Great Instructor!

We just finished our padi open water cert course. All 6 of us had such a great experience. We have 4 kids, ages 18, 16,13,10. Phil was great with all of us especially the younger kids and helped them understand the importance safety. Phil was helpful and explained exactly what we needed to do before we went under water, which made the skills easy to follow and learn. I would recommend Phil if you want to have a great experience scuba diving. We are all excited to use our new skills on our next family vacation.

Steve N

Great instructor!

Straight to the point instructor!

Awesome!

• I first contacted Phil in March right before the whole Covid pandemic hit. The week that was supposed to be my first class was when everything got shut down. I called Phil and he said his class was still a go but I told him I wasn't comfortable coming. He said he understood and to let him know when I wanted to start. I called him back in May and he started a class for me and one other student. The book and written test portion was done on Phil's back porch, then we did two Saturdays at the pool working on skills, and a weekend at Lake Havasu (the dive spot at Lake Mead was closed) to get my PADI open water certification. Phil's was laid back and easy to understand and his rental equipment was much better that what I had used previously on "resort" dives.  
  
  I would recommend Scuba Phil to anyone looking to venture into scuba or sharpen your skills.

Ryan C

Seriously the best!

Scuba Phil is seriously the best! He will tell you exactly what you need to do to become a better Diver and get certified. I was a hot mess and he had the patience to continue on with me and I am now certified. Anyone looking to get certified you should definitely go with Scuba Phil.

Phil is your guy!

Hands down best decision!

(Review from Yelp) 19 May 20

Lots of reasons to recommend Phil

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

My Quest

So my quest to earn my open water certificate a started in 2018.  I signed  up with an instructor that owned a local dive shop in North Las Vegas on the recommendation of a friend.  After countless times of this instructor flaking on scheduled sessions that I took time off of work to attend, I finally ended up having to file a dispute with my bank to recover my money from the guy.

Fast forward to 2019.  I began searching for a new instructor and came across an ad for Scuba Phil on Groupon.  They price seemed reasonable, so I signed up.

So I explained the situation to him as to what happed with the previous instructor and explained that I was still in possession of my PADI dive packet that the previous instructor had ordered for me.  Well it turned out that the previous instructor tried to sell me a dive book that was like 4 or 5 years out of date.  

Great catch there Scuba Phil!

So then he and I discussed the classroom work and because I never got the dive folder that said I had already completed the classroom work meant that I needed to re take the full course.  I had no problem with that what so ever!

Now I am in the HVAC field and if you live in Las Vegas, you know how busy my industry is during the Summer time when it is ideal to learn how to dive.

By the time that I finished my book work and was ready for my confined sessions it was now August.

We had a larger class that weekend than Phil liked to have and a few students were having issues so we fell behind and we ran out of time.

So I needed to go back and finish when we could both coordinate our schedules....

Well that didn't happen until the end of December for me to finish my confined skills.

At this point I wanted to get this done.  I had over the last few months been acquiring my own kit.

I asked PhIl if we could get the Open Water skills out of the way as soon as possible.  Which was this past weekend.  Well The water in January is about 50 degrees.

Phil was like are you sure you want to attempt this in cold water like that.  I said I'm getting this done, I will bare through it.  He said "Alright man, if you want to give it a shot, we will do it".

So this weekend we met up at the lake so I could prove that I had the ability to learn/be taught.

The air temp was about 70 so dry it was no nice and warm.  The water was about 50.  I jumped in once I had my wetsuit on to cool off and the water felt great.

As we began the first lake session, I quickly found that my fancy dive mask had issues.  Luckily I had a spare Sam's club special with me as a back up.

On the second day I had issues descending due to my error.  I forget to put 10 pounds worth of weight to my BC.

Phil was patient and we got it worked out.  He didn't yell at me once or call me an idiot like I would expect.

Phil is a good guy.  Very patient and understanding I give him !

Money well spent I in my opinion.  

He was able to pick up where the guy from North Las Vegas dropped the ball and turn my negative experience into a positive one!

Craig L

Absolutely best decision!

Getting certified with Phil was absolutely the best decision I could have made. I actually came in from out of state to certify with him because I read such great reviews online; I was not disappointed! Phil works at your speed, whether that's fast or slow, and is willing to work around a hectic schedule. He's genuinely a great guy and a great instructor. I always felt safe with him, even when I was learning a new skill or trying something I hadn't done before. He's very knowledgeable and is great at explaining things. I've already recommended him to family and friends, and would absolutely recommend certifying with him to anyone who is looking to dive. Whether you're young or old, experienced or not, go to scuba Phil for scuba certification and classes... you will not regret it! Thanks for everything, Phil!

Maren B

Best instructor you will EVER find!

My wife and I certified with Phil a year ago before our trip to Cozumel. Since then, we've been diving all over Hawaii with our family. Let me lay it out for you: Phil is the best instructor you will EVER find. My friends who certified elsewhere did not have the same instruction we did and IT SHOWS. Phil is a tough cookie, but you will never forget his instructions. Ever. He is by far the most effective and the MOST SAFE instructor you will find. I will say though, do your homework. Pull your weight. And listen. Nothing annoys him more than lazy students. Thanks, Phil.

Ciara R

Makes sure you know what your doing!

If you want a quality instructor and a damn good price go to Phil. Seriously. He actually makes sure you know what you're doing. I certified years ago with another shop, but after booking a week long SCUBA trip to Cozumel I needed a refresher. I opted to do the entire course with Phil since my wife needed certified anyway. It was absolutely worth it. Phil is no nonsense. Don't be intimidated, he just wants to makes sure you do it right. I've never felt more safe or confident underwater. 

My wife and I have gone shore diving on our own several times thanks to Phil's training. We learned how to properly set up gear, navigate under water, and had 5 essential rules drilled into our head. 

Thanks again Phil, we've had several compliments from dive masters who are shocked to find out we've only been diving for a short time. We're never a liability under water. Take your safety and education into your own hands and certify with Phil.

Keyla M

Excellent teacher!

My boyfriend and I needed to complete the pool portion of our Scuba certification, within a short period of time. Phil was able to quickly accommodate our needs. He is an excellent teacher. Made complicated material easy to comprehend and complete. Scuba Phil is highly recommended and we intend to have Phil help us continue on our Scuba journey

Alissa S

Very flexible!

We just did the confined water portion of the Padi open water course.  I can't recommend Phil enough.  His teaching was very concise and understandable.  We both have very busy work schedules and he was able to accommodate our needs and be very flexible.  There are a lot of providers in town to choose from but we are very happy we chose Phil!

Jeff W

I dove in!

I'm finally knocking SCUBA off my bucket list and found all the great reviews on Phil and decided to literally dive in!  I'm so glad I did, he's a really thorough instructor and very much dedicated to small class size so he can really see where people need help and make sure they have the skills to be safe.  My first time in the water he'd made sure I was well prepared and never pushed me or my friend beyond our limits.  He will take the time needed and even provide extra class time if you need more wiggle room to feel comfortable.  Definitely not just cranking people through the process for the money.  Thanks so much for the great introduction to this hobby/sport and I'm excited for the new world that's opened up to me!

Sara B. 

So glad we chose Scuba Phil

I wanted to get my 10 year old PADI certified so he can join me on diving adventures. He had a taste of it in Hawaii and was hooked. So not to take time away from our next vacation, I decided to get his scuba training at home. There is a dive shop close to our house but after reading the reviews on Scuba Phil, I opted to drive 30 minutes to the other side of town for all of his lessons. We're so glad we chose Phil to be his teacher. Phil did a great job with him and safety was always top priority. Fortunately my son is a natural in the water and the training went well.  Phil was patient with him but wasn't going to let him pass until he mastered all of the required skills. In addition to being a good teacher, he is a good guy. He was accommodating and worked around our busy schedules. We highly recommend Scuba Phil and look forward to diving with him some day in Cozumel.

Justen M

He knows his stuff!

With a trip to Cozemel planned, my boyfriend contacted a Scuba Phil to arrange my open water scuba certification.  My boyfriend did open water training the year before and was very happy with the course and training. 

After a trip to the dive shop to get my own snorkel,  mask, fins and course packet, I was ready for class. The first part of the class happens at phil's home and is book work and testing. He knows his stuff.  He'll go over everything at the pace you need, help make sense of the science of diving and get you feeling reasonably confident to do your first dive in the pool. The pool we used was at a dive center in Henderson. All went well at the lake.

Our Lake experience was exhilarating.  Phil made sure the 3 of us completing certification that day were focused, safe and comfortable in the skills we learned.  Re, his female instructor, was a patient, sweet balance that day which was easily helpful to me and the other young gal on the course.  We all passed!

Something that you don't realize at first with Phil,  you're not just learning how to scuba, stay safe and have fun.  You're getting the opportunity to dive into a whole new community of Las Vegas.  A tight- knit family of desert divers.  They all continue to teach you, support you and become your friend.  The weekend after my cert, I found myself in Laughlin diving a shipwreck with Phil, Re and 8 other experienced divers. It was incredible! My boyfriend and I are invited again to Lake Mead this weekend.  Not paying for diving guide tours, just renting (or buying our own) equipment and joining new friends to dive.  How cool is that?!

Thanks,  Phil and Re!

Nichole S. 

Overcoming fears/Personal growth

Scuba Phil is absolutely amazing. I am a veterinary student and needed a scuba certification to work in zoo medicine. The book work doesn’t take long to finish and the practices tests really prepare you for the final exam. Phil and his Dive Master Re! were great teachers and helped me when I had a panic attack while out at the lake, they were very patient with me and I was able to overcome my fear and obtain my Open water diver certification. So if I can do it, anyone can do it! Don’t be afraid to try new things!

Kim M. 

Very Responsive!

Don't hesitate to contact Phil!...Being from out of town and wanting to get my Open Water Certification for me and my girlfriend while we were in Las Vegas, I came across Phil after some research and I'm glad we did!Phil was very responsive when I contacted him and answered all my questions and was very helpful with everything...He's great at working with your schedule (it's actually his specialty and what sets him apart from the others) and does everything he can to help you reach your goal and does his best to work with whatever your schedule you may have, which was great since we were from out of town and had limited time. Safety is the most important thing and he takes it very seriously! He is very upfront and straight forward with you to help get the most out of you, but he never risks your safety and works within your limits while helping you improve.
He's a great instructor and I'm glad we found him...He goes above and beyond to help you achieve your goals and I look forward to getting together whenever we're in town for some fun diving with him and increasing my experience.....So don't hesitate to contact Phil for whatever scuba diving needs you may have!

James B. 

Nothing but great things!

Nothing but great things to say about scubaphil and tribe. Very knowledgeable and works with all skill and comfort levels. Accomedates busy work schedules to make getting certified an easy and painless endeavor. My girlfriend and I are definately going back to Phil for our advanced ow cert. His prices can't be beat and is worth every penny. Special thanks also to Phil's tribe Julie, Rea, Czech Phil and Douglas. Thanks again for a great experience.

Chris P.