Bubbles Dive Center???

[CT-Rich]

Looking for interesting new sites in the Newport/ Middletown area, I came across this place listed as “Bubbles Dive Center”. Not a confidence stirring name, but it appears to rent gear and fill tanks... Anyone been there/ know them? It wouldn’t be bad to have a dive shop in Newport.
https://bubblesdivecenter.net/

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Rumors keep circulating that they’ve closed, but I see tanks with his stickers at Firex now and then. Even the guy at Firex thought Bubbles had closed, but the owner keeps showing up with multiple rental tanks. So, he may rent gear, but he doesn’t fill tanks.

 

[CT-Rich]

That doesn’t sound promising. There were some pictures that showed a compressor but no banked gas.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

I am going to be in that area Thursday morning, I’ll swing by to see what it looks like and if it is still in business. If they are, they wouldn’t be open that early (8 am), so I won’t be able to check out the shop. Let ya know what I find.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Well, Rich, it would seem that the rumors of Bubbles death have been greatly exaggerated. I drove by this morning and the dive center is definitely there. It appears parking could be a bit problematic. For that matter, navigating Chapel St. could be problematic. With cars parked on the side of the street, I would not have been able to drive down it if another truck were coming th other way. That being said, I’m curious to check them out.

 

[AfterDark]

To the best of my knowledge there are no air stations in Newport or Jamestown. Westerly has a sport shop that sells and services diving gear. I think they also have an air station. If my count is correct there are less than 6 places in RI that have air stations to fill scuba tanks. At least 2 of those places are in Northern RI far away from the ocean. If I were a couple of decades younger I be thinking about owning my own compressor. Someday it maybe the only way to get a tank filled in RI.