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    SPE Dive School

    4.4 (98 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

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    Pool Time!
    S C.

    Mike and Roland were great instructors with a passion for the subject that truly shows in their excitement when presenting material. The classes are mainly set up over the course of a Saturday and Sunday and run for about 12 hours. Class starts at 9am and go to 9pm with only one hour break for lunch and no official dinner break (there is a 30 or so minute transit time allowed to get from the classroom to the pool which happens in the late afternoon) so plan your meals ahead. Mike went out of his way to accommodate my wife and my busy schedule as working professionals. Communication before, during, and after the classes have been top notch. Mike was super flexible with the schedule and allowed us to split the Saturday and Sunday courses. We also noticed that some other students split AM/PM classes well. A few folks commented on the 'sales pitch' which I totally understand where they are coming from. If you open the PADI diver manual, which the school is teaching out of, you'll notice that at last half the book is dedicated to equipment and most of the information basically points you to consult with your local PADI dive shop for information/fitting/ect. I think the 'sales pitch' is not necessarily from the school as another revenue stream, but rather something that PADI requires instructors to do since most all of the equipment is basically underwater life support and having the wrong gear can put a new diver in a dangerous situation. I didn't feel that there was direct pressure to buy from the staff, but having the discussion be so open can put indirect peer pressure on students. Some suggestions for improvement: 1) Perhaps have some kind of catered dinner available at the pool. 2) Give students the 'order form' ahead of time and allow us to fill them out at our leisure to turn in at a later time (perhaps during the lunch break). This may help speed up the class room instruction and allow less 'peer pressure' in the process.

    USS Kittiwake wreck dive!
    Peiyao J.

    Just finished the adv. open water certification with a 2-day intense training and a trip to the Cayman Islands. What a wonderful experience!!! Met some great people who are all so friendly and supportive as we go through the whole course together!!! Now my passion for scuba diving begins!!! For the school, two-day training is intensive and you barely have time to eat but it really feels like the most productive weekend. I've read some of the 1 or 2-star reviews saying the first morning 3-hour equipment selling is a waste of time and pressure on everyone. I sincerely do not agree. I personally think it's very important to have every detail explained esp. about the gear, not to mention it is prob. everyone's first dive try. We are all grown-up people and we can make decisions for ourselves. if you got a personal snorkel gear you feel comfortable, no problem just tell the instructor you don't need one when he asks you if you want to buy theirs. I should say Mike does not push you at all and will even tell you if you are still not sure about making this your long-term hobby then it's more economical for you to just rent the gear. Some students from my class were not sure about buying all the gear, or want to go with the cheapest, or want to use their own gear, Mike was very supportive and completely respected all their decisions. He even asked you to bring the gear for him to have a check. All you need to do is prepare yourself up before the evening pool training, so if you really don't like buying all the gear with everybody, you should do that ahead of time. No push selling at all. Class is planned well and the material is very informative. Roland is very knowledgable and helped us go over the water-pressure level/NDL/surface interval math one by one with 100% patience. This is my first diving try so learning about all the basic knowledge really makes me feel confident and prepared about going for the open water dive. I struggled a bit with the pool training session as my buoyancy control skill is still green, esp. with a shallow pool. But Al the instructor is very patient and supportive with me and helped me go through the skills to make sure I get them. The class is about 14 people and was divided into two groups, each with an instructor to go over the skills one by one. Some reviews say it's a waste of time lining up to practice skills. I should say lining up is the best part as you get to 1) watch how others do it if you are not ready; 2) if you are ready just practice more see if you can do it better; 3) communicate with other students about the struggles/issues/tricks/even expectations for open water dive, I cannot think of a better way to learn this with a group (well not too big of course, 14 is just about right). Next, Cayman. Oh my god! I cannot think of a better way to show my love for Cayman islands. I know a lot of the review says Mike sells too much on the Cayman trip. But it is the best place to dive in the world, with 365 dive sites all year round. If you happen to want to go on a tropical island and get your OWC at the same time, I mean why not. Group discount rate for the hotel, all-day van pick-up and transportation, local restaurants and cuisine guide (since Mike are there in Cayman almost half time a year), every diving activity is planned well and very organized. If you feel you just want to get an OWC at the local quarry/lake, you are rational and you make the right decision for yourself. If you feel it's too pricy during the summer, simply go there in Oct./Nov./Dec, with much less pricy hotel and flight. Personally, I think diving in Cayman is magnificent!!! The diving crew and instructors there (Tasha, Javier, Sam, Caesar, Barbara) are soo passionate and knowledgable. They sincerely care about your experience and are always there for you. I brought a GoPro with me and the instructors always offered to help take pics and videos for me. Caesar helped me navigate and spotted some great aquatic life and creatures. I went there alone but the whole class is very supportive and care for each other. I got a loose tank underwater and a bunch of people from my group informed the instructor before I even realized that. I gained much confidence in diving after just the first 3 tries. Pics below say more about Cayman.

    Suited up & ready to practice pool skills!

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    22 days ago

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    Mike P.

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    8 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Boutique dive shop. Quite impressed. Just went to free orientation and already looking forward to multiple dive trips w Mike and his team!

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    4 years ago

    I did the scuba refresher and the lady was so great. Also very interested in their dive trips :)

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - SPE Dive School

    Does the school offer free-diving sessions or classes? EDIT -- Haha I'm talking about free dive, where you dive without a breathing apparatus, not free of charge. I can pay,…

    Free diving when you can scuba dive is like walking 50 miles when you can drive a car, or playing on an original Nintendo NES when you can play the Nintendo Switch or Xbox Series X. Technology has improved, bro!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - SPE Dive School

    Mike Parker and his team of skilled instructors provided a top-notch learning experience for this novice diver.

    Mentioned in 26 reviews

    Read more highlights

    One Ocean Scuba - Not only do we sell gear but we can get you certified to become a diver.  Call us to find out how!

    One Ocean Scuba

    (4 reviews)

    I signed up for the reactivation class. Sam was very helpful and responsive when I asked questions…read morebefore and after I signed up. I did the reactivate this past weekend. My instructor was Israel. Over the last few years, I tried getting back into scuba at two other places which sucked because they couldn't correct trim problems I had. Israel is definitely the best dive instructor I've had. He was very patient and more than willing to answer the many questions I had. He also mentioned things that other dive instructors never mentioned. I'm glad I was assigned to Israel for the reactivate class. If you decide to take a class through One Ocean Scuba, I would recommend requesting Israel as your dive instructor.

    I've always been curious about this shop tucked in a corner of Kemp Mill Shopping Center next to…read moreShalom Grocery Store. Rich and I don't scuba dive but recently went in to drop some toys in the Toys for Tots donation box. It's a nice store with items displayed neatly. There were goggles, wet suits, and a variety of products I'm not familiar with. There were some scuba/ocean related like stuffed sea creatures and a few holiday ornaments. On a black board in the back was a list of upcoming excursions, including one to the Maldives. I heard the owner talking to a customer about the difficulties of picking up trash in the Potomac River because you can barely see anything in front of you. I was really impressed with the neatness and organization of the store and with the wonderful attitude of the staff.

    Diventures - Welcoming all water enthusiasts to our new store in Ashburn!

    Diventures

    (27 reviews)

    I stopped by this past weekend to look at some fins. Grace is very, very knowledgeable and she was…read moreable to answer all my questions and more. She pointed out the trade-offs between various types of fins and fin straps. I was surprised there was so much to consider when buying fins. She also pointed out some other things about scuba (not about fins) that were very helpful. I also had some questions about regulators. My concern was that the hose I used at the OBX felt too short and was almost about to come out of my mouth so I had to hold the regulator in my mouth or bite down hard on the mouthpiece. She answered questions about that as well as concerns I had about water leaking into the mask. She pointed out many things to consider. In short, Grace is very knowledgeable. She definitely knows what she is doing. I hope Diventures is paying her well because she deserves it.

    I did my cert and bought all my dive gear at this shop when it was Nautilus. I loved Jason and…read moreMelissa's care they took in their training. I felt so prepared. Now that the shop is part of Diventures, I feel like it has become a community, as well. Diventures is a wonderful resource for trips and making new friends. I love all the events that they are having to bring divers together in the community. I'm doing a trip with another shop with Diventures and I appreciate that Willie is working with me and that shop to make sure that my trip is seamless. They take care of you here!

    Mohican Swimming Pool

    Mohican Swimming Pool

    (3 reviews)

    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.

    SPE Dive School - scuba - Updated May 2026

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