us a bunch of equipment. In fact, they told us a number of things we shouldn't invest in right away. They also do their open water dives off of a boat, instead of doing a shore dive (which would be miserable). They provide all the gear you need for the training, so all you need to do is study, show up, and pay attention. Our instructor was Jim. He is from England, and if you can get past that, he has a wealth of practical knowledge and advice about diving. This place is a class act and I look forward to working with them in the future. read more

I recently got my first scuba certification at Boston Scuba. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed the whole process. First thing to note is that there are no hidden costs. The cost they quote you includes the learning material, the lectures, pool diving lessons, as well as all diving gear used during the lessons. The open water dives are separate and you pay for each the day of. I got the chance to work with Ron (Class Lecturer), Andrew (Pool day 1), and Joshua (Pool day 2), and Jim( 4 open water dives). The lectures were quite detailed, they ran over two days and were followed by pool lessons where we got to apply the skills we learned in class. The open water dives were intense/fun, and Jim did a great job teaching us. The water temp ranged between 45-50F, and I was concerned I would get cold, but the wet suit was pretty good at keeping me warm. On the first day, I suffered from sea sickness while on the boat. If that happens to you, just get in the water ASAP, as I did. You will feel instantly better. The crew was great at helping me get setup since I was not feeling too well. The next day, I wore sea bands because I could not find non-drowsy meds for motion sickness. I don't know if it was the water condition, the sea bands or the location, but I did not feel so sea sick. Still, something to watch out for if you are planning to dive in the open water. Overall, all the instructors were great and so was the rest of the team in the pool and during the open dives. It was a real pleasure being taught by the Boston Scuba team and I look forward to doing more dives with them. Joshua and Jim were particularly awesome. I appreciated their patience with me, their knowledge, and guidance throughout the day. I highly recommend them if you are planning to get certified in the Boston area. read more

First, Boston Scuba is owned and operated by Jim Sullivan, a local guy who sounds (slight Boston accent and local knowledge) like he grew up in the area and seems to know everything about the Boston Harbor waters. All of his staff are warm friendly helpful people who really want you to enjoy diving. Captain Pat, the guy who drove the boat during my open water dives, knew the history of every interesting harbor island we past. Jim and Pat are two guys you just want to hang out with after a dive, maybe grab a couple beers and shuck scallops with. I had never had a freshly shucked scallop before and that is what we got to do on during my first dive because a certified diver (not one of the students) that was on our excursion was willing to share...it seems divers are like that). It was truly an incredible experience. Second, Although the dive shop opened a couple years ago, his business has been around a number of years. I asked him about it on the boat and they supplement the dive shop with commercial maritime business during the week. So the business has a history and seems rock solid. In terms of the diving instruction, not only is Capt. Jim a great instructor but he has picked a group of people who are phenomenal which includes Jim Hicks, a highly skilled technical diver and British Military veteran. I have talked to a few people about diving courses they have taken and it seems nothing compares to the quality instruction we got from Jim Hicks, Andy, Carmen, and Wayne (I think his name was Wayne. Jim Hicks was the lead instructor. He is gregarious and fills his lessons with personal stories. He says he not "politically correct" but even when he made comments about things that might not be so, he really just craking a joke and he ends up coming across as a caring respectful guy who loves diving and wants everyone to have a safe and fun experience. He WILL call on you in the small class to answer questions but he does it in the "good teacher" way, helpful and respectful. Bottom line, you better read the book they send you...took me 3 weeks of nights and weekends. And you really need to take the self administered tests in the book (oh and yes, write your answers IN THE BOOK). Third, for the hands-on In the pool session, they divided up into two groups of 4 and I was in Jim Hicks's group. There were few things I had a tough time with...I had trouble with the 10 minute water tread...they spoke to me and had be relax and float, which got me through it. Then, I broke the zipper in my wetsuit and they went an extra effort to help me with it. Finally, I panicked during the mask removal in only 4 feet of water...and Jim got me through it with personal "in my face" instruction which I really needed. If it was some college kid or some resort part-time tourist instructor, I do not think I would have gotten past it. If fact, I think I am good at the mask removal now! Last, in terms of cost, it was a little less expensive than the dive shop that was closer to me and others I saw in the internet. For the pool dives, all the gear was great (not that I have that much experience yet, but it seemed great to me)... except for the 3mm pool wet suits. Those really take a beating between the chlorine and novices like me breaking the zippers! So expect a hole or tear here and there...they are just for the pool dive and you wear them really just to understand them. The wetsuits for the ocean (open water) dives are like brand new. And they really know (and use) the equipment they sell in the shop. About the same as anyplace you'll look for new on the internet. Jim Hicks explained you really only need to buy the mask, snorkel, and fins and just rent everything else for while...maybe consider buying when you become more experienced. I thought that was cool..made me want to buy from them since I did not feel like I was getting a sales pitch (and even though he said to buy a cheap snorkel, I bought their expensive one). Bottom line: if you want to learn how to dive correctly and safely, use these guys. If your a diver and want to know about Boston Harbor, they know all the dive sites because they dive them. Do your research. If you go with them, you will NOT be disappointed. P.S. I wrote all of this because I really really had a great experience and am just still so excited after my open water dives and got my certification, I just had to let others know about this place. read more

We took the beginner course here in mid April 2017, my two daughters, their friend and me. The class room stuff was well organized on both days but the facility was a bit chilly as there doesn't seem to be much heat and all participants came dressed warmer on the second day. The pool session was structured well and you learn all skills in a easy environment. The instructors Carmen and Ron were awesome. We plan on going there again for the certification dives. Overall a great experience! read more

I got my open water license here! Everyone I worked with was SO PATIENT and SO NICE. I can't say enough good things about them. Even though New England isn't always known for diving, I would go diving just to be around the people there. They all have crazy stories and years of experience! They are all there simply because they like it! They don't nag you about buying their equipment, and even tell you what not to invest it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND diving with them. read more

I started my Scuba cert with Ron and Luigi at Boston Scuba this weekend and absolutely loved the class. The classroom portion was good- too the point, but also informative. The pool dives were well structured and we were in small groups allowing for ample learning time. I will be completing my open water dives in Aruba, but highly recommend these guys. They are knowledgeable and kept the weekend fun at the same time! read more

Great experience. Can't say enough positive things about Boston Scuba. Went it for my open water PADI certification. Had a great experience. Every instructor I worked with, had a great attitude with a lot of patience. read more

This is one of the best dive Shops in New England. I got certified through them and was really glad I did once I went on vacation and saw what a joke other programs are. read more

I'm delighted that I selected Boston Scuba for my certification. The classroom lectures were nice in that it didn't belabor information. The expectation was that you had done your homework and were more prepared than not. This left more than ample time for discussion regarding points or concepts that students didn't understand studying solo and Carmen was an excellent instructor: patient, adept at assessing the crowd and pacing to the general speed of the group, and she has a great sense of humor. She really grew on me over the weekend. She's also quite knowledgeable in dive theory. The pool was a great experience as well. Luigi is beyond phenomenal. He's a smart diver: He is big on redundancy as a fail-safe, and drilling muscle memory. He will bestow upon you so many extra pearls of wisdom, that you will likely never experience a problem diving because he will teach you to check your gear with the utmost scrutiny. Should you experience a problem; however, he ensures that you will have the tools to problem solve underwater. He drills muscle memory so that reacting becomes second nature. I especially liked that he gave "real world diving experience" - He taught me to problem solve and process through problems underwater while maintaining good composure. I always felt I was able to keep a cool head while working out a solution, even if I didn't know an answer right off the bat. He's got a great personality, and is very easy to get along with. He's also a tech guru - definitely worth picking his brain about equipment. Luigi is a true master - I hope to dive with him in the future. read more

I'm officially certified and it's all thanks to Jim the instructor and Captain Jim who conducted my open water dives. Although it's supposed to take only four dives for certification, I needed to do five. On my first dive, I was so nervous I had a very hard time. Cpt. Jim gave me a lot of great advice at the end of the day and when I returned the next weekend, I was able to complete the skills with confidence. Again, I stand by my original review. This is a great place to learn how to dive. read more

Six months ago I started the PADI Divemaster course here and have just finished it.The instructors at Boston Scuba are great. Solid in their professionalism, yet they do have a sense of humor. If you are considering a look into the world of Scuba diving this is a cool place to start, if you are wanting to go out on some fun dives then look no further. Capt. jim Sullivan will help you out either way. read more