Tanya is the most patient and helpful instructor - we were lucky to find her. If you are a little…read morenervous but really want to get into diving, this is the place to go. My wife and I trust her judgement and skill and look forward to our next adventure. You will me welcome in her shop! Doctor Phil and Kathy Nicholson

Friendly service (and a friendly 2-year old big black labrado!). Clean and organized. The only…read moredrawback was they did not have too much of a range in terms of what they stock (from diving masks to diving suits). Very limited selection especially for women. We did end up buying something, but I wish there is more selection (colors, sizes, styles). Spacious changing room. No mirror though. They offer lessons and run tours.

Found SPE Dive School thru Groupon & the 3-hr DISCOVER SCUBA. I had so much fun & a great…read moreexperience overall after learning to trust the gear. We attended the class portion at their Chevy Chase location then given a hour to drive to Dulles for the pool portion due to COVID restrictions. I was a bit peeved when informed I had to drive to Dulles. Was told pre-COVID their pool was 7 min from the Chevy Chase location. I wish SPE better informed us when before we purchased. All that faded when I put the gear on. Fast forward the learning curve of getting over claustrophobia & trusting the gear. They had extra instructors on hand during the pool portion. I'm glad I tried the DISCOVER SCUBA & open to pursuing licensing. FYI - this is an intro crash course in shallow water. Do not expect a whole lot of details & to be certified after the DISCOVER course. Keep in kind my review is based on the intro course!

What a great experience. Mike Parker went out of his way to accommodate the last-minute…read morearrangements and helped me fulfill belated plans to go diving with my son. Ten years late, but oh so enjoyable. We couldn't make a scheduled trip, so Mike arranged for open water certification with Dan Fosters dive shop. Can't say enough good things from shuttle service to the dive shop, excellent offshore diving, and hospitality of all involved. Can't wait to go back.

Terry helped me pick out snorkel equipment before a trip to Aruba. I hadn't planned well and only…read morewent out a week prior to my trip. Very knowledgeable and pleasant Englishman. If I can work up the courage to take scuba lessons, I will look into getting them through this store. Thanks for your help! Only negatives: it's a store among several stores along the road, so it's not obvious, and you'll probably drive past it. You need to park on the street and it looks like you can only park on their side of the street, which was full when I arrived. I think I ended up parking next to a school and daycare and I needed to cross a busy road.

Really friendly staff. Got a new mask snorkle and fin there before a trip to the Keys because I…read morerealized my old mask rubber was shot from 10 years in the garage lol. I'm thinking about getting a dive certification now.

This is our Summer hangout spot. Kids love the swimming pool here…read more There is ample parking tho it gets busy sometimes. They do have a nice Cafe that serves a whole variety of food items and snack and drinks and snacks. The price is very reasonable and the folks running it super nice The lifeguards are very nice too. They have plenty of lifeguards around that the kids can be in the water with ease. There is a small pool for the little ones and then a main pool with 3 sections. One section is good for kids and the second section is good for swimming and doing laps. The third section is for diving. They also have a grilling area with picnic tables and a kids play area. They host regular happy hours with food and drinks. They also have tennis courts next to the pool. The ONLY negative are the restrooms and showers. There need a serious upgrade! All said, a good choice for swimming during summer months.

This place is where me and my friends and family have been hanging out for summer after summer. The…read morepool has heaters and the water is on the cleaner side. They have a team of lifeguards who are very kind and helpful. Some features of the pool include a water basketball hoop, multiple diving boards, and a well that is as deep as 12 feet. If you are hungry, they have a fast-serving snack shack which includes entrees, desserts, sodas, chips, and more. Country Glen has a swim team with 200+ kids ranging from ages 4 to 18, they can fit up to 8 lanes for swimming meets. They also have a dive team with 45+ people ranging from the same ages as swim team.

5/23/21 This place looks amazing, but many things have…read morechanged since I was a kid. The design of the men and women shows have changed, but especially the location of the showers. An elevator is now available for the handicapped or people who need to be separated for this Coronavirus Pandemic. No long fence to move around to go to the bathroom or get icecream from the icecream truck. However, it looks like this pool might welcome back the icecream trucks, because I did not see the snack shop there. From where I was I saw the middle pool and the baby pool off in the distance. The life guard station was empty, but it looked more roomier than I remember as a kid. Membership and stuff are all online, but since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I would stop by and ask. While there, I discovered two of my sister's records had still yet to be beaten. My pathetic records were beaten with in a year. This was in the early 80's. My diving record was either beaten or I did not see if it was there. The high dive is still gone, but I will always remember jumping off it while it was there back in the 1980's. Would have liked to get a picture from where I entered the pool area, but I did not feel comfortable taking pictures of little kids in their bathing suits. "Guess there is a point I won't go beyond" to quote Hans from Enter The Dragon. Excellent pool and I love what the designer did with the place. Still, I do remember how the step use to have plants with spiders on each side of the stairs. Guess you don't have to worry about that anymore.

A great spot to cool off on hot summer days. They have a great swim club for kids/young adults. The…read moreproperty is beautiful and the pool facilities are great. What would make this club amazing is: 1) a bar and basic restaurant 2) a higher diving board Otherwise this place is incredible and a must for young families.

I chose Israel Outdoors when I signed up for my Birthright trip and it was the best traveling…read moredecision I made! My travel preferences include a lot of hiking and nature-related activities so this was the perfect outlet! Below were some of my favorite activities: -Rafting in the Jordan River -Hiking Masada -Camping in the Bedouin Tents -Gardening at the Salad Trail My group and I also rode camels and walked through the underground water tunnels in Jerusalem (I would not recommend this activity if you're claustrophobic.) What I really enjoyed most about Israel Outdoors was the company of outr wonderful group leaders. They made the trip so special and more meaningful than I could have ever imagined. A big thank you to them!

I just finished the trip and went with my girlfriend. The experience was incredible. We had…read morefantastic group leaders and were gifted (literally) an opportunity to see and experience more of Israel than any single traveler or tour group could do in 10 days. I couldn't think more highly of this experience. Don't let other specific bad experiences get you down, overall the program is fantastic.

Fredericka = The best travel agent you could ask for that makes you feel like family. She goes…read moreabove and beyond what you need to give you the best experience possible. I recently went on my first cruise trip, with flights, hotels, rental cars, and fine dining organized by her. I was so impressed by her careful planning, and attention to detail as well as consistently checking in on me to ensure I had a good time and was comfortable. From now on, I'm going to her and her alone for all my travel needs. I can't wait to plan my future plans and bucket list countries through her. I suggest you do the same... I highly recommend her to organize your travel!

Thank You Fredrika! We had a wonderful time at Lifestyles Vacation Resort in Puerto Plata. Fredrika…read moretook care of every detail to ensure we had everything we needed and more for our family. From pickup at the airport to our upgraded stay and accommodation she left no rock unturned. I look forward to booking our next family trip together hopefully soon!

Re Kyrgyzstan: A…read moreriver of email photo trip offerings arrive in my inbox each week. While they have merit and are attractive, the opportunity to travel throughout Kyrgyzstan is unique in the photo workshop/expedition world. I'd never seen an opportunity like this before, and it immediately intrigued and excited me. Additionally, I'd never been on a photo workshop before. The logistics of the trip are daunting. Eighteen days long, with fifteen days on the road. Other than three hotel nights in Bishkek, the capital, at the start and end of the trip, only three nights are in hotels, the rest in yurt camps or tents. The execution of the logistics was impeccable. There was never an oversight or a dropped ball. And, despite the demands of this trip and extensive behind the scenes coordination and decision making, trip leaders Justin Black and Jerry Dodrill were always warm and in good cheer, with abundant photographic suggestions, insights and approaches to subjects. There is great instruction while shooting, exposure to diverse environments (2,500 feet to 13,400 feet elevation), and more than enough time at a multitude of locations to develop both a feel and an approach for/to the subject matter. Both Justin and Jerry are world class photographers with decades of experience teaching, and it shows. Ask a question and you get an answer with years of knowledge behind it (Stop, I can't absorb any more!). A word of advice to potential participants...this is not a hotel-based experience. You will be able to most enjoy this trip if you've spent some time outdoors, some time in tents, understand the clothing necessities of weather and altitude, and are prepared to tolerate a little bit of discomfort for an extraordinary experience. Justin's packing list is flawless. I give this trip six stars, and I'm a tough grader.-Lee G., 2024 Kyrgyz Republic Expedition participant

I have been traveling with Visionary Wild all over the world since 2012 . With 28 workshops and…read moretrips completed, I have never been disappointed. I believe he provides expert photography information (instructions, critiques, advice), excellant lodging and food, and most importantly he gets us to the best locations in perfect time to catch the light. Every detail on a trip or workshop is managed ahead of time-there are no surprises. Each location is carefully planned and scouted out. Justin has always been patient and willing to listen and help from the time I was new to photography till I had gained some expertise. I always learn something new and will keep coming back!

I just completed my PADI Confined Water Training with Acquatic Adventures last weekend and I can't…read moresay enough positive things about my experience. I had three instructors - Liam, Roberto, and Stephanie - all of whom were very evidently knowledgeable about all things scuba diving. They were extremely thorough in reviewing materials, answering any questions my class members and I threw their way, and providing a multitude examples from personal experience (which was my favorite part). They were so friendly and personable and their passion for the sport was loud and clear as well as their keenness to ensure each of us had a positive/fun experience over the course of the two days. Honestly, I didn't expect to be as sad as I was that it was over on Day 2 - I wish we could've extended our time together just because they are very easy people to be around who also have a plethora of knowledge with them - and that's coming from someone who is typically a non-outgoing hermit. Several of my friends have already completed the same training but at other facilities and let me tell you...not only did they say their experience wasn't as pleasant (from a friendly and personable standpoint), but also the depth of information shared from Liam, Roberto, and Stephanie far outweighed what I heard was delivered to others. (I guess I'll be the leading buddy on our dive trips...) Experience aside, I will say as a career researcher, I obviously did my homework on the best value for the training in NOVA and Acquatic Adventures definitely beat others out of the water in that regard too. It's hard to imagine a place who offers the best price with the best quality of training delivery exists but I'm here to say it does. Thank you Roberto, Liam, and Stephanie for a wonderful experience. I can't emphasize enough how much I appreciate your time, energy, and expertise!

I stopped by for some advice on dive computer and other equipment I am in the market for. Mel and…read moreSy (?) were helpful, they clearly have a ton of knowledge. The store carries a lot of quality equipment and they offer classes as well as amazing dive trips. I only had a short amount of time to pick their brains but I will definitely be back!