My wife and I were interested in scuba and we stopped in and next thing you know we are now certified. Great atmosphere and instruction. The trip to Vortex Springs for certification was great. This was a great experience and I have no regrets.

My son just got open-water certified, and I was re-did my entire certification after 20 years of not diving. Tim, Van, Jeremy, Dave, and Mike are all so knowledgeable and professional. As an educator myself, I really appreciate all of their positive traits in teaching their students: patience, confidence, humor. They were able to instruct everyone from kids to adults. If you are in the Athens area and are looking to learn how to SCUBA dive, I highly recommend Dolphin Dive Center.

I had an awesome experience with them during my initial open water certification. I haven’t been able to dive the past 3 years due to a busy schedule and I can’t wait to get recertified with them again. Thanks again Tim for a great learning experience.

I am so thankful for Tim and his team. I have recently taken the open water course and the advanced open water course. Best thing I’ve ever done ! I was very nervous at first, but Tim took the time to make sure that I was comfortable and learn the skills that I needed. I can’t wait explore the underwater world. Thanks so much Dolphine Dive!

Working with Dolphin Dive Center was a fantastic experience. From signing up for my SCUBA class to graduating 4 weeks later as a certified diver, the entire process was handled with professionalism and well placed humor.The instructional eLearning provided from SSI was informative, but was definitely a lot to comprehend all at once. The Dolphin Dive Center’s instructors did a great job simplifying the science and providing insightful anecdotes to solidify our understanding.During the pool sessions, I felt like we had an adequate instructor to student ratio. At no point during the training did I feel unsafe or doubt my instructor’s ability to respond to an emergency.Diving can be intimidating and cause some anxiety if you’re not used to being in or underwater often. During our open water dives at Vortex Springs, our instructors did a great job slowly integrating skill tests. The instructors took extra measures to make sure we were calm and ready for our first “real” dive. For example: we spent about 5 minutes underwater in the shallows to calm our breathing before proceeding into the spring.I began this dive program with 0 experience, a casual swimmer, and a lot of anxiety about all the things that could go wrong. I left the program feeling confident, relaxed underwater, and not wanting to get out of the water at the end of our final dive.100% would recommend to anyone interested in Scuba and an underwater adventure!

I do not trust them. I took the scientific diving class led by Dolphin Dive at UGA. They were nice during the few weeks that I got to spend in class but the class got cut short due to the COVID-19. I am very disappointed in the way they handled our SCUBA certification trip. I had already paid to go on the trip a few weeks before the school got shut down. When the school got shut down, our diving trip that I had already paid for was cancelled. They offered us later dates that we could choose to go on but I wasnt able to attend any of them. So, I asked for a refund and was told that they were not going to be doing any refunds. So now I am out $300 and received nothing in return for my money. They take advantage of college students and bad situations, be aware that you may not get your money back for a trip that you wont go on.

Great place to become a certified scuba diver if you are in the Athens area. They make scuba diving fun and give you plenty of opportunities to do dives in different locations. Equipment and trips can be a little expensive, but its worth it! defiantly satisfied with their instruction and how they helped me become a certified open water scuba diver!!

Tim and his team are some of the nicest and most helpful people I’ve ever met! I was nervous about learning to dive at first, but they made things so easy. I’m very grateful for their help!

Dolphin Dive is AMAZING! They will forever be my dive shop. They are extremely patient and willing to go above and beyond. I plan on taking trips with them in the future to different locations! I cannot rate them highly enough. They helped with my anxiety and claustrophobia. If I can do it, anybody can!

Great selection of equipment, friendly staff, very knowledgable. I used Dolphin Dive Athens to start my scuba career and have loved every resource they have provided me thus far! Will be a long time customer for all my scuba needs.

Awesome shop, awesome people. Tim and David are awesome guys, and they showed me everything I currently know about diving. Your experience here will be a good one!

Tim is very knowledgeable and very helpful with certifications! I have enjoyed the whole experience very much! If you want to get certified to scuba check these guys out!

Coolest guys in Athens. They have a something for everyone whether you’re a beginner or an experienced diver. Had a blast taking their certification course through UGA!

The learning experience at Dolphin Dive was second to none. Not only do you learn the necessary information to be a safe diver you also get to learn from the massive practical experience of the staff.

The folks at Dolphin Dive Center are great! I went through the SCUBA certification class and they made everyone feel at ease throughout the entire process. I highly recommend using them if you are going to try out SCUBA for the first time or even going on one of their monthly trips. All around great experience!

This place has something for everybody, open water classes for beginners all the way through dive master for those that want to perfect their diving skills. They offer trips to exotic destinations as well as weekend trips to the Florida Springs and day trips to lake Jocasse SC. Whatever your interest may be Dolphin dive Center has something for you!

I called the other day wanting some information. I dont know if they were having a bad day or extremely busy but the man (who answered the phone) was just very short with me and didnt really seem like he wanted to be on the phone. :/ I really had high hopes for this shop. Ive been driving to ATL for all the Dive needs and classes so i was trying to get a feel so them and possibly dive with them in the near future but ill probably continue to drive to ATL... :(

First class dive shop. Great instruction. Great people. Great experiences all around. Why dive with anyone else. Tim and the gang do more than teach SCUBA. They make diving fun and help you each step along the way. What do you do for fun?

Tim taught us how to dive with the UGA class and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Super nice guy, and very knowledgeable.

Best dive center for scuba! Got my certificate from them. Super helpful team, very funny, just great experience overall!

Dove with them through uga- super nice instructors and smooth process! highly recommend

Worst service, overpriced, and never answer their calls. Update your hours people!!! If anyone wants tanks just contact me - I can Trump these people.

I took the MARS 4740 class at UGA which is run in partnership with the Dolphin Dive Center. Tim is amazing! All of the staff are super great, helpful, and knowledgable!

If you are looking for a Dive Shop THEN STOP LOOKING because youve found it! This is quite honestly the best place to be. Everyone Ive met here has been a dream to work with. I have no doubts that I made the perfect choice.

Love this place!! Such a helpful and energetic staff. Check it out!!

The first time through the doors at Dolphin Dive Center, my husband and I were met by a friendly and professional staff that provided all the information we needed to begin our next great adventure: scuba diving. From helping us choose the best-fitting equipment to excellent classroom and confined water instruction, owner Tim Bridgham and his instructors guided us through the certification process. And we enjoyed ourselves so much, we enrolled our kids, ages 14 and 12. Now our family vacations center around scuba diving. We highly recommend Dolphin Dive Center for all your scuba needs.

Got scuba certified in the fall. Loved It! Very patient with me and helped me to stick with it till the end. So glad I made it. Cant wait for the next trip!

Love this place they always take their time and know the ins and outs !! A must for SCUBA !!

JEREMY DID A GREAT JOB ASSISTING ME !!!!

This is a very nice place for Athens-Clarke County, as well as any other local SCUBA divers to come and be a part of a larger community. Although I am technically PADI certified and they are part of the SSI Agency, I felt right at home when I went on some dive trips with them. They have many nice and extravagant trips during the year. But if your a budget strapped college student like myself, then they also have monthly trips to Vortex Springs in Florida and Lake Jocassee in northern South Carolina, both of which are excellent places to bone up on ones skills and have a great time with fellow SCUBA divers. Apart from their dive trips, they have a wonderful staff and a very nice selection of SCUBA gear to choose from and very reasonable prices. Aside from all that, they have a Dive Club that one can join that has monthly meetings on various subjects and great guest speakers as well.

Great place to learn how to dive and to dive with

This is the BEST dive shop in the area. I learned to SCUBA dive with the Dolphin Dive Center affiliated class at the University of Georgia, MARS 4740L, which was taught by Dr. Scott Noakes. I have been on three dive trips with Dolphin Dive Center (24 of my 26 dives), from which I have received my Scuba Schools International Open Water and Advanced Open Water certifications. Two of these trips have been to the Florida Keys and the other to Vortex Springs in Ponce de Leon, FL.The instructors at Dolphin Dive Center are second to none. They are very knowledgable and very informative. I have taken my open water course as well as the navigation, deep diver, reduced visibility/night, and wreck specialty courses from them. Tim Bridgham, the head instructor and owner of this fabulous shop, stresses safety and fun. If you want to just do the minimum to dive and have no regard for safety, fun, and technique, this is not the shop for you. If you want to dive in a fun and safe manner, this is the shop to go to! Shout out to the other instructors that Ive worked with: David Baldwin, Nicole Ducleroir, Jeremy Reaves, Brent Hix, and Jay Cavanaugh.In addition, Dolphin Dive Center sells top-notched gear. I purchased all of my gear from Dolphin Dive Center. They were very knowledgable and knew the pros and cons of each piece of equipment. They are a AquaLung dealer and service center, and my gear was masterfully assembled and serviced by Jay Cavanaugh, the resident technician.If i could, I would give this dive center a 6 stars/5 stars because of their knowledge, training, expertise, and always positive experience. BEST DIVE SHOP IVE EVER USED!P.S. They are getting rid of their tanning beds and specializing only in diving instruction.

After diving on an anniversary vacation with my wife, our daughter informed us that she was jealous and she wanted to learn to scuba. My wife and I decided that at least one of us had to be more knowledgeable about diving and comfortable in the water before we could let our child learn to scuba dive. By one of us she meant me. ;) A couple years later and we have an full family of certified divers! Their staff made sure that my daughter got as much pool time as she needed to be a successful diver. When I met DDC, I was already certified as an Open Water Diver. Since then, Ive taken several courses through them, including Advanced Open Water, Nitrox, Stress & Rescue, and am now working on SSI professional-level certs through DDC. They have great instructors and great staff!

Back in the 1960s I worked at a small dive shop in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. and I have enjoyed many years of diving since then. One of the reasons is the Dolphin Dive Center (DDC). The first time I walked in I felt at home. It was my idea of what a dive shop should be, full of diving equipment and information in a bright, relaxing space. The best thing of all is that it is staffed by avid, friendly, knowledgeable divers who take the time to answer your questions along with swapping stories about all aspects of scuba diving.In the years since I first walked in I have gotten to know many of the people who work there, including Tim Bridgham the owner. I have also taken classes, attended club meetings, and travelled to places like the Maldive Islands to dive with DDC. Whether you are just interested in learning about diving, you want to take a course to enhance your diving skills, or you wish to join a diving trip you will not be disappointed at DDC. It is also a great place to learn about snorkeling. It is a first rate, professionally run dive center.

Always helpful.

Everyone is friendly--and very accommadating.

The first time I went to Dolphin Dice Center, I explained to the store clerk that I was interested in taking diving lessons. The employee explained to me what the course was and lent me a DVD so I had a clearer idea of ​​the course. A week later I decided to take the course and it was a very pleasant experience. The instructor explained everything we need to do when diving (equipment, risk, safety, etc). In the classes an exam is taken to know if you understood all the content that is explained during the two days of the training. Also during those two days everything that the instructor teaches you is practiced in the pool. For me it was a unique and fun experience, although I had problems doing some of the things that the instructor teaches you (Ex: clearing the water that enters the mask), I got frustrated and felt bad since I thought I could not achieve it But the instructor did not give up and we were practicing until I did it !!!!!! I recommend it to anyone who is interested in diving.