SPE Dive School

If your looking to get certified and want to spend time in a classroom with a great set of instructors then this is the place for you. They go over everything in detail and answer any questions you may have.
Just to give you some more background. Its a huge bonus i you already have your snorkel, mask and fins. Like the other reviewers have mentioned there is a portion of the first morning spent on selling you this stuff if you don’t already have it. I understand why this is necessary so I don’t count it against them.
We only had two things we really wish were different:
1. We weren’t a fan of buying the weights when doing the pool sessions. You have the option of selling them back but you don’t get what you paid for them.
2. When we went on the open water certification trip we really expected to have Mike with us on the boats and taking us out for the dives. We worked with a great group from the Cayman Islands but we just wish Mike would have mentioned he wouldn’t be leading the dives as that is what most people expected.

I learned so much during my open water dive course at SPE Dive School thanks to Mike and Scooter! I know one option is to do the self study, but I really liked how both instructors provided real world examples and tid bits of how their experiences have been SCUBA diving.
I know some of the reviews discuss having to purchase gear while you are in class that day, but I think it’s a good thing for your personal items. I purchased a mask prior to the class for $ 80, and then found out about the magenta lenses for a few dollars more and wish I purchased my mask from the class rather than on my own. I also purchased my snorkel prior to the class and mine was $ 6 more than what Mike had in his shop and didn’t have the removable mouthpiece so I was kicking myself! I am glad I bought my booties, fins and an awesome dive bag for my items as well from class. I came home and showed my fiancé my volo power fins who has been certified for years and he is going to buy some as well he was so jealous!
It was really helpful how Mike explained what type of gear to get, and what to look for when buying. He is upfront and lets you know that SCUBA is a very expensive recreational activity so you know before hand. You do have the option of renting your equipment as well like skiing so that’s always an option. This sport is just like skiing in terms of cost. Most dive shops I called during my discovery require you to purchase your personal items (mask, snorkel, fins and booties) prior to being in the class as well. Mike has been doing this for so long I trust his recommendations. After the class I did some research on the stuff I bought and my fins were about $ 20 cheaper through Mike than selling online as well as some other items.
If you bought your own personal items you don’t need to stay for the first part of the course. Just make sure you know you get what you pay for in some instances. Mike gives you several options, from basic, middle to upgrade so the choice is yours. He does this with fins, snorkel and the dive bags. The upgraded dive bag was awesome because without it I was carrying so many different items to the pool. Plus it fits 2 people’s personal items so we can take it on vacation with us.
I found this not as a sales pitch, but more educational because I am new to diving and know nothing about it so I liked learning what everything was. Also, all of the little accessories were super cool, I wish I bought my log book there too because it’s waterproof and all the ones I searched for on Amazon were $ 3 + more expensive plus shipping.
The classroom learning was great too, I loved learning about the dive tables and the knowledge reviews were helpful in passing the exam. Scooter is a great teacher! The pool was also really helpful because it let you practice necessary skills that you would need in open water. I am glad I learned how to react in stressful situations i.e. mask comes off, regulator comes out of your mouth, you run out of air, etc. I feel SO much more comfortable now!
In terms of the Cayman trip, he does mention it a lot during orientation and a few minutes during the class, but it sounds awesome I am glad he did! I would be going if we weren’t doing the open water dives on our already booked honeymoon this year. You can get your basic and advanced certification in less than a week!
Thank you guys for a great course, I would definitely recommend this course and hope to be able to do my advanced certification in Cayman!
Kristin

I wish I had checked these reviews before signing up. This is a review for the Open Water Cert Course. I do not normally write reviews; however, I feel the need to echo what others have said previously regarding Mike’s unethical sales practices. In the orientation session (which could be condensed from 3+ hours down to 30 minutes or less), Mike tells you about how he goes over all of the personal equipment on Saturday morning supposedly to ‘help you avoid the mistakes I [Mike] made when buying mine 40+ years ago’. In reality what you receive on Saturday morning is not a information session, but instead an extended sales pitch where Mike tells you what to look for in each piece of gear and then tries to sell you an item fitting the exact description he just provided. Furthermore, he does this by reading out everyone’s name in the class and having them respond aloud so that you feel pressure to buy the item so as not to appear cheap. I want to emphasize that there is no opportunity to leave to shop around for gear using the knowledge just imparted on you because you will be in class for the remainder of the day until the pool session that evening. I found this pressure sales tactic unethical and it left a very sour taste in my mouth. To top everything else off, Mike makes you pay to rent your weights for $ 20/​weekend. I cant find another dive school that charges for weights… it is simply over the top. To slightly counterbalance this very negative experience, I have to say that the instruction received from Scooter was very high quality — for this Ive added a second star. Overall, however, I felt as though I had been taken advantage of at the end of the weekend. If I had to do it all over again, I would choose another — probably any other — dive school to train with.

I needed to get my open water certification for a trip down to Belize, and I needed to get it done quickly. I did the condensed weekend certification, and it was intense, but these guys really know their stuff. I learned so much. I spoke with my family about what they learned in their course with a different SCUBA school, and it sounds like they didn’t learn half as much.
In the beginning of the class, Mike spends a few hours selling his equipment. They have great equipment. If you’re not interested in purchasing the stuff, just let him know that you’re renting, and then they’ll dismiss you until after lunch. To everyone who is complaining about the orientation: tell him you’re in a hurry and he’ll give you some handouts and you can leave, they’re really laid back. It’s not like they’re holding you hostage.
All in all, the guys that work here are really nice and very knowledgeable. They’re not annoying or overly enthusiastic, and they’re patient with you if you don’t understand something. Going into it, I was pretty annoyed that I had to spend a whole weekend getting certified. I have an extremely short attention span and I thought that I would get stir crazy. It never happened. I had a great time, and these guys somehow found a way to keep things interesting and straightforward.

I took the Open Water Classroom/​Pool portion at Scuba Edu.
The Good — Mike Mathis was a wonderful instructor. He taught us how to calculate the amount of Nitrogen in the body post diving, and was the primary teacher for the classroom portion.
The pool sessions were good. No complaints.
The Not So Good: For this class– I had to attend a 2 hour orientation on Friday night. We went over a lot of the gear and a lot of time was spent on a trip to the Cayman Islands where I could complete my open water dives and get my Advanced Open Water cert. I think the total for the trip was around $ 850 (not including airfare and meals– just the certs and lodging). So from the get go– I wasn’t interested in going to the Cayman Islands.
I read the Unilocal reviews, and I bought all of my personal gear ahead of time (except for weights which I was charged $ 20 to rent). If you go online you can get everything you need for $ 200 and pretty decent quality. I showed up at 11am (as requested in the email) because most students in the class were buying gear beginning at 9am. When I showed up at 11am, they were still in the process of buying gear, but I filled out my forms. At noon, Mike Parker dismissed us for lunch for an hour, which made me mad because this meant I could have showed up at 1pm and done other things with my day. I also don’t think his prices were a «steal» by any means, however I understand its a business. .
Like a lot of the other reviews said– there was quite a lengthy sales pitch to attend a trip to the Grand Cayman Islands. We watched a video made by SPE Edu on the Cayman trip, and Mike Parker spent time literally going over every activity that the Caymans had to offer. There was also time spent on purchasing Scuba diving insurance which I just didn’t think was necessary. We also spent time going over literally EVERY single piece of equipment (BCD, dive knives, pony bottles) which of course, he conveniently is selling in his adjacent shop. But every story about diving situations led back to Grand Cayman.
So all in all — This course wasted a lot of my time by teaching me about a trip to the Caymans that from the orientation I didn’t want/didn’t have the funds to go to. Honestly why can he mention it in the orientation and then have a separate meeting for those who are interested?
SPE Edu also deterred students from heading to local quarries and nearby lakes stating that they were very cold and had low visibility. I just completed my open water dives at a local quarry in Haymarket for $ 225. This included all the rental gear and it was from 9am-​1pm Sat/​Sun. Yes, it was cold and was a lake, but much more affordable and still left me with tons of time to do things on the weekend.
THE COST — The class/​pool is $ 295, but you will need to purchase the manual and DVD (DVD is $ 50, manual is $ 50). All in all– it took me about $ 1,000 to get my Open Water PADI Cert.
Bottom line — If I had to do it again, I would have taken the course online and then done the pool version. You will re learn/​learn a ton more when you do the open water dives.

My boyfriend thought it would be a good idea for me to learn how to scuba dive. I took this course with him, (his 2^nd time with this school because he failed to mail in his certification paperwork in a timely manner). I thoroughly enjoyed it, there is actually an instructor teaching you the coursework. They answer any & all questions, tell you great stories and give a more personal experience than putting you in front of a tv to watch a video. On the first day, Mike does sell equipment to the students. My boyfriend and I did buy equipment, and there were people who didn’t. I disagree with the person that mentioned people feel pressured to buy stuff from him, that’s not true at all. He also lets you know that the first couple of hours will be for buying equipment, so if you plan on not buying anything you can always show up afterwards.
After the classroom training, you drive to the pool. It is at a school, I took the weekend course and there weren’t any kids around. They split you into groups to train with Mike & his instructors. I had no experience with scuba diving. And a lot of things made me nervous, but Mike worked with me to make me feel comfortable and build up my confidence. And anything I struggled with during the pool training, he would ask me if I wanted to stay late and work some more on it to become more comfortable.
My boyfriend and I took this course because we thought we were going to scuba dive while visiting friends in the UAE. We did attempt to scuba dive, but the weather was bad and the visibility underwater was nonexistent and it totally freaked me out. After one try there, I thought I would never scuba dive again. But, we decided to give the trip to the Cayman Islands a try. And I LOVED IT! When I first got into the water, I let the instructors know that I was scared and nervous. They stuck by me underwater until I started to build up my confidence. I ended up doing all the dives for the advanced water certification, when I originally thought I wouldn’t even complete my open water certification. I’m so glad that I gave scuba diving a second chance. Going to the Cayman Islands with the dive school was the best decision I’ve made. We swam through the USS Kittiwake, I actually was able to see a sea turtle swim by on one of the dives, and my boyfriend got to see a shark on another dive. I had such a blast, and I can’t wait to go back. Mike Parker & his instructors really want to make sure that you have an enjoyable experience. Thanks so much Mike!

I keep trying to post this… is it being filtered? I love SPE Dive School! Mike Parker & the SPE Dive School have transformed all my fears into some of the most exhilarating & exciting times of my life. I was scared to go scuba diving but Mike was so thorough & helpful & fun that all my fears just evaporated. Mike truly cares about his students & spends as much time as you need answering questions & truly wants to open up his students to the amazing underwater world. He is passionate about scuba & gets a kick out of introducing people to it. Mike is with you every step of the way & makes everything easy & fun. Everyone in the class had so much fun together. Don’t take your classes anywhere else & don’t get your Open Water certification anywhere else except Grand Cayman with Mike Parker! I strongly feel that if I had gotten my Open Water certification anywhere else, I would have been a lot more scared & maybe would not have done so well. This is my first Unilocal review but I wanted to find a way to thank Mike & to help others like me to make the decision to go for it!

I feel bad giving such a low review because Mike is a nice guy, but it’s sort of dishonest the way he runs this school. First off, the actual class portion is really good. But that is about 25% of the class. The rest is basically a lengthy sales pitch to buy extremely expensive equipment and to go on a super expensive scuba diving trip organized by the school. And this all happens before you even set foot in the water. He also employs some unsavory tactics, like calling each person out by name, asking them if they want to purchase a particular item. I believe he does this so that you feel ashamed for being frugal if you pass on a particular item. You basically could succumb to social pressure and end up spending over 1000 dollars. Easily.
He did mention the negative reviews here (on Unilocal) in his class, and claimed that they were phony reviews made by their competitors. Obviously, this was a lie, as they are totally accurate. I took the course in 2011 and the negative reviews are completely truthful. I would not go as far as to call it a racket, but it’s certainly run in a way to squeeze money out of people in a manipulative way.
If you do go to this place, my advice is to RENT EVERYTHING; don’t buy a thing. Even better, tell him that you’ve bought all of your equipment and it’s being shipped to you in a few weeks, so you have to rent.
Good luck.

I could not be happier with my experiences with SPE Dive School. From start to finish, Mike Parker and his team are professionals, and they will work to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience.
My husband signed me up for a weekend course as a Christmas present. I was apprehensive, as I’ve never been comfortable in the water. Yet Mike did everything to make me as comfortable as possible, even staying late after class to ensure that I was fully prepared to dive. This sort of personal attention and service separates SPE Dive School from other schools in the area.
My husband and I were so pleased with Mike’s instruction that we signed up for a Grand Cayman trip for our Advanced Certification this year. As we expected, the trip was wonderful, and we felt completely safe the entire trip. Plus, Mike’s insider information was hugely useful, and he lead us to incredible dive sites throughout the trip.
Relatedly, I am surprised to see the other negative reviews – yes, Mike sells his preferred gear at the start of the class. Yet outside gear is welcome, as long as it meets certain safety standards. As someone who purchased most of my gear (only the basics – mask, fins, snorkel, and weight belt) from Mike, I have been completely satisfied with its performance (and very glad that I made the initial investment rather than relying on rental gear or shopping online without proper fitting).
Again, I recommend SPE Dive School to anyone who is looking for dive instruction in the DC area – Mike and his team are fantastic!

I gotta be honest here. Mike runs a racket. Please buy or rent your own scuba equipment before you come to your class. Almost all of the first day is just a sells pitch in order to sell you a whole bunch of over priced bullshit equipment. And Mike pressures you in a way that makes you feel like you have to buy $ 700 bucks worth of stuff just to do the class. They DO NOT TELL YOU THIS WHEN YOU ARE SIGNING UP. I have no problem with the class, or the school, but the whole equipment-​purchase-​thing is pretty grimey way of doing buisness. There’s no way you’d get out of there w/​o spending at least 500 bucks if you don’t rent your own equipment. I also heard you can rent equpiment from them for $ 99, but they don’t tell you that b/​c they want you to spend 500 plus. This is no lie, i speak as a victim.

I have been an open water diver for years, but needed a diving buddy. So what a better way to go than get my wife open water certified!
After attending an orientation, we decided to go with a three day MLK open water course for her. The reasons? One, they teach PADI the right way, going through all the correct material, not missing one thing of importance, and throughly make sure you understand what you need to do to dive safely and have fun.
The courses are taught by people, not by a TV. The classroom is nice, clean, and a great place to take the course.
So why four stars and not five? Well, here are a few things that you should know before going in with SPE Dive School, or any dive school for that matter.
1. The first half day of the course is Mike selling you equipment. It’s not a go over on the equipment, it’s «To take my class, you need to buy the mask, snorkel, fins, booties, weight belt, etc.» Yes, its on the orientation slip. Yes, if you are diving, these are good things to own. But Mike was pushing unnecessary stuff. For example, a weight belt. Most dive shops around the world just have these lying around. Or a marker to put your name on your equipment. Fine. But, he does this as part of the time you are taking your class that you paid for.
If you dive 5 + times a year, this stuff is good to have. But, I am a guy who will buy when necessary. Starting off with diving and buying all your equipment up front is unnecessary, you can easily rent and then make an assessment if you need it.
2. The pool, from what my wife tells me, is okay. It’s at a school, so there can be loud kids there. In fact, my wife said she saw kids hair, skin… you know, kids are just not as clean as adults. But it’s chlorinated, and chlorine kills everything anyway, right?
Mike is great, and the school is well done. But Mike really needs to come up with a better way to sell his equipment rather than doing it during class.

I took Mike’s class about 7 years ago. The class was very thorough and he is much more safe, serious, and knowledgeable than many of the dive masters I have met since that class. He is very professional, yet still keeps everything interesting, fun, and specific. I referred several others to the class and they have been happy, too. We have gone back for refreshers and to say hi. Definitely go on his Cayman trip. Make sure you have fun in the class and during the class, create a quick cheat sheet to reference in the future for all of your next dives.