Just spent a few days with Emerald Coast Scuba. The whole team was amazing from start to finish. They went above and beyond, and thank you JW, for your help with our crew. We will definitely come back to you guys the next time we are diving in Destin. read more

Came out from Vegas for some diving and couldn't be happier that I chose Emerald Coast Scuba! The whole shop was super helpful and friendly -- they made everything easy from the moment I walked in. Jocelyn was my Dive Master/Instructor, and she was absolutely top-notch. Calm, confident, and fun to dive with -- exactly what you want when you're exploring the Gulf. JW and Captain Jason ran a smooth, safe, and enjoyable trip on the boat. Great vibes all around. This place is dialed in. Whether you're a local or coming in from out of town like me, this is the dive shop you want. Already looking forward to coming back! read more

Emerald Coast Scuba - Dolphin - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Destin, Florida

The lady at the desk was very friendly. We asked for snorkeling gear. We got all the way to the beach and couldn't snorkel because they didn't put the masks in the bag. When we brought the gear back we let her know we couldn't snorkel cause we were missing equipment. She replied I assumed you had masks. She assumed we had masks? Why didn't you ask? And what about flippers? We stayed on the shoreline and still had fun. read more

Great crew, 2nd year in a row. Courteous, professional, and welcoming, from when you walk in, to when you leave.

This was our first time diving in Destin. We have dived the Gulf of Mexico before. They make you pay $60 for a dive guide, but then put you in a group with other divers. I don't really like that they did that. We did 2 reef dives, but it was mostly sand where we were, so I'm jot sure of that's normal either. Visibility was so-so but decent for the Gulf. They only had one dive charter and it left at 10, which I was super happy about so we didn't have to be up ridiculous early. You check in at the shop an hour early. We got nitrox, but I think we'd dive normal air next time... just less hassle and save a couple bucks. Parking wasn't too bad at the marina, but if you dive in the afternoon that could quickly change. I did find some really huge and awesome sand dollars I was excited about. We also saw dolphins, but nothing while diving. The facility seems awesome. They have a pool onsite for their scuba classes. read more

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In from Texas and was going to dive one day and ended up booking a second day. Anna and Taryn in the shop were both awesome, helpful and great with communications. Dove with Jason both days and can't say enough good things. He's loaded with knowledge and makes every dive exciting. Hands down best dive master in 32 years of diving. read more

Consistently the best scuba experience in the Destin area. Took a dive trip today and the crew was awesome, super knowledgeable, and made everyone feel at ease. 10/10. read more

Great experience. Having been away from diving for a bit, the refresh and slow dive was excellent. They know their business and handle it well. Will come back. read more

We booked a dive master so she would take pictures of my girlfriend's dive. This was the main purpose for the dive master, the shop said no problem but it was $45 dollar extra charge for the master. They said they would send the pictures. We never received pictures and will not be going back to this dive business. read more

Great facility and very helpful staff. Last minute snorkel trip added very easily. All questions answered and novices in the group made to feel welcome and safe. Veterans welcomed and honored! Recommend this highly! read more

Emerald Coast Scuba - Emerald Coast Dive Center - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Destin, Florida

We got our 3 kids OW certs this week while on vacation from Houston. Our youngest had some issues with breathing when in open water the first dive day on her 2nd dive. We didn't think she was going to be able to complete her certification during this trip. The dive shop went above and beyond the 2nd day to make sure she completed her skills to get her cert ! We were also able to go down on the dive with them and got face to face with an amazing Goliath Grouper!! read more

Had a couple really good dives with Emerald Coast Scuba. Very professional staff which made for a great day. Lynn and John did a fantastic job. Nice operation. read more

I would give them over 5 stars if I could, because they make everything SO easy and their service is above and beyond. We did two days of dives with them and from the moment you're checking in at the shop, you can feel that they run like a well-oiled machine and they know exactly what they're doing. It was quick to get fitted for a wetsuit and a BC and they transport the tanks for you to get them on the boat. You do two dives on each trip and they make it so easy. You set up your BC and then when you come up from your first dive they take the BC from you and replace the tank and set your stuff up on the side while you relax. We got bottled water, fresh fruit, and there was shade as we moved to the 2nd location! SO NICE! In the water they run lines so it's easy to find the dive spot, their equipment is well maintained, and I was never concerned for my safety or anyone else's. My friend is actually planning to go back for a spear hunt dive in the spring! You won't find better customer service out here I'm sure! read more

Excellent scuba shop and the BEST instructors! Their boat is the Aquanaut from the movie Jaws2! I would give them a higher amount of stars if I could! read more

Nice facility and training pool. Friendly staff and well stocked on scuba gear. Dive Boat was spacious and the crew were very helpful. Things went about as good as they could have so I'd dive with them again. read more

Great staff! Very professional and knowledgeable. Thanks for helping my son take his first dive. Even though he had some trouble stabilizing, the master diver kept working with him. I highly recommend! read more

Did my certification dives today at Vortex Springs near Ponce DeLeon, Florida for my PADI Vintage Diver Certification.......had great fun diving the 60 year old double hose regulators and horse collar BC with homemade harnesses.....there were a bunch of what appeared to be a class of tech divers in training and they looked at my instructor, Dave Danielson and I, like we were some kind of dinosaurs lol! Dave is only one of four instructors in the US that teaches this rare course.....he did a wonderful job! I also want to give a shout-out to Emerald Coast Scuba in Destin, Florida which is the shop that I took my class through......Very professional, friendly, first class bunch of folks.....I will definitely make the trip to dive with them again....... read more

Greg was our instructor for our first dive he was very patient and friendly. My friend had some complications and he focused on that 100% read more

You people need to be more transparent with your prices. I literally just got on the schedule yesterday morning, and the woman on the phone only told me it would be around $135 plus like 20 for the wetsuit and 15 or so for the dive computer, and NEVER mentioned the price of simply diving with a dive master is $45 dollars now much less the money to rent the tanks. I was expecting $160 or so and yall wanted to surprise charge me $275 first thing this morning after driving an hour to get here, AND when I said I couldn't afford that you still made me pay a ridiculous "dive master" fee of $45 even though that dive master lost ZERO money on me canceling since she was already going to be there and I booked with you less than 24 hours ago. Plus you switched dive masters without telling anyone to some tiny woman who couldn't save or lift someone out of the water if she needed to. Extremely unsafe and unacceptable. Because of this, I will never dive with yall again and strongly advise everyone not to either. Ray is a very good dive master and I looked forward to working with him, but the amount of money yall charge is completely outrageous and unreasonable, and not telling someone clearly how much the cost is ahead of time is extremely shady business. read more

Jason Dodd is an amazing person to learn to dice with! What a great experience and ideal situation to learn in. Can't say enough good things about these guys. Great people and even better business they care for. You can only be lucky enough to get your education here. read more

I can't say enough about the staff at emerald coast scuba! I was a little concerned about learning to dive and Ray Thibodeau, Mark, Dr J and the rest of the staff made me very comfortable and totally at ease. Dives four and five of my certification were mind blowing . So much fun! I can't wait to come back for a visit to dive with one of the master divers Thank you Emerald Coast Scuba! read more

My stepson got certified and I got a refresher. Sean (instructor) and the rest of the ECS staff were absolutely awesome! Now we're ready for the open water. Thank you, Emerald Coast Scuba! read more

Emerald Coast Scuba - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Destin, Florida

5+ stars. Above and beyond service and experience. The professionalism and confidence in my impending scuba experience was established right when I walked through the door - everything was clearly explained, my dive master introduced himself to me right away (I opted to pay a nominal extra to dive with a dive master). He is with Air Force special forces night diving so for confidentially I'll omit his name but that definitely instilled confidence. My first dive was a refresher just off of the harbor -and I still saw so much! Beautiful reef, fish, and crab. Anna let my husband snorkel for free and my daughter remained on the boat and I could see how nice the staff was to her while she watched us. Anna is the owner and introduced herself to my almost 4 year old (so nice when adults acknowledge children). Anna has been diving Destin for over 30 years and you can hear the respect the staff has for her. This was my first experience with Emerald Scuba, Anna, or scuba in Destin FL and I was impressed by the camaraderie and professional team she has. I was only one person diving and got lucky that there was room to join the afternoon dive to a ship wreck. I had an hour for lunch and the boat ride would take an hour. I would even have my same dive master. Anna let my husband and daughter have a place to stay in her scuba shop and enjoy the salt water pool when a class wasn't in session and the private outdoor hot water showers with toiletries (which was so awesome when I returned from my dive). Tip: Beautiful weather but afternoon ocean was choppy and I don't tend get seasick but if you might, take an over-the-counter beforehand to help enjoy your dive. My 2nd dive was great and afterwards I got to go back into the water and hold the anchor rope which resolved slight motion sickness before I rejoined the boat. Water and sunscreen was available on the boat. The return was gorgeous and you can ride in the front of the boat on the way back and converse with your dive mates. Before the baby I used to dive a fair amount but always with a professional scuba company, so from experience I can say how well this scuba company is run and where we'll return every time to Destin. This was one of our best vacation experiences. read more

This is my third time in Destin. I usually stop at Walmart to pick up a cheapo goggle/snorkel combo. This time I decided to see what a real dive shop would have in comparison. I was helped right away when I walked in in my quest to find a mask, snorkel, and flippers. Both employees gave me great advice on what equipment to get without breaking the bank. I also had no idea how to prep and brand new mask for anti fog. The gentleman wiped some stuff in the lenses for me and gave me solid instructions on some defogging liquid stuff. They put up with my pickiness and found me the best fitting flippers. They even pulled out a tide chart to show me what times would be opportune for snorkeling. Great shop, great people, and great products! I had an absolute blast snorkeling with the equipment and not once did the mask fog up! read more

One of the friendliest, well organized, knowledgeable, and experienced dive shops around. Even though they see hundreds of people each week, everything seems so personable. We dove 2 days. The first day we had 2 younger nephews (12 & 13), Jason took all the stress off us, and showed us a great time. Day two was spear fishing. Had no luck on the first dive, but Jason and Scott made sure went didn't go home empty handed. Highly recommend this shop, and we will be back! read more

Great staff and a great place to professionally learn dive skills. They have all the things you need to start, and are hands on to making sure you get what you need. You can trust them with your kids that want to learn to dive. I wouldn't go anywhere else for the right training by people who care that you learn while also having fun. read more

We had two amazing dives today and the dive masters were top notch. Great communication with the shop. Also highly recommend SEAL team to anyone with children 8-12 years old. Our son loved it! We will definitely dive with them again our next Destin trip. read more

We had a great time... We did the discover scuba with Dillon. It was my 14 year old daughter's first time. He was really great with her. Don't the dive site was the best... I think that destin is a little trashy, but nonetheless if we were to come back we would do it again read more

I had a great dive today. The coldest day of the year and still they made it a great dive. We were able to spear lion fish and flounder. Wonderful safety briefing at every stop. They gave me more then I expected!! Thanks so much!!! read more

I had planned to go out with them on the 25th but their boat did not go out. They were nice and sent me to SCUBATech. I really appreciate them sending me to the SCUIBA Tech (see my separate review). I would note they had good prices and my dive shop in Little Rock, Arkansas where I am from also had good things to say about them. read more

Went out today(our last day of vacation)for a snorkel trip. I CAN NOT say enough great things about ECS!! From the reservation yesterday through our trip, EVERY staff/crew member we encountered were nothing short of AMAZING!!! The customer service is IMPECCABLE!! Everything from reservation, getting our gear, getting to the harbor, & the dive itself was seamless! It really showed that everyone LOVES what they do! It was my boys first real snorkel trip & they are now asking to scuba. The dive site itself was great! My boys said "it's the most fish we've ever seen in our whole life!" Beautiful & amazing! Thank you East Coast Scuba for a FANTASTIC end to fantastic family vacation!! We'll be back!!! read more

My fiancé and I are new open water divers and we had a GREAT time diving with these guys. They were professional, fun, smart, and most importantly, SAFE! David is a freakin' badass, if you can get him as a dive master do it. read more

Great staff! Personable and knowledgeable. We were down in Destin celebrating a 40th birthday. They really went the extra mile (or two) to ensure it was a memorable dive experience and contributed to the celebration of the birthday. Highly recommend this crew! read more

I was quite impressed and very satisfied with my experience in getting an open water certification from Emerald coast scuba. Patrick did an excellent job with our training and the dive shop and training center appears to be the best in the area. Highly recommended. read more

Emerald Coast Scuba's dive crew and phenomenal! I went on a two tank dive yesterday morning. As this was my first ocean dive dive getting cerifited in Texas lakes I hired a dive master to help. Jason was so awesome. Super knowledgeable and an experienced diver! I felt at ease in the water! He was always watching my back and even pointed out a nurse shark we got to see on the reef! Super exhilarating and awesome since nurse sharks are very docile! The crew of the aquanaut was stellar too! On the way to the dive site out captain spotted a whale shark and stopped the boat so we could jump in and swim! This is super rare possibly once in a lifetime and a major bucket list item for me! When you are on board they have cold water amd bathroom on the ship! These guys are machines! They do everything from getting your stuff to the boat from the shop to setting all your equipment up! We had about 12 divers and four crew members. I would highly recommend them! And look forward to always calling them anytime I'm in town! read more