PG Dive Snorkel & Scuba Outfitters

I cannot swim. This, however, does not preclude me from learning to SCUBA dive. Strange, I know. When Husband first brought up learning to SCUBA I was dubious. Besides the not-​a-​very-​good-​swimmer thing I have: asthma, a head injury that caused me to lose consciousness within the last five years, panic attacks in enclosed spaces, severe motion sickness, and a history of back injury. No worries! Just get your doc to sign off and you’re set to go. (I really did talk to my doctor about all of this, she definitely said I’d be okay… we’ll see).
Anyway– after doing some research we decided to get certified through PADI. We looked for local PADI dive centers around Boston and settled on PG– they had good prices and offered an online class so we could do half of the stuff on our own. The eLearning course was good, but there are some disadvantages. You can’t ask questions and you are liable to skip through important stuff. I am, however, a master at reading dive tables now. And it is a lot cheaper to do it online rather than go sit through a class.
Once you finish the eLearning course and pass the quizzes you can go to the dive shop, take a quick in-​store test and buy your equipment. I scored 100% on my test. Ha ha! Someone else I know didn’t… Anyway– then came the super expensive part: Buying your equipment. You need your own mask, snorkel and fins. Masks can be expensive– they range in price from about $ 40 to over $ 80 (there are fancy ones with computers in them that cost in the thousands. We didn’t get those). My mask cost $ 80. It was the only one that fit me properly. Snorkels run about $ 45– but these things aren’t just a mouthpiece and plastic tubing. They have fancy purge valves and schiz. And last, but not least, the fins. Fins have a wide price range. But, since I’m not a strong swimmer I opted to spend money on technology to help me out. $ 180 later I have a set of Oceanic Vortex V-​16 Open Heel Fins. They are mad cool. The guys at the shop were super helpful with picking out equipment– and even though I opted for the fancy schmancy fins I never felt pressured to buy the most expensive thing.
The next day we did our pool training. There were three of us in the class, which was good since I sucked at most of the skills. Most difficult: I had to swim 200 meters without stopping. I think that’s the most I’ve ever swam in my life. Our teacher, Maria, was super patient and very good at showing us exactly what needed to be done to pass the skill up to PADI’s standards. I have to admit, being underwater and breathing out of a regulator is unnerving at first. There were moments when I felt a little panicky. But you just have to remember: you have air, it’s okay, and the surface is right above my head. By the end of the day, after spending about five hours in the pool, I was feeling much more comfortable and was able to do most things on the first try– even the CESA (controlled emergency swimming ascent).
So, we are half way done. Only four open water dives to complete before we are open water certified. Next stop? Vieques. We are doing our dives in warmer climes. The idea of diving off of Gloucester in February is none too appealing.

I’m in the process of taking my Scuba certification at the YMCA (where you can hang out with all the boys) and PG DIve is where I’ve been going for my equipment.
First off if I had known ahead of time that PG Dive offerred it’s own cert. course I would have taken it there instead of the YMCA because it’s only a little more money and sounds way better. The guys who work there are really cool, laid back and knowledgeable. The YMCA guy knows his stuff but takes forever and a day to explain things– we spent 20 min doing the flutter kick! Also PG Dive offers the PADI cert. unlike the YMCA so I am actually doing my open water dives with PG so I can get the PADI cert.- the international one.
The shop itself seems good but since it’s my first time buying equipment I don’t have any comparison. The prices are steep and although it’s an expensive sport, things on-​line are much cheaper. It is nice to try things on though and get advice on what works.
There is a very cute little dog that is always at the shop too :)
I’d highly reccomend PG Dive for your Scuba certification/​open dives. For equipment it just depends on how much you want to spend.
Just as an update– I finished my certification and I ended up doing my dives with the YMCA and although at first the Y class seemed «bad» it ended up being really good. I think both PG and the Y are good places to get certified. I still really like PG Dive in general and go there for my equipment and plan to go on some New England summer dives with them for sure but I no longer think the Y class was bad so look into both before you decide. The Y class is longer but Rick, the instructor, really knows his stuff and cares a lot about each individual.