Let me start out with brief background. Trip was to take my 2 sons (19 &15) for their first dive experience to Myrtle Bch. Plus my friend and his 17 yr old daughter were doing DSD (Discovery Scuba Dive). I was going for my AOW and my 15 yr old would go for his OW.

I live in MI and my sons live in NC. I did almost all of my leg work via email with Jeanne and she was fantastic! Jeanne got me all set up, organized on what to do, and made a great deal. Ordered books and DVD for my 15 yr old who did the entire book work ahead of getting there. (Definitely do this as it saves time) The instructor Chris Price was awesome. He reviewed all the book work, graded the quizzes, and made sure everyone was ok to take the final. (3 hrs total but everyone was prepared so we moved quickly)

The pool work with Chris was great. He made everyone comfortable with the gear and being in the water. He took time to make sure everyone could complete the require disciplines. If someone was not set, he repeated the requirement. The dives went very well and again, the dive masters and instructors made sure everyone was safe and had a good time.

My instructor was very meticulous about hitting my disciplines. He was not allowing any room for error on my AOW. I could say one thing about Russ, he was 100% + by the book and safety. Made me feel very confident about what I was doing.

Now the only two negatives were the boat and the dive shop was a bit unorganized.

The boat was the second in their fleet and it rode high in the water. The jump in was about 5', which for any first time person would be a bit scary. (my son did great with it). Getting out was a challenge again due to height. The crew made sure everyone adhered to the pre-dive instructions for how to exit.

As for the shop, it needed a bit of organization. The counter was cluttered, boxes of new items were open but not put away, very limited amount of diving gear. Class room was a bit messy. The pool on sight was great. Clean and well maintained. It may seem a bit picky to find little things to complain about, but it will always be the little things that can give you a good or bad impression. However, I wasn’t there for the dive shop and was ok with the disorganization.

The wonderful thing of the experience was how great everyone treated the customers. Every person that was involved truly cared about the safety of everyone on the boat and dives to make sure it was a positive experience. At the dock everything was well organized. You were clear on what to do and when to do it. If you want to experience a professional operation, please go to Coastal Scuba. You will have fun and know you are in good hands

John H
Shelby Twp, MI