This is difficult as I know this is a small business. With there being other options in the Cincinnati/NKY area, this place is too run down and disorganized for me. From the outside of the building to walking in, it's obvious this business is no longer in its heyday. This feels like nobody in charge really cares anymore. Orders are disorganized, people are waiting for orders or refunds, emails are apparently getting lost "in spam", there's a layer of dust on merchandise... It's honestly just sad. I know this place has loyal/longtime customers. If you're new to the world of SCUBA or wanting info to get started or certified, I'd recommend ANY of the others. I've been to Tri-State Scuba, Cincinnati Scuba, and Central Coast. The latter being where I was certified. All of these I mentioned offer PADI certification...you'll want PADI. Everywhere uses and refers to PADI. Okay, that was lengthy. I wish you the best of underwater adventures! It can be a risky activity and it's a good idea to have the best gear and training available! This place just doesn't care enough about their business anymore to give you that. read more

Started the process in Dec of 2023. I have passed the written and skills training. Waiting on my open water dive. It is now Aug of 2024 and no sign of them. They will not respond to emails or voicemail. read more

The is one of two dive shops that I am aware of in Northern KY. They are an SSI shop and offer several courses. Prices are average, but check for specials - they usually run them and it makes classes and class materials cheaper than the competition normally. The only sell Scuba Pro gear, so the variety isn't great. Staff and instructors are friendly. I did my open water and some specialty classes here. So far, so good - I would recommend. read more

The Scuba Shack - Scuba Diving Near Me - Florence, Kentucky

Just finished up getting my classroom/pool work done with The Scuba Shack. Overall the experience was great! The best part is definitely the people. My instructors - Kathy and Bob Hales (the best!) - were extremely knowledgeable and I felt so comfortable with them immediately. I'm sad to not be doing my open water dives with them (going to certify on a trip with friends) because it just feels so natural with them! They also are super willing to work with you in terms of private lessons for just a nominal fee - you can tell everyone at the Shack is so invested and loves scuba and just wants to share it with as many people as possible. The only negatives: -I felt like my class had too many people for the pool portion (7 when everyone was there). I think a 5 person max in the pool would have been more efficient and also given us the opportunity to be a little more comfortable by the end. Maybe somehow splitting the classroom/pool sessions so it was half and half? -They really push the ScubaPro equipment. It was recommended to me to buy at the shop I was getting certified through but it was a little pricey comparatively. In the long term it will be worth it, but something to know upfront. -SSI not PADI. Not so much a negative as just something to be aware of. I used a groupon to keep cost down and it was quite reasonable (although with the equipment still expensive overall!). I feel so comfortable with this group of people/shop, I would definitely trust them to give recommendations in the future and would honestly love to go on a trip with them. You will not be disappointed!!! read more

The staff here prides themselves on training people how to be a diver, not just how to dive.

I have no idea how the inside looks or how the people treat you. Their internet pages say they are open, the phone message system says they are open, and the hours posted on the door say they are open. But nobody answers calls , email, or the door. So, so far customer service is absolutely awful. Find somewhere else to go.... Don't waste your time. read more

I'd like to offer up some personal thoughts about one of your instructors, Joseph Sons, and The Scuba Shack located in Florence, KY. First, lets talk some Joe. Joe was my dive instructor on a trip to Vortex Springs April 12-14, 2018. I had not met Joe until we were on this trip and ready to get into the water for my first open water dive. My first dive was a disaster. I was overweighted (no fault of Joe's) and sunk immediately on removing the air from my bcd. I panicked and quickly resurfaced with a painful ear issue that lasted the rest of the day. Joe checked on me several times between dives with the remaining group members. We decided together it was better to wait until the following day for me to try again. He told me several times not to worry about anything, we had all weekend and we would be fine. The second day included my second, third, and fourth dives (whoo hoo!). Joe went with me on each, forgoing any "fun" dives he could of participated in. He and another instructor did my skills testing on my third and fourth dive. During my contained water dives, I always used the shops gear, I used my own gear on this trip for the first time. I had a mishap with dropping my regs and retrieving them the first time and took in some water. Joe didn't panic and allowed me to get my bearings and recover myself. I can honestly say if it weren't for his calm demeanor, I wouldn't of made it through my skills testing. I also now know you can cough water THROUGH your regs and still breathe underwater. I had the pleasure of dining with Joe, and his lovely wife Tracey that evening. Your organization is very blessed to have such a dedicated individual teaching under your banner. Not only is he a wonderful dive instructor, he is a really nice person. I have signed up for the Perfect Buoyancy class and I'm hoping he will be the instructor for that as well. Second, lets talk some Shack. I was 100% new to diving when I took a Try Scuba class with my daughter. I fell in love that day and signed up the following week for Open Water classes. I spent four Sundays at the Shack and really enjoyed the other students in my class. Cathy, the Shack Princess is amazing. I bugged her multiple times via phone, email, and txt with questions. She was always professional and friendly. Of course she always answered my questions. While on the trip to Vortex Springs, Cathy made every attempt to include everyone in all activities. She even cooked up breakfast each morning and set up lunch. Unfortunately, she was unable to dive on this trip, but was nice enough to lend me her 5m wetsuit. So technically, her suit was able to dive! I enjoyed the trip and staff so much that I've already signed up for the Perfect Buoyance class with their - I mean - my dive shop. Signed - A Certified Open Water Diver read more

They'll drown you at Scuba Shack! Allow me to explain how. First, the prices are very competitive. I'm a frugal shopper so I keep an eye on these things. Second, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Third, they can work around your hectic schedule. So yea, they'll drown you with competitive prices, friendliness, knowledge and the ability to work with you. I enjoyed my time there. Can't wait until my little boy is old enough to take his courses. We'll be coming here. read more

Let me first start off by stating that diving is an awesome sport. I had wanted for years to get certified to dive in the Caribbean. My wife and I had taken a discover scuba program in Grand Caymen and became hooked on the sport. My wife had done a lot of research and after taking to Cathy at The Scuba Shack, was sold on doing our training and certification through The Scuba Shack. Diving is not to be taken lightly and the team at The Scuba Shack did an awesome job of preparing us to be confident, safe and successful divers. Our instructor was Drew Stevenson. I really appreciated how thorough and patient Drew was with us during our training. Drew has a maturity and confidence that permeated his classroom, pool and open water training sessions. We both have a great deal of confidence that we can enjoy our recreational diving. I sincerely appreciate the assistance of the entire Scuba Shack team. We had interaction with Cathy, Drew, Jim and Karl. Everyone at the Scuba Shack was a tremendous help with our training and selecting our gear. I rated The Scuba Shack with five stars as they truly deserve it! read more

I did not have a good experience. Whenever I left voicemail messages they never called me backed so I had to keep calling until someone eventually answered. It was hard for me to get a hold of them by phone. I did not like the facility. The pool deck paint was peeling & the paint chips stuck to my feet each time I came for classes. The men's changing room was taped off each time I visited & the ladies changing room ceiling always looked like a repair in progress. I ordered my certification card & paid their fee on June 1st. After 3 - 4 weeks waiting for the card to arrive I finally got a hold of Karl who simply "didn't order it" after I paid for it weeks ago. I finally got through to Karl again to inquire about my card on July 17th only to find out that it's there at the store. He didn't mention that it would be sent to there when I ordered it 47 days ago. I asked him why he didn't call me when it came in & his response was "I apologize, I thought someone called you". It's been my experience that they don't return calls so why would anyone have bothered to call me in the first place? If you are seriously thinking of getting certified, if you like clean facilities, & if you don't like hassles I strongly suggest you GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. read more

I'm a fan of Scuba Shack, but there's so many facets that make up a good dive shop so I'm not sure where to start... Classes: The Shack offers SSI certification and I like SSI better than PADI anyways, so this works out great. You can usually find a deal on the classes and I think its a good value. The classes are small and casual and they have a pool so you can practice. Major downside though - the pool is pretty crappy. It is heated, which is great. As a swimmer, I've seen thousands of pools - this one is pretty bad, but it serves its function. The whole point of scuba is to explore the underwater world, but here there's absolutely nothing to see except a dirty white floor. I found the courses to be fun, very informative, and I think I know what I'm doing! I did my checkout dives at Gilboa Quarry with them too and thought it was great. I recently went to Mexico and none of the dive masters down there could tell I had just been certified because Scuba Shack taught me well! And that's really the most important thing - knowing what you're doing and feeling comfortable doing it. Also, there's many specialized and advanced certifications to get past the general "open water." Equipment: This is a Scuba Pro shop and ya know - I like it. At first I was concerned about the lack of variety and choices, but after some researching - realized ScubaPro was really what I was looking for and was about as good as you can get. Plus - when you buy from The Shack, you get to ask all the questions you want on how to use it and fix it and add to it - that you can't get from buying from Amazon, eBay, etc. The Shack even has multiple price levels and configurations of gear to choose from, so there's something for everyone. They even ordered me an Ikelite camera scuba housing specific for my camera and it arrived within 24 hours - incredible! (The photos are incredible!) Dive Trips: There are lots of dive trips offered. Bon Air, Vortex Springs FL, Crystal River FL, Wakatobi... I'm really looking forward to going to Crystal River to dive with MANATEES! Anyways, I haven't been on a dive trip yet, but I know they're always offered. They do seem to always be priced based on double occupancy. As a single gal who isn't exactly comfortable sharing with strangers - this is a bit of a negative, but can easily be navigated around. Pricing: Diving is an expensive hobby/pasttime/sport. I did find the Shack to be competitive with other shops though. Customer Service: Everyone at the Shack is very nice and enthusiastic and knowledgeable about scuba, but the shop manager (Matt) really made me feel welcomed and put up with my thousands of silly questions throughout the whole certification process and afterwards. He knows a lot about the sport and made some really good suggestions - without being super "sales-y." Oh, and they also do Shack happy hours that are great. Its a good opportunity to meet new friends and gives me a chance to ask even more silly questions... read more

Karl and Tony were our instructors for our open water certification. They made us feel comfortable through out the process. They are all very knowledgeable and helpful! They weren't pushy on selling us high dollar gear! Great experience and we look forward to diving with them in the future! read more

I had never considered scuba diving until my wife begged me to take lessons with her. She had been wanting to learn for some time and, wanted me to be her dive buddy, but I was a bit hesitant. Upon arriving at "The Shack" I was even more so. With a bus in the parking lot and a building that is far from a million dollar facility I wondered what I was getting into. My doubts soon diminished. I will start with bus. The thing that you first see when you arrive. It is a part of their history, not just a prop. Now about the facilities. There are bigger and fancier facilities, but ask yourself what makes a great scuba shop? Is it the size of the pool, the pro shop, or the classroom? The answer is, No. Walk in the door and you will probably meet Matt, Carl, or Cathy and you will soon start to realize that this is a down to earth, mom & pop shop that cares about it's customers more than having the latest and greatest. They have a great staff of instructors ready and willing to train you and take you to any level you want. The classroom is appropriate for the class sizes. I was extremely pleased with the smaller class sizes. I felt like the instructors could spend more time with each student if needed and that I was not just a number. They offer a multitude of advanced training as well. The pool and changing rooms are a bit small, but again, it is not the size that matters. What matters is the instruction you are getting. You will find top notch instructors who are willing to go the extra mile with students. I was not much of a water person before I started scuba and I struggled in some of the skills needed. My instructor, Dave and assistant Matt, have to be the most patient people on earth. All said and done, great training. A little about the gear store. Again, not the biggest, but it has a great sampling. They do keep a lot of items in stock, but if they don't you will not have to wait long for them to get it in for you. Being a skydiver I knew that I would probably want to invest in my own gear. I was a little shocked at the prices of scuba equipment. I shopped around, read reviews on different manufacturers, and found that the type they carry, Scubapro, is one of the best. The Shack offers packages that will fit any budget. They offer several preset packages, but don't think you are locked into them. My wife and upgraded a couple items in one of their standard deals for only a few dollars more. If you are not ready to buy just yet they have a large selection of gear to rent as well. All of the equipment is maintained by factory trained techs. If you are looking for a fancy dive shop, drive on by . If you are looking for a dive shop that is down to earth, cares about their customers, sells and rents top notch gear, and has an awesome staff, then pull in next to the bus. read more

Went to "The Shack" to try scuba before I decided to sign up for lessons. First thing they tried to do, was sell me a set of mask, flippers, and a snorkel. I HADN'T EVEN BEEN IN THE WATER YET! When I did get to see the poor excuse for a pool, it was dark and dank in there. It smells of mildew and the water in the pool didn't look much better. I wouldn't wash my neighbors dog in that pool and I don't like the dog. I decided not to get my lessons from the aptly named "Shack"! What a dump! read more

Friendly staff. Great experience with the dive instructors. Always willing to give advice on the best places to dive and the time of year. Can't wait until I can get back in the water! Best decision of my live. Who doesn't love diving with Sharks. Without the instructors at The Scuba Shack I wouldn't be where I am now. read more

This shop is an all around great shop. From the owner, to the sales team and instructors you are made to feel welcome and like old buddies from day one- I love the casual events and gatherings that are ongoing. The classes are fun, informative, and well worth every penny. I appreciated the class size, and my instructors. I would recommend doing your cert dives with the shop as well. Although there was not much that interested me in the quarry, I couldn't imagine not having the same team that trained me certify me. I really love scuba pro, I'm thankful for the scuba shack introducing me to my underwater life support. No matter what budget you have-- buy your equipment!! It was the best purchase I have ever made! read more

The instructors at the scuba shack are Best In Class. They share their knowledge and love of diving in a way that makes new divers feel competent and coming back for more. read more

I am watching my daughter get diving instructions from one of Scuba Shacks master divers, Karl, and he is outstanding. My daughter is a teenager and not overly experienced in the water. He is incredibly patient and polite. I would highly recommend him as an instructor. read more