Boston Scuba Academy

I got certified with Rick in 2006 and have 70+ dives at this point. The information he emphasized to our class over and over again helped me when things went wrong under water. I highly recommend him to everyone.

I was certified with Rick and I hated every moment of it. I felt unsafe on my certification dives and after receiving my certification I felt I did not possess the necessary basic skills to SCUBA safely.
The others in my class seemed afraid of Rick and too nervous to ask questions, this is not the type of teaching environment anyone should be subjected to, so do yourself a favor and get certified somewhere else. I ended up contacting East Coast Divers and explaining my situation and lack of training with Boston SCUBA and they told me they would offer me free pool courses until I felt comfortable enough to continue diving. Thank goodness for them or else I would have probably given up on diving.

My boyfriend and I just completed the Open Water Certification course. After shopping around for other courses in the area, this is by far the cheapest, even after you include those extra (hidden) fees throughout the course. We met for class in the Boston YMCA — the first hour and a half is lecture (fast-​paced, lots of note-​taking) followed by an hour and half in the pool learning to use the equipment.
Here is the breakdown:
$ 250 — Class Fee
$ 75 — Open Dives Fee
$ 50 — Rental Fee
$ 20 — Wetsuit Rental Fee (for pools lessons)
$ 5 — Photo for Dive Card (optional)
$ 40 – 80 — Boots
$ 50 – 100 — Mask, Fins, Snorkel
$ 16 — Air to fill tanks, during Open Dives
Despite some unexpected extra costs, I had a great time learning to scuba dive. I was on the fence at first, but now I’m eager to get out there again. Rick, the instructor, is VERY passionate about the sport and you will learn everything you need to know and more. Some have left comments that he is rude and loves to hear himself talk, at the end of the course he acknowledges that he may be a prick and students in the class probably hate him (I loved that he was self aware and didn’t give a sh*t), but he prides himself on successfully teaching the necessary skills and safety requirements. On our open dives, out in Rockport, MA I was nervous to go out in the ocean for the first time, but it was awesome and I felt very safe with Rick.
I would recommend this course to anyone looking to get into scuba diving. You’ll learn so much and even though cost keeps growing, Rick is not like all the other dive shops, he is not out to steal your money. It is an expensive sport regardless. We’re now thinking about taking the Advanced course with Rick, too.

Amazing class with one bad ass teacher! I took this scuba class several years ago by searching online and choosing one of the cheaper classes. ($ 225 and you are allowed to pay in installments). i got to say i got every dollars worth with this class. first off the teacher. rick tejero. definitely one of a kind. been scuba diving for many many years and definitely has a passion for the sport. he is a NO bs kind of teacher. funny and nice but definitely no messing around. dont get me wrong… you have a great time. but if your playing underwater while the class is suppose to be practicing a scuba diving technique, he is going to call you out.
if your going for a quick weekend dive and in depth knowledge doesnt matter, prob not the best course. but if you want the course from someone who is passionate about diving and is serious about learning and mastering all the basic techniques, this is it. its been 3 years since i took the class but ill say that i still dive by the principles rick taught me.

Rick was awful. I almost did not finish the class because he was such a bad teacher. One night be forgot the wetsuits but made us put on dive weights anyway and I was afraid I would drown. He also pushed around one of the younger students because he was afraid to stay under water for one of the exercises. Do not use Boston Scuba Academy if you want to begin to enjoy scuba.

I just got certified by Rick and I definitely would recommend him to others. The cost is lower than others and yes some costs were not mentioned right up front but he still tells you exactly how much he is saving you. Regardless of that, I felt safe and he has been doing this a long time, so you know that no matter what happens he is there and will help you. The assistant instructors were a big help, always on top of helping you with your gear and answering questions.
The lectures are fast paced but if you listen and take good notes you will be fine. Rick says a lot over and over throughout the course, so by the end you are also saying «equipment, skills, dive buddy» and know exactly what he means by that.
If you go in with a good attitude and listen up, its a great time!
Just get a good dive buddy for the certification dives. We had a couple of guys that we didn’t trust. On the cert dives there are a lot of assistant instructors so help is always right there.

With Rick the sales pitch comes first. Then listening to himself talk. Followed by instruction. I understand his need to have the class safe and listening but… being safe when you dive becomes a lot more of a challenge when you are worrying about your instructor having an irrational freak out at you or others. Other members of the class remarked that while they appreciate Rick’s knowledge, they are afraid of him. He will not listen to you, he is too busy enjoying his own voice. Some of his assistant instructors are great though, so he gets a star for that.
Be aware that he is not up front with all costs. His initial rates seem to be the best deal but then he nickel and dimes you for rentals and other items required to finish your cert. If you can learn without the need of tolerable interaction with a teacher, he can get you certified… IF you believe you are the type of student that wants to connect to the class, others, and enjoy your certification look elsewhere…

Got Y certified 20 years ago with Rick. Great guy who certainly knows the water. Excellent way to get together with a group of like minded folks if you ever wanted to try diving. They dives locally which keeps the costs down (no one charges you to talk off the beach in the Gloucester area and you still have a blast).
The cost is a steal to learn from the best and get into a great sport. If you travel, you can later dive in great locations while on vacation without any fear of the limited training they provide at the resorts!

I just finished my open water scuba certification with Rick Tejero at BSA. I will say that throughout the entire experience I felt a sense of security in the fact that Rick has certified thousands of divers and has been diving for over 40 years himself. He’s seen it all and anything you could screw up or forget, hes got you covered. The man knows what he’s doing and it’s reflected in the quality of the course. He runs courses basically all the time at the Boston YMCA, Needham Y, Waltham B&G’s Club and the W. Roxbury Y. The classroom section was thorough and well done. The pool section was also really well done, for all 6 pool sessions there were at least 2 or 3 instructors in the pool. BSA provides everything for the pool as part of the fare– tanks, BC, mask, fins, snorkel, reg etc. By the end of the course I felt more than prepared for the open water skills test. The ocean segment was both days on a weekend. You have to rent gear from a dive shop, but that’s the case with all certifications regardless of where you go. The dive site we went to was in Rockport, MA and we did 2 skills dives and 2 fun dives to practice diving. I think that compared to other courses you could take in the Boston area, no one is as qualified to teach you to dive as Rick. After the course I have a feeling that I learned and am good at everything I wanted to get out of a scuba course.
As for cost there are some inescapable truths– the course costs $ 275 and you have to buy you own mask, fins, and snorkel before you go in the ocean. So depending on how much you spend on mask, fins and snorkel the price tag is higher than $ 275. However, if you plan to continue diving yourself, on vacation or whatever, you need those items anyway– dive shops expect you to have that stuff when you rent (they give you everything else)
so. do something cool, breath underwater, pretend you’re aquaman, see lobsters and fish and look like a b.a. in your wetsuit– get scuba certified at BSA!