Dive Shop Recommendation-Sherman Area

[PacificFlyer]

Aloha,

Moved back to Texas after 14 years in Hawaii and need to find a good LDS. I live in the Sherman/Denison area and am not averse to driving to North Dallas area. I am pretty particular about my equipment and want a shop that has an excellent reputation for their work and also has a very good selection of gear. A selection of photo equipment and ability to repair or inspect Sea & Sea camera housings would be a plus. I have 2-Mares Abyss MR-22 Regs, 1-ScubaPro MK20/G250, and a ScubaPro Knight Hawk with Air 2; all overdue annual inspections. Also have a pony tank needing a VIP. Camera gear includes Sea & Sea 5000G & 8000G housings as well as YS-90 & YS-27 strobes. Mahalo.

 

[Kunk35]

My wife and I are from Denison. The only shop in the area is Scuba Etc. in Sherman. It's a small shop, and they run it more as a hobby than a money making business, but with that said, they are very nice people, do classes, have a little bit of inventory and can order pretty much anything you would need. They are extremely reasonable on VIP's and airfills. We haven't been able to go on any trips with them, but from what I hear, they do some good ones. We are planning on having our 14 year old son take his open water with them after hearing about how thorough they are with their instruction.

Going further out, you will find the next closest shop to be Adventure Scuba in Plano. After taking my open water, advanced and rescue as well as my wifes open water and advanced with them, I will say they do have a few good instructors, but that is where my recommendations would end. I'll go into any details in a pm if you need to delve further. Suffice it to say I would go on down to ScubaToys right on 35 in Carrollton. Now there is a place with some gear. Whether you are talking basic stuff, advanced stuff, camera stuff, or any other dive related stuff you can think of, they pretty much have it. And the service rocks!! Oh, and the prices rock.

We should get together for some diving soon. Although we may want to wait until the water temps raise a bit. Yesturday at Texoma it was 41. Brrrrrrrr.....

 

[thevalkyry]

I concur - if you want gear - go to Scuba Toys - they also have an good website. Their sales people are also very friendly and knowledgeable when you visit.

 

[PacificFlyer]

Thanks for the posts. I have used Scuba Toys before for gear when I was in Hawaii. They indeed do have a great selection. What I am really looking for is a shop with a great inspection and repair reputation. If they are also authorized dealers/repair shop for Sea & Sea that would be a big plus. Mahalo

 

[TwoBitTxn]

For a solid inspection and repair rep for Scuba Pro, Adventure Scuba is your shop.

Yes, I do teach there. I also own two different sets of scuba pro regs. They have never been serviced anywhere else.

TwoBit

 

[ZzzKing]

Scubatoys is authorized for Mares and Sea & Sea. They used to be Scubapro dealers as well but aren't any more. Don't know if they still service SP gear or not. Haven't taken classes there but they have an on site pool for training and gear check outs. It's a dangerous place to go if you live on a budget. It has been a rare day when I have walked out of there for less than $100.

Dive West on Greenville at Caruth Haven is a Scubapro shop and stocks most of their regs as well as Nighthawks. It's more of an old school dive/travel shop. Haven't taken any classes there so can't comment on that aspect. Nice folks, though and have been in business for a long time.

Both shops are probably an hour drive from you in Denison. Good luck finding a shop you like and don't let Kunk scare you away from a little cool water diving.

 

[jedi_diver]

I took my Open Water at Dive West over 20 years ago. At that time, the owner was an ex-Navy Seal. He and his staff were very thorough in their diving training. They have their own pool onsite as well. I took a few trips to Mexico with them and did several dives at lake Travis with them too.
Although my information is from over 20 years ago, I can not imagine that they have changed much.

 

[ZzzKing]

I took my Open Water at Dive West over 20 years ago. At that time, the owner was an ex-Navy Seal. He and his staff were very thorough in their diving training. They have their own pool onsite as well. I took a few trips to Mexico with them and did several dives at lake Travis with them too.
Although my information is from over 20 years ago, I can not imagine that they have changed much.

I think the biggest difference is the original owner passed away and it is now run by his wife, Winnie. They run some fun trips to Coz. My wife and I went on one a couple of years back and had a great time. I get all my Conshelf regs serviced by them and they've always done a good job.

One other shop I thought about is Lone Star Scuba at Preston and 635. They carry some tech gear and are dealers for Scubapro. I don't have much experience with them other than having been in there a couple of times and bought some odds and ends.

 

[thevalkyry]

I took my Open Water at Dive West over 20 years ago. At that time, the owner was an ex-Navy Seal. He and his staff were very thorough in their diving training. They have their own pool onsite as well. I took a few trips to Mexico with them and did several dives at lake Travis with them too.
Although my information is from over 20 years ago, I can not imagine that they have changed much.

Well, Dive West has shrunk some in scope. The still do Scuba Pro, but they no longer have an on-site pool. They affiliate with DTC in Plano to use their pool. Most of the classes are coordinated and taught by Gordon or Mark. Both are top-notch. I just got my open water with them this past summer with Mark, and took my Stress & Rescue with Gordon. Great people. Good shop.

But they are SSI, and I know most people prefer to Put Another Dollar In