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 was nervous at first by the price, but I quickly learned it is money well spent! This place is…read moreawesome if you want to reawaken your inner 12 year old. I could spend all day jumping from the highest points or going down the many slides!

I have been wanting to go to Fantasy Lake since last year and I finally got to go…read more We reserved a 2 hour slot and got there 25mins before our start time to get changed and settled. The obstacle course is really fun for both kids and adults. The slides were my favorite part. They also have scuba diving on the end side of the lake. The only negative I will call out is that they don't have a water fountain or a filling station. I get that they allow outside food and drinks but for an outdoor water park, having a water fountain/filling station is a bare minimum.

I just stopped in to get some information on some equipment and was greeted by Zach who was very…read morefriendly and knowledgeable of all of the equipment. He provided me with some great insights and I'm excited to return!

The store staff was friendly and helpful and the instructor, Brian, knowledgeable and effective.read 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.

Excellent customer service and great place to rent scuba equipment! The friendly employees first…read moreanswered my questions over the phone when I had called to reserve rental scuba equipment. They don't allow reservations, but since they did not have any classes scheduled the weekend I inquired about, they assured they would have adequate supplies and they did! When we arrived to rent the equipment, the employees greeted us right away. They patiently answered our questions and helped us select the right items since it was our first time renting. They clearly explained the cost and tried to save us money rather than talking us into spending more. In addition to rental equipment they sell scuba gear, hold classes, and host events and trips. They have a heated pool on-site and offer private and semi-private classes. Their training agency is SSI (Scuba Schools International). Overall, we had a great experience here and would rent from here again!

My daughter and I had a trip planned that included scuba diving so we went to Gypsy Divers to get…read morecertified. I was never able to get open water certification because of the pressure on my ears but Mike Welch was incredibly patient and others in the shop had numerous suggestions for me to try. Ultimately I gave up after numerous attempts and got a full refund of the entire tuition even though I had completed the lessons, used their equipment to try and get the outdoor signoff completed, and taken a lot of their time. I would highly recommend the shop if you are wanting to try getting certified and you don't have to worry about losing the large sum of money if you don't make it. I feel like I'm also very comfortable with all of the skills needed but am just held back by my ears! thank you Mike and Gypsy.