Favorite LDS?

[nusspli]

I am new to SCUBA just certified a couple of weeks ago...
are there any LDS's to avoid or that you would STRONGLY reccomend?

Most likely I would buy from one of the below as they are the 'most' Local of the bunch in my area.

East Coast Divers - Framingham
Central Mass Scuba - Worcester
Mass Divers - Natick
North East Scuba - Chelmsford
Aqua Shack - Marlboro

Thanks
Mike

Mike,

Since no one has mentioned Central Mass SCUBA, I must then do my duty and put in a plug for them.

They are a small dive shop in Worcester. The staff there is knowledgeable and friendly. We, I mean
they , chuckle, chuckle, are like a big, extended family. John and George are the owners, but they have other rotating staff.

I think their prices are comparable to other shops in the area, such as Inland in Leicester and Mass Diving in Natick. They are open Monday through Saturday, with varying hours so I would call ahead to make sure that they are open before you stop by. They have a variety of suits and masks and boots and fins, etc, but if they don't have what you want you can ask them to order it.

They always have open water classes going on. They also offer Advanced/Open Water II courses and many other courses. The instructors who teach the classes are great and they try to make the classes fun, but not as the expense of safety.

You should check out their website- www.centralmassscuba.com, too. Make sure you check out the Photos link off the home page- Boy, that JVasale sure is a great photographer!! And she's quite attractive..

Hope I've helped!

jessica:jessica:

 

[Fireguy274]

Hi i would like to add a dive shop I have not heard anyone mention. Undersea Divers in Beverly. I have had nothing but good expieriences in that store. Ive bought an Aqua lung reg, Cobra Computer, Henderson wetsuit, Dui drysuit, steel95 tank and hood from Bob in the past year. Every price he has given me is just about as good as Leisure Pro especially considering the shipping. I have received alot of good advice on dive spots and diving and generally find this shop to be my favorite....

Atlantic Divers is the place I get air fills. Its closer and they give good fills thats all I have to say about that..lol

 

[Clutchcargo]

When diving in RI, OSS in Jamestown is worth stopping for. If you get there b4 5PM on Sunday you can get your tanks filled and rinse your equipment while your waiting. The employees are always knowledgeable of current dive conditons at all the local sites.
.02
Cjh

 

[Fly N Dive]

first off let me say that i am loyal to Mass diving. I got my OW through them as well as most of my gear. i have done a group trip with them to coz and it was a blast. Whenever i go into the store i see people that know me. i dont find anyone pushy or only wanting to make a sale. its a great place to go and a great place to dive with. They had one charity evernt that was very fun, Underwater Monopoly (scroll down some) i will always stop by and am hoping to do a nitrox and drysuit specialties.

Edit:
anyone know of any dive stores in the boothbay region of maine, just need air fills.

 

[MSilvia]

I'd like to add two shops to the three I mentioned earlier:

PG Dive in Newton, MA is a relatively new shop with a modest selection of gear, but they're a preferred dealer for Bare drysuits and are looking at adding some new lines. The staff is very friendly and helpful, the owners Paul and Genevieve are great, and they run free refresher/discover diving every monday at the YMCA pool on the other side of the Mass pike. They offer free air fills (two per diver per day), and occasionally have social gatherings at the shop, such as cookouts on the patio.

Dive Day Scuba in Douglas, MA is the longest drive I make on a semi-regular basis. Butch, the owner, runs the shop out of his basement and his pricing reflects his low overhead. He's got a wall full of instructor certifications from several agencies, and recently taught the Advanced Nitrox and Recreational Trimix classes I took. He has a full-service fill station, and can do Trimix and rich O2 mixes. Beyond that, he gets out and dives regularly, so he keeps his skills fresh beyond just kneeling in 20 feet of water.

 

[large_diver]

I'll echo Matt's comments about PG Dive. Very helpful and good, full fills. My wife was in there a month or so ago and bought wetsuits and new mask/fins/snorkels for our kids -- Genevieve was extremely helpful and let my daughter borrow a wetsuit while waiting for her new wetsuit to come in.

To top it all off, they had a raffle on "tax free" day a few weeks ago -- I won a new UK HID light cannon!

-Chris

 

[MSilvia]

Genevieve was extremely helpful and let my daughter borrow a wetsuit while waiting for her new wetsuit to come in.

They did the same for me. While I was waiting for my drysuit to be shipped, and again when I sent it back for a repair, they gave me a free loaner drysuit to use in the meantime.

 

[Soggy]

Very helpful and good, full fills.

Does PG have a hyperfilter and nitrox yet?

 

[gregconn]

I used PG Dive (in Newton) a couple of weeks ago and they are very pleasant. Small shop, laid out nicely (different). I needed to rent a tank on the next Sunday, though, and they did not have a tank available (so call ahead for rental stuff). Looking in that area for a place to rent a tank, I found Diver Jim's on Trapelo Ave. in Belmont. It was closed, but it looked like a fairly large, well stocked shop. Does anyone know anything about Diver Jim's?

 

[large_diver]

Does PG have a hyperfilter and nitrox yet?

Not yet.....I believe they told me Nitrox is coming sometime in the future....