Recommended shop in Calgary for two newbies to get their certification?

[TNEngineer]

Hello, we have some close friends in Calgary who are interested in getting certified. The plan would be to have them do their classroom and pool work locally, then do their open water and final cert stuff on a trip to the Caribbean. Most dive operations we've used on the islands offer this so it must be pretty common.

I see three local dive shops in Calgary: Calgary Scuba, The Dive Shop, and Aqua Dive and Watersports. Anyone have any data, good or bad, regarding a shop preference for brand new divers to get their Open Water certification? This is an intelligent couple, both in highly technical fields, and both are physically active so they should be "easy students" if that makes a difference. Obviously it needs to be a shop that is comfortable with the idea of finishing elsewhere.

Thanks!

 

[JBFG]

@Charlene Barker

Talk to her.

 

[electricb]

If you can get Sabrina at The Dive Shop, she's awesome. I've co-taught classes with her. If I had kids, I'd have her teach them. Patient, fun and super-knowledgeable. I'm not sure if she's often teaching open water now... I think she's doing free-diving and tech.

 

[_Ralph]

2nd for Sabrina (or anyone else) at the Dive shop.


Calgary Scuba/Caribbean dreams have been shop less since the start of covid, and do all training at a YMCA pool (have to rent the whole pool for classes)

No experience with Aqua Dive in the deep south.


_R

 

[nadwidny]

Only The Dive Shop and Aqua Dive are brick and mortar shops. I would go with The Dive Shop.

 

[JFS]

If coming to Cozumel, Blue H2o Cozumel does Open water certs, referrals.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

I met Sabrina from The Dive Shop, last summer, here on the coast. She joined in on a Sunday group dive I normally join. We have mutual friends. Nice gal, really good diver.

 

[nadwidny]

I met Sabrina from The Dive Shop, last summer, here on the coast. She joined in on a Sunday group dive I normally join. We have mutual friends. Nice gal, really good diver.

Sabrina is a solid diver.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

Sabrina is a solid diver.

... she was there on my 200th dive on my 60th b-day.