Instructor Liz and Divemaster Dewi are the best instructor/educational Team I have seen in a while. Very open to all questions and patience to answer everything very easy for everyone to understand. The were very profesional but open to keep everyone engage, safe and motivated throught the course. I cant wait to continue my SCUBA journey with the Team at AO Dive Shop. Cant forget to mention they are very supportive of our Veteran Community and will work with you to overcome any misconceptions you may have with diving. read more

My open water certification was absolutely amazing. I am so lucky for the support they show their veterans through the non-profit. I would suggest this shop to anyone for all their dive needs! read more

What a great experience! My wife and I got open water certified and added the Nitrox certification through Aquatic Obsessions and enjoyed the experience. The instructors: Liz and Henry were great along with Evan the dive master. We will be back and look forward to making them our local dive shop. read more

Got open water certification here! Awesome crew, everyone is so fun! Had a great trip to Rainbow river with Liz. The shop is fantastic with great gear, highly recommend even to just check it out! read more

Very helpful staff from start to finish. Took my open water class with them, and it was excellent. Bill, Henry and Liz all made it incredibly easy, and enjoyable. The certification dives at Rainbow River were a blast. Highly recommend this store and team. read more

I took the open water class and was pleasantly surprised to see people teaching with such passion! Fantastic group over there at. AO. Definitely 5star!! read more

A O is a full service dive shop and so much more. They can fill your tanks and your dive bag. There's a huge selection of dive gear (BC, regs, masks, etc) and knowledgeable employees to make sure you get just what you need. They rent tanks and fill your own. I'm sorry I hadn't stopped here sooner. With plenty of parking and a Central Ave location A O is my new go to dive shop. They also offer classes, certification, and dive outings. But wait, there's more! They host monthly meet ups and offer free beer for those who want to hang out and talk all things diving. read more

Absolutely incredible place to get dive certified! The staff is exceptionally knowledgeable & they are excited & willing to pass on their knowledge to those who want to learn. I have received three certifications from this dive shop & will without question stick with them for all my other certifications. They are also extremely supportive toward the Veteran community; helping disabled Veterans to learn a new skill & strive in the civilian world. I would recommend this dive company to everyone at any level. read more

Liz and Bill are the best dive Instructors I've ever had. Truly amazing, saved our bacon with fixing our gear on the spot. Bill is the most knowledgeable diver I have ever known and won't hesitate to help you out. Our trip got canceled due to a hurricane and they bent over backwards to find us a new spot in the state to go diving to get our certification. 10/10 recommend! read more

My fiancé had three tanks that needed to be filled for a job and paid $22 for it. Not only that but because he was in his wet suit they made him stand outside, they wouldn't let him stand in the door because of the A/C getting out. I'm not happy with this place at all.. horrible customer service and $22 for AIR?!?!!! Wow! I don't recommend read more

Absolutely terrific group of people. Henry Sadler is a fantastic instructor. Very knowledgeable and patient. Bill Hardman, the owner is a great guy. Does tons of charity work and is always willing to help with any issue you have. Liz in sales is also working to become an instructor and is really compassionate with younger students. Our daughter is 12 and really loved working with Liz and Henry. Really thankful we found this shop. read more

We live out of the area so we have had little exposure to the retail part of this business. What exposure we did have was pleasant especially with John. The shop seems well equipped and fairly priced. We found out about this shop from some great friends in St Pete. Since our local dive shops in Destin, Florida have limited scuba trips, we decided to join in on the scuba trips put on by AO. We have done several of their trips to great destinations like Cozumel, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Fiji. We really enjoyed the people who traveled on these trips and found Kelley, the trip liaison, to try and do a great job. Early on in our association with this shop, we did find that the owner appeared to us to be very self important and a master in BS. Because we had little interface with him, we humored him. He was not on most of the trips so it became a mute point in our relationship with the shop. Fast forward to a trip in which we signed up late in the booking process and ran into some issues equally late with the health of our two adult boys that prevented their travel. Because of that, we were beyond the refund cancellation periods. We attempted to work with the shop and eventually with Kelley's request we interfaced with the scuba travel agency. It appeared our only option was to sell the spots to someone. We proceeded to do just that only to find the spots were cancelled by the owner when he heard the boys could not go. He carelessly interpreted our request as to what was available to us if we cancel as an instruction to cancel. We lost nearly all of our money. The travel agency was able to get refunded approximately 60% of the flight funds. As long as everything is going like clockwork in the owners eyes, all is well. When a wrench is thrown in the wheel, it is amazing how things change. We were repeatedly told one thing after another that was inconsistent and conflicting. Interestingly enough, he even offered to try to advertise them internally after he already knew he cancelled them. The end game on that trip was a unnecessary loss of around 5900.00 in accommodation costs and flight penalties. The 5400.00 in accommodation fees could have been salvaged but were not because of the actions of the owner. We opted to just put it behind us. A few weeks ago, we reengaged with Kelley about remaining availability on another AO scuba trip to the Red Sea in May of 2019. We received a text back from the owner hoping that our family was well and thanking us for all of our previous business with the store. It went on to respectively decline in having us as their customer going forward. HUM...we were fired from his business when we were the ones penalized financially by his poor execution of a workable situation. There was no mention of the part he played in cancelling our spots although paid for and depriving us of selling them to interested parties. No mention of his offer to list them within the store and never following thru but finding grounds to deny it at a later date. He went on to claim the profit margin for them does not make it worth their time for an overly demanding and unreasonable customer. Really? He closed with suggesting we plan our own trips. Such a text message, I surely would not have sent to a loyal customer or anyone else as a matter of fact. It just went to show us that he does not value his customers. Long story short is when you deal with someone who appears to takes no responsibility for their actions, who seems to weasel out of situations with pointing the finger at anyone who catches them in their lies and sends such insulting emails, you need to move on to someone who wants your business. In closing, I am sorry to have to give this business a one star because of the owner, but the business tone starts at the top. Glad to be moving on and looking forward to a relationship with his competitor scuba shop where I hear his customers seem to be fleeing to. read more

We threw our international phone numbers and our restricted availability at them and they still made it work. Bill and his team were rockstars getting us scheduled and instructed for our Open Water Refresher course, so that we could fit in our Nitrox certification too. Thanks guys, we look forward to diving with you for real next year! read more

Just finished my Open Water Scuba Diver certification with Aquatic Obsessions and my experience was great! Captain Bill and the two Divemasters, Adrienne and Jen, were extremely knowledgeable and helpful before and during the five dives at rainbow river. Bill even offered to give me a ride so I didn't have to make the trip alone! Additionally, Bill guarantees the best prices and will allow his costumers to look competitors prices up on one of the computers in the store. Aquatic Obsessions also organizes really cool diving trips around Florida or even around the world. Aquatic Obsessions is a great place to shop, get certifications, and sign up for some amazing dive trips! read more

Aquatic Obsessions is a class act operation. My boyfriend and I took the Open Water certification over the weekend and it was run extremely well. Instructor/Owner Bill and Dive Masters Adrienne and Jen did a great job of teaching/ensuring safety while also making it a fun experience. I would recommend AO to anyone looking to get Scuba certified. Such a great experience. read more

There are some rockstar staff at this store and one guy who is an ass. Have used them before for fills with no problem. Was told today that I had to have VIP stickers from a local dive shop. (I'm and instructor and Visual Inspector). I bring my deco bottles in drained just in case they want to look. Never encountered this in 25 years of diving. read more

Just completed my Diving instruction and certification with AO Dive's instructor Henry Saddler. Couldn't be more impressed. Henry is extremely organized, calm, articulate and presents what can be a stressful subject in a clear, concise manner. Beyond that, he made the open water experience safe and fun and left me eager for greater adventures in diving. Thank you, Henry! read more

Had a great experience getting my Open Water Dive Certification with AODive! Morgan is great and worked with me and my busy work schedule to find a weekend I could go on the open water dive. I had my brother fly down from NY to get certified with me and when Morgan got sick the day before our open water dive, the owner Bill took us for our certification himself. The shop takes care of their customers! read more

Back story: I was with friends and wanted to dive - so I needed tanks. No problem renting them, very friendly and fast. Dropping them off was another story. I was 20 minutes early and the store was locked - but I could see staff in the back so I knocked on the door. Completely ignored - not even eye contact. I called - went to voice mail. So I left the tanks at the front door. An hour later, got a call chastising me for leaving the tanks at the front door where I would have been liable if they had been stolen. Was told never to do this again. Was also told that the staff has a lot of work in the morning so it is policy to completely ignore customers standing at the door. For new divers, scuba is exciting and scary. I would never recommend OS to anyone - especially a newbie that would be intimidated by such rude behavior. Good news is there is another dive shop about 15 minutes from OS - and they love their customers and treat them very well. read more

Great dive shop if you are in to spear fishing. The gentleman that owns the store sponsors the local spearfishing tournament every year. Im a local dive cleaner that was in their store a few times a week filing air. Seems like the store is a victim of its own success. Crappy hours. Very clique. Employees are not very friendly at least to me. Staff is knowledgeable especially if you're in to spearfishing. So make sure and stop by if your a spear fisher. read more

I have been in and out of this store for any scuba needs for over ten years. I find them to be very friendly and efficient. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. I must say I have never had a negative experience when visiting for any reason. read more

Went in to get 3 steel 117's filled with Nitrox. Tanks were VIP'd (includes cleaning) and filled with Nitrox 2 weeks ago at Mac's Sports in Clearwater (highly recommend by the way). They have a sticker on them saying ready for pre-mix 22-40%. The guy at the shop (the one the other reviewers say is a jerk) tells me he can't fill them because they don't have an enriched air label "band" on them. This is total BS! He also had incredibly arrogant and combative attitude! I walked out with my tanks and will never do business with them. The other reviewers are right; guy is a total jerk! read more

This place my family has gone to for many years Bill Hardman is an Amazing person not only to his customers, but also has a charity he runs and has so much passion to help people . I learned how to dive from AO and they made sure I was well educated and prepared, safety is one major Goal in that dive shop. They also match competitor prices and will answer any questions you have about diving to spear fishing. And one thing that's very unique about this place they ha e a dive meeting once every month at Fergs free Beer!!! So that's why I give this place 5 stars read more

Probably the best shop in the area. Great selection of regs, BCs, and spearfishing gear. They cater to technical divers with high-pressure helium and oxygen fills. Both the owner and the manager are rebreather divers, the owner has more spearfishing trophies than he can count, and runs top notch spearfishing charters. The store is well laid out with a large inventory that is organized. There trips are something they have done for years so they are always well run. read more

I got my certification from AO and could not have been happier. My dive experience was scary for me but it was my fault not theirs. In fact, my diver master Captain Dave and his wife Maria were very patient with me and help me through my fear and assured me I would be able to complete the course. They were right. Had it not been for Capt Dave and his one on one with me I would not have been able to do the dive. AO is very helpful, professional and above all SAFETY CONSCIENCE! Capt Bill, the owner, is very concerned about the safety of all the divers regardless of level and his dive masters reflect that same attitude. I have recently been on a snorkel trip with this dive shop and had an amazing experience. My wife accompanied me and she is a beginner and she was put completely at ease by everyone involved. From the first time I walked into this shop I was told they would take care of me and they have not let me down yet! If I go out on a trip with anyone of the dive masters from AO....I know I will be coming back safe and sound. I can't say enough good things about then at the shop...Leann, Capt Bill, Capt Dave, Maria, and especially Charlie...you guys rock!!! Jan Lowe Gulfport, FL read more

Fair prices and incredibly helpful staff. Megan was super patient with my husband as he tried on masks for over 30 minutes. Plus they were fine with us bringing our little dog in the store. read more

After moving to St. Pete from Chicago about 4 years ago I decided to get back into local diving. On my first visit to their shop and meeting the staff and eventually the owner, I thought that this would be a good shop to do business with. So I returned to drop some tanks off to be hydro'ed and visual inspected so they could be current. They did this without fail, after a couple of more visits ranging from buying some misc. gear, air fills, ect. I decided to drop off a set of regulators for service. They originally told me that it would be about a two week turn around time, I asked them if it could be repaired faster, they asked the very grumpy and unprofessional technician that does all the repairs, he told me that it would now be 4 weeks before he could look at them. In the mean time, I was yelled at by the owner for bring my gentle dog into the store---which I have done many times before. The owner informed me that he was an attorney and he could be sued if my very gentle retired greyhound bit someone. ( The dog doesn't even bark) Upon doing a little research on this chronic liar, (Bill the owner) has turned up not only has he NEVER taken the state bar exam, he a a washout-drop out of law school, yet he boasts and brags to everyone coming in the store that he is a lawyer. I can not feel comfortable doing business with a chronic liar and scam artist. I would highly recommend anyone considering doing business with A O Scuba to find a new shop that will not lie to you. read more

I called Aquatic Obsessions in advance of a long vacation and made arrangements to take classes to become open water certified. They advised me to take the on line class and when I arrived they would give me the classes. So I paid the $109 and completed the on line class prior to arriving in St. Pete. Upon arrival I called to set up classes and was told an instructor would call me back. I waited 3 days without hearing anything so I called back. Once again I was told an instructor would call me and set it up. After 2 more days I personally drove to AO and went in. The girl working there was nice and took my name and number and once again I was told I would be contacted. Again NOTHING! Another phone call, NOTHING! I finally drove to AO again and the same nice girl took my number again. I explained in more than 2 weeks they had not contacted me. She told me the same thing again. I finally called SDI and complained. They were very responsive and immediately transferred my on line test results to another dive shop they recommended (the test results go to a particular shop and you as a student cannot forward them to another shop yourself). My experience with the alternate shop could not have been better! They will be getting all my business in the future. I would not recommend Aquatic Obsessions to ANYONE under ANY circumstances. read more

TERRIBLE experience. I signed up to be certified which involved only a couple classes. They never showed up to their own shop the Saturday morning it was scheduled. After calling them they did not apologize. I asked for a refund, and after a heated discussion I was called "a stupid college girl". I heard rumors that they were not very safe and let students drink before diving. I thought they were exaggerating they are not. At the second class they bragged about how they will buy you a six pack on one of the trips to the Keys if you win their contest. Overall I felt extremely uncomfortable, and left. I suggest anywhere but here. read more

After talking about wanting to get certified to scuba dive for years my family bought me a gift card for my birthday to get my open water certification in June 2010 at Aquatic Obsessions. After receiving my gift card I was so excited I went down the next day to sign up. Not knowing anybody that dives or ever stepping foot in this dive shop I walk in and was greeted by a lady named Leanne. Leanne was very knowledgeable about the upcoming classes and what I would need to get started. After she registered me with SDI for my on line class work she looked to see who my instructor would be for my class. She informed me that Charlie Barnes would be my instructor and he was in the back filling tanks if I would like to meet him, so I said sure that would be great! Charlie came right out and shook my hand and introduced him self and we started talking about diving and all the different levels and certifications available. After talking with Charlie I knew I was in the right place to get my open water certification. He was very professional, knowledgeable and straightforward which I admire and respect. As Charlie and I were talking a man came in the front door, walked over to us and just started talking more about diving and spearfishing which I was really interested in getting involved with after I was certified. Before I knew it I had been there for two hours talking to complete strangers that I felt like I knew for ever, come to find out the other guy that was talking to Charlie and I was the shop owner Captain Bill Hardman. So I left the shop very excited about my new sport that I was going to be involved with so I went home to start my book work and on line test. Now its pool day, Charlie and his dive masters were on time like clock work and were very organized and had a clear plan of the days events and what our class needed to accomplish that day. Charlie and his dive masters made sure you felt comfortable in your gear and while underwater on scuba. The pool session was a success and the next time we would meet, would be at KP Hole state park / Rainbow River for our open water dives. We all met at KP Hole state park and our dives were great!! After our dives on Saturday Charlie and his dive masters invited our class to join them for dinner so we all accepted and came up with a time and place. The AO staff was very cordial, and we had a great dinner and time conversating about scuba diving and life in general. I was hooked on diving after that weekend. After getting back home I went back down to AO Dive to inquire about continuing my diving education. Since then I have completed threw Aquatic Obsessions my advanced open water, nitrox, underwater hunter for spearfishing, CPR / First Aid, rescue diver, dive master, scubility dive buddy to help disable people dive safely with there disability, and helitrox. People gravitate to Aquatic Obsessions because of the caring and knowledgeable staff and there quality customers.There is no such thing as a stranger around AO Dive Shop, YOUR FAMILY!!. I would highly recommend this dive shop to anybody looking to get certified for open water or to further there education in diving. THANK YOU ALL AT AO DIVE FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR THE DIVE COMMUNITY. AND OTHER NON PROFIT GROUPS! Sincerely your friend and loyal customer, Chris S. read more

My boyfriend and myself flew in from Maryland to complete our open water dive. AO was super accommodating to our tight schedule. Everyone I spoke with at the shop was very nice and helpful. Prices were the cheapest compared to other dive shops I called. Bill, the dive shop owner, took us out on our dives and was extremely patient and knowledgeable. Overall, great experience and great people at AO! read more