Best Diving Stores Boston Near Me

Bessie King: One of my goals for 2022 was to learn to scuba. I am so lucky to live in East Boston to make that goal come true at Boston Scuba, blocks away from my home. Scuba isn't cheap or fast or easy, but Jim and his team make it manageable with time-conscious training weekends, all-included rental packages, and supportive, understanding, trainers who don't judge when you forget things or happen to have a little freak out when you're below water (:s). They take safety and comfort seriously while still having fun. Happy to continue my training here!

Cara Feldman: I signed up for Open Water Diver course. Jim was quick to respond and get back to me with my questions. I finished my Academic and Pool Training with Evan Phillipps, and he was fantastic! He thoroughly went over the course material but was extremely patient with me in the pool. Everyone who was there for the weekend course are experienced professionals who want to help you do well. Highly recommend!

Matthew: Great first dive in Boston, better to think of this operation as a boat charter and equipment rental then a true diving outfit. They will take you to some great spots And give you everything you need but there is no Dive Master to guide you around or show you the area. The captain of the bot was friendly and not rushed at all. He did do a site briefing before we entered the water. Very interesting to dive and see all the lobster traps and the rock crabs. Visibility was much better deeper down and further away from shore.Note that you need to bring everything that you need any other then the equipment that you rent. The equipment is very high quality and most felt very new. We did a dive in August, water temp started at 68 at the top and dropped deeper down but I honestly was never cold with the 7mm wetsuits.I think the experience could use some more personalization, snacks, water, fresh water rinse, someone to help with or check equipment before you dive.Overall is a great place close to the city. Fun to try some New England diving and would go again.

Peter MacDonald: Great people to learn scuba diving from and they lots of dive trips from their boat all over Boston Harbor.

Robert Dewan: Fantastic group. Every person I interacted with at Boston Scuba, from the owner to the staff to the instructors, displayed immense dedication to diving and as well as to their customers. I highly recommend Boston Scuba to anyone in the area.

K Negrotti: Excellent operation all around. The location is perfect having the charter boat and shop conveniently at the marina. Great dive sites too. But, the best is the staff and owner. They are always willing to help, trustworthy and truly good people. The very reason why I have been diving with them for 10+ years and many more years to come.

M W: These guys are are great to say the least. One stop shop for all of your scuba needs, plus their charter boat is about 300 feet from the shop. It's about 15 minutes from where I live in Somerville. So in terms of convenience, these guys can't be beat. They also offer top notch instruction if you're looking to learn or advance your dive training.

Patrick Wark: Awesome for rentals. On short notice, I had to rent a full equipment set this past weekend for my dry-suit diver certification course. Not only was ECD seemingly the only place in New England that was renting out the equipment I needed at the time I needed it, but their customer service was fantastic as well. There's a very friendly and personal touch to it. They were kind and accommodating at the shop. They even took the time to show me the ropes on suiting up in the dry suit... they customized my seals right there for me, and they gave me a great rental deal on top of it. I am very thankful that this shop exists and will likely be returning there for any further service I need.

DLL: I came in to get a snorkel and mask before a vacation - best purchase ever. The staff explained the pros and cons of different styles and had me try on several masks for fit and comfort (using excellent cleaning techniques between customers). I ended up with a fantastic set, great value, and had my best experience snorkeling ever. I highly recommend you bring your own equipment rather than take a chance on fit and quality at a rental. And this is the place to go, they know their stuff.

Marian C. Craighill: Great service at a friendly and knowledgeable dive shop

Javier Agüera: Had an epic freediving training experience with Nick, who is a fantastic instructor. Nell was also great. Felt safe, confident and stoked to take my skills to the next level. They also have a solid selection of quality gear, at market price. All in all, what you pay is what you get, and here you get quality and expertise.

maxwell wander: Good dive shop - friendly folk, and full service - air fills (including Nitrox and He), equipment service and rental, etc. Their charter is a good experience also for getting in some boat dives.

Tim Wilde: If you're looking for a local dive shop in the Boston area, East Coast Divers is a great bet. Nick and Alex have been running the shop since 2012 and provide top notch training, travel, and of course gear sales and service. Everyone at ECD is helpful and friendly and they have never steered us wrong. Keep up the great work team!

Michael Tymm: Great service.

Jordan Baker: Love this shop! Awesome team! Check it out :)

Matt B: Great shop with everything you need. Nick helped me get set up with a new mask and snorkel for an upcoming trip. He provided expert tips and sizing advice and gave me plenty of options to choose from. Highly recommend this place!

Stephen Nasson: What an upstanding business! I signed up a few years ago. I never finished. Not only did Nick honor the old registration fee but has allowed me some additional pool time before I take the certification dive! All the instructors and Kim in the office have been so helpful and understanding. They are a great group and if you really want to learn to dive this is the place to go!Thanks all

Jeff laforest: Just got certified with East Coast Divers and had a great experience! Everyone there from the staff to the training team was very nice super accommodating and most of all extremely knowledgeable. They walk you through each step in the pool so you feel comfortable and confident when you do your checkout dives. I know other people that have been certified that haven't learned some of the skills they teach at East Coast. I would highly recommend using East Coast Divers to anyone looking to be certified.

Kevin Smith: Where does one start ? In a time where dive shops are becoming extinct here is a group that is so full of passion for diving you can help but get excited just being there. Instruction is second to none. Travel opportunities with fun people, gear , knowledge. Everything that a dive shop should be. Very much appreciate East Coast Divers. Shout out to Alex for excellent instruction and quite frankly , for just being a cool dive shop owner. We need more like you !

NH adventurer: Awesome group of teachers. Very knowledgeable with a lot of real world experience. They also support veterans A+

Mark K: Got my open water cert as well as advanced training through ECD. Fantastic shop with great people! I've always received friendly and professional service!

David Drury: I attended the East Coast Divers Equipment Webinar on 4/8/20, and loved every minute of it. Alex was wonderful and very informative. He went through every standard piece of dive gear, and many additional components/accessories in great detail, and also recommended items to add to your save-a-dive kit. He also listed the items he uses in his setup, which is valuable information coming from an experienced scuba gear tech like him. The webinar lasted just short of 5 hours, and I could have sat there listening to him for much, much longer. The webinars that ECD are doing right now are fantastically appreciated for those of us stuck at home and longing for anything dive-related to focus on. Thank you, ECD, and I look forward to many more training sessions and visits with you!

Kate Parsons: East Coast Divers continues to get a 10/10 score from me. I just completed the East Coast Divers 2 hour "Freediving Safety Webinar" and learned more about safety and rescue than I did in the entirety of the Level 1 Freediving certification course through a different institution. My experiences in the pool sessions with Nick, the classroom courses, as well as all interactions in the shop have always exceeded my expectations. East Coast Divers offers a wealth of experience, expertise, and community!

Valerie Grabiel: Absolutely nothing but rave review for every aspect of our experience with East Coast Divers. I was not a diver when I looked for a program to teach my tween. ECD's flex program for Open Water Certification and competent staff in every phone call about training youth got my attention. Little did I know at the time that we would use their flex program (it took us 18 months to get certified due to a series of unfortunate events) but it never cost us an extra dime to extend our training and we were able to stay water-ready with unlimited pool sessions and refresher trainings until we achieved our goal. Money well spent right there. I followed my teen into the water and can say from both sides, the water's edge and as a student myself in their Open Water classes, that the staff is top notch. When we did receive our SSI Certification on a trip to warmer waters and with another dive shop, the dive master there made a point of asking where we had done our pool work - we were clearly well trained, and it showed.ECD's team is experienced, knowledgeable, superbly safety-minded, and generous with their time. Before our first big dive trip, staff members took over 3 hours to patiently answer every question we had, introduce us to gear we would be traveling with, and talked me personally through what to expect as both a parent and new diver on the same trip. Again, nothing but rave reviews. Our dive trip with ECD was tightly run, beautifully planned, and well executed. Can't wait to go again. If you're looking for a place that can not only teach you to dive WELL, but build community and fun into the experience and a shop that has the depth of skill to keep you growing in the water year after year - East Coast Divers is the shop.

Sam: Got my open water certification with them. Very thorough class that makes you feel prepared when finally in the ocean. Had alot of fun and the instructors are all great. Looking forward to going on dives with them in the future.

Meredith Landsmann: EVERY interaction that my 10YO son and I have had with your staff and trainers has been nothing but outstanding. The dedication the show to our success as scuba learners has been nothing short of passionate and supportive. We’ve brought some personal challenges to the process (my anxiety and my son’s age/executive functioning level) yet at every step, your team has offered alternative pathways for us to successfully reach our goals.We have grown so fond of everyone there and look forward to continuing the relationship. You’ve also enabled my son & I to have an activity together that isn’t related to every day life logistics – which is a true gift. I believe SCUBA will be a life-long “thing” for us to continue to bond over as he grows.I am grateful for this experience and cannot recommend ECD highly enough!

Ray Smith: As a Scuba instructor in Southeast Florida, I get an occasional referral from a shop in colder climates. People do the academic and pool sessions near where they live then they come to Florida to do the open water dives. Sometimes they are ready; sometimes not.I received a referral from East Coast Divers. On the very first open water dive the student displayed perfect buoyancy and incredible skills. She seemed more like a person who logged over 50 dives. She was better prepared than any other referral I've worked with. The staff at East Coast Divers did an incredible job preparing her for open water. She had many safe habits and I am convinced she will enjoy a lifetime of fun diving and remain safe. It's a credit to the great job East Coast Divers does with their students.Thank you East Coast Divers. Train them up in the cold climate of Massachusetts and send them to Florida!

Molly McIntosh-Case: I took their open water class and pool sessions and had a great experience with United Divers. I'd never been scuba diving before so everything was new to me but the instructors were very patient with me and helpful as we practice the skills. There was a great ratio of instructors to students in the class and the instructors all had a lot of diving experience and were very knowledgeable. I would recommend going to the shop to sign up/get info, they're definitely an in person type of business.

Alexa Huzar: Jim and John are amazing instructors! Everyone on staff is awesome

Marouen Ben Guebila: Positive:Communication,Professionalism,Quality,ValueJim, John and the whole team were very friendly and helpful. Totally recommend United Divers!

Brian Leblanc: Awesome, knowledgeable and friendly

Victor Samsonov: Very friendly and helpful people. Just fyi no nitrox just air fills for the tanks.

Adaurides Finamore: Positive:Quality

Benjamin Weiss: Ožujka y

doug bevan: I had a really nice experience taking the classroom and pool sections of the open water certification. The people in the shop were helpful and explained everything we needed to know about the process and necessary equipment.The pool sessions were a bit behind schedule, though that seemed more a product of others in the class being late. Our instructor, Annie, was friendly, professional, thorough, and experienced.Just be sure that if you plan to do the open water portion of the certification elsewhere, that they accept SDI for the pool/classroom section.

CK LEE: 좋은강사 안전을 책임지는 교육.

Maddie K: Received my open water certification through United Divers and couldn't be happier! All of the instructors for the pool/classroom portion as well as the open water dives were experienced, friendly, helpful, and overall great people who make the experience fun and engaging! Highly recommend if you're look for a shop to dive with.

Rebecca Feickert: I completed my entire certification (pool and open water), and United Divers was awesome. The instructors were thorough, safety-conscious, and friendly. Highly recommend!

Thomas: Best dive shop in Massachusetts. Staff are knowledgeable and friendly; and the store has a larger inventory than most. I recommend making this your LDS.

Sue Waudby: Great dive shop. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. They go out of their way to help you make the right purchase.

Nikolay Roubin: Always like this please

Chelsea: So happy I went to Mass Diving for my Open Water certification. The entire staff was so helpful and accommodating, from answering my initial questions about enrollment, to selecting equipment, to the course, complete with pool and open water sessions. Shout out to Carol and Tom! They both made me feel comfortable and I truly couldn't have done it without them. If you're thinking about getting certified, this is the place to go.

ken sharrow: Everything you need for diving is at this store Owner Mark Potter has 30 plus years of diving experience and knows pretty much everything about diving and dive products Mass Diving also has great diving packages. And if you dive with Mass Diving you can be sure you will have fantastic experience. Mark makes everything easy an stress free. Highly recommend for your next dive vacation

Albert Thomas: Always a great store and helpful. Having sale now.

DB O: Very helpful with strong expertise and offered great suggestions

Mike Alvarez: Fast, knowledgeable and courteous service.

Rob Garrett: I live out of state and needed to order a wetsuit by phone. Carol walked me through the measurements and special ordered the correct size. She had it shipped to my house and it arrived very quickly. Everything fit and the entire experience was great. I highly recommend Mass Diving and especially Carol for anything you may need. I will be doing business with them again.Rob

Erin Zhou: One stop shop for all your scuba needs. Top-notch training, equipment and services. Very knowledgeable and helpful people. Highly recommend!

Charles Grabau: Great service

David Kramer: Not the only game in town acts like it.

Paul H.: AWFUL! TERRIBLE! Worst experience in a dive shop we have ever had. Not only did they charge us full price for certification even though we did no use them for the diving parts, which can be very expensive elsewhere. They also, allowed human blood to touch us and only because I called them, did they offer a fake apology. If their apology was even close to sincere, they would have called the person the blood was on and apologized or followed-up in any way. Nothing more even though they allowed HUMAN BLOOD to touch us.I would not recommend ever stepping foot in this shop, nor giving them any business and it a total ripoff, disappoint and possibly should be reported to authorities.Gross from every angle.

R M: I had one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life at Mass Diving. Everyone I met was very nice and attentive. I can't even fully express how satisfied I was after leaving the shop. I just completed my open water certification this past weekend and I can't stop thinking about when I am going to dive next.On the less than positive side of things, I had a death in the family that morning and I took the hour trip to the shop to get my mind off of everything. My experience there completely made my day feel less depressing. I was told by a few people early on, that the dive community is "awesome and welcoming" and I have to say that everyone I met, especially Mark and Laura, are the optimoe of that. I live over an hour away in New Hampshire. I made the drive and will do so again if for nothing else than the experience and customer service.Aside from the amazing personable nature of the people, the shop itself was immaculate. It is definitely the biggest and nicest shop I have visited so far. And unlike a lot of businesses these days, there was zero pressure to buy anything.If you need the latest in diving equipment as well as a wealth of knowledge and top notch customer service, look no further. Ask for Laura. You won't regret it. She is the perfect example of how to treat customers as well as what the love and enthusiasm for the sport of diving is all about.

vivek khokha: We have just completed our certification for open water with Mass Dive. And we are already enrolled in our Advanced Classes with them. This whole experience from beginning till now has been as smooth as it can get. When we started enquiring initially we were guided very professionally towards what we wanted to achieve. Without ever feeling pressured , we felt we were always guided efficiently.This place is just full of enthusiastic and friendly people. It is so sad to see couple of negative reviews for this place because I can not even begin to understand how it possibly can even happen with all these wonderful people. The whole staff from Laura, Peter, Carol, Mark are just outstandingly professional and ensure every step of the way that you understand what you are getting yourself into.And if you are Lucky (Like us) you might even get Laura as your instructor all the way. I have no doubt that she is one of the best instructors in the country. Laura tried to understand each student and changed her approach accordingly for each one. She had such a calm approach all the way that made you pay attention and learn through out. I personally was under distress during our open water dive due to a situation and was ready to give up. She personally ensured that I got the support I needed to calm down and helped me through out the Dive and got it completed. I don't think myself and my wife can now even think to dive in the area without her. Laura- we love you :)In this Area I think this is one of the biggest shops with most amount of resources. Any equipment you might need they have it and they service the equipment too, which any one who dives knows how important it is. I would highly recommend Mass Dive for all your Diving needs as they are absolutely great.

Thomas Hugill: I have seen some negative reviews about MASS Diving, which surprises me. My experiences with them have been overwhelmingly positive. Friendly, knowledgeable people (Mark, Carol, Laura, Peter). Full-service shop for equipment, training, & advice. I don't do the local dives but have been on a couple of their group trips to exotic places & had a blast both times. They get pretty good deals at these destinations too.

Kristin Crossland: I never write reviews, but after reading "Unknown Name"s utter nonsense and ridiculous review below, I feel compelled to give this dive shop the rating they deserve. I went here for my Open Water Scuba certification and it was amazing. By the time I went to Bali for my 4 open water dives, I was comfortable, confident, and knowledgeable. My dives all went perfectly and I was able to thoroughly enjoy each dive not as a required learning experience to get my cert, but as the start to an amazing life of diving.#1. Apparently, Unknown has never taken a class on anything in their life, otherwise they would understand why it is necessary to follow up on the PADI online course. The dive shop does not certify you, PADI does, and as such, the shop is REQUIRED to fulfill certain expectations. This is for your SAFETY as diving can be incredibly dangerous. It may seem like a waste of time, but repetition is how you learn, and all of the information is important if you really want to enjoy diving. I also learned plenty of things from the PPT I did not learn from the online course, and the pictures and videos were incredible and taken by Mark himself. #2. The instructors are all employees of the dive shop, not hired guns. In fact, it is family-oriented. Complaining about the hours of the shop when they are the typical 9-5 (or in this case, 6) is ridiculous. The actual classes are at times more "convenient" to the "customer". #3. The reason the online course is SEPARATE from the pool sessions is because they are meant to EXPAND UPON what you learned from books. It is not a review, it is in addition to what you have learned. #4. Apparently being a lifelong skier and musician turns you into a douche because my friend and I, both petite females, had absolutely no issues with helping carry the gear into the facility through the snow. It was a nice warm up and we were happy to help our instructors and speed things along. You are expected to carry your own gear as a diver, so why should you be babied because you are getting certified? Cry me a river. #5. It is entirely reasonable to expect you to submit your medical paperwork before allowing you to enter the pool sessions. You are paying for every hour you spend at the pool, so why waste everyone's time because you are too lazy to drive to the shop to submit it? The instructors have to make sure everything is in order PRIOR to the pool classes, not deal with it when we should all be in the water. The instructors were incredibly efficient in this way and no time was wasted. #6. If you feel comfortable ordering your gear online, good for you, but even in my short diving career I have seen disasters occur from this decision, and the shop does not push any of it's products on their students. They have an obligation to warn you as your instructors because they are concerned about your safety. They carry the best gear if you do want to purchase it, and they often have sales.All in all, this dive shop will make sure you are ready to go out into the real world feeling confident and safe. They will walk you through everything, answer all of your questions honestly and without judgment, and they even arrange dive trips for groups of people. I am so glad I got my certification here because they inspired me to love diving and to be prepared for anything. I will definitely be taking my next cert with them.

Doug T: Mark is the best around!

Unknown Name: I wanted to become SCUBA certified but had no prior experience. This seemed like THE place around Boston to become certified. In fact, their general monopoly means they lack customer service. A few reflections: #1. The instructors are great. But it seems like they're hired guns and not actually part of the dive shop. #2. The shop acts like the world revolves are it, not the customer. For example, they close at 6pm daily. How do most working people get to Natick by 6pm? Not everyone lives near Natick, you know! #3. The online course used by the shop is incredibly long. All the answers are online and very little of it is actually used in the pool. On top of completing the online course, an in-person exam is also required. I will do the reading and take an exam. Don't make me take another one too. Wasteful. #4. As a lifelong skier and musician I'm used to carrying my own gear. But when I paid a lot of money to learn to SCUBA dive, I wasn't expecting to carry all the gear through the ice/snow to the pool. If this were a "budget" program where we all helped out to keep cost low, I'd understand. But this was bush league. Instead, we were asked to show up before the pool was available -- a ruse to lug gear we might not even use. Again, poor service to the customer. #5. Before going to the pool you must visit the dive shop for paperwork. If all the students are going to to the pool, why make them all go to the shop as well? There we purchased a folder and some small items which could have been purchased online and given to us at the pool. That would have been inconvenient for the shop, so they decided to inconvenience the diver. #6. While I at the shop for the wasteful visit, the clerk investigated my gear, noting all of the features it lacked and pointing out that buying online isn't a good idea. In the end, the veiled chiding didn't matter since my gear was fine in the pool. #7. Before one of the pool lessons we had to go to the dive shop for a powerpoint presentation and in-person exam. The material was in the online course, which we had to show proof of completing. This was redundant and wasteful. We then did a tour of the dive shop, which was a 30 minute advertisement for buying gear at Mass Diving. Don't waste my time. #8. Communication with the shop via email was hard to follow. I would receive message from different staff members, sometimes with conflicting information. And when they asked for my input about a potential scheduling change they never confirmed the final decision. Instead, I was left wondering what the outcome until I followed up. Not a big deal, but bad customer service. Again, the dive teachers were kind, thoughtful and easy to work with. Once we were diving, it was great. But the administration, organization and non-diving aspects were poorly managed and communicated. If you can tolerate uncoordinated management you'll be fine. Otherwise, don't hold your breath for good service.

Bert Perry: I have nothing but good things to say about MASS Diving. The training is exceptional and they offer a full line of SCUBA Diving activity. Their staff is always friendly and knowledgable and it is so to have such a large selection of SCUB gear in stock so that you can actually see it and don't have to order. I have been to many dive shops where it always seems to be a Mickey Mouse operation and MASS Diving is by not.