My wife and I became Open Water certified through the Playground Dive Shop. I have lots of…read morewater-related anxiety and was concerned how I would do, but I was determined to try because I wanted to Scuba dive on our first trip to Hawaii. Our instructor, Chad, is one of the most patient teachers I've met. He worked with me and made our classes fit what I felt comfortable doing until I was able to do all the skills, pushing me just enough to try, but not so much to get discouraged. He spent the time to make sure didn't just learn the skills, but felt comfortable with them before our open water dives. He even went the extra mile to make we we had enough pool time to get make the open water trip that was scheduled before our vacation. We were so happy with them (and discovered we LOVE scuba) that we have since gone back for our Advanced certification and a handful of specialty classes to help us be better divers and pursue other interested aspects of diving. We've also taken a diving trip with them, and Jenn worked hard to make sure everything was in order and that our traveling and diving experience was the best, and it was. Beyond the training the dive shop staff have been great to work with as we've tried to get the gear and service we need. I'd recommend Playground Dive Shop to anyone looking for new certifications or equipment.

From the owner: At the Playground Dive Shop we offer fun & safe environment to learn to scuba dive. With classes…read moregeared at your pace (no commando classes) take the time you need to learn how to explore the underwater world. We have the largest selection in stock of female dive equipment as well as gear for you men too! We also have a large selection of paintball items from Empire, Splatmaster, and JT

I come here for my son's swimming lessons. The shop does t gi e them but my longtime friend teaches…read morethem here. I like going there and while he's swimming, I get to watch the other people go through dive training. The shop is awesome and has everything you need to start scuba diving. I keep saying I'm going to sign up and I'm going to. I love snorkeling and this seems like it would be awesome. The instructor(s)/owner(s) are super nice. I'm going to sign up.....For real so I can get out in the ocean and really see some sea life. If you're a diver or are thinking about becoming one, go here.

Great location for all your scuba diving needs and knowledgeable staff. My partner and I took their…read more"Intro to Scuba" class back in 2016. The instructors were patient and friendly with all the questions we had. We returned this year to take their Scuba Certification course. The staff is still very kind and supportive. Their selection of diving equipment is nice. Being able to try on the equipment in person versus having to guess with online ordering is convenient. Looking forward to returning for more courses once we complete our open water dives.

Words can't express how great of an experience I had learning from Scuba Dave! I received my SSI…read morecertification this last month for a trip to the BVIs and man am I hooked! Dave professionally took us thru the process for open water certification. I was completely prepared when I went for my first ocean dive which made the experience so amazing! He made sure I was completely ready thru all stages of training before moving on. I can't wait to continue diving and certainly will try and go on some of the group dives he leads thru the year!

From the owner: Whether you're a seasoned diver or looking for a new hobby, choose the most experienced and trusted…read morename in the greater Lawrence area and call Scuba Shack! Get private lessons for any skill level, the best brands in diving equipment, service and air fills, and much more. Our shop offers a full range of top brand products for all of your diving needs, no matter your skill level. Stop in and ask what may be right for you. Experienced divers, bring in your equipment for service or for air and nitrox fills. Have fun with the whole family or prepare for your next diving challenge! With private lessons available for every skill level, the experts at Scuba Shack are ready to get you up to speed. Our classes include snorkeling training, open water diving and more for beginners, as well as a range of specialty courses for more experienced divers. We are the greater Lawrence area's diving authority with over 30 years of experience. For the most reliable and experienced training, equipment and service, trust the Scuba Shack for all your diving and snorkeling needs.

Still waiting on the new pool. John has the same story and tries to oversale. Customer is not…read morefitted for their needs.

Impressive inventory for the scuba enthusiast. I found the service department to be top notch with…read morequick turnaround. They have all things scuba covered. Do you want to just try scuba, become that new diver or take on going advanced classes. Perhaps join in on there awesome travel options. Go by and talk to the knowledgeable staff, I am sure you will agree they are awesome. I always received 5 star treatment.

I go here for my scuba lessons. It's a bit of a drive for me, but I don't mind it because the staff…read moreis friendly. The pool is heated and has both a shallow and a deep end. It seems pretty equipped with all the gears one would need to have scuba lessons and the instructors really know their stuff. The restrooms and changing areas are clean and there is also a galley kitchen and conference room to hold teaching classes. Also, you should stop by their shop to purchase a few accessories for your next diving trip. This place has a little bit of everything!

This place does it all - from outfitting you to teaching classes to lessons…read more Showed up right at opening time on Saturday and got the personal attention of the owner for an hour as we systematically worked through the outfitting of a diving/snorkeling novice. Really appreciated his care/thoughtfulness. Gear served me well in Grand Cayman. Am looking forward to geting more certifications here.

BEWARE! The guy who owns this company also runs a landscape business called "Action Lawn Care."…read moreHis name is Ed. He does not know anything about what he is doing in the contract / lawn side of things. We hired him to do several thousands of dollars worth of work for us and had to pay to have EVERY SINGLE THING re-done by someone else. He was supposed to re-grade our front yard. He did it wrong and we had to have a different landscape company re-do it right. He put in a French drain / foundation drain that didn't work. Again, we had to have a different company come back and re-do it. We paid him to do hydro seed and it was FILLED with WEEDS. So... we had to hire someone else to come plow it up and lay sod. And we hired him to put in a sump pump to keep water out of our garage. I typically don't write flaming reviews and just dealt with it, but the straw that broke the camel's back is that, the sump pump he installed just broke! It has been there for ONLY about a year. And again, this was the ONLY thing we haven't already had to pay to have re-done - the only, single thing! I called and asked him to come and fix it and he told me he would be that he would charge us for the whole thing over again - the labor and a new pump. Please keep in mind that we already paid him THOUSANDS! And had to re-pay thousands to someone else. He doesn't stand behind his work AT ALL, and even wouldn't come back to fix this out of everything we paid him for. In addition, he turned out to be one of the most hostile people that I have ever encountered. He was rude, yelled at us often, and continued to charge more than his bids throughout the job. We will never give him one more dime and wish that there had been reviews out there on his company before we hired him. We went with him because his daughter-in-law had done work for us, recommended him, and her work was FANTASTIC. We made a HUGE mistake trusting him and hope to help others avoid our mistake by putting reviews of his work out there. He is doing this type of work on the side, and hiding behind his scuba company. Our lesson learned.

In one evening of Discover Scuba class, instructors DJ and Steve helped me overcome my fears and…read moreanxiety of scuba. My husband and I received a groupon for Christmas, but we both were a little anxious about trying scuba. I finally called to reserve our spots in a Discover Scuba class. I had done one other "discover" type class while on a cruise and it was a terrible experience. But it was my husband's first experience. The class is held at the YMCA. The pool was pretty busy which made it a little distracting and hard to hear at times. They got us fitted for our gear, gave us an overview of equipment and basics. Then we learned two skills in the shallow end of the pool before moving deeper. I was super anxious at first and actually wanted to quit after a few tries. But both DJ and Steve were calm and patient. They helped me feel comfortable and encouraged me to keep going. I ended up really enjoying the experience. We got to spend about an hour in the water. My husband did better than me, he learned the skills quickly and comfortable immediately. Now we both want to go back and do our Open Water Certification. I highly recommend Big Joe Scuba and am so thankful they moved me from fearful to eager for more.