The store staff was friendly and helpful and the instructor, Brian, knowledgeable and effective.

This shop is awesome! Very nice and helpful staff. I had instructors Bryan and Dennis for my confined water dives and they were both extremely kind, patient and encouraging. I had Instructor Roy Vernon for my open water dives and I cannot recommend him more! He was excited to be there, very patient with his students and concerned for our safety above all else. He was encouraging and fun to be with. I had a great time getting my open-water certification! - Eli read more

Great facility and nice staff. Almost like a club. They also promote and sell disc golf products.

I walked through the doors of the Carolina Dive Center for the first time last week to ask about doing the in water training for my PADI Open Water Diver certification. 5 days later I'm certified! In store staff are welcoming, patient and helpful - thanks to Mike for taking time to explain choices and give the benefit of his experience. I'm only a newbie but they seem to have a good range of products with options at several price points. And huge thanks to Lisa for getting me through the 2 day intensive course at the lake - the cold rainy conditions made for a challenging introduction but Lisa was thorough, professional, positive and confidence-inspiring throughout. read more

A group of friends and I signed up with Carolina Dive Center to complete our Wreck certification course. We all were travelling from out of state and decided to complete our dives for this certification in North Carolina as it is renowned for its wreck diving. We had an average experience with Carolina Dive Center overall. We did not go to the actual shop since we dove out of Wilmington (about 2 hours away from the shop's location), so I cannot speak of the shop itself. However I can speak about our experience with their education/certifications. We set up our entire trip with Captain Jim months in advance. Captain Jim and Elyse were both very responsive to emails and answering our questions in a timely manner as well as giving us options of where we could dive off the NC coast. They worked very hard with us to come up with our ideal itinerary. Captain Jim even did a webinar with us a few weeks prior to our arrival to discuss some last minute details which was very helpful. Once we all reached NC, our actual experience diving with Captain Jim was not the best diving experience we could have had. Many things were beyond his control (such as the winds and some weather issues which resulted in some changes to our originally planned dive itinerary.) Very understandable and I place no blame on him for that. However, when we dove with him, we did not feel as though he was overly concerned about our safety and he did not even appear to be paying attention to us as we demonstrated our skills to complete the wreck class. He told us to tell him when we had 1500 psi remaining, but since he didn't turn around often to check on us, it was hard to get his attention to let him know! We also had a few incidents underwater that we had concerns about, however he often just brushed off our concerns and would continue diving as planned. In regards again to the weather issues we were having; Captain Jim was very concerned that he provide us other options to get this certification done, especially since we all travelled so far to come to NC to do this. So I felt that was very responsible of him and yes, we did complete the certification. Upon completion of the class, the dive shop processed our cards very quickly and I received mine in the mail within 4 days. So overall, I found Captain Jim to be a very nice guy and organized with dive shop related matters, however he was not the best dive instructor! read more

We came to Carolina Dive Center for 3 solid years to get our gear serviced and schedule dive charters. The shop is easy to find as long as you have a GPS. They keep the charter calendar full, but trips do sell out. I ended up finding it easier to book directly with shops in Wilmington or Morehead City. We did enjoy doing the annual treasure hunt & BBQ at Fantasy lake where they hide coins and such for prizes. Gear servicing was pretty pricey, but they had a fairly quick turnaround and were able to order replacement parts as needed. read more

I honestly can't recommend Carolina Dive Center enough. The staff are super friendly - my husband and I joke it's like walking into Cheers - where everybody knows your name! LOL They are great at helping you find what you need for your specific gear/needs. The instructors have all been excellent (Captain Jim, David, Art, Nicole, Lisa, Amy to name a few!) - do a great job explaining the tasks, demonstrating the tasks and having patience if I take a little longer to learn the skill :-D My husband and I took a vacation to Curacao and dove "on our own" and I must say Carolina Dive Center prepared us well for our dives. We're officially hooked on scuba and continuing our education to learn more. read more

Recently achieved my PADI Open Water Diver Certification through Carolina Dive Center and couldn't have asked for a better experience. Our instructor, Mike Welch, make us all feel so safe and confident, and you could see how passionate he is about diving. 10/10 recommend and can't wait to dive again with CDC :) read more

Started to get my open water certification in September and finally finished in November! Phillip was informative and super willing to work with me on clearing my mask - a skill needed to pass. There was bad weather so I had reschedule one of my dives. I easily switched my dive around to the next week and then was ready to go do my open water 2 checkout dives. I'm giving 4 stars because even though my training was awesome, there were some administrative things that I wished were more organized. I asked the shop to call me once they scheduled the October checkout dives and they never did. I ended up having to do my checkout dives in mid November because all the October ones booked quickly- which was not ideal - but worked out fine. Just know that you are responsible for keeping up with when your classes. Phillip, David, and one other instructor did my check out dives at the quarry. They were all patient and knowledgeable and I wouldn't want to get my certification anywhere else. I will be back to gain other certifications!! read more

Never judge a book by its cover (case in point, 50 Shades of Grey) and never judge a dive shop by its unfortunate location inside a now less-populated shopping strip off Atlantic Spring Rd. It should be relatively easy to find since it sits at the first corner, right across from the movie theater. The reason I now know this shop exist was because of the Living Social deal for SCUBA diving training and certification. Paul, who runs the place most of the time with a few other young helpers, is very knowledgeable, and very sociable. The shop opens usually until 7 PM, but because a lot of folks in the class was trying to get their equipment ready prior to first dive, he was willing to stay after hour just so everyone leaves with all they needed. I was the last one to step out, and that was five minutes past nine o'clock, and the entire time we were they he was working and measuring and making sure every piece fit you just right. Inside the shop, you can find just about everything that you need for your next destination diving vacation. I was "forced" into getting my personal equipment here, but with a more than decent price (comparable to online retailers) and a discount if you get it as part of the training course, I will be a fool not to buy them here. read more

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Carolina Dive Center is a great place to go for certification in open water diving. They offer NAUI classroom and SDI online courses. The shop has a little bit of everything that you'd need to dive, and they often have great specials on things. I got a great 3mm full suit for like $90! They also have a lot of things in stock and were able to provide the right size of split fins in the color I wanted too :) Paul and Jim co-own the shop, and they offer various classes from beginning open water to advanced certifications, as well as others you're interested in too. Jim even taught a free fish identification course a few weeks ago, which was really helpful! Miles taught my class and was the instructor for both of my check-out dives in the Rolesville quarry. He is an excellent instructor and I loved diving with him. He always has his big black van stocked with extras in case you forget something. He's very knowledgeable about diving, as he's dived many places all over the world. I got a deal on either groupon or livingsocial, which made the package like $300, which included your gear and air for both pool and checkout dives. The only thing you had to have before your pool dives were your mask, snorkel, and fins. I tried to get on their December charter to dive the Charleston Tug, but the weather caused us to reschedule it. I hope to jump on a charter or trip with them soon because they seem like a cool bunch of people to go down with! read more

Poor customer service. I finished my nitrox e-learning and went to the store to finish up the class. It took a hassle just to get a hold of an employee. After i started telling him i need my final touch ups for my nitrox class, he stared at me like he had no idea what i was talking about (even though i called/emailed ahead of time). Finally after i was done explaining what i was doing in the store he hesitantly starting assisting me while joking and talking with other employees. Also, this is the closest dive shop from where I live. I was interested in signing up for a dive master course but again, 0 professionalism. Took me 3+ phone calls to the dive shop and a lot of texts to just get a scheduled phone call with the 'head' of that training area. Lacking communication and professionalism for a business. Maybe start focusing on things outside open water students? read more

Very well stocked scuba shop with a no frills atmosphere. I've been here almost a dozen times and every experience has been good. Staff is helpful, and don't pressure you into buying stuff you don't need. Prices are as good or better than online, and they don't carry junk like you find on Amazon etc. definitely worth the time to get everything professionally fitted (it's life support equipment after all). If you do classes here I definitely recommend asking about private lessons. It's a small upcharge, but I've found it makes everything go much faster, and you get individualized attention so you can focus on the skills you need to improve. Only negative worth mentioning is their rental gear is pricier than other local dive shops, but I own my own kit so that hasn't been an issue for me. read more

Great place to go and great team. Looking at some of the reviews that are nearly 10 years are not accurate. Great service and friendly. It is always busy and instructors are friendly and great to deal with and very knowledgeable. Dive charters are scheduled all the time with many different classes and include very well priced get away trips to Mexico, Florida, and other great dive locations. Go get certified and have some adventure in your life with a new family of friends. They have been great to work with and It has been amazing bonding for me an my boys to be part off. Thanks to Jim and the crew!! read more

Everytime I step into Carolina Dive Center... I feel like I'm at home. It's so relaxed here.. The staff here are super friendly and helpful.. and make you feel like they truly care about you and making sure you make the most out of your diving experience. My fiancee and I decided to take the PADI Open Water course here because eventually for our honeymoon.. we would love to go diving somewhere. We are so glad we found this place on Yelp! Our classes were taught by Paul who is very knowledgeable. You can ask him just about any questions related to scuba and he will be able to answer it thoroughly. Even though the classes were at 9am on Saturdays.. Paul makes time go by quickly. After each 2 hour classroom class, we would drive to the nearby pool and have another 2 hour pool session to practice scuba techniques. Afterwards you go on 4 checkout dives (2 dives/day usually) and take an exam and you get your license! Woopee! We decided to go to the rock quarry at Fantasy Lake Scuba Park in Rolesville for the first 2 checkout dives and to Wilmington Hyde Dive for the second. David from Carolina Dive Center led the dive for Bryan and myself and HE IS AWESOME! Waters were rough that day and it was very cold... a bunch of us got motion sickness but David was very attentive and made you feel safe and informed. He is great! Theo from the Dive Center lent me his jacket because he saw me shivering... it's little acts of kindness such as this that makes you feel noticed and special :) Captain Jim is also awesome. He remembered everyone by name and made you feel important. At the end of the trip, he gave everyone a necklace for graduating the PADI Open Water course. Not to mention, Hillary and Phillip at the Dive Center is wonderful. Hillary is the manager at the dive center and she is super organized, friendly and helpful. And Phillip led our dive at the rock quarry and you can just tell that Scuba is his passion and he always has a smile on his face. You can tell everyone here just wants you to have a good time. Normally, I wouldn't write such a long review but the whole team at the Carolina Dive Center is just awesome. They really make you feel special and supported. What an awesome yet challenging but AWESOME experience! Thank you CDC! read more

My girlfriend and I chose to get OW certified at Carolina Dive Center. We had a wonderful experience in Feb 2020 through May 2020 completing the OW class. We also signed up for additional classes soon thereafter because we had such a great time initially. The subsequent classes were just as good, the instructors all well rounded and great to work with. At this point, we've spend several thousand on certifications as well as several thousand on equipment. We've even signed up for a dive vacation for 2021. In short, we've trusted this dive shop with $10,000 of our hard earned savings over the past 10 months. They have delivered good performance and we will continue to patron this establishment. read more

If you are looking for a dive shop to get your scuba certification (or any gear) you will not find a better facility in the Triangle than Carolina Dive Center. I had started my journey to scuba certification with another facility and had an instructor who was less than ideal (I'm sorry but an instructor teaching scuba diving to novices should not yell at them for not having trouble with a particular requires skill, which incidentally happens to be the skill that gives new divers the most challenge). I needed to complete the open water phase of my certification and time was of the essence as I had a trip to FL in the upcoming week. Carolina Dive Center was not only able to fit me in at the last minute for that weekends' class, but I was fortunate enough to have some amazing instructors that were not only enthusiastic about diving, but wonderful, patient, and encouraging teachers. If you have the opportunity to learn from Lisa, Art or Amy you will leave your training feeling confident and enthusiastic about your PADI Scuba Diver Certification. I cannot recommend them/this facility enough! read more

I love this place and the people! They take excellent care of their customers and share the love of diving with such care and knowledge!

I've been planning on getting scuba certified for a while. My sister, wife, and I decided to go through Carolina Dive Center. We were all very happy with them. The owners, Captain Jim and Paul were very helpful and professional, while also making us feel comfortable and relaxed. After getting certified, the shop employees were awesome when it came to fitting me for all my new gear, and even gave me several discounts. Not only have they helped me realize my dream of becoming a certified scuba diver, but I also feel like a member of a new community. I'm already scheduled for a dive in May, and it won't be long before I'm hunting for megaladon teeth! read more

Amy and Zach are super helpful! they helped me find good fitting gear for a specifically small person like myself! Answered all my questions with a great attitude read more

I had the pleasure of doing a private open diver certification course with Carolina Dive Center, and they were so accommodating and helpful with the process - it was a really great experience. They have very friendly and personable service but keep a level of professionalism that I greatly appreciate. For certifications, don't doubt coming here! After scheduling dives with my tight schedule, I'm so excited and prepared to do my first dive as a certified diver. Thank you, CDC! read more

My husband and I just left the shop on Atlantic Springs and had the misfortune of speaking with Cameron. We are interested in the certification class and inquired about what the cost and what was included. He quickly went through the class cost and necessary equipment then (as if we were inconveniencing him) went so far as to answer the phone in the middle of a question without even saying - excuse me for a moment. I asked if he had anything printed out since he obviously wanted to move on to other people and he just said no. (With a quip on how the owner didn't listen to them about the need for it). I informed him that we were looking for 4 possibly 5 people and could he write down that for us information. (I was a little pissed by this point) His reaction was a huff and a quickly scribbled notation. I asked about what was included in "gear $250" and did NOT appreciate being talked to as if I was and idiot or being laughed at when I said basically a snorkeling package. Cameron preceded to make it worse when I asked - "what if we have our own?" By sarcastically replying "then I guess you won't have to buy that then." Then turned and WALKED AWAY to speak to another customer. We were looking at spending anywhere from $3,000 -$3,700 right then. Being treated as if we were not only an inconvenience but ignorant as well is, I'll say surprising so I keep it clean. I understand it was busy but there is NO EXCUSE for such rude behavior, especially toward potential new members. We ARE going to get our certification, but I'm more inclined to go elsewhere. read more

Been a great experience thus far, everyone has taken time to assist and work through my novice questions. Went from no experience to 3 certs in a month with their patience and willingness to train. Looking forward to learning more as I move on to AOW read more

I just finished my PADI open water dive Certification with Carolina Dive Center. I would have to say the experience was amazing. The class room instruction was informative. The pool dives were great and the open water dives at Fantasy Lake was awesome. They introduced me to a whole new world. The instructors were very knowledgeable, helpful, experienced and very easy to get along with. They never scolded or got angry when we would screw up. And I screwed up several times. And the equipment they provided to use was top of the line. It was a great experience and I will be booking charters with them in the near future. It was one of the most outlandish things I have done in a long time and they made it great for me. Thanks for a good time Carolina Dive Center!!! read more

STAY AWAY!!! I will start this by saying I've spent around $5k at Carolina Dive Center to date, as I've purchased all the scuba related items I own from them to date. I took my gear in for service, and was quoted $125, for 2 regulators and an O ring on my BCD, which I signed and agreed to pay. The guy mentioned it may be "a few extra dollars for a battery and parts". No big deal right? Well I show to pick up my gear and the total bill is $236.00. They failed to mention they would charge me $111.00 for a battery and some O rings. When I tried to explain this to the owner, he just said "well a few dollars means different things to different to different people". LIKE REALLY??? Since when is $111.00 a "few extra dollars" on a $125 service. They take advantage of you because they know you can't get your $3,000 scuba setup back from them without paying their "few extra dollars". They also never gave me a call when my gear was done. They promised me it would be done by Jan 21st. So I called them on Jan 21st and they haven't even started my gear (keep in mind I dropped it off in December). So I called again on the 23rd and they said it was finished, which they failed to call and notify me (I guess they were just going to wait until I showed up again to actually let me know it was done). Seriously do yourself a favor, and stay far away from this shop. They don't deserve your business!! This was beyond underhanded!! I will be reporting them to BBB. read more

My name is Mike M. and I have been Scuba Diving since becoming PADI Open Water Certified in 2010. I have visited about five dive shops in North Carolina and Virginia since then and have about 30 dives under my (integrated) weight belt ;) I first visited Carolina Dive Center in 2011 because they carry the Oceanic brand which I was interested in buying. The staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. They love the sport of Scuba and want to help others enjoy it as well. They spent time to make sure I understood the features of the gear I was buying and that it fit correctly. They even called Oceanic to swap out the BCD that the package was supposed to come with for a model that much better suited my needs at no extra cost to me. I recently booked a charter through Carolina Dive Center to a shipwreck 20 miles off the coast of Wilmington named the Hyde. I had not been in the ocean since my checkout dive three years prior, and I was both excited and concerned about the the dive. The shop owner, Jim, sat me down for a one-on-one 45 minute refresher course on wreck diving. He even accompanied me and two other divers who did not have buddies on our first dive that day and took pictures during the dive. Even though the shop is in kind of a weird location (the store next door sells cell phones and hair braiding), it is the closest place to Fantasy Lake for air fills that I know of. I would recommend this place to anyone. read more

Despite the friendly staff in the store, the owner/dive expert was very unresponsive and unwilling to accommodate our needs and learning comfort level. I would not recommend using this shop. read more

Great Dive Shop! Great people! From the pool sessions, to picking up gear, to the classroom to the quarry - we have had a great experience with Carolina Dive Center. It's been a lot of fun along the way and we are looking forward to future dives! The staff is great! Hillary, Miles, and Phil have trained us all along the way to make sure we are ready for our future dive adventures. We really appreciate the professionalism, fun and flexibility to getting us through the course swiftly but with the right tools in place! A lot of times you buy groupons and people don't treat you like "real customers". We never felt that way with Carolina Dive Center -and for that reason and many more - you can bet we will be future customers! Highly recommend this shop whether its for certifications, dive trips, or equipment - a great local business! read more

I have recently completed an open water certification (SCUBA camp) and I must say that taking the training with Carolina Dive Center was a fantastic experience. The entire staff of the center was very friendly and helpful. The training was focused on safety and at the same time they are doing their best to promote SCUBA diving sport in general. I could feel their enthusiasm. The instructors were great, very patient and knowledgeable. I've felt that I am learning from true professionals. At the same time the family atmosphere in the center makes you feel very welcome and comfortable. I will be signing up for advanced course. They have helped me develop my new passion and would love to hang around with the folks from the center. I highly recommend them. read more

Great service and knowledgeable staff. They were very helpful and patient when I got certified and was picking out gear.

I got certified with CDC in October 2012 and have been on 3 dive trips with them since my official certification. The owners and the instructors/dive masters have been better than I could have ever hoped for. They make sure that students and new divers are comfortable and know everything necessary before letting you go off with your dive buddy. It has taken me several dives to feel confident that I could dive with just a buddy and not an instructor, and Theo, Miles, and Jim have gone above and beyond to take care of me and my fellow divers and teach us everything they know to help us become better divers. Everyone in the shop is knowlegeable and friendly, and more than willing to answer your questions and help you figure out what gear you need or where the best dive sites are located. Check out the new location 2 doors down from the old shop! The new shop is larger with more room to display inventory, and has a separate classroom in the back! I can't say enough about this dive group, and I look forward to going on many more trips with them for years to come! I'm already planning 2 more dive trips with them now! Not only are they great divers, but they have quickly become great friends. :) Love you guys! Can't wait for our next trip! read more

My 12 year old son and I have completed our online course and are doing our check out dives. We are constantly impressed by the patience and knowledge of the trainers, their approach to practical, "what to expect" lessons while adhering to the rules for the training, and their ability to make the experience as fun as one could imagine - even in conditions that risk creating an adverse experience like sea sickness or the 'fantastic joys' of putting scuba gear on. Even these things are made into memories to look back on fondly. The trainers dive with the attitude that if they are not having fun, it's not a good dive, and thus our dives have been highly enjoyable. We will return again and again, now officially becoming addicts, and take advantage of their amazing trips accurately targeted for exciting dives, and also taking advantage of the scuba quarry near the shop. I hope to continue to be involved with Carolina Dive Center's activities as long as possible, one could not ask for a better team. They have good prices on the gear as well, but while these days a person has many choices to purchase gear virtually anywhere, it's the people that make you return. read more

This was an amazing year...I've had on my bucket list getting certified for the longest time but Carolina Dive Center gave me the confidence to not only overcome my fears but have helped me to develop my skills to a point where I am actually going on my first out of country dive trip at the end of the month to Little Corn Island!! I highly recommend them. Five stars for sure!!! read more

Carolina Dive Center is where I go first for my gear, my certifications, and dive vacations/charters. They pretty much have it all, and are really knowledgeable...and unlike some places that might sell you something just to make a sale, they instead try to figure out what you really need and what will work best for you. read more

Went on a dive to the Charleston Tug off the coast of South Carolina. Worst dive experience ever. The whole trip was a cluster. Dive boat was unsafe with air bottles not secure. Saw 2 bottles fall and almost land on bare feet. tanks were old and didn't have decent o-rings. Had to try 3 different tanks to find one that didn't leak. Reached the dive site, no real rhyme or reason to getting people in the water safely. Seas were a little rough and the boat was pitching pretty heavily. Divers were walking around on deck with gear on and no oversight from the crew. In the water, visibility was literally 2 feet. No way the crew could safely monitor the dive site in such poor visibility. Dive should have been cancelled. After the first dive more than half of the divers decided to pass on second dive. Dive master was trying to shame people back into the water, back into an unsafe situation. No reason to go back in the water, couldn't see anything. read more

I read a review that talked about the Charleston Tug with low visibility and poor performance from the staff and crew. I have to agree to disagree with this post. It was from 8 months ago. Ok so I am a little behind. I was on this dive. I have made this dive numerous times previously. I am not affiliated with the crew or staff. Wanted to point that out for the record. While the visibility was very low and wave height was not ideal both can be expected at any time off the NC and SC coast. I myself enjoyed this experience because it was less than ideal conditions and made me realize even more that we all as diver's need to expect the unexpected. This is a serious sport. I personally didn't see anything that Staff or crew did that was unprofessional or unsafe. That being said everyone is entitled to their opinion. Just felt the need to share mine also. As with anything we do in life opinions differ. read more