Columbia Scuba

BE WARNED… I highly recommend reading all reviews before visiting the shop. We rented equipment at this place only to find out that the tank was expired and useless to us. As a result we ended up having to rent a tank at the quarry location. Upon showing receipts they refused to refund the rental for that tank. It’s a shame about the poor level of customer service. After my completion of certification and reading the rest of the reviews. I ended up spending $ 2400 at another SCUBA shop that was excellent with customer service. This SCUBA shop really needs to get their act together.

I recently took the open water diver class through Columbia Scuba. I was kind of a scardey cat about mask removal and replacement, and Kevin and Dave were really friendly and worked with me to make sure I got certified. They were both awesome! Only bad part about my experience with them was having to carry my equipment back and forth from the pool (especially on the way home late at night).

I am a beginner diver. I signed up for the Open Water certification class with my 15 year old daughter. This place clearly don’t understand customer service nor appreciate their customers beyond the point of sale.
I first met the owner Bruce when I went to buy some snorkeling equipment. He took the time and explained everything about his offerings and I purchased some equipment.
Since I was satisfied with the first experience, I went back a year later and signed up for the Open Water class with my daughter and the month long nightmare began!
One thing they don’t tell you when you sign up, is that you have to haul all the heavy gear back and forth from the dive shop to the pool. You better not be break anything or be late, or you will earn the wrath of Bruce and/​or the instructor!
The female instructor who was assigned was on and off instructing (she was off diving somewhere looking for pre-​historic shark tooth most of the time) assumed she was doing all her students a favor by teaching the class and assumed every one on this planet should know the basic scuba skills, even if it is a beginner class. She clearly showed her «class» with her rudeness. Every instance a student would make a mistake with her creamed and yelled to show he displeasure. She instantly disliked my teenage daughter and harassed her for the rest of the class, making her cry in one instant. Fortunately for us, she was not successful in making my daughter give up diving for the rest of her life.
The owner Bruce’s true colors were also apparent to us during this class. He is often in a bad mood and arrogant, and would treat customers with disdain when he is in a bad mood. I quickly learned to change his mood towards us by showing some interest in a new class, equipment or a trip.
Even though this place is less than 2 miles to us, we will never go back for anything.
Fortunately for us, other dive shops we have experienced since have been great. We love diving and will continue to learn more and dive more. I hope this will help people from ruining their diving experience by going to Columbia Scuba.

My 16-​year old son has been taking a scuba certification class through Columbia Scuba, and I simply can’t say enough about the amazing service we have received throughout the experience. From the very first visit to purchase the necessary equipment for the class, to the classroom sessions, to the pool sessions — and even extra pool sessions because my son had a few skills he wasn’t quite comfortable with — every single person we’ve come into contact with has been incredibly professional, not to mention kind, helpful, and patient with both me and my son. (I have no doubt that the same will be true when he does the quarry dives to complete his certification.)
Special thanks to Rob, Dave, Pablo, Simon, and Bruce — but truly — EVERY SINGLE person who has assisted us in the shop or helped my son in class has been fantastic. I recommend this shop without hesitation!

I am an experienced diver. Do on average 3 — 4 big trips a year and have been all over the world and never ever, in all my years have I been treated this poorly. These folks don’t care about customer service at all. I went here 2 days in a row with the intention to buy a whole new set of equipment (BCD, regulator, octo, computer, fins etc). I met Ron (the son) the first day who was nice, answered all my questions and gave me a lot of confidence. I then went home and researched everything he’d said and turns out he was right about most things. So I went back the next day to try on a wet suit, fins etc so I could finalize what I wanted to get and place my order. I wanted to buy everything from the local shop so I could support local business and plus if something breaks, I can take it back and they can fix it. And let me say again — experienced diver (I spend around 10 — 20K) on diving every year so money is no object.
My second day there I ran into a lady (don’t know her name) who acted like she was gods gift to mankind and was doing me a huge favor by just talking to me. Then the owner (Bruce, the dad, also referred to as the grumpy old guy in other online reviews) confronted me and accused me of using his shop as a try room for equipment. I tried talking to him but he was arrogant and egotistical. With this kind of attitude — how can these folks compete with major retailers, like leisure pro or divers direct. Anyways I will never go back. I love diving and if I’m coming to your shop to spend money and if you can’t treat me with respect and kindness — your loss. I hope that potential future costumers read this and avoid this place.

I initially visited Columbia Scuba when I first moved to the area and was looking for dive trips/​locations in the DC/​Maryland/​Virginia area. That was in the Spring of 2011 and I’ve been a loyal customer ever since. I’ve taken several courses (rescue & specialties) with them and feel that their instructors are amongst the best that I’ve had. I’ve also been on many of the trips (domestic & international) and have really enjoyed them. Overall, I’ve become a much better diver b/​c of the safety conscious environment fostered by the instructors and staff. I’ve been certified for a long time, but really started diving a lot more once I found a great group of people to dive with through Columbia. If you’re an experienced diver or just thinking about it, I would highly recommend you check them out.

Went to buy basic snorkel gear for a trip and thought that the owner gave us great, personalized service and advice. Didn’t try to upsell us in any way (although he could of since I had no idea about snorkel gear) and even saved money on the gear that fit better. He explained how to choose the mask properly and checked the fight carefully. Yes, you maybe can buy cheaper stuff at a box store, but you want the mask to fit and be water tight, and not waste your money — the stuff worked great on the trip and is high quality — so it makes sense to buy it at as speciality store — at least to me. A great experience, and they didn’t make me feel stupid, just explained how it worked. This is also serious diving store, they do diving trips and seem to sell all the gear. We got the scuba gear, good bugspray, a pair of beach shoes and some other stuff. Highly recommended. Near a Frisco taphouse/​bar so you can have a beer after stopping here!