Dixie Divers

Best dive shop. Ask for Charles, got my advanced open water through him. Couldn’t be happier

Got my open water cert here. Andrew is an awesome instructor, definitely go here for any dives or classes

Don’t waste your money with this place. They want you to purchase so that they can tell you they cancel your trip for one of their many reasons. 3 months passed and I could get to use my purchases. I had beef calling for 3 months and it appeared as though they keep waiting for my purchase to expire. The boat as they claimed was always full and when I did get one that wasn’t they canceled for other reasons. One star too many for this place.

I bought a groupon for a snorkel trip at this shop and it was great! The captain and dive master are super friendly and considerate the whole trip! I will def go out again with them, groupon or not!

Great experience diving with Dixie Divers. The staff was fun, helpful, and knowledgeable. I’ll be back to dive with them.

I had a Groupon for a snorkeling trip for 2, Dixie Divers had all my contact information and DID NOT CONTACT me to let me know the trip was cancelled. Why, we don’t know, wind low, temp high 70’s. Maybe b/​c they didn’t have enough people ??? They would not give me a refund from Groupon, were clueless, and didn’t have any other trips scheduled for my time in Florida. Translated — - I wasted $ 48 AND I was greatly inconvenienced, horrible company

Pavan is probably the most arrogant person I have ever, unfortunately, met. I would never step foot in his shop or dive on «lady go diver’.

Just finished a snorkel/​freediving trip with Captain Will and Mate Andrew. Great time!
Checked out a shipwreck and some nurse sharks.
The boat was nice, clean, snacks and drinks included. Most importantly good vibes!
Will be back I. The future.

Store: unorganized and extremely cluttered. It’s pretty hard to shop and find anything.
Staff: called and asked if they had a part I needed, the owner said yes and «see you in a bit». Drove 30 minutes to the store only for him to tell me he didn’t have the part and no one makes it. Then he proceeded to hold my parts while he lectured me on why he wouldn’t dive with a hose and adaptor. Keep in mind o have the same setup on 2 other regs and it works perfectly. Three times I asked for my belongings back so I could leave. Finally as he hands my stuff back, I walk out the door and he continues with his lecture. At the end of the day, he is welcome to his opinion, but don’t tell a customer you have a part in stock, and then lecture them when they come to buy it.

Tony was amazing! So helpful with planning my refresher and assisting with a valentines gift for my fiancé. Very accommodating to our busy schedules and assisted with rescheduling. Andrew and missy and great instructors! Went diving with them and enjoyed the whole experience… Even when I was feeding the fish can’t wait to dive with you guys again

Bae and I went snorkeling for our spring break, and it was a great time! The crew was very nice, the boat was awesome, and the views were beautiful. It was cheap, easy, and something great to do if you have a day to explore Boca.

Kind of like the ‘soup nazi’ on Seinfeld. Their return policy is ridiculous as I couldn’t take a wetsuit for an hour for my daughter to try on if it didn’t fit NO REFUND! Nice way to build goodwill guys. In a pinch I dropped off tanks to get filled and I was going to pick them up the next day. The pressure ranged from a low of 2300 psi to a high of 2800 psi. Everywhere else I fill runs around 3200. Once again learn how to retain customers. Understand how customers like to be treated and follow thru with kindness and understanding. One more thing– organize your shop it is a mess

Following a medical mistake that almost left me dead last year, I decided that once I was physically able and cleared by my doctor, I was going to do those things that I’ve always wanted to do… Scuba diving was one of those. I went into Dixie Divers store and got started.
Before the class: I had to wait for 2 weeks to start class due to the fact that the class starting that week was already full. The staff was very helpful and took all the time that was needed in order to get my equipment that I would need for the class (mask, snorkel, boots, fins, etc) I have very little feet. (size 2 children) and a little face, so it was a lot more work to find equipment that would work for me. The Store itself has a TON of stuff in it. It’s a bit cramped and hard to walk through but I didn’t mind. It had everything that I needed.
Advanced Open Water: My instructor was Keith Hidgon. I cannot find enough good words to say about him. My class was a hodgepodge of different skill levels and comfort levels as well. He made the class work a lot more interesting than it could have been with his humor thrown in here and there. It was awesome that Dixie Divers has a pool on-​site to handle all of the pool skills. Keith was very observant of everyone in the class and made sure that everyone was comfortable and able to perform the skills as required. He also had alternative methods to handle the skills for people with different physical requirements.
Dixie Divers also has their own charter boat, the Lady Go Diver. The captain and crew are awesome. The boat has always been very clean, and well equipped. The dive master always works his butt off in order to make sure that everyone is safe and happy in the dive.
I am so happy with Keith’s training that I have already signed up for my Open Water Certification and Nitrox. When I walked into the store I was greeted by first name by all of the people that were there. Gave me the warm and fuzzies… and the cheers theme song played in my head.

I’ll start by saying I had been a customer of Dixie divers since my certification 3 years ago. Joel was a great instructor who knew what he was doing and more importantly, he knew how to help you understand. In the following years I would frequent the shop for dive trips and any other dive related gear. Although I was not a fan of the ridiculous mark up they price their gear at I was loyal to them as they trained me and I liked to keep the business in their shop.
This was all true until a year ago when I went on a dive and my regulator flooded. Most would say poor maintenance, however I just had my reg overhauled the week prior. I eventually took it back in and had it overhauled again, which I paid for because I wasn’t in the 2 month window. Unfortunately this did not solve the problem. Once again I paid to have my reg overhauled once more. This is where the fun part comes in… this «professional» operation never put a diaphragm back in the regulator. I didnt find this out until my next dive. After I spit out the water I choked on I took my reg back in to be repaired, AGAIN, this time refusing to pay for it.
After the 3^rd repair was done the owner, pavan, refused to test this equipment for me. Unfortunately because it hadn’t been repaired before I didn’t feel comfortable testing it myself. The whole time he told me I was wrong for questioning his staffs’ capabilities based on my prior experiences.
at the end of the day be aware you’re paying 25% more to buy anything from this shop. Your equipment is likely not being repaired as they said it is. Last but not least, the business owner will never admit his faults. Don’t use em, you’re much better off with the many other local choices
They could really use a lesson on customer service

This review is solely for the shop, and I am being a little generous with my stars as I have not experienced any of their scuba/​snorkel excursions or the equipment rental process.
We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon mainly looking to get some last minute fins, snorkel and mask as a friend wanted to come out and see a few fish with us. When I purchased my snorkel stuff I never even entered a store. I shopped on amazon mostly because that is generally just my go to move.
In terms of inventory Dixie Divers has a lot, probably too much. The store is pretty cluttered and in my opinion very disorganized. About ten minutes in I abandoned the others and just waited outside as it was actually giving me anxiety. There was barely enough space to move around. It was also very difficult to find correct fin sizes in what was essentially just a giant pile system six feet high.
In the few minutes I was in the store I did some price comparisons. When I ordered my snorkel and mask I had been mostly concerned about getting a purple one, and not necessarily the most expert brand or quality, but I have always been very happy with my purchase, and I think I paid around $ 30 for the set. In this store I noted many masks or snorkels alone were $ 30++ so I would easily be spending double here. I did a quick amazon search for some of the exact items and found them to be much cheaper there, so it isn’t just a matter of them carrying higher quality merchandise, there is definitely a huge markup. That being said this is a dive shop relatively close to the touristy area of Deerfield, so I’m sure they can get away with it having tourists stopping in wanting to purchase items for that day.
The staff was friendly and as helpful as they could be. They seemed a little overwhelmed juggling the retail end and the scuba rental situation, but it was a Saturday morning on a gorgeous day, I’m sure there were more people than normal headed to the water.
If you want to come in a try a few things on and figure out what you need I would suggest coming in maybe on a weekday or a rainy day when the staff could be more attentive. Though the prices here didn’t necessarily agree with the bargain shopper in me, they are cheaper than another dive shop located closer to the beach, so it is not your worst bet, though probably not the best either.

When the shop makes a mistake, doesn’t apologize, and blames the customer, I know its time to find another shop.
They made an honest mistake, during a busy time of year, but told me it was my responsibility to check their work. I was upset I had to return to have the problem corrected, but insulted at their attitude. A simple I’m sorry would have gone a long way. But blaming me for not checking their work, Sorry, Never again.
Its a huge shop, trains a lot of people, and sells a lot of equipment, at retail prices. But I can’t support them, or recommend them to my buddies. I will support a smaller shop with better customer service, and attitude.
btw, I’ve been diving since 1973, 500+ dives, all over Fla, Bahamas, and Caribbean. its a shame I’ll have to go elsewhere because this is the closest shop.

The WORST customer service I have ever experienced! Placed special order, Didnt hear from them for 4 weeks so I call the store and they say «Yes its here». So I make a special trip and drive 45 min there, Then they cant find it. Owner says in a very rude manner «NO you didnt place order», I distinctly remember filling out the form, but whatever maybe Im crazy, I thought I did maybe I didnt. So I ask the owner how do we go forward, he proceeds with saying that Im annoying him. No problem there are a lot of dive shops that will take my money and do it with a smile. I own a small business and I wouldnt dare act like this. Its a real shame because the staff is very helpful but the Owner acts like a immature child

I’ve gone to Dixie Divers for my basic and advanced certifications. If you want to be certified by people who genuinely know what they’re doing, go with Dixie Divers. I have dived with other shops in the Keys, Mexico, and the Bahamas, and even as a «new» diver, dive masters are consistently impressed with my abilities and comfort level underwater. I owe it to great instruction at Dixie Divers.
Joel was my instructor through both certs. At times I thought he seemed tough (especially when it comes to learning and consistently establishing neural buoyancy and using your breaths to control it), but I’ve learned how crucial it is as I’ve dived more and seen «experienced «divers without this skill. Their shop prices are a little higher and they don’t have quite the selection as the larger dive shops (granted they are in a smaller area), but they carry quality gear.

This used to be my dive shop of choice. After the way I was treated this past weekend, Dixie Divers will never see another penny of mine and I will be sure to pass along my experiences to every diver I know (some of which had already advised me against Dixie Divers in the first place).
There is this one employee that has ruined my shopping and diving experience on several occasions. I don’t want to name names, but if you’ve ever had an encounter with a short, mouthy, little guy that acts as if you are interrupting his nap when you ask him a question, then you know exactly to whom I’m referring. I have had it with his unprofessionalism and just flat-​out rudeness to me and even to my friends that I’ve brought into the shop.
There are a plethora of dive shops and boats in this area who truly care for their customers and treat them accordingly. I’ll stick with them.
Edit: I forgot to mention that you should THOROUGHLY inspect any rental gear.

Told us to be there at 7:30AM, but they didn’t actually show up to unlock and open the shop until 7:50AM. They took the boat out, even though I later found out that every other dive boat in the area cancelled their appointments for the day due to the weather warning from incoming inclement weather. Boat was extremely choppy due to the waves, which left several passengers violently seasick.
Wet suit didn’t fit, equipment was damaged and leaky, and the oxygen tanks weren’t even close to full. Dive Instructors stayed in the boat and didn’t bother going into the water to supervise and train the paying divers, saying «Nothing can happen just 50 feet down» and to stop worrying.
I’ve never heard of a worse diving experience anywhere and my friend whose dived over 100 times said the same. Because of the equipment and instructor problems we didn’t dive, and when we asked for a refund (for at least the unused oxygen tanks) they refused. I can’t imagine a worse, less professional, scuba diving experience. Dixie Dive at your own risk.