Literally in tears as I write this... Bill taught me 17…read moreyears ago.. 5 specialties, open water, advanced, and rescue...and this weekend he certified my 10 year old son without even the first hiccup. He's patient, kind.. and mostly he's protective. Mom's... HE'S WHO YOU WANT!! He is the ONLY person on this planet I would have trusted with my first born child's life under water. He provides such insight that even I didn't think of (such as do not get a colored lens mask bc when diving you can't "read" your child's eyes to see if they are in trouble.) I have no words.. Thank you so much for... For everything.

From the owner: I specialize in one on one instruction.read more

I completed my advanced open water certification with Mr. Dan Travieso at Sandhills Scuba, and I…read morehave to say that it was an even better experience than when I did my Open Water Certification. Mr. Travieso is extremely kind and patient and made sure that I had a proper understanding before letting me enter the water. I would recommend Sandhills Scuba to everyone in Fayetteville, North Carolina and all around North Carolina. If you are looking to do anything that has to do with Scuba Diving, this is the only school I will recommend. I will most definitely be coming back to Sandhills Scuba as I advance through scuba diving. Thank you Mr. Travieso!

From the owner: PADI scuba instructor serving the Fayetteville, NC area for the beginner and advanced recreational…read morediver. Learn how to dive and get certified today!

this place is one of the worst places to shop! Does not seem like a legit place.. not only was it a…read moreshady place to go but the people there are just as shady. They cheated us out of $20 when we confronted the guy he refused to honor his prices and claimed "he's not Walmart!" They were rude, overcharging, scheming people! All together I would never recommend this place to anyone.

I am very disappointed in the Greensboro Scuba group. They took my money, then cancelled dive…read moreafter dive telling me that either it was too cold to dive or that their boat was broken and we couldn't go out to the dive. Not the kind of people I will ever do business with again I felt from the first time I walked into their business that they were a poorly run business. I don't care how many certifications they have, they do business like con artists and seem to be very good at taking peoples money and giving nothing in return. I believe the term is scheisters! Scum!

I cannot say enough good things about Xplore Scuba! They did such a great job with the intro to…read morescuba class, including a lot of one-on-one time with my niece who had some trouble/anxiety. They took the time to get her through it at her pace & she did awesome! Highly recommend!!

I completed my Open Water scuba diving certification with Xplore Scuba. They were excellent and I…read morewould highly recommend them.

The owners Deb and Chris are amazing! They are excellent instructors, safety oriented and taking…read moreextra time to explain concepts that was difficult for me to wrap my mind around. The divemasters that work with them are also wonderful and have been a great addition to our lessons. We enjoyed our open water training so much we decided to immediately follow it with nitrox training. The retail side of the store is a great resource. We have never felt pressured to buy expensive high-end equipment that is outside of our needs. When we have decided to purchase equipment they offered good advice for budget friendly options that will meet our needs. Their military discount is another bonus. I cannot say enough good things about them! I would highly recommend them for diving education or equipment needs!

I did it!!! I recently received my NAUI Basic Open Water and Nitrox certifications from Adventures…read morein Scuba! I couldn't have done it without my instructor, Deb. She was there all along. Her knowledge, experience, and also her encouragements helped me give my very best and allowed me to become more knowledgeable and confident in my diving abilities. I had a few sessions with Chris and learned so much from him as well. Both of them are wonderful people who deeply care about sharing their many years of experience and love for diving. It is contagious! We recently returned from a one-week dive trip to Bonaire organized by Adventures in Scuba with Deb and Chris. It was an awesome trip where my husband and I both got certifications. We dove up to 4 times a day in beautiful waters with everything perfectly organized for us: the lodging, the food and the dives. We made new friends and felt that we were part of a new family. What a blast! I highly recommend Adventures in Scuba! A warm thank you to you both Deb and Chris!

I was certified as a Basic Scuba Diver in 1978 (more about this later). After 30+ years, I decided…read moreto renew my interest in scuba diving on a vacation to Antigua. I took the resort's refresher course and felt pretty good about my skills. On the first open water dive, I had difficulty descending below 30 feet. The dive instructor sent me back to the boat. As soon as I returned from Antigua, I discovered that PADI revised the requirements for certification in 1987 without notifying me of the change. I searched online for dive instructors in the Raleigh, NC area. I contacted another dive shop as well as Kevin about my needs. Only Kevin returned my call/email. Kevin's online reviews all seemed very good so I called him and left a brief message explaining that I wanted to upgrade my Basic diver certification to an Open Water certification (which is what I thought I had originally). Kevin was down in Cozumel on a dive trip (which I strongly suggest) but called me back within a day or two. We discussed my situation and he suggested a "hybrid" approach consisting of the areas that PADI had added to my original training that I could do along with a group course he had starting the following month. (He was scheduled to teach one "diver" to swim before teaching scuba - that's how accommodating he is). The group cancelled so I basically had individual lessons, customized just for me, at no additional cost. In- pool activities were at a local Raleigh pool with "open water" dives at Fantasy Lake, which is a great place to dive. Because of Kevin's understanding and flexibility, I essentially took the whole open water course and was re-certified as Open Water Diver within one month. I strongly recommend Kevin Alexander for scuba instruction for all levels of divers. I have since completed the Advanced Open Water course while on a dive trip with Kevin to Cozumel.

Kevin and his team are patient, informed scuba instructors and guides who make you feel safe and…read moretake their time to make sure you understand the sometimes complicated components of getting open water certified. Now that Kevin has helped me with my certification I plan to join him on scuba trips in the future! And I'm so happy to know about the Fantasy Lake Adventure Park in Rolesville where I will continue to keep up with this new skill by exploring the quarry!

I took diving certification with Blue Dolphin back in 1989. Janet was my instructor. She was the…read morebest instructor for anything I had ever experienced before. I haven't been diving in 30 years. I would love to come back for refresher. And my daughter only needs her open water test for a certification. When is something like this offered. Thanks, Susan Fritts

From the owner: Dive Instruction, Gear sales, SCUBA Traveling, Gear Servicingread more

Went in last week and I was completely ignored by the staff. The guy working was busy flirting…read morewith a young gal....I may be older but I do have the money to spend on my husband for a new BCD. I went elsewhere and bought one. Air Hogs lost a sale. Oh well.

There are four things I want to say about Air Hogs Scuba and its owner, Thomas…read more First, if you're the too long; didn't read type, I HIGHLY recommend Air Hogs Scuba for your needs. In Raleigh? Durham? Drive the extra distance. It's worth it. Second, Thomas and Co undoubtedly know their craft. There are experts, and then there are THE experts. I don't have the largest sample size, but of the shops I've visited in NC and FL, Air Hogs Scuba has THE experts in the field. There is not a question I have asked that has not just been answered but answered in-depth with explanations and reasons why. Third, Thomas has been imparted with Forbidden Knowledge only granted by the Goddess of the Deep after your 1,000th dive about regulator service. I brought my regs in for service, fully ready to get a new pair because they kept leaking at the end of a season. Thomas discouraged me from getting new ones, instead explaining why they did that, what I could do to fix it on the fly, and what he could do to tune my regs to be the best they've been. I just finished using them on eight dives of various depths after service, and not only do they not leak or have any issues; they breathe better than any set I've ever used. The only restriction I had breathing was tweaking the flow setting to try to optimize my breathing effort. The work blew me away. And they work on Hog gear, which many shops won't touch. Finally, I want to say Thomas and those at Air Hogs are genuinely lovely people looking out for the diver and not their bottom line. They went out of their way to ensure I got my regs back in time for a dive. I went in to talk about getting a new BC setup, and Thomas encouraged me to dive a new setup first before spending money on it and even offered customizations if I did decide to go with the new setup (plate & wing). I got the impression I would have to convince HIM to sell me one without trying it first! That's just good customer service and good (diver) community service, in my opinion. Again, I HIGHLY recommend Air Hogs Scuba. They are knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and genuinely care about their customers and craft.

I didn't know what to expect from the folks at Open Water Adventures, to be honest. When you go…read moreinto a dive shop, you can get anywhere from seasoned expert to hobbyist trying to make a quick buck. Open Water Adventures in Charlotte is definitely the former. Joe, who I'm learning now is the owner, gave me his cell number so we could stay in contact about my upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands--a destination he's visited six times, if memory serves. He wants to put me in touch with his contacts there for tours, lodging, the works. That's the kind of out-of-the-ordinary service I wouldn't have expected but received anyway. Honestly, everyone in the place was outstanding. I made my appointment and paid with Marcela, did paperwork with Meghan, and trained with Anthony (Li'l Momoa) for my diving refresher course. Things were a little harried at first, but I didn't think I'd be able to finish this course in a couple of hours, so I cleared my schedule. As usual, it's a question of expectation vs. delivery. I think the quality of equipment, expertise, and instruction are well worth the time spent making sure ducks were in a row and all was prepared exactly right. Safety comes first--diving is a fun time, but it carries its share of dangers. Learning how to avoid them isn't something I'd prefer rushed. I want to know it all very well before I go giant striding into open water. Diving isn't a cheap pastime. But it's one that will be incredibly rewarding if preparation and equipment are in order. And I feel as though Open Water Adventures knows that and puts it into practice.

Did a refresher course with Dillon and this Dive Shop is FANTASTIC! They really do make the effort…read moreto go the extra mile - and Dillon gave a GREAT refresher for me (out of water 16 years) and was incredibly patient, never rushed and focused immensely on safety. I'd return here for any dive needs in a heartbeat. Clean shop, heated pool, all staff was professional & friendly!

I was planning on visiting my step-brother and sister-in-law this summer in NC; being a PADI…read morecertified Master Diver and Divemaster Candidate, I figured I'd take my (t)rusty Dive-Rite and Abyss 22 along for the trip; get a few dives in while I was out there; I've never dived the Carolinas. Or the Atlantic for that matter; I've mostly been a cold-water diver. I've never dived in less than a 7/8 wetsuit; mostly I dive dry with electric undergarments. So I start looking for places to dive on the youtubes near my bro, and stumble upon Blue Stone dive resort; actually, I stumbled upon a video from Don Shipley, retired Master Chief Petty Officer and Navy SEAL - the guy who goes around exposing scumbag poseurs who pretend to be SEALs in order to get ahead in business, or politics, or government... Guess what? There's TWO phony SEALs who work there; a father and a son. If you wrote a book about it, nobody would buy it; they'd say "nobody's that dumb." Yes, yes there are people that dumb. Not only that dumb; dumber... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaVFcjM_HzI "Stolen Valor Phony Navy SEAL of the WEEK In Person Confrontation. Father and Son both Phony SEALs." I would not trust such "honest folk" with replacing a fin strap, let alone servicing my regulators - they also claim to "work" on rebreathers. Let that sink in. A dive center that has TWO FAKE NAVY SEALS rents, sells and services closed loop life support systems. Again, let that sink in. I could not POSSIBLY trust them with my life support gear; they don't do good research, apparently. Or have truly bad judgement. Both? Other issues? I'm glad I service my own stuff.