I'm a 74 year old learning diver or beginner if you prefer. I should start with I'm PADI certified…read morefrom another dive shop closer to my home. I live about 130 miles east of Buffalo, so this is a little tricky to do as often as I would like to. The time Daryl and his crew spent with me was very enjoyable. Daryl took a lot of his time and almost the whole day making sure I was setup with exactly what I needed to make my dives more enjoyable and safer. I've done 3 river dives with Kathy as my dive buddy and am looking forward to as many more as possible. The whole experience from first meeting to the last dive has been very enjoyable and that goes for everyone I've met along the way, his family the staff along with all the divers that were there with us. I'm looking forward to many more dives with this crew. Once again thank you Daryl, Maryon, I hope I spelled that correctly and Kathy

Similar to most dive shops the owner (Darryl, thankfully to sell shop and retiring soon),…read moremistakenly works under the premise he is in the scuba diving business. He is NOT. He is in the customer service business which happens to be a dive shop. ZERO concept of customer service. ZERO follow through on any promises made. I have visited the shop three times since moving here in July 2025. Each time Darryl makes promises about setting up courses, scheduling this and that, "calling me within two weeks." NEVER happened. Not a single time. During one visit he told me he would call within two weeks, but "if I forget, call and remind me." WHAT? Me call to remind a business owner that he neglected to call as promised -- so I can give him my time and money? No. It does NOT work that way. Be true to your word. Have common respect and courtesy for CUSTOMERS who pay the bills -- or go ahead and retire and get out of the business. I form productive working relationships with business that actually do what they say they will do. The last thing I need is another flaky, unreliable dive shop (or dive partner)! l'll search for, and affiliate with, another dive operator and avoid wasting more of my time at Discover Diving.

Phoenix SCUBA of Buffalo's new shop on South Park Ave is awesome. Their larger retail space, a…read morededicated training area, and an expanded service department is next level from the old Ridge Road location, where they have been doing business for the last 22 years. They can now display a wide range of quality diving equipment and have factory-trained service technicians on staff for all the brands they carry. I also like the easy in-and-out service for air fills. Owners Carole and Tony Anderson have been prominent figures in the Western New York underwater community for decades. Tony Anderson has taught SCUBA in WNY for over 50 years and has participated in discovery teams for several wrecks in Lake Erie and Tobermory, Canada. He is an instructor trainer for Scuba Schools International and Divers Alert Network. Carole Anderson has been diving for 26 years and a Scuba Schools International instructor for 23 years. She is also a Divers Alert Network instructor and is currently in her 8th year as the dive safety officer for the Aquarium of Niagara. Her knowledge combined with a little tough love keeps all of her students alive.

I rarely write reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience with Phoenix Scuba to hopefully…read morehelp others make an informed decision. We enrolled in a scuba course with the intention of learning in a safe, professional, and supportive environment. Unfortunately, what I encountered was the opposite. Communication was poor from the start -- schedules were unclear, and I often had to follow up multiple times just to get basic information. During training, I witnessed a level of disorganization and lack of professionalism that raised real concerns about safety and adherence to industry standards. Instructors seemed overwhelmed or disinterested, and basic expectations for structure and clarity simply weren't met. I've submitted a formal complaint to SSI (Scuba Schools International), and they are currently investigating the matter under their Quality Management System. While SSI has limited authority over how individual training centers operate beyond official standards, I appreciated their willingness to take the concerns seriously. I believe scuba training is something that should be handled with the utmost professionalism and care -- and unfortunately, Phoenix Scuba did not deliver on that. There are many great dive shops out there -- I would recommend looking elsewhere.

Introduction to Rochester, NY Trip & Day at Niagara Falls/Buffalo:…read more Now onto the 1st review of the scrapbook series since my girlfriend & I got in a relationship. Representing 1st of 2 from April 2024 is Maid of the Mist. In January 2024 before our relationship started, a friend called me invited me to their relationship love ceremony, not an actual marriage but exchanging vows when the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 was happening over western NY, more specifically in his birthplace, Rochester. On February 29, 2024, during my girlfriend & I's 6th date, we were talking about the logistics of the trip. It was very early on to be planning this trip, but we knew the relationship was going great. We stayed 3 nights at the AirBnB in Rochester, and we had a great time together on the trip. One of the days the group took a day trip to Niagara Falls. Thankfully, it was just the 2 of us in her car both ways, which in all honesty was a nice break from the group. Experience with Maid of the Mist: Besides simply going to Niagara Falls, admiring the great views of the falls, & taking photos, which is great to begin with, going on the Maid of the Mist is a must do for a Niagara Falls trip. Both the US & Canada sides have Maid of the Mist. You go down a ways to the water level, given a blue pancho which says Maid of the Mist, because you do get wet from the water spray, and you board the boat. The boat takes you to the various falls, and it's really cool getting the water sprayed on you, both metaphorically & literally cool. April 9th average high temperature is a bone chilling 52 F, and it really is bone chilling when water is spraying on you. But we really lucked out, it was an unseasonably warm 80 F in Niagara Falls, which was a record high for them. The timing of this total solar eclipse & their love ceremony was what was it was. In general, summer is the best time to do Maid of the Mist, when it's very likely to be warm out. In summary, if in Niagara Falls, try to go to Maid of the Mist unless it's extremely cold or bad weather. Even if it had been that 52 F high average temp, I'm sure we would've done, but would've been more bundled up for it.

Absolutely fabulous time riding Maid of the Mist into the heart of Niagara Falls…read more Check in was super easy and after a short elevator down to the water, we were given a poncho and thanks goodness for that. You will get wet. A small change of position from the boat seems to bring sheets of water onto the decks. Judging from everyone's faces, we were all enjoying ourselves. I highly recommend this.

July 2026. We're back again!!!…read more7 rides this year. The whole staff is great! Friendliest people ever!

What a thrilling and fun adventure! I have taken a ride on these boats twice and both times were a…read morefantastic adventure. I have only done the open air boat, so this review pertains to that experience. It was like a natural thrill ride/roller coaster. ( Fast speeds and spins, but also some amazing views. One thing to note is make sure you keep your group close together so you can actually be seated together. If you live local, check for discounts online. At one point it was almost a $20 savings for having a local address! If you are looking for a unique, fun adventure, definitely check this out!

A Niagara Falls boat ride is the must do and quintessential activity...its awesome! YOU WILL GET…read moreWET!!! Any grand illusions you had about maintaining a cute hairstyle or dry shoes will instantly evaporate into the blinding mist. The plastic protection only partially protects. The short and slowing moving boat slowly cruises past the American Falls, then onto the epic Horseshoe Falls and back in about 30 minutes...one of the best 30 minutes of my life. The America Falls is the foreplay, nice, gentler, and beautiful...but Horseshoe Falls is like a long lasting wet climax that shocks and electrifies your body soul. The sheer power of the water is undeniably humbling. By the time the boat turns around and brings you back to safety, you will emerge thoroughly soaked, wildly exhilarated, and oddly proud of surviving the world's wettest, slowest, and sexiest boat tour. $48 CAD / $35 USD isn't cheap, but worth every penny.

In the mist of the Falls, my brother turned to me and said "everyone's got to do this at least once…read morein their life" and I couldn't agree more! For CAD $48 (~$35 USD) you can sail to the heart of the Niagara Falls! Everyone is provided their signature red poncho to protect your belongings. You can enjoy the view from the indoor cabin or get the full watery experience outside by the side rails or top deck. I chose the bow rails and got absolutely soaked! The views of the falls from up close were truly stunning and unforgettable! This is a must do when visiting the Niagara Falls! Don't miss out!

Instructors are kind and caring, constantly checking in to make sure you are alright. I did a dive…read moreat my schools pool with my Jr. Firefighting team. Interesting and cool experience 10/10 would recommend!

Competent and professional; great location with tinge of Buffalo History. Boats are clean and…read morecomfortable; chartered one and signed for a lesson. Greeted by Captain Bill who looks right out of Central Casting as a formidable seafaring man. The crew on hand were also knowledgeable and full of energy for sailing. Lake Erie! Right at our finger tips, is a gift and a privilege to explore in a safe and friendly environment.

Although there's not a lot of options in Buffalo for sailing, there really doesn't need to be with…read morethis place around. It's pretty awesome! The Seven Seas Sailing Center offers sailing classes, romantic outings, group sails, boat rentals and good-looking captains for the ladies ;)! My girlfriend and I came here for a Sailing Picnic and Excursion for Two. We had a little bit of trouble finding the place (we had to go to the marina right by Dug's Dive), but the owner inside the little restaurant pointed us to one of the boats and said the captain will greet us there. Greet us he did! His name was Ed and he had a plethora of sailing experience, knowledge and great stories and tidbits about Buffalo. He knew the history of all the buildings around the water front, so our sailing excursion doubled as a Buffalo tour :). And although we needed to bring our own food, you are free to bring a bottle of wine, champagne and some treats to make your boat ride as comfortable as you like it. The experience was really relaxing, my only quip about it was the damn captain talked so much! There were times when I just wanted to enjoy the silence, the beautiful moments with my loved one and he just kept on yappin'! Anyone know a polite way to tell someone to shut it? I mean, I even stopped responding, showing interest and even stopped looking his way. Nope, he had to continue filling in all the silence! Don't get me wrong -- he was entertaining, but it was a Friday afternoon and we wanted some laid back together time after a long week. Despite all that, we spent 2.5hours on the boat and it was wonderful. We enjoyed the beautiful Buffalo views, the birds flocking around and all the friendly boats driving by waving us on in full glory. We learned the history of the abandoned buildings along the water front, a little bit about boats and sailing and maybe a little too much of the captain's life, but that's okay. I would still recommend this place any day. They also offer sailing lessons for around $300 (with guaranteed graduation), which seems like a pretty cool price considering they promise you will learn how to sail. Maybe one day!

Tour date was 6/15. Steve was fantastic, great energy, had a lot of history to share on the falls,…read moreand did a great job keeping the group together. I really like how the folks who organized the tour make it a point to talk to all the folks in the group to try and get to know where everyone is from and a little about the family. It felt personable and not like you're another body on their tour but that they genuinely want to know where their "guests " are from; not just another customer. I would recommend their tour to anyone looking to do one. Maid of the mist was the coolest experience! What a view of all the falls. Would recommend a camera with a handle of some sort. Horseshoe falls was windy and wet! I was worried about dropping my phone. A lot of people start pushing to get to the railing of the ship. Not everyone on the boat is from your tour group. We got on the boat and stood by the side rail of the boat to get the view. My son and I were standing there by ourselves and people start filling in. As you get close to the falls people push you out of the way to try and squeeze in to get their photo. We were literally pushed out of the way. Hence the reason I was worried about dropping my phone. Cave of the winds also an experience but not what I was expecting. Maybe I didn't do my research but, I thought it was something different. The staircase down to the falls was pretty cool, you really get a glimpse of how powerful the falls are. You're right up there next to the American fall, it was very wet and windy. I got a little nervous, if you drop anything, it's gone. Hard to take pictures with hurricane force winds and the amount of water coming at you. Definitely suggest a camera with some sort of a handle or something. Saw a certificate in a gift shop that said I survived the hurricane winds of cave of the winds...had I have known it was going to be what it was I might have chosen not to do this part of the tour. But at the same time it was a pretty cool experience. I have no regrets doing it, just wasn't expecting to get blasted and soaked by the falls!

If I could give a zero, I would!…read more I had the same experience as another customer with this company! When I presented my tickets, I was told that my tickets would not be honored and I would need to purchase new ones! The worst part is that the tickets I purchased by this scam company were $25 more! I paid this trash company almost twice as much! I booked them through Viator and Viator needs to do a better job of vetting their contractors. I have contacted my credit card company, disputing the charge! Do not use this company, at least for Niagara Falls Maid of the Mist boat ride.....go through Maid of the Midst directly!!!! Total disappointment with this company!