Divers@Sea — Local services in Atlanta

I would like to preface this with it is a shame that this has to be a negative review when I see so many others have had such positive experiences.

My visit at Divers @ Sea on 7/2/2013 started out with a telephone call to a lady named Dawn. She was helpful on the phone and seemed nice enough. I had tried several other dive stores around Atlanta but most are 18+ miles from my home. I wanted to try out Divers @ Sea as I work very close by and they are also a PADI dive shop, which is whom I have my certifications thru.

When I got to the store, it was nice enough, sparse but clean. Parking is around the back and there was plenty of it Dawn was on the phone which is totally fine. However once she began helping me, I explained what I had, showed her my set up and and what I was needing from please check these regulators out to I need a new hose to fit my new low pressure BCD inflator. One of the first things out of Dawns mouth was...."you know those regulators are notorious for malfunctioning I'll likely need to send it back to the manufacturer to get it serviced" (Sherwood SR-1 regulator). Wow...thanks for making me feel like the gear I bought is junk. Yes I'm aware of the "malfunctions" which happen primarily in cold water

Unfortunately, this review cannot be a positive one. I obtained my initial Open Water and Nitrox certifications through Divers@Sea in August 2022. The mere fact that I actually received my certifications is the only reason this is not a 1-star review.

Through researching online, I found this dive shop to be the most competitively priced option for initial certification in the Atlanta area. However, this appearance of a good deal is not the reality. Divers@Sea utilizes a shady system whereby they will only register you for their classes if you purchase your core SCUBA equipment setup directly from them. When I initially balked at this realization, Dawn was quick to remind me that they would be happy to provide my spot in their class to another student. This forced approach left a bad taste in my mouth that was only confirmed the longer I worked with this shop.

Ultimately, this shop engages in practices that are unfair and unduly exploitative of new divers. Reasonable people are perfectly capable of making equipment decisions outside of the "holier than thou" gaze of a greedy dive shop looking to make a sale. Indeed, I ultimately finished my certification utilizing my own equipment purchased before being strong-armed into purchasing duplicate gear by Bert and Dawn. This additional equipment represented a multi-hundred-dollar investment that was virtually useless, but required under their "take it or leave it" class registration scheme.

I would recommend avoiding this dive shop if at all possible. Supporting local dive shops does not mean turning a blind eye to aggressive sales tactics, rude retail service, or being belittled by dive instructors unwilling to be flexible for their clients. As an alternative, I have found exceptional service at both Dive Georgia and SeaVentures, LLC - local competitors that outcompete Divers@Sea in price, customer service, and sense of community. Those two organizations helped me achieve my Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver Certifications, and have been wonderful in terms of trip planning, dive buddy matching, and gear setup advice.

EDIT: The argument that the shop demands you purchase your core SCUBA kit (mask, fins, booties, snorkel, etc) from them to ensure safety is unpersuasive. Any competent Divemaster or Instructor can inspect gear and determine its suitability for use. Shops should not demand hundreds in wasted dollars in these circumstances. The demand that new students purchase new gear is merely to make up for the deficit in income received from the low-cost course...

I unfortunately had a terrible experience with Divers@Sea. I found them in April 2022 as I started the process of SCUBA certification for an upcoming dive trip to Belize in July 2022. Initially Bert was very helpful in explaining the process and getting me started, assuring me they would do everything possible to get me certified in time for my trip. In June, I visited the shop again prior to my Confined Water training weekend to complete necessary forms and knowledge review. I brought with me gear (BCD, regulator, mask/fins/snorkel) that my grandfather (a master diver who lives in SC) graciously purchased for me as a surprise birthday gift. Once Dawn realized I already had my own gear and she would not be getting a sale from me, the encounter went downhill immediately and was quite frankly the worst customer service experience I've ever had - she had a disgusted look on her face, was rude and refused to engage altogether from that point on. I was then told I would not be able to use my own BCD/reg for the training and would have to rent theirs, which after working with a new dive shop I now know is completely ridiculous and unreasonable. Nevertheless, I completed the confined water training with them as scheduled the following weekend and had a spot already reserved for their Open water training trip to Dive Land Park a few weekends later. After no follow up regarding the Dive Land trip I reached back out and was given the runaround before ultimately being told there would in fact be no trip that weekend or any weekend prior to my Belize trip due to lack of interest from current students. I requested PADI referral forms and wanted no further business with this shop.

I was lucky to find Peachtree Dive Center (see my 5 star review on their page) who were amazing and accommodating in every way. They got me in last minute for their Open Water trip to Dive Land Park the original weekend I was planning to go with Divers@Sea. To my surprise, when I got to Dive Land I was shocked to find Bert there with a group of Divers@Sea students after being told they wouldn't be making a trip that weekend. It is clear from my own experience (and others' after reading past reviews) that Bert & Dawn's top priority is making money from equipment sales and they have little to no investment in training aspiring SCUBA divers. If you are looking for anything in a dive shop other than a place to buy gear, I HIGHLY recommend...