Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
gusvs:I am going to New York next week and would like to know if anyone can recommend a good scuba shop (I am going to look at regs and wetsuit).
/Gustaf
gusvs:I am going to New York next week and would like to know if anyone can recommend a good scuba shop (I am going to look at regs and wetsuit).
/Gustaf
pilot fish:Pan Aqua, west 43 St at 9th Ave. Great staff, all divers, and quality gear.
scubadobadoo:Pan Aqua is very friendly and a large typical LDS with lots of trips and smiling faces but it can be very expensive. It is well stocked. They have always gone the extra mile to help me out, even when they didn't know me and they still don't really know me very well. A good place to take classes as they have a pool in the same building.
LP is the cheapest and offers one of the largest varieties of on hand scuba products perhaps in the country. Not overly friendly or warm but they won't give you the hard sell. I have spent lots of money here and am very pleased with all of my purchases.
Village divers is a VERY small location in the village. I have only been in the shop a few times and wasn't very impressed. Like I said it is tiny and didn't appear to have much in stock. I have never had a reason to go back so no real opinion as to customer service. I rented gear from the shop once and the price changed (higher than originally told) when I returned the gear. Ooopsie. Lots of divers seem to "hang out" here but generally more tech minded and at the time (3 yrs ago) we weren't. Ofcourse our diving and gear has changed since then so perhaps now we would be more interested in Village Divers.
Yet another is the Scuba Network with two locations in Manhattan, one not far from LP. Everytime I have been in this shop (about 10 times on 6th ave) I found the staff to be generally grumpy and not interested in talking to me unless I was about to spend major bucks and even then they weren't too friendly or helpful. It is a nice large shop and appears to be well stocked. Not trying to pick a fight or slander just offering my opinion on my customer service experience. I'm not the only diver I know that feels this way. I found LP to be warmer than these guys and that's saying something. Just for the record I am very friendly and always an easy to please shopper. Some may love it and I hope so but this was one of those shops that just gave me a cold feeling the first time I went in and has done so again and again.
Adventure Scuba is located in the 90's in manhattan and I have never visited them. No opinion other than they were very friendly on the phone twice now.
Stingray divers in Brooklyn have always been VERY nice on the phone but I have never visited them. I would visit them if they were closer.
Going into a LDS is alot like a blind date. First impressions stick, like it or not. As for shopping in NYC, why? Prices are horribly high here (except LP) because LDS's have very high costs given the location. You are likely better off shopping at your LDS or calling scuba toys.