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September 2023 by Richard J.
I just stopped in to get a mask for snorkeling for an upcoming trip. I was looking to add readers to the mask (yep, I hit that age!). Cheryl and the crew at Aquatic Adventures were incredibly helpful, got me set up with exactly what I needed, and provided recommendations that will make my trip even better. This is where I will be going for all my scuba needs.
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July 2023 by Creative Stages
Had a great time with Aquatic Adventures at Lake Phoenix. My friend finished her certification and I took a refresher course. They were super flexible to get me paired with her, fitted for gear (with my small feet), make me feel comfortable, and we saw a lot of cool stuff in the lake. Great people, had fun getting to know the instructors more at dinner, love this dive spot, and will be back again! Such a great spot for east coast diving if you aren’t near FL. Thanks to April, Matt, Mark, and Jordan who is becoming a master diver!
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July 2023 by gustavo cambronero
We had a great experience, extremely professional with so many ins and outs of what to do, what is the best equipment for your needs, and how to use the equipment for max gains. Thank you sooo much for your time and excellent service!!
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June 2023 by Will Bellows
I attended an open water learning course 6/3-6/4 2023.I had a very positive experience and was immediately impressed with the quality and depth (pun intended) of instructors running our class. We had a large group, 13 students, but AA brought in 5 instructors so we had a great student ratio in the pool.Everyone was fun to work with, very experienced, and educated our class about sophisticated equipment without turning anything into a sales pitch.I will be returning for my certification dives in July!
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June 2023 by Catherine Phelps
Outstanding experience taking a dive course. Very knowledgable, safe, and personable staff. The shop is well stocked and their in-house maintenance is both quality and efficient.
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June 2023 by Lydia Douglass
Went here for a scuba refresher, very positive experience. Nice and vey helpful staff at shop and great instructors.
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April 2023 by Christopher Culver
It's pretty hard to make SCUBA a bad experience, but this was the closest I've come. I have an advanced certification and took my son for a Discover SCUBA course before our first dive trip together. I was very disappointed. The website did not say when the class would start, but we were told 11:00am on the phone, then got an email that said 10:30 when we registered. We spent 10:30-11:45 getting fit for equipment for 5-10 min and sitting around doing nothing for an hour. We then had a 10 min "class" that was somewhere between inaccurate and unintelligible as the instructor pointed to drawings on a flipchart. We then had an hour to get lunch on our own and meet at the community pool, where the instructors took another 45 minutes to get organized and still had no idea whose equipment was whose. The available pool space was only 5 foot deep, covering half of 3 lanes in the pool, so we could barely move without running into anyone and could barely stay underwater. I taught my son things on my own while the instructors took another 20 minutes to get situated in the pool, they then scolded us for going under water (in five feet) without them noticing (which they failed to do for 20 minutes in that small space). The instruction of basic skills was unimpressive but adequate and then we had an hour to explore our 3 half-lanes of pool. It was extremely disappointing, I'd recommend trying somewhere else if you want to get someone excited about SCUBA (which is the easiest thing in the world to do).
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January 2023 by Chris H.
We wanted snorkel gear for an upcoming trip and the staff members were great. They took their time to show us how the masks should fit, we tried on a few different ones, they had a good selection, and we were able to buy a gear within our budget. Thanks y'all!
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December 2022 by Michael Woc
Overall, this is an awesome dive shop - great instructors, staff, and other divers I've met through the shop. I completed both my (Open Water) OW and Advanced Open Water (AOW) certifications with them. For my OW, I took their hybrid course. Matt and Cheryl always took their time explaining how to do everything and the intent of each skill; there was also ample time to master each skill. I had Beth as my instructor for a couple AOW dives and that was an equally great experience. Finally, I received numerous excellent dive site recommendations. I would highly recommend taking a course from them or stopping by the shop for any other needs.
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September 2022 by Sophia D.
I completed my Open Water certification dives through Aquatic Adventures. I registered as a referral student who hadn't been diving for almost 6 months, but Mike and Wendy were incredibly helpful and encouraging. Within minutes, I felt my diving confidence come back and I think that is because of their terrific coaching. In the shop, April and her team went out of their way to make sure I was set up and felt comfortable with my gear. Everything was clean and well-maintained. Overall, I was really pleased with my experience. I feel as though I walked away from the experience with more than just a certification but also a newfound confidence and appreciation for diving. Thank you, Aquatic Adventures!
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August 2022 by Lou Fegans
I was a referral student who needed to complete the remainder of my open water PADI certification. The staff were very open and friendly even though they didn't know me from the pole session. I felt very welcome.The shop is located in Springfield Virginia and the open dive training is located 3 hours south of Washington DC at Lake Phoenix, which is a very popular scuba diving training site on the East Coast.The training was done in a very methodical, organized manner. The staff were very attentive to safety and slow the training down as necessary to ensure students did not fall behind. The staff are very friendly and upbeat and make the experience fun. For example, for every dive we did, we not only practiced the required skills, but we also "toured" the quarry, where you could see chachkies underwater, for example an underwater school bus.Heads up: before you drive to Lake phoenix, you need to pick up your gear in Springfield Virginia, where the shop is. The staff require you to pick up your gear from the shop prior to the lesson at Lake phoenix. Though this is an inconvenience, I leaned it is often a normal procedure to have to carry your own gear.
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July 2022 by Alison M.
Awesome shop for your diving training. I recently took the Open Water Certification pool training. Kim, Paul and Drew were an excellent team. They were informative, encouraging and patient. I was a bit nervous on day one and they helped me achieve the comfort that I needed to feel confident going into the open water dives. The teaching team fostered a community even within us training - which was awesome. I can't wait to continue my diving adventure with Aquatic Adventures!
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April 2022 by Brandon M.
I took the Open Water class as a brand new diver and it was an amazing experience. Cheryl, Wendy, Mark, Marc, and Liam all spent time talking to me and teaching me and encouraging me. I was challenged and secretly doubted myself at times but they were patient and showed me what I could achieve if I just kept trying. I am excited for the world of diving and this experience changed my life. Thank you so much.
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November 2021 by Billy Vu
I went around 2 other places prior to coming here. April and team were by far the most helpful in getting me geared up and fitted after I told them my preferences. Great customer service overall. I highly recommend you shop here!!
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October 2021 by Sam B.
Good experience! They walked me thru the whole process and didn't push the high cost gear. Personalized, one on one work where needed(and I needed a lot). Got my first PADi cert with nothing to complain about. Our class of 6 had a team of instructors: Cheryl (owner), Roberto, Meghan and Wendy. They all looked after us very well. I don't know if they always have that kind of student to instructor ratio, but for our group, it was excellent.
