Came here to find a snorkel and a mask. They had a great selection of dive equipment to choose from and great customer service. read more

Down Under Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Gulf Shores, Alabama

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Have not dealt directly with the shop, only the Down Under boat. The booking was easy. The boat is very nice, easy to load and unload gear. Water level platform for water entry and exit. The ladders are actually long enough that you can easily get a foot on the bottom rung. The crew was great and very helpful. Met some nice folks on the boat as well. As a bonus, we were blessed with some really nice weather and great visibility. These guys will be on my list of dive boats for sure. read more

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I've never wrote a review but I could not let this one go! Four Coast Guard personnel took their families with this dive shop on the worst snorkeling trip imaginable. Extremely disappointed doesn't come close to how bad this trip is! The dive boat went less than 500 yds from where they boat moores up. The boat never came out of first gear. We dived next to a public beach, we literally had several kids walk from the beach to where we were diving. Every single person that was on the boat got hit by jellyfish, the visibility was only about 2 ft. My 9-year-old son whom I have to beg to get out of the water, expressed to me how unhappy he was after 10 minutes of diving and asked to get out. After 15 minutes from when the boat stopped every single person that went on the boat stopped diving and return to the boat. I called to complain about the trip and was told that the dive boat was sub-leased out to the dive shop and they had no control over the dive. We went down in person to file a complaint. Was told the shop would pass the message along to the manager and I would receive a call back. I never did. I'm currently going through the bank to dispute the charges. This dive shop is running a Scam on tourist plain and simple! If the dive shop is advertising multiple locations, when the boat arrives on scene and that location is not up to par, they should take you to a different location. When you charter a dive trip, you expect to be carried to a location that is not easily accessible by land. We could have very easily went to Walmart and bought a cheap set of dive gear and walked from the public beach to the location that they took us. It is very upsetting that an American business would treat American military personnel this way. I would highly recommend you stay away from this business. read more

We did not use the Dive Shop to go diving. We used it to purchase some fins. They are easy to get to and they have normal working hours. They greeted us warmly and eagerly showed us to the fins. They know their products, were able to answer our questions and even had a suggestion for my little feet. read more

Down Under Dive Shop - Front entrance - Dive Shops Near Me - Gulf Shores, Alabama

Took 6 people snorkeling. Price advertised online was lower than what I paid. I asked about a refund and was told the price on the website was correct and the person even quoted the pricea. when I sent a copy of the receipt and asked for a refund of the difference they said they couldn't do that because the website was showing 2024 prices not 2025... but they had quoted the same price and it's not the customers fault that the price was wrong. Not worth the price listed on the website. Literally take u to the beach where other people are swimming to... read more

This shop is very well organized inside and clean. They have a few wetsuits and other equipment on-site for sale. You are able to order other equipment if they do not have it there. Their rental prices are very reasonable. They do offer an assortment of classes. I got to meet the owner and one of the dive instructors. They were so helpful, very welcoming and knowledgeable. I was able to do the Gulf State Pier Clean Up Dive with them. They did an excellent job with everything. I am so grateful for their hospitality. I would love to do business with them in the future. read more

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staff is so sweet! cookies were great! okay price for the cookie(s)! new cookies every week are great nice selection!

I called Thursday and reserved a spot to go out with a dive master Saturday morning . I then called Friday to find where everything was and what I needed to do. I drove to the shop and spoke to a guy in person who said all was well I'd be getting a call. They told me to be at the dive shop at 7:30am so here I sit like an idiot with all my gear for 2 hours NOTHING!!!!!!!! Not even a phone call it's very unprofessional. read more

Down Under Dive Shop - Me outside the dive shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Gulf Shores, Alabama

What a wonderful experience for my first dive trip on the Gulf! Captain Tara and the crew are super professional and safety conscious while very friendly and helpful, especially for newer divers. They have a lot of dive sites which they choose to suit conditions and the crowd, which for our day July 5th gave us a very cool sunken bridge section that had several amberjack, triggerfish, spadefish, flounder, urchins, angelfish, and continuous schools of small baitfish with very nice 30-35ft visibility. They run a very smooth and efficient system that got us all in and out of the water without delays and with plenty of space. For the value and convenient location of the boat dock this is about as good as it gets to my knowledge for getting a great dive and meeting new friends. I can't wait to be back for another trip with Down Under as soon as possible! read more

Great dive shop! Always friendly and knowledgeable. The Down Under dive boat is fantastic! Lots of room, with a professional and experienced crew. Always enjoy diving with Down Under! read more

Stopped in to dive the Lulu recently. I found them to be generally a good outfit - Their briefings were well done, their back on board procedures comforting, the staff ready to help if desired. I had a guide - Hugh - who I recommend. The communications with the dive boat and the office I found wanting.I'd reserved nitro tanks (and large ones I believe), and they had plain air waiting for me. They located some nitro tanks however. All-in-all, a pretty good outfit whom I'd use again read more

Great dive! Highly recommend! Dive master (Andrew) made this trip incredible easy! Did a 90 foot and 60 foot dive and saw so many species! Even say a beautiful blue spotted octopus and a dolphin as well as frog fish, spade fish, grouper, amberjack, gobies, bennies and corals, saddleback and Stars and Stripes puffer fish. An incredible array! Highly recommend! read more

I called Down Under Dive Shop weeks before my planned trip to the Gulf Shores. The only reason I was coming to Gulf Shores was to scuba dive. I spoke to the shop who advised me to text Bryan. We connected via text and then by phone. I advised him of my dates and that I wanted to do a Wreck Dive certification. He advised me he would follow up with me on Sunday after he spoke to his instructors, never heard from him on Sunday, and sent him a text on Monday. No response, sent him another text a week later, and he replied he would follow up with me on Monday when he gets back from a trip, but no response again. Gave up, called the shop, and scheduled a dive, advised them I didn't have a dive buddy and wanted to know if they had a dive guide to dive with me they advised me no problem, they would have someone there or a divemaster on the boat. Called a few days before my anticipated dive, they advised me they would just leave the rental equipment outside and I could pick it up. This left me a bit concerned because what would happen if I needed a different size, then I would be stuck with what they left out. I also mentioned again that I would need someone to dive with (and I didn't mind paying for a guide). The person on the phone asked me if it was just a preference to have someone to dive with. I was taken aback by this question because it wasn't a preference, it is a safety issue. I would never dive alone, especially in waters that I have never been to. I am not familiar with the currents or challenges of the dive sites. They told me I would need to call the day before to check to see if they would have someone for me to dive with. At this point there were several red flags for me, leaving rental equipment not knowing my size, and not being able to secure someone to dive with. I canceled the trip almost immediately which was a few days before my dive date. Unfortunately, I was still stuck going to the Gulf Shores because I was outside of the cancellation period of the hotels. I was only coming to Gulf Shores to dive, and that didn't happen. I received a text from Bryan the date before my original dive date stating that he had an instructor call off and he couldn't do the Wreck certification. I had just assumed that it wasn't happening by the lack of follow-up. Working with this dive shop was highly disappointing. read more

Hurricane Sally did a number on the Gulf Shores back in September and COVID -19 has been the bane of everyone's 2020 existence. Thank goodness for Down Under Dive Shop for salvaging our sanity, even if it was just a few hours in the afternoon. PROS The crew is AMAZING. Captain Bert, Cheynne, Shannon and Brian were beyond attentive to the entire boat. Not only did they actively model and practice social distancing, they have 5-star service by not only helping with equipment but also rinsing everyone's stuff( even the non-rentals) at the end of the dive. I didn't have a wetsuit and want trying to freeze may lady parts off, but Boyfriend had a blast during his 2 dives at the Navy Tug. I got to chat with the crew while I stayed behind and received perfect recommendations for dinner and fishing charter. And their on-board snacks are on point! CONS When I called to make the reservation; I was asked if I needed enriched air but not if I needed a BCD, regulator or wetsuit so I assumed (wrongly) that they were included. Had so made my reservation on-line, I'm sure I would have been prompted to add those to my cart. Brian saved the day by having an extra stuff for me, but I ended up letting Boyfriend use the wetsuit and sat it out. I had a pleasant enough day on the boat so no biggie complaints but something to consider if you call vs booking online. read more

I've been on dives with this shop several times and it's always been a good experience. Plenty of wild life at the wreck and rubble dive locations. Will dive with them again. read more

Took a boat dive with them to the Rome, a bridge rubble site and the Shirley, a wrecked ship. Both were excellent, with lots of fish and other wildlife. read more

Absolute one of the best charters I've been on. Nice spacious boat, fantastic dive sights and the crew was awesome. You won't go wrong booking with them. read more

Outstanding dive shop and experience. They are safe, fun and the crew is really good at time management/making sure everyone gets max bottom time but also gets back to the dock on schedule. The Lulu is a really well preserved wreck, with some good wildlife to see as well. Would dive here again. read more

You need to be an experienced diver to go out with this shop. They aren't too focused on safety to say the least.

Dive staff all were very professional and proficient at performing their tasks!

If you plan to dive in Gulf Shores, this is a great dive crew. The 46' Down Under was plenty comfortable and knocked down any chop we had. We dove 2 days, The Lulu and The New Venture. The Lulu is covered in fish and growth, very promising. We saw 1 bull shark tracing the perimeter, 10-12', and 2 8-9' that were out free-swimming. The New Venture has a ton of fish and growth considering it has only been down 3 months. Lots of banded shrimp cleaning stations. We booked online, super easy, so we can't speak for any experience at the shop, but I highly recommend going with these guys if you are looking to dive some Alabama wrecks. read more

Me and my dive crew, 6 of us all together have done several dives with this shop before and after the sell. Before sell shop was good but after is absolutely GREAT!! Bud and his wife are super friendly and extraordinarily helpful and knowledgeable of all the dive sites in the gulf area. Captain Bert and his crew are equally professional, friendly and helpful. You can't go wrong with these guys!! read more

Good store but seem to push ScubaPro equipment. While they said they have other items, they aren't displayed anywhere. Non of the regulators (all ScubaPro) were priced which is a bit annoying. Dive boat (the DownUnder) was well skippered and the dive masters very helpful. Finding the dive boat was a LITTLE tricky (they should update their map for clarity). Overall, I'd recommend the boat highly. Dive shop was ok, but they didn't seem particularly open to other brands. read more

Friendly, helpful crew - knowledgeable guide (Zoe!) and capable skipper. Booked online, dove Poseidon's Playground. Would definitely use them again when we're ready for the depths of the LuLu or the Oriskany. read more

This is a first class dive shop. We went on the New Venture dive on July 31, 2020 and was simply awesome, well worth it. The staff, Shannon, Burt, Jesse, and Doc are the best. They were extremely helpful and made everyone feel like kings and queens. Their rental equipment was in super great condition. If you are looking for a first class dive shop on the Gulf Coast, this is it. read more

This dive shop is not about safety and the enjoyment of diving, they are about how much money they can get from you. In my opinion, if you want an enjoyable safe dive, do not go to this dive shop. I explained to them that my experience as a diver was at best a beginner, so what do they do, pair me with a guy that just received his cert. and had never dove the ocean. (There were other divers they could have paired me with) On the first dive, this guy tells me as we are about to enter the water, that he doesn't want to dive. After a few minutes of him calming down, he decides to dive. I enter the water first, pull myself through the current, turn around to look for him, and here comes two different divers. I wait for a few more minutes, all the while draining my tank, he never comes down the line, so I return to the boat. Come to find out, he never got in the water. I would think that a dive shop that has a safety first approach would have sent in a dive master, to dive with me, or at minimum would have come to let me know that I did not have a buddy. Absolutely, the worst dive experience I have ever had. read more

Friendly, helpful, well informed crew. Dove Posiden's playground. Scheduled online. Easy to do. Will use them again if I return, and would recommend them to a friend. I emailed with questions before we came down and was answered promptly. read more

Great Dive and Crew , the ship already has life on it even tho it was sank May 26, 2013 , it is in approximately 115 feet of water, 23 miles offshore .it is a steel-hulled cargo ship that is 217 feet long, Beam: 39 feet,Profile: 57 feet, four top decks definitely one I will do again so get off the path it is Adventure Bums Approved Visited July 2013 read more

Dive shop forgot about our reservation that my group made several months out. It was an unfortunate situation since we were really excited to try diving in Alabama! We flew from the West coast and we unlikely will be able to return due to the distance. Please keep note of your calendar. read more

My partner and I rented a couple kayaks here to take out on the nearby laguna for an hour or so. We're fairly green kayakers and so the extremely attentive and thoughtful staff really made the experience for us. Bryan was even kind enough to lend me his watch when we realized we had no way to keep time out on the water! Will definitely come again next time we're in town. read more

Staff in the shop were extremely friendly and helpful. The dive staff and boat crew they have were outstanding. They went all out and were very patient with everyone. Boat was clean and well organized. We all had great dives that everyone was excited to share on the surface. read more

Great crew and captain. Will use them again and recommend them to others. They were very attentive and made sure to get us to a place with good visibility. Rinsed our gear and helped everyone out to the best of their ability. Great experience. read more

I would not recommend this dive ship for referral dives or for anyone who wants to take a scuba course but needs a little extra time/consideration. I booked instructor Jim for referral dives for 3 teenagers, my son and two nieces all three are 17 years old and had never been in the ocean. Jim was gruff and mean to these kids. My son is on the autism spectrum, which I told him (Jim the instructor) before the first dive. He needs to be shown what is expected of him because he doesn't always catch verbal ques, I explained this to Jim, he never indicated that he was not willing/capable of doing this for my son. He is comfortable in the water, started swimming lessons at 18 months with never an issue. He did well on all of the skills testing during the course. The kids did well on the first dive, which was a shore dive. We went back the next day to complete the rest of the certification process, and were talked into letting them do a boat dive in the gulf instead. My son was relaxed and happy prior to the dive. When the boat got anchored in open water, Jim was the first in the water, followed by my son. There were about 10 additional divers on the boat, but these kids were made to go in the water first so my son did not get the opportunity to "see" how everyone else was doing things. He jumped in and swan to the anchor line to wait for his cousins. Not one of these kids had any air in their BC's (as an instructor with students jumping into a choppy sea for the first time, wouldn't you think he would remind them to add air in their life vests to keep them afloat while they waited?) so they were fighting to stay on top of the water while getting beat up by waves. My son lost his regulator twice, at one point I yelled he is drowning, the instructor helped him the first time but the second time he crammed it in my son's mouth and yelled at him to bite down on it. So here is this boy, in cold water, fighting to breath, with this person who is supposed to help him yelling, all of his senses were on overload and he was stressed but he still went down. I need to add the girls were not fast enough for Jim getting off the boat and into the water so they were also yelled at about that. I watched them descend until I couldn't see them any longer. Within 5 minutes my son back on top of the water, crying hysterically with blood pouring out of his nose. He said he couldn't figure out how to use the regulator built into the BC and was running out of air. Jim had asked them when he was gearing them up if they had ever used one and they all said no. They were taught with an octopus, a separate regulator that your buddy can use. Another instance where he was made to go first and did not have the opportunity to watch the girls to see how it worked. One of my nieces said that Jim actually pulled my son's regulator out of his mouth to get him to do the maneuver. If that isn't enough to convince you to go somewhere else then please keep reading. For the second dive that day, the girls were asking lots of questions (my son did not go back in the water) about the maneuvers that needed to complete to finish the certification process. Again Jim became very agitated, and yelled at them that they shouldn't even be on that boat if they didn't know the answer. He had an instructor in training on the boat helping that tried to explain to the girls, he was told he needs to shut up and to not help them at all. I would rather they ask the questions and be comfortable with the expectations above water than not know at 40 feet and suffer the same panic and fear of drowning that my child felt. I wish I could post the picture taken of my child before the dive, he is very obviously relaxed and happy. read more

Very unhappy about the service here. We showed up here wanting to do a shore dive. I asked about the condition for whiskey wreck. They indicated it shouldn't be a problem. They didn't ask us didn't questions or Maher sure We had everything wet needed. We could not get past the surf at all. 30 psi is all we used. they didn't give us any money back or offer to let us keep the tanks for another day. They didnt even acknowledge that perhaps they didn't give us the right advice. Very disappointed because I specifically asked if there were any issues diving this site and read told no. read more

They Have been one of our vendors for about 4yrs now. Under the new ownership the place has just gone downhill. They do not pay their bills and when I call to ask them about the past due invoice the response was "Kiss my butt". Its a shame as it used to be a great dive shop. read more

Boyfriend and I had been diving for over 1 year. We knew we needed help. We got excellent help and best advice on equipment from Joe and this staff at Down Under. We are continuing are dive education with Down Under. We anticipate continual visits to this facility for more dives and great advice. It is about enjoyment and safety. If you dive correctly you are staying safe and having fun. read more

Was in town for the week and wanted to hit up a local dive. I went to Fort Pickens and had a horrible day riddled with equipment issues. I met my brother and his family in Gulf Shores for some go cart racing and came across the shop. I stopped in to see if they could help me out. They do not sell Oceanic regs but they were able to find the parts to fix my reg and BC (issue there too) right on the spot. Took all of 20 minutes and got me on my way for a dive the next day, in which they pointed me towards two local spots to take my daughter - whom is a newly certified diver and needed a nice, easy, dive. I would definitely recommend them for any of you needs. read more