In the land-locked West Midlands, you'd hardly think there would be a demand for a scuba diving and…read moresnorkeling shop. We're pretty far from any vast bodies of water and the wildlife in the seas around England isn't exactly exotic. But sure enough here is Scuba Pursuits who sell shallow-water and deep-water diving gear and who run recreational, professional and technical diving courses. I'm not after a diving course, but I need a new snorkel mask. I'm a bit weird in that I feel more confident when swimming in open water in a snorkel mask, and after swimming in the river Lug a few weeks ago I noticed that my mask had become a bit tired looking. I'm taken through the various masks that they have in stock. 'Did you want a purge valve on it?', asks the man. This is new to me. He explains that if water gets into the mask that the purge valve means you can breathe the water out of the mask by an exhalation through you nose. (He puts it a bit more graphically that that!) Water can seep in sometimes and its often a panicky and claustrophobic moment, so I'm taken with this device. So, I'm £22 quid lighter, and I've got a mask, a new snorkel tube and a handy bag. I've got no need for a diving course, but if you do then Scuba Pursuits training courses are held in swimming pools in Birmingham and Staffordshire.

It's very rare that you see extremely specialised shops outside of city centres these days thanks…read moreto the influence of the internet driving most of these stores out of business, unless they see a high volume of customers. Hence my surprise when I first saw a dedicated scuba shop on the Stratford road in Shirley, Solihull, but on closer inspection, there's no real surprise that Scuba + Outdoor Pursuit Centre has weathered the internet storm with such ease, as it's an absolutely fantastic shop. It has literally everything you could possibly need for a scuba trip, regardless if you're a novice looking for all the basics or a seasoned pro just trying to upgrade a piece of equipment. I'd imagine that the reason a scuba shop is able to survive whilst other businesses haven't is partly due to those looking to get into diving wanting professional advice from real life experts and not just people over the internet, and the shop doesn't disappoint in that department, with all the staff helpful, friendly, and clearly passionate about diving. An excellent choice for scuba enthusiasts everywhere.

Amazing attraction even if you don't dive!…read more We came across this place today and I was absolutely amazed by it! There were divers everywhere and supposedly there is a submarine, double decker bus, airplane and all sorts sunken here! It was cool to watch the divers in action. There is also a good little pub where you can sit and watch what's going on out in the water!

I was amazed to find this on Qype. I used to go here over 25 years ago…read more I didn't dive, but enjoyed sitting in the pub while others did. Sorry to hear that it has not been kept up to modern standards.

Horrible experience almost from the start! We sent through a query to a number of companies about a…read moreYacht in Greece. Eldin was very responsive at first, however things quickly changed when I received a quote that was significantly cheaper for the same boat 2019 450F Lagoon from Lefkada. I kindly asked if they would match the quote, he rudely responded in CAPITAL letters to me! At this point we should have just gone elsewhere, as it was a sign of things to come!!! They eventually agreed to provide 2 SUPs for free and we signed contracts. The day before our charter, Eldin wrote to us to let us know that they can not provide the 2 SUP as agreed. Having it not having a skipper was not part of the agreement, and the rude emails began once again. Having just completed our trip we were delighted with the local White Sails team, but we would not recommend that you go through a broker such as A2A Yachting. The frustration and unnecessary rude emails and total lack of customer service was appalling, and could have totally ruined our first sailing experience. Next time we will go directly to White Sails and forget about dealing with the broker!