Scubaland Adventures, Austin TX

I recently completed the Open Water and Advanced Open Water courses with Scubaland. The instructors were knowledgeable and I appreciated their instructional styles. They took time to ensure the students understood the concepts and made a lot of suggestions along the way.
David Malec was the lead instructor for both classes. Huge kudos to him for how he managed a large class (Open Water) and a much smaller class (AOW). He was attentive, knowledgeable, and was able to focus in on areas of information that students were finding challenging to ensure they understood the material.
The dive masters and other instructors were right there, at all times, during our training dives. They maintained active communication and conveyed a sense of calm when dive conditions became challenging.
Huge shout outs to Jeff Nelson, Michael Johnson, Tristan Newton, Jeff Locke, and David (I can't recall his last name!).

I got my open water certification through Scubaland in June of 2023 and had a great experience. Tristin and Dan were excellent instructors, very patient and happy to share their knowledge and expertise with rookie divers. Our divemasters at Windy Point, David and Larry, were also wonderful. Thanks to the whole Scubaland team for guiding me through this process!

Authentic dive shop with excellent staff and customer support. Open Water Diver certification class was a terrific experience. Instructor was extremely patient with the herd of cats he was guiding. On-site pool facility is unexpectedly clean in all aspects. Would encourage anyone interested in learning to scuba dive to visit Scubaland.

It is rare to find a teacher that is such an expert at their craft that they can adapt their teaching style the way Lucas was able to accommodate each of the students in his class. His approach was so incredibly grounded and calm. He made complex ideas easy to understand and nerve wracking information anxiety free. Using humor and professionalism this is by far the best adult learning course I’ve ever taken.

Speaking of professionalism all four dive masters showed nothing but professionalism. As a 45 year old curvy woman I never once felt objectified (nor did I see this of the other three women), never experienced ageism or body shaming (no matter how many added weights I needed). Those kinds of things make a big difference in both a person’s ability to focus and learn and ultimately the enjoyment of this wonderful adventure. I feel well prepared for my upcoming trip and look forward to my first dive outside of class.

Scubaland Adventures’ class registration, rental, refill and return was seamless and the purchase of my mask, snorkel and fin boots was smooth. I wasn’t made to feel weird bringing my own fins or pressured to buy theirs.

Our instructors David and the rest of the team were excellent. They were knowledgeable about everything and were very patient. Overall, I only have good things to say about the course. BE AWARE that the price on the website doesn’t include the price of the PADI course packet ($140). I guess they were trying to “seem” competitive online and maybe I missed the fine print somewhere, but the overall price is not cheaper than the competition. The store manager also was pushy when I said that I wanted to look at other options for gear. Other than that, I highly recommend the class here.

My friend and I just finished open water scuba certification with our instructor Jeff Nelson, he was amazing, and all of the staff was very nice and helpful. Highly recommend! Thank you Jeff.

My friend and I just finished with the course. The staff was very nice and helpful, and our instructor Jeff Nelson was absolutely great. He helped us with whatever we needed help with and made sure we were comfortable and ready. Very reliable. Had an amazing experience!

I am currently in the process of getting my open water certification. Jeff is an incredible instructor and great guy. He makes coming to class fun and is extremely patient and helpful when practicing skills. Jeff's passion for Diving is apparent in his teaching style. Highly recommend ScubaLand.

I completed my Open Water Dive course this past weekend. Jeff Nelson was my instructor. He was the absolute best! My entire class agreed with this sentiment.
I went into the course feeling a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect and if I would be prepared to perform the skills. Jeff's knowledge, patience, and calming demeanor were completely disarming.
His excitement for diving and how he shared his dive experiences made me anxious to book my first scuba trip.
I truly could not have asked for a better experience. I feel equipped and confident to begin this fabulous life adventure.

Also, shout out to the dive masters that helped during our open water-Sheila and Dave. Everyone during my Scubaland experience has been phenomenal.

Great experience getting certified to open water dive! Jeff Nelson was an AMAZING instructor! Patient, encouraging, and very experienced. You can tell he loves teaching! I feel very confident to dive after his class. I will recommend him to everyone who wants to dive!:)

I first bought an AOW class spot about 2 years ago, right before the pandemic. I was a little bit worried that there was an expiration date attached to this sign up, or something like that, but when it came time to sign up (2 years later), they had no issues finding me and signing me up for a class. When it came time for class class, I had to reschedule a couple of times and they had no issue with me doing that AND Lauren was very accommodating with getting me into a class that worked w/ my schedule. The great customer service continued when I went to the store for the classroom portion. Since I was early for class, I shopped around a bit and found some boots that I wanted to buy. They didn't have a pair in backstock, but the display pair fit. The manager was very helpful in hunting down the other boot that wasn't super easy to find. Once I was in class, my instructor, Jez, was great! He was very knowledgeable, and had a great teaching style. He made sure that he answered all of our questions and that we were able to complete all of our tasks and some. In short, great store, with friendly and knowledgeable folks!

Great place to get scuba certified! Get a class with Dan or David- great instructors! Michael was an awesome Divemaster as well! They will ensure that even the most anxious diver is both safe and comfortable!

Awesome place to get certified! David Crappell was my instructor and he did awesome! Shop was really helpful with the items I needed for class and made sure I got the best stuff that works for me. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Recently did my PADI Open Water Cert here and had a really great experience! My instructor, Bruce, was amazing and I’m so glad I chose his class. He was very knowledgeable, encouraging and made everyone feel comfortable. I will definitely be back to take the Advanced course. The only con is that the chlorine in the pool for skills training completely bleached my favorite swim top, so definitely don’t wear nice/expensive clothing into the pool. Our dive masters for the check-out dives, Anneka and Adam, were also friendly and helpful! Thanks so much to everyone for a great course:)

Very good for thier schools David, Melissa, and lin are amazing instructors. Will definitely go get my advance from yalls

Good people, offering helpful advice when asked. The instructors take the time necessary to ensure you're knowledgeable and proficient in task as they take you throughout the course work. Grab a class with Eric and/or Dave. You'll be happy you did when you encounter how well these two work. Also shout out to Dive Master Darren. Thanks for being there when the assist was needed. You fellas rock!

My wife and I just completed our Open Water Certification with Robie and Tony. They were both awesome! I enjoyed it so much I scheduled Advanced Open Water and Enriched Air Nitrox certifications with Robie right away. Looking forward to continue advancing in Scuba and diving around the world!

I took an open water course here! My instructor Eric was a fantastic instructor! I couldn't have asked for a better match. I couldn't speak more highly about Eric.

However, as someone who was BRAND NEW to diving, the other staff (including the owner) at the shop were WAY TOO PUSHY. Every time I went in there I was pressured and badgered to buy more gear from them, and to sign up and pay for more courses.

This kinda spooked me. And I was already overwhelmed by the material I was learning. To then be bombarded by pushy/aggressive sales stressed me way out. Not chill yo.

Then I found a really good deal online for a full set up from someone on a local dive forumn who had suffered an aortic malfunction and could no longer dive. His computer alone was a $900 piece of equipment and he had used his gear.twice. He wanted $600 FOR EVERYTHING and this guy had PREMIUM GEAR.

When the owner asked me about buying more gear more the 15th time I told her about the equipment I had found.

She became REALLY defensive and exclaimed, "Well none of that gear is going to be warrantied so if it breaks you'll just be stuck with it! "

Later when trying on a wetsuit she was dismissive and didn't tell me how to put it on.

I put it on backwards and it was WAY too small.

I had to walk through the shop to find her because she kept vanishing. BARELY ABLE TO WALK and wearing my Ill fitting wetsuit improperly.

She then sorta laughed/scoffed at me when I said it was too small.

"Trust me that's the right size I've been doing this awhile. "

(CAN YOU SAY EGO?)

This went on until finally she got me the right size.

Good Lord I hope she reads this and reflects on her dismissive aggressive less than friendly EGOTISTICAL behavior.

And doesn't just scoff at it in narcissistic defense like when I was trying to get the right wetsuit. Having never done anything remotely close to this.: (

This made me feel stupid and unwelcome and like I didn't fit in. (No pun intended)

In a way it felt culty.

Had they been chill and nice and welcoming to me as a new diver I probably would have purchased ALL my gear from them FOREVER!

I ended up getting some great gear and dove in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been!

But not from them.

NOT HOW YOU GET LOYAL CUSTOMERS WHEN TRYING TO SURVIVE A PANDEMIC.

If you are looking for ANYTHING related to SCUBA diving, Scubaland is where you need to go. I have been a loyal customer for over five years, and can't imagine going anywhere else. I just completed my rescue diving course with Bruce McNeill as our instructor and was somehow even more impressed as I had an amazing time with an incredible instructor. He was.wow, just wow. What a guy! My class was really fun (I had a great time!) but more importantly it was taught extremely well. I learned so much, and became a much better diver. Thanks to Bruce, I'm now more confident in my abilities which was a struggle for me prior to his class. TRAVEL is also FANTASTIC! I have been on several trips and EVERY TIME has been WONDERFUL! They make sure that the trip is as perfect as one could be. You never worry about anything. They take care of it all! Even if they think you could be diving at a better site! They talk to the captain and off you go! And lastly, after just spending over $800 in a ton of equipment, I can promise you that you need to GET YOUR GEAR HERE! Not only do they work with you individually to make certain you are getting the perfect gear for you, but they also HAVE GREAT DEALS and you'll know you're getting the best equipment for your money. I cannot be more happy with Scubaland. Every single person I've shopped with, learned from, and dived with are.they're just so wonderful. SCUBALAND IS THE BEST DIVE SHOP EVER! Just try them, you'll see.

Just finished the open water course with Scott. I had a harder time with some of the skills and Scott and the divemaster spent extra time with me in the pool to make sure I felt comfortable with everything before we got to the lake. The shop also loaned me a neoprene shirt when I told them I got cold in the pool. The owner literally gave me two to try on and ripped the sales tag off of the one that fit and said to bring it back when I was done with it. The experience we had made me feel super comfortable going at a pace that felt right for me, even if that was a bit slower than the rest of the class.