I wanted to get my open water certification in preparation for a cruise to the Caribbean. Scuba diving in Cozumel and Grand Cayman sounds amazing, but first I had to get the certification.

There are lots of reasons to recommend Phil. His price is great. He has a huge amount of experience. He works with your schedule so you can do your book work, pool work, and open water work when your schedule allows. He's taught oodles of divers, so he knows where the pitfalls are and he knows how to prepare you. Above all, his number one goal is to keep you safe and smart while you're in the water. He emphasizes safety throughout the course and drills you on the most critical rules to remember.

I did my open water work at the lake and I was afraid the water would be freezing in February. No need to be afraid, as it turned out! Phil has the proper equipment to keep you comfortable. He let me use a wet suit, hood, and gloves, so after the water seeped in and warmed up to my body temperature (which only took a few seconds), I was perfectly comfortable in the chilly water.

My open water time might have been extremely disappointing, had it not been for Phil's positive leadership. I had a very hard time with the physical demands of swimming with that gear on. I got very tired very quickly and found I couldn't complete all the necessary skills to get my Open Water certification. Phil was encouraging and patient. When I realized I simply wasn't physically able to complete the skills, he worked with me to get a minimal certification, the Basic Scuba Diver cert, so I can dive while on my trip. I'll go back to Phil when I've worked on my stamina and will get that Open Water certification.

Amy T