The staff at Harry's is super helpful. I am new to their shop, but they treated me with the same friendly and welcoming attitude I get from my home dive shop. The shop is clean and well stocked with gear. They also have a large heated indoor pool that is used for training. Very impressive shop! read more

I've been bringing my son here since July. He's taught by Ryleigh, and she has done a fantastic job helping him improve his skills. I can see such a big difference and I'm so impressed. She's awesome and I'm glad we're here. read more

Harry's Dive Shop, & Swim Smart operates a 5 star business They have a wonderful knowledgeable staff in both the retail and education department. I have known this business for a very long time and can vouch that Ms. Cindy Caldwell the owner is deathly allergic to animals such as dogs and cats -fur bearing animals. Anaphylaxis is not to be taken lightly , don't blow off,Allergies-especially when asked to refrain from bringing in an animal,that could cause death. Having your airway swell and close swiftly is like suffocating while time clicks by till until medical help arrives Think twice, put the shoe on the other foot Please Sincerely, a diver and loving pet owner read more

Took my son to their beginner swimmer class for toddlers. Lessons are $62 for 30 minutes. The "instructor" lets the kids play for the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes. This means only 20 minutes of "instruction". The "instructor" was a teenage girl who went through 4 motions. Did not provide any help to the parents with their children. Did not give any feedback, detailed instructions, nothing. There was no actual instruction or teaching. Very disappointing. Especially for this price point. read more

I always wanted to learn how to Scuba dive, so I was given as a gift a certificate for the introduction to scuba diving at Harry's. The schedule for the course is great. You spend a total of 4 days (3-4 hours per day) at Harry's and then 1 weekend completing a check out dive. The days at Harry's are great. Steve was my instructor and was great in the classroom and in the pool. He has great experience and insight, and most importantly is patient. The pool is heated which makes learning very comfortable. The checkout dive was well organized. More than enough supervision amongst all the students. After the classes at Harry's, we were well prepared for the checkout dive. Between the instructors, the pool at Harry's, and the multiple staff members who helped me along the way I highly recommend this shop. read more

Totally unprofessional, I was screamed at at the top of the owner(Cindy Caldwell) lungs before I could even walk through the door completely, that I had to leave with my service animal because she was allergic. Even after telling her calmly that she was a service animal she continued to yell. I've brought the dog in there for years and have spent several thousand dollars at the shop over time. I was about to buy my girlfriend a scuba course and myself some new gear today before all of this transpired. Never again will I go here and I highly recommend others look for better alternatives. read more

Can't wait to try their dive classes! Excellent store and nice owner! They seem to have everything covered. I would have gone somewhere else if the negative reviews weren't so biased. I fly a lot and have a large dog but would never push her in on some one else's store or make her a therapy dog so I could bring her in a plane. So many people use this excuse of service dog these days. Read both of the negative reviews were the same people. Sad how someone can taint a business based on their own selfishness. Seriously take the dog put them in the car. read more

Fantastic dive shop, pays attention to detail and is very professional. I recommend this business to all of my family and friends!

My boyfriend has wanted to get dive certified for a while now, so for our anniversary he bought me my starter gear (fins, boots, a weigh belt and weights, and a mask with snorkel) and covered my class fee of $350. Notice I said, "he" always wanted to get dive certified. Despite the fact that I had never had a yearning to become scuba certified, I thought, "what the heck" and I love marine life. Hello, Finding Nemo! We took the entry-level Open Water Diver certification, basically Diving 101. The class was three weeks, twice a week. Though I didn't admit it to them, I have had anxiety issues in the past in regards to tight, closed space and topics on how one might die...That being said, our instructor Todd along with other members of the staff did their absolute best to make Robert and I feel comfortable with the learning material, gear and getting acclimated to the under water environment and processes that will lead to our continued existence. I know feel like I have a white belt in Diving...not much, but a huge accomplishment for me! Besides the instructors, Cindy, the current owner and daughter of Harry, is this tough-as-nails seasoned diver that will answer any and every question you might have in regards to diving. Think of her as a diving samurai. The rest of the retail staff are really sweet too. I wanted to try out a pair of goggles during class, and they were very comfortable with me using them and returning them later that week. Diving ain't cheap, but like learning a language, it's a skill you will have for life and can continue to grow (locally, through other classes at Harry's). I appreciate the anniversary gift immensely and it will come in handy when we visit Costa Rica in January. Once you get past the Open Water Certification, diving is as expensive as you want it to be considering the gear and continued learning. Harry's has more of the top-end stuff, but I'm sure Cindy would be able to recommended items in different price ranges, and I do believe they have a rent-to-own gear option. Also, once you become certified, the community of divers that work and go to Harry's Dive Shop seem to be extremely welcoming. I look forward to completing my Check Out Dive soon, and joining that community. :) read more

Cindy and her staff are fantastic. I have been going to Harry's for years to buy and have equipment serviced. In addition to that both of my kids have done scuba rangers with Cindy. They learned so much and absolutely loved spending time with her. read more

Great staff and owner. Very knowledgeable, helpful and flexible. Excellent variety of equipment. Classes are small and personalized.

Harry's Dive Shop has everything a SCUBA enthusiast, novice, or want-a-be diver could imagine. Cindy is owner and the most knowledgable person on this water planet. My son was having ear issues going deep in the water and she said she could remedy and today she kept her word using her secret her magic mental powers he made it to the bottom of the 16' deep pool several times with no problems. He now is planning on completing the Scuba Orientation class and on to the full Scuba class this coming summer. Way to go Cindy. Thanks again for making someone a very happy camper. Tuna read more

Harry's Dive Shop - CCR Experience - Diving Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. My boyfriend was certified to dive here, and since we are going to the Bahamas in March, it was my plan to get certified as well. My boyfriend has a service dog and always has her with him. When we opened the door, I was not even one step into the building, Cindy Caldwell jumped up and screamed "NO NO NO - I am allergic to dogs" at the top of her lungs. We are coming there to spend over $700 and we are talked to like we are 5? Excuse me? We *tried* to explain that she is a certified service dog. She said, "I don't give a sh*t about the law." At this moment, her crazy pet parrot attacked his service dog and the dog, doing her job, tried to defend her owner. I couldn't believe how rude and disrespectful she was to us. Will never visit this place again, and you shouldn't either. They should have put a sign at the door saying "No dogs, service or regular, allowed. (Which is illegal) read more

The staff at Harry's Dive Shop is absolutely amazing. They were beyond patient with me as I struggled to find fins that would not cause my feet to cramp. They helped me try on and test close to 10 sets of fins and boots in their indoor pool. They listened to my concerns and worked tireless to find a fin and boot combination that was comfortable and effective. We completed our open water diving certification with them and had a lot of fun doing it. I can't recommend this place strongly enough. Cindy and Avin are doing an incredible job making new divers feel comfortable and welcome. read more

Great place to learn to dive. The teachers are friendly, professional and super patient. Classes are well organized. There was plenty of practice time in the pool so that we were very comfortable and confident on the check out dive. Checkout dive trip was well organized. Highly recommend Harry's for diving training. read more

I was reliving my experience with Harry's Dive Shop. I took this course in the late 80s when Harry Caldwell, operator and owner ran this course. He was a former navy diver and from what I understand developed a lot of the dive decompression tables. His course was very rigorous and physically challenging. We were required to swim 25 laps a night in mask fins and snorkel. When I finished the course I was a confidant diver and very comfortable in any water situation. I could have swam across the Gulf of Mexico if I had to. Not sure who's running the shop now, but I hope the Caldwell's are still involved. read more

After an arduous hunt for Vibram Five Fingers shoes in New Orleans, we found that Harry's has a nice selection and more importantly, a well-informed, patient, and helpful staff. In a modern culture of "get your items and give me your money", Harrry's staff was courteous and generous with their time, helping us find the right shoes and the right fit. I highly recommend this place! read more

Stopped by here for a scuba refresher course. The cost was pretty standard, $200, and was 2-3 hrs long. The staff are very friendly and the course was thorough, Suzanne was my instructor. They have a pool in the back which is also open every Saturday for diving practice. They also do swim classes. Medium-sized shop with a pretty good selection of gear to choose from. read more

I've been a patron of Harry's since I was 18 years old. I'm 55 now so that's a LONG time! They have, or can get, anything you might want for scuba. Harry's daughter, Cindy, remembers me and even sends me texts when she thinks there's a new trip I might be interested in. Anything you might want to learn, they teach. Super helpful and friendly staff! Love this place! read more

I have really come to love this place over the past few months. Here's why: EDUCATION: These guys offer a TON of SSI classes, and they offer them often. From the research I've done, SSI courses are more stringent than PADI, and then the instructors here go beyond that even. There are plenty of things that I'm willing to be lazy and skate by with the minimum requirements, but when my life is hanging on the line? No way. So I definitely appreciate how focused they are here on making sure their new divers are not only certified, but actually qualified to get in the water and be safe about it. They are very pro-continuing-education as well, which I dig. Course prices seem to be in line with the ones I've seen elsewhere. FACILITY: LOVE. They have their own indoor pool, and the water stays at a cozy 88 degrees year-round. Depth is 16 feet at the deep end, and roughly 4 feet in the shallow end. This allows them to offer cool stuff that a lot of places I've looked at don't, like their awesome Saturday stuff: lap swimming ($5), Try Scuba (only $25 including gear), and pool diving ($25-$35). Restrooms are clean and well-maintained, and there are a couple of hot showers to rinse the chlorine off right there by the pool. RETAIL SHOP: The selection is a little limited (they actually do have more stuff than what they can display due to the limited space, so definitely ask if you're looking for something you don't see), but they seem to have pretty much everything you would need to get started and be comfortable in the water. After doing some research on the web, I'm figuring out that they don't carry a lot of lower-end equipment. They carry brands that have a reputation for good quality and great customer service (ScubaPro, Aqualung, etc); products they feel are tried & true and that they can stand behind. Wetsuits are upstairs, with a couple of dressing rooms as well. My favorite part of the retail setup? That you can try out stuff before you actually buy it. Some things look amazing and sound perfect but you never really know how it's going to fit / feel / work until you get it in the water. Prices are right in line with what you'll find online for some of the bigger ticket items, but so seem a bit higher for some of the smaller / accessory type things. They also offer rental gear, tank fills, equipment service, the whole nine yards. In response to another reviewer's comment about service, I will say this -- there are brands that they carry and service, and then there are brands that they can service but have to order parts for (which can take up to 6 weeks from the mfr, which is why they don't carry those lines). If you didn't buy your equipment from them and aren't familiar with their brands, I would definitely check to see what the turnaround time is for your specific piece of equipment. The are definitely not a larger shop with infinite inventory of parts for every single brand out there. This place has the look and feel of your grandma's house. Lots of dark wood, pictures everywhere, tons of homage to the past and to loved ones all over the place that you can't possibly even pick up on the first few times you walk through the door. Everything has a story. There's a big TV in the front that they have tuned to kid-friendly movies at times, which is awesome for the times I'm there with the kiddo. They also have quite a few pet birds that live in one of the back rooms, and during the day you can usually find one or more of them wandering around the store. STAFF: Everyone here has at least some experience with the equipment and experience in the water, and can make recommendations based on something beyond the catalog description. They give you pros and cons to the different types of fins, BCs, the whole nine yards, and will work with you to try and find what's going to suit your individual needs, even if that happens to take forever because you're had to fit. I haven't ever been made to feel like I was asking a "dumb" question (although I'm sure there have been plenty of those) and have never been talked down to because I am inexperienced and don't know jack. We've gotten lots of personal advice, lots of welcome and smiles, and heartfelt congratulations and excitement for our certification and upcoming trip to Curacao. I seriously LOVE these people, every single one of them (and we've dealt with them all at some point or another over these past few months, it seems). I felt like family from the very first day I walked in, and always leave with that "I just wanna hang out for a while" feeling. My kid runs and gives hugs the moment he walks through the door and again before we leave, and they are always welcomed with open arms. BOTTOM LINE: Good gear, convenient facility, super people that have "been there and done that" and are willing to share that information to make your life easier, and eager to welcome you into the fold of this sport for which they have much passion. Winning combination. read more

Extremely nice and well educated. Have been diving for a long time and just moved into town. They were extremely nice and inviting !

Are you familiar with the tale of the Spider and the Fly? Try some other dive shop first. I will admit the employees are helpful and friendly. read more

Best Dive Shop in town. The staff and instructors are very patient when it comes to providing you with the correct information from gear to proper Scuba education. read more

I am from Houma,about a 45 minute drive from Harry's dive shop.. we have a local shop here that I originally started diving with but after being treated like crap numerous times by CCDS I decided to go visit Harry's .. Avin , all the employees and the owner at Harry's have treated me like family since the first time I walked in the door, they have given me tons of tips and advice, even exchanged outdated equipment I recently purchased from the other dive shop.. The owner herself has even checked on me to see what she could do to make my new Diving hobby more pleasurable. They have taught me more just standing in their show room than I learned through two full training courses at my local Houma dive shop. I would give Harry's 10 stars If I could, they also have let me use their dive pool multiple times to test and adjust my equipment without ever asking for a dollar.: once the owner even hopped in to give me some pointers and made my diving experience much more enjoyable! these people are amazing and exactly the kind of company you would want to keep for a enjoyable relaxing sport like scuba diving! If your from Houma or anywhere in the New Orleans Area I highly recommend using Harry it's worth the short drive just for the quality of service plus much much better prices as well as making amazing new friends A+++ thanks for everything, I'll be back soon :) read more