Highly highly recommend. In particular, I appreciate the professionalism and responsiveness by…read moreDick Scott for their training programs; qualities getting harder and harder to come by these days.

I can't recommend Portsmouth Scuba enough! I wanted to challenge myself to get my open water…read morecertificate and the instructors / staff were beyond supportive in helping me achieve that goal. Very knowledgeable / experienced / professional / fun and willing to share it all for your benefit. You're in good hands with them!

Hours are sporadic, call first if you don't want to be surprised and find the store closed. This…read morehappened to me twice. Well stocked shop and helpful staff, if they're open.

From the owner: Divers Den Dive Shop is proud to be the oldest continuing PADI dive shop in the world #8…read moreWe offer PADI courses in scuba diving, We also have a full retail store carrying SCUBAPRO, SHERWOOD, AKONA, HENDERSON. If you need your gear serviced or your tanks filled, we can help you. If you are looking for local diving or trips to a far away destination we can help you. Check us out on our website for the latest information

Aqua diving academy is a shop tucked off of commercial street in Portland with a smaller sized…read moreparking lot in front of the shop that is free (though plenty of parking on street). It looks small on the outside so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I tell ya this shop has TONS of awesome gear for its size! I needed a snorkel and new mask, with an older one and old fins I brought in to have them look at for an upcoming trip to Tahiti and found many to try on and compare. The sales person I had was great- he was patient, helped me analyze my fit and things to pay attention to and tricks to get a good seal for a good mask fit and pros/cons of different types. He also looked at the well used older fins I brought in and rather than say they looked like the needed to be replaced as I had thought, inspected them for dry rot etc to make sure the condition looked ok and said as long as I'm comfortable in them they should be fine rather than buying new. He looked at my snorkel and could see one of the seals was no longer working. I looked at new fins too just in case I needed a back up. Good selection of reef safe sunscreens and other accessories like waterproof bags, etc. I was most surprised by how many wetsuit options (full,shorty, etc) they offered, including thermal tops and bottoms,many of which could be also used for surfing and other sports and many were not highly priced like i thought I'd find at a dive shop. Obviously if you are a diver they have quite a bit of dive gear and I believe they offer education/pool/diver certification through them as well. Loved my mask and snorkel on the trip I took, snorkeling multiple times per day it was a major step up in performance and comfort from my US divers inexpensive one prior. All in all highly recommend this shop!

We had a great experience with Aqua Diving Academy getting gear and learning how to snorkel. The…read morestaff was knowledgable and extremely helpful picking out the right mask and snorkel. We then took a few snorkeling lessons with Angel which prepared us for an upcomig trip. I feel much more comfortable and confident in the water. Angel was a terrific teacher and coach - and she is clearly doing something she is passionate about.

Always a great rental experience with Dive Winnipesauke! dropped and picked up paddleboards and…read morelife preservers on schedule. Kind staff and helpful. Easy online booking.

Dive Winnipesaukee is not an honest business. Dive Winnipesaukee makes it clear they don't care…read moreabout customer service, honouring their word, or customer safety. I've written 327 reviews and only five businesses had the lack of integrity, unprofessionalism, and ineptitude to "earn" a 1 star review. I do not take giving a one star lightly and provide plenty of opportunities for the business to correct a potential misunderstanding with lots of benefit of doubt before it's obvious "Oh, Dive Winnipesaukee doesn't give a crap about us as customers. This is intentional." Keep reading if you want the lengthy details. I'm not even going to get into the fact none of the employees wore a mask, that's almost an amusing "Oh well, diff'rnt folks diff'rnt strokes!" in the face of the entire experience. My husband called TWO DAYS ahead and made a reservation for 6 single kayaks and one double kayak for a group of 8 adults. We confirmed many times these were available for a half day morning, the employee said we could come in any time that morning, we said we'd try to arrive around 9:30am, and we gave our credit card information as well as our phone number. The total came out to around $254. 9:30am on the day of our reservation, as we were literally parking across the street from Dive Winnipesaukee, my husband gets a call from another employee who told us that they only had one single kayak available. We would have to make do with 3 double kayaks and a PADDLEBOARD instead. She said "I'll give you a discount for the miscommunication, I'll charge you the price of a single kayak for the double kayaks." Okay, not ideal to be told this at the last minute possible, especially since we've already put our credit card information down for our reservation. We decide to move past this and have a good time still. One front desk employee immediately tries to charge us for the original $254. I said "No, we are only getting three double kayaks and a paddleboard, plus we were told on the phone we'd be getting a discount because of the error." A woman came by (I think she is either the manager or owner) and said "I called Heath and told him everything." Heath is my husband and he's standing right next to me, he tries to chime in and she cuts him off and say "Let's get you out there and we'll sort this after." We agree and give them the benefit of believing they are an honest business and will sort this out. Their equipment is in bad condition. The three kayaks we got were completely different and in poor condition, it felt like they were purchased at yard sales. They're not sea kayaks, which they should've been because the lake had very strong currents and lots of boats. The worst part is they said they ran out of life vests and gave one of our friends the cheap kind you put on for a ferry (over the head, no straps to secure to body). My friend insisted this was not acceptable because 1. Kayak looked bad 2. The heavy wind and currents. Keep in mind they open at 9am, we showed up at 9:30am with a *reservation*. They didn't have 8 life vests?! After five minutes of my friend insisting, the guy went to look in their storage and found a real life vest. Why did it have to be such an ordeal, customer safety should've been number one and they should have had 8 life vests ready. Dive Winnipesaukee's business motto: Should've, would've, could've, don't give a crap so didn't. My husband went to the bathroom before we set out and the manager/owner/boss came out immediately with the receipt and asked us to pay. So much for waiting until after like she said. The price on the new bill was over $200, she didn't give us the discount that she promised ten minutes ago over the phone. I said "You didn't give us a discount, you said you'd charge us a single kayak price for the double kayaks because the reservation was messed up. You're just charging us full price for everything." She looked me in the eye and said "The original price was $254, it's $200 now. I gave you a $50 discount. Do you want me to charge you $254?" I was stunned, she's suggesting charging me the price for equipment we didn't get? Sure, charge us $254 and give us the equipment we reserved! It looked like she waited for my husband, whom she spoke with, to not be around. I told her that I wanted to wait and she said "I'm going to run the payment, we can discuss this later." Spoiler alert - there was no later! There was no training provided, when we asked them for places that we could kayak to we were given vague instructions of "There is a public beach, but it's closed. So just kayak around that bend, it's private property, but they might let you on." There's only one public beach, when that is closed then you're surrounded by large McMansion private properties and it gets tiring/boring quick. One of our friends also got stuck with the paddleboard on the rough waters. If you use Dive Winnipesaukee, be prepared to be screwed over.

Learning to dive is something I've wanted to do for years, and I couldn't have asked for a better…read moreinstructor than Kirk. From the very first session, it was clear I was in expert hands -- not just in terms of skill and experience, but in patience, communication, and genuine passion for the underwater world. Kirk made complex concepts easy to understand, always took the time to explain the "why" behind every skill, and most importantly, never rushed the process. They created a calm, supportive environment where I felt safe, confident, and encouraged at every step. What really stood out was his attention to detail. Whether it was checking equipment, giving real-time feedback underwater, or sharing fascinating facts about marine life, they went above and beyond what I expected from a dive instructor. By the end of the course, I wasn't just certified. I felt like a true diver, ready to explore the ocean with confidence

Dive KS is the best!!! Kirk and his team are extremely thorough. Getting certified was a well…read moreorganized and fun experience. I felt so ready for all aspects of the skills of diving by the end. I recommend this shop to everyone I know looking to get certified.

Sue and Mike at Aquatic Escapes were nothing but awesome from the moment I reached out with my…read moreinquiry to the completion of my course. They were very friendly, very helpful, very patient, and very flexible to my circumstance and schedule. Their prices are very fair as well. Even if other certification providers had gotten back to me as quickly and surely as they did, the best deal was still with AE. I did my training dives with Mike, an expert diver and great teacher with decades of experience. I highly recommend him for any dive training/certification you have in mind. Back Story: About a month ago, I realized I had the chance to go after an obscure bucket list dive I learned about years ago, but I only had a few weeks (in the middle of winter) to get my dry suit diver certification, which is required for it. I was pessimistic about the possibility of getting this done, but I still contacted every dive training service in the region just in case there was a chance. Aquatic Escapes was the ONLY place to promptly write me back with optimism and confidence that we could easily get it done in time. And because of them, I was able to work around my busy schedule and get the certification completed just like that. Now I'm ready to check a very cool dive off of my bucket list later this month.

Just completed a scuba certification here and Mike was awesome! Super helpful and answered all my…read morequestions. I also felt very comfortable learning and in the ocean during my dives! Definitely would recommend!

They have all the toys and the staff is delight to work with. An excellent Shop for maintenance and…read morerepair of my regulator and console as well.

I just have to give a shout out to Luis, one of the instructors/ guides at this excellent dive…read moreshop! I needed help getting acclimated to cold water diving in New England, and was lucky to get Luis as my private guide for multiple dives. He is very patient, safety-oriented, positive and has taught me lots. He also manages to find interesting critters on every single dive! This shop has the kind of quality instructors that you want to continue your training with.

I recently completed my open water SSI certification with Dave at Aquatic Specialties and had an…read moreincredible experience. I was completing this course, including the open water portion, all in December; I was eager to get certified in a New England winter, and Dave matched that energy. From the moment you meet Dave, his enthusiasm for SCUBA is palpable. Throughout long class days, Dave is cracking jokes, telling anecdotes and getting you excited about the skill you're about to have, all while answering a barrage of questions. In the water, he is professional, vigilant, and in his element. He exudes an air of calm and control, allowing you to confidently perform skills that would otherwise be terrifying or disorienting- like removing your goggles or respirator in 45 degree water. Beyond that, the staff is equally as knowledgeable and the community they foster is incredibly warm and welcoming. Even on my open water dives where I thought it was just going to be myself and Dave, I ended up meeting more people who tagged along just because they wanted to dive. I'd be hard pressed to find a more inviting community that is excited to pass the knowledge along to others. What an awesome experience and an awesome group of people that I can happily say I'm a part of now. Thank you Dave! 5/5 stars

Excellent instructors! Worked with me patiently to resolve difficulties I was having and made sure…read moreI had the right gear for me. Game changer!

I needed a mask with prescription lenses. Mike explained everything to me very thoroughly on the…read morephone, and when I went into the shop, Paul helped me to pick a mask, dropped in the right lenses (in stock), tested me, and wrapped things up within a very friendly 20 minutes. Very fair prices and a fantastic experience with people who are extremely knowledgeable. I'll be coming back for sure!

After spending two half-days with Nick at East Coast Divers, I walked away with a completely new…read morelevel of information and confidence. Even though this wasn't a certification course, the workshop provided practical setup advice and technical insights that are hard to find elsewhere.   Nick's technical knowledge is expansive; he was able to address every question or concern the group had with ease. What impressed me most was his willingness to help outside the specific scope of the workshop--if we had a scuba-related subject we were curious about, he would work with us one-on-one to provide pointers or recommendations. It shows he's invested in the diver's overall success, not just checking boxes for the day's lesson.   He clearly cares about the curriculum and his students. He went over the allotted time both days to ensure we truly understood the material, and I wouldn't have shortened it by a single minute. If you are looking to fine-tune and improve your in-water skills, I highly recommend his Advanced Buoyancy, Movement, and Positioning Techniques workshop.

For most part I do not write reviews. When I do write a review is because I felt real appreciated…read moreand was treated with care and presented with great customer service. I was scuba certified long time ago and logged hundreds of dives until life changed and I took a break from diving for 14 years. Recently i came to the conclusion that diving was my passion and I was literally miserable been out of the water. My road back to diving took me to Discover Diving where I worked and still work with Jeff and Deb to map my way back to diving. What amazes me and made it special was that both Jeff and Deb are notorious, in a good way, to make sure you feel and experience that you are the only person that matter to them from the time you come into the store to the time you leave. Don't get me wrong, they acknowledge other customers

The owner and instructor Jeff is very friendly, knowledgeable and full of energy. He knows his…read morestuff. Prices in the store are way better than in similar stores yet you still getting quality stuff. Open Water Diving classes - price is better than 4 other dive shops I checked out.