East Coast Divers

WATCH OUT — you might actually get addicted to diving! If I were to describe this place using one word, its — PASSION! As a newbie to SCUBA it’s natural to be nervous. The team here was super helpful, flexible and most importantly made me feel completely reassured and comfortable. They run a seamless operation in a very disciplined and methodical manner, yet they have loads of fun make sure you do too! It’s easy to tell that they are genuinely happy to help be it a pool session, a classroom session or the open water!
Kim at the shop was super helpful, Max was great when one day I mistook the class time to 7:45 instead of 7. He stayed after the long work day to ensure I was able to cover the material and that I understood it… and Tom made the OW day seem easy. Thanks for the great experience! It’s not too hard to find one passionate person… but to find a business full them is a rare treat… you will find it here!

Great location for scuba divers. I have been diving for 25 years in multiple countries and brought my equipment to be serviced in various locations. I have to admit that East Coast divers staff friendliness and willingness to help convinced me that i need to bring my equipment to be serviced here. I cannot speak about the price of equipment, it seems comparable to other locations from a quick glance.

I have been diving for quite some time all across the globe and was thinking of getting my advanced certification when I stepped through the door of East Coast Divers … and this was probably the BEST THING I have done in my entire (diving) life !!! I have rarely, if at all, seen such combination of professional and personable people. Most of the diving shops/​clubs I have experienced over the years are just out there for your money and provide mediocre training, especially for beginner divers. This is definitely not the case with this happy bunch of people: they are passionate, really care about students and provide the best training I have seen so far. They invest time in each and everyone, making sure each student acquires all the necessary knowledge and skills to become the best possible diver. Whether it is ‘in’ our ‘out’ of water you will not regret (like me) stepping through the door of East Coast Divers. And thumbs up to Jake, Nick, Alex, Kim and Liz !!!

Awesome Freediving Level II class this past weekend! Intensive 3 day SSI course focused on safety and pre-​dive preparations. Classroom material was well developed covering key areas along with practical exercises — we even constructed our own neck weights! The pool and open water dives were demanding (given the compressed schedule) but well run and effective in preparing us for the open water dives on Sunday — which were fantastic! Great instructors — highly recommend.

I completed the pool sessions for scuba diving and the open water dives through this shop. They really went out of their way to make sure I was feeling comfortable and safe. After the first lesson, all the instructors knew my name and were so personable. I highly recommend this dive shop to anyone looking to learn! Thank you East Coast Divers!

Great dive shop, very friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommend this shop for scuba, free diving and meeting other divers.

I don’t do alot of reviews, business has to really piss me off, or really wow me (which is very rare). For East Coast Divers, it is the latter. I did my Open Water certification here in 2013, they really make it easy to plan the classes areound your life, instead of juggling your life around the classes, and they really ensure you get not just the textbook stuff, but more important the actual stuff, while enjoyoing the entire experience.
But they are more than just great dive school, they are a complete dive shop. I bought all my equipment here, the rent to own program is fantastic. They help you figure out what is right for you, taking in to account any budget concerns, and having the chance to try out various pieces of equipment by renting is great. And the tank rental program is a great way to have ongoing tanks that are serviced for you, at a great price.
I am on my third season of New England diving, ECD has weekly shore dives, which are a great way to meet other divers and experience a variety of dive sites. And after having been sidelined with a knee injury for four months last summer (so I guess it is my second and half season), goal is to get Advanced Open Water certification this summer with ECD.
My husband asks why I drive so far out of my way to use this shop, when there are at least three other outfits more conventient, hopefully this all explains why I will continue to be a loyal customer.

They care about their guests’ experience and give great service from start to finish. The staff is friendly and they do their best to make every aspect of the dive experience a positive one.

I would give East Coast Divers 10 stars if I could, they are the BEST!
Wonderful people, friendly environment, excellent instruction, high safety standards, quality equipment, great pool facilities, and really just a lot of fun. I’ve found the whole process to be very rewarding and enjoyable; I feel really fortunate to have found ECD.
I would highly recommend this shop to anyone without question and will be diving them in the future, of course. Thank you guys so much for everything! :)

My fiancé and I got our open water certification through ECD and we had a blast! What a great group of people! They worked with us to overcome any difficulties we had. We were really crunched on time before our vacation and were unfortunate enough to get slammed by all the snowstorms, which resulted in a few canceled pool sessions. We had to get a few private lessons to make up for the missed sessions and they ended up being very affordable.
Their layaway program for the gear is a great way to get into the sport without having to drop thousands of dollars right away. Looking forward to learning everything there is to learn about scuba diving through them for years to come!

I just returned from a trip with East Coast Divers to Cozumel, Mexico. I can’t say enough what a great time I had. I was originally going with a friend but her plans changed and so I was now going solo. I was slightly apprehensive since I had not done a trip with ECD before and also didn’t know anyone else going! (I did do my certification with them which was a great experience).
Kim was an exceptional group leader. She really made the trip wonderful… easy going fun spirited personality and was an impressive dive group leader – she had everything taken care of for us! There were various experience levels of divers and the trip satisfied everyone. Saw some AMAZING fish and now I have a bunch of new friends. I didn’t feel «solo» at all during this trip!
I will DEFINITELY being going on another ECD venture!

my review is only about purchasing things from the dive shop, sorry if you’re looking for more about the classes.
so im transplanted to boston out from asia… all my gear is back in the warm waters of the pacific didnt think i would be diving here so i didnt bring it. low and behold a liveaboard trip to the bahamas. FML
so i im renting everything. not ideal but hey less things to pack. EXCEPT… in the western hemisphere, i guess shops dont typically rent out masks, snorkel, fins.
Naturally i start panicking as i have nothing here. and my flight leaves in 10 hours.
Unilocal dive shops… find east coast divers and give em a ring.
great experience and fast service.
go to place when in the states.

We had a great experience with East Coast Divers. From renting all our equipment to ultimately diving with Liz our diver master. We don’t dive up north in cold water so we thought hiring her would be a good idea for our first time off Cape Ann. she
was fantastic. Hello Liz… Rock on. !!
KB

Was at the shop in June, finally getting around to writing a review.
Needed to get equipment for my son for a dive camp he would be attending. Only one guy (forgot his name) was at the shop because of a dive trip they were running that weekend. When our turn came, he gave us all the time we needed, helped us avoid the priciest, top-​of-​the-​line masks, talked with my son and gave him a lot of interesting info. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

This shop is by far the best I’ve been to on the East Coast! Nick & Alex are the new owners and are running the shop in an amazing way organizing always awesome dives. They are extremely confident and skilled divers and have a true passion for this sport!
Highly recommend them!

I’ve been procrastinating. I admit it. But let’s face it, the winter time was NOT the best time to start training for scuba certification! It’s mighty cold in the winter!
Yes, but here I am wanting to get through my training so that I can start getting into the water (rather than just float from the top!) and I had trouble finding a place that was flexible enough to adjust to my busy schedule and one that had a rigorous and thorough training process. Luckily my boyfriend had been good friends with the individuals at EC divers and voila! I am just one class away from completing the pool/​academic requirements before I actually hop into the ocean!
If you’re anything like me, you can make a 101 excuses in your mind why not to start the training process. Let’s face it, we’re all busy and we all have «time later on.» But really, why not just start now? I finally took the plunge (har har). The individuals on the phone were friendly and helped me understand the training process, what the schedule was like and how they were able to accommodate my time (or lack thereof!)
There are a total of 6 pool sessions and 2 classroom sessions that you need to complete. You need to complete the pool sessions in order but the classroom sessions can be done at any time in any order. If you follow their schedules, you will be taking pool lessons on Sunday 5:45 –7:45pm (first pool session) and then 7:45 — 9:45pm (second pool session). The next scheduled pool session are Wednesdays 7:45 — 9:45pm. They offer all pool sessions on any of those days. Just make sure to call beforehand to let them know you’re coming because they limit the number of students per instructor. So not only are these times friendly for those who work during the day but they also offer private pool sessions (a little more money) where they find a time that is convenient for YOU to finish your certification
At first I had this vision of chaos where a bunch of students of varying capabilities following a single instructor. Well duh, that’s obviously NOT how things were run. They understood where everyone was coming from and people of varying backgrounds/​swimming capabilities were present. We had a neat 4 person class and we teamed up with Alexsey (who subsequently taught ALL my lessons… by chance!). The instructors were thorough, patient and vigilant at all times ensuring you completed your tasks successfully before you moved onto the next objective.
The pool sessions take place at the Boston University pool and there is plenty of parking on the street there. The classroom sessions take place in a back room of the dive shop.
Remember, before you start your classes, you need to complete the online SSI training otherwise you’ll have wasted a drive! Really, it’s for your own benefit to have that completed. It takes a while as there are a series of lessons and matching quizzes. For the pool session, make sure you have scuba fins (not short snorkel fins), booties, mask and snorkel. If you drop by the dive shop beforehand, they’ll show you exactly what you need.
phew… I think I covered everything! After I complete the initial certification I hope to also participate in their specialty dives which there is a long list of that is too long for me to list here.
Bottom line: You’ve got a friendly, enthusiastic group of dive instructors with a business motto of safety first and flexibility of schedule.
I am very pleased with what I have seen so far so come on and take a look for yourself!

East Coast Divers isn’t your average dive shop. The staff is made up of a really great group of people who love being underwater, and take pride in sharing that aquatic love with their dive community. I got certified there a few months ago, and despite only having been diving once before (and never having even snorkeled), I was made to feel super comfortable and happy throughout the whole course.
Now, I’m a questions person. I like to know why I have to do certain things, or how things work before I entrust them with my life-​sustaining airflow. Sometimes my questions can push even the most patient teacher to their limits. Not so with the instructional staff at ECD. Each of the instructors I had during my training was well versed in all things scuba, and would willingly geek out while describing the ins and outs of a BC or a regulator. They also didn’t mind gently pushing me when I claimed I couldn’t float face-​down in the pool during my first session (thanks for believing in me, Pat!) That level of commitment and encouragement when I’m learning something new is so important, because there’s nothing worse than being afraid to questions, or feeling incapable of performing what is actually a pretty easy task once you give it a try.
After I finished my pool and classroom sessions, I finally got to hit the cool (cold?) waters of the Atlantic with my newly acquired dive skills. First thing’s first. The water is not that cold, especially when you’re in a semi-​dry wetsuit. I was absolutely shocked at how comfortable I was in the water in late October and early November. Besides not freezing my cheeks off, I also felt like a total badass when I went to work on Monday and boasted of my underwater adventures.
On my last open-​water certification dive, I had the amazing fortune of spotting a seal while floating on the surface at Old Garden Beach in Rockport. I was elated, and cherished the moment so much so that I drew a picture and Instagrammed it so that it would forever be remembered in my photographic history (Note to Self: Get a GoPro so that next time, there actually is photographic evidence).
This brings me to my next point: there is a ton of sweet ocean life to be seen in the waters here. On my first day as a certified scuba diver, I hovered above a torpedo ray. A torpedo ray! Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds, and no, I did not provoke it, although I did manage to kick up a bunch of sand and obstruct my dive buddies’ view of said ray. Noob move, I know. There are also lots of these awesome little moon snails that I’m obsessed with. I won’t ruin it for you by trying to describe the wonder of the moon snail, but trust me when I say it redefined the gastropod species for me.
So there you have it, my two cents on East Coast Divers as well as the practice of diving on the east coast (say that ten times fast!). Both are wonderful, and you’d be a real landlubber if you didn’t give them a try.

Went through OW Certification with ECD in 2012 with my daughter as my diving buddy. We both really enjoyed working with the staff, they are fun loving and friendly while still maintaining a strong focus on safety. Completed all cousework and pool sessions with ECD.
For my open water dives I headed to FLA as the only time I could fit in the open water dives was in later Oct/​early Nov and wasn’t thrilled about getting into the ocean locally that late in the season. I knew using ECD for the first part of the training was a agreat choice when the dive instrucotr in FLA complemented me on my ability to complete the maditory skills. He made a point of telling me that I had been exteremely well trained and should be very thankful to have worked with such a top notch dive shop. I noticed the difference as well, the other person completing OW dives with me wasn’t anywhere near as well prepared/​trianed. Thanks ECD!

I chose to take my open water certification classes from ECD rather than from a dive shop closer to my home based on the good reviews I read here on Unilocal and I’m very glad that I did. Their flexible schedule let me take the 6 pool classes and 2 classroom sessions when I had time. They use a team approach so you don’t have the same instructor each class. Although I thought I’d prefer the continuity of learning from the same person, each instructor passed on some extra tip or advice from their real world experiences. If you (or they) don’t feel that you’re ready to go on to the next class, you can repeat it until you’re ready to progress.
When it came time for my 2 days of dives in the ocean to get certified, I felt prepared but pretty nervous. Again, the instructors made sure each of us was ready and were very patient with my constant questions. (Thanks Tony & Aleksey!)
They also have an amazing 60 day return policy. Whatever you buy in the store you can use for up to 60 days and if you don’t like it, you can exchange it. I had some trouble finding a mask that fit correctly. After going through a few masks and bringing them back they set me up for a «mask day». They brought all of the masks to the pool and I got to try them all on, and snorkel and dive with them to make sure I found the right fit. They don’t just want to sell you equipment, they want you to have the equipment that is right for you so that you are a more confident diver.
Everyone from the owners, Nick and Alex, to each of the instructors I had — Barrett, Daniel, Larry, Tony, Aleksey and Paul to Liz and Patrick in the shop are friendly, knowledgeable and supportive. If you’re thinking about diving — I recommend ECD.

What a great experience! I was nervous buying diving equipment as a beginner and brought my co-​worker with me for some moral support. Sad to say, he was not need. The staff was great!
Liz helped me pick out everything I needed without feeling pushy or «must-​buy» feel. She knew every equipment, told me the plus and minuses of them all and step back for me to make a decision. You couldn’t get any better than that.
My co-​worker agreed with everything she said and told me the prices are fair compare to everywhere else.
I would go back there again in heartbeat.
I just wish I have taken my diving course with them. Definitely thinking of taking the advance classes if their teaching is as great as their customer service.
A++ people.