Learn Scuba Chicago

I took the discover dive recently as it was my first time scuba diving. All of the staff was very friendly and got me ready to go as soon as I got to the pool. Initially, it was a little weird breathing through the regulator. They let me swim around for a bit of time and I eventually started to get used to everything. I really appreciated all of the help from the very kind instructors and would highly recommend Learn Scuba Chicago to anyone interested in SCUBA diving. Anyone can give it a try!

This was hands down the best experience I had in Scuba Diving lessons. I’m still shocked that such an amazing service can come at such a low price. The refresher course got me up and running prior after 2 years of no diving and prepped me for a dive trip of a lifetime in Belize at the Great Blue Hole.
Working with Sarah, Ben, and Stephanie was fun and they were great teachers. Sarah whom helped get me set up for the class was easy to get a hold of, extremely organized, and prompt in helping me get the proper paperwork filed in order for me to make my dive and prepare me for it. Stephanie was patient, professional, and was able to adjust the tempo of the course to fit each individual students needs.
Anyhow, the team is absolutely amazing. You can tell that they absolutely love what they do and they are confident in their skills, rightfully so. While we’re on land they reteach a few basics such as hand signals and about the gear. Nothing overly complicated, they make sure you have the basics nailed down. You get to practice until you’re comfortable and then off into the water! You can’t beat the value you get with Learn Scuba Chicago

I got my Open Water referral certificate through Learn Scuba last November. My experience was wonderful, start-​to-​finish. Honesty SCUBA diving is a little weird – you’re breathing underwater, and that feels strange. All my instructors were very good at keeping things calm and easy while I was getting used to that weird sensation, and doing all the necessary tasks. As a result, things went very smoothly and I got through all five dives in just three pool sessions. It was really great being able to sign up for sessions all over Chicago – it made it very easy to fit the dives into my schedule, and get them all done in just a couple of weeks. I felt very well-​prepared when I arrived in Belize and finished my certification with the open-​water dives. All my instructors were helpful and friendly, and I want to especially commend Hector, who was really great and helped me blaze through three dives in one session.
In response to one of the negative reviews below, it’s true that the instructors are volunteers, and some are learning how to teach. But my experience was really good, and the newer teachers were always overseen by more experienced instructors who made sure everything was going well. It is definitely true that learning to be calm and comfortable under water is probably the main task of the training, but in my experience the instructors were really good at maintaining that calming vibe and being patient with students who were nervous or taking a while to get things right.
The folks at the office were very helpful and nice when I approached them initially. My then-​fiancée (now-​wife!) and I had lots of questions about diving and about the certification process, and they were great and patient in explaining everything we needed to know. What at first seemed like an overwhelming amount of information came to be very easy to grasp.
So overall I highly recommend Learn SCUBA. I never really expected to be a SCUBA diver, but I’m really glad I got certified! And despite my initial trepidation about some of it, Learn SCUBA honestly made it easy.

Just completed my PADI open water referral. The instructors were all very friendly and informative. They answered all my questions offered helpful advice and allowed me to move at my own pace. Would definitely recommend this group for anyone interested in diving!

I found these guys just searching online for a place to get my PADI open water certification. After taking all my classes I can say it was the best choice. All the instructors were extremely helpful and fun to learn with. These guys really know their stuff. Also if you get a chance to train with Bob. Make sure to bring your funny bone. He is a riot! I can’t wait to come back and continue my training.

I would not recommend Learn Scuba Chicago to anyone, and I hope this reviews helps at least one person.
I do not like swimming, I hate being underwater, and snorkeling freaks me out. But here I am anyways, because I met a boy who wanted me to get scuba certified. The things we do for love. I researched a few companies on Unilocal and landed on this one. Plus they had a groupon and immediate openings. I don’t know how else to structure this review so here is some lovely numbering:
1. Scuba diving is expensive. You are being misled to how expensive this hobby is when you are sold a $ 300 groupon. Not really a criticism, but keep that in mind.
2. To become PADI certified, you are required to complete a classroom portion a take a test. As a busy working professional, I actually liked that I could study on my own and take the test on my own time. Well, I was waaaay wrong on this one. This shit is dangerous and complicated. You need the instruction. I read probably 40 pages of that book and watched maybe half the DVD. Don’t criticize me; I know you did the same. I went to take all 5 quizzes and the final exam at once. I failed the final, looked at the answer sheet, and took it again. Guess what? I passed. I had to return the book after.
3. Now that you know everything you need to because you diligently read the book and watched the DVD, you are ready to get in the pool, or should I say, schedule a pool session. They don’t have their own pool but instead use other people’s pools around the city and suburbs. The only class that was after work, 6:30 — 9:00 if I remember correctly, was all the way by O’Hare. And only once per week. That Lakeview store front is quite misleading. Every other class starts around 5 or earlier. They also don’t have enough classes to accommodate their students. Remember when I said they had immediate openings? To sign up, yes. To get into a pool session, no. By the end of the summer, you had to schedule a pool session about 2 months out. So expect your summer to go something like this: drive from the city to the suburbs for 2 hours during rush hour, try to remember everything you learned 2 months ago, can’t remember anything, just wing it, drive home, wash, rinse, repeat.
4. All of the instructors are volunteers because I guess this company is not-​for-​profit. I’m not criticizing the volunteers, their personalities, or their knowledge of Scuba, but these people should not be teachers. Teaching is more than just knowing the subject matter, you need to be able to explain it to your students and make sure they feel comfortable and retain the information. They didn’t. Your instructor can be different each day so they don’t really get a chance to know you. Because I knew this whole Scuba thing freaked me out, I made a point of telling each instructor that I am having trouble, get nervous under water, and might need more attention. Their response? «Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.» Great. Thanks for the helpful tip. When you tell your calculus teacher you’re having trouble is that how they respond? No! They work with you until you master the subject matter. I don’t understand why this would be any different. The absolute last straw with the place was on my very last day and why I never went back. I was on my 5^th or 6^th pool session. To put it in perspective, most people can finish 5 modules in about 3 – 4 sessions. I was on my 6^th and still on module 2. On this particular day, I got freaked out under water and came up. The instructor came over to talk to me and I explained how this is freaking me out, its too deep, and I don’t feel comfortable. He responded that, «we’re just trying to get you through this as quickly as possible.» This was the attitude I got the entire time using this business.
I never returned to Learn Scuba Chicago and ran into my cousin a few months later, whose husband happens to be an instructor at another company. While I was telling her about my experience, she was literally speechless. I should never be uncomfortable under water. It should move at my pace. And I shouldn’t have even been cleared for module 1 while still being so uncomfortable. I am now working towards my certification with another company. I still get very anxious and nervous at just the thought of trying scuba again. I really want to get my certification and am willing to work through the anxiety to get to a place where I feel comfortable. I hope I can overcome my prior fears and bad experiences, but I think it will take a lot of work.

I just completed my PADI Open Water certification. I originally bought a Groupon (which ended up expiring because I procrastinated so much) and upgraded to the 60 feet certifcation. It’s worth the extra money because now I won’t need to do pool refreshers in between my dives. It’s not that expensive compared to other dive shops since LSC is a non-​profit organization.
My friend had recommended this place to me and I’m glad I went with LSC. I was hesitant since I live in the suburbs and didn’t want to have to drive into the city several times for the certification but it was completely worth it.
I took care of the written quizzes before doing my pool sessions. It’s easier just getting that all out of the way first. When you first sign up, you get to rent a book from the shop to study up before taking the quizzes. If you return the book, you get another book for advanced certification & a dive table.
I did my pool sessions at NEIU. The address they send out in the email is NOT the pool location. Just look up the Physical Education building on Google maps instead or else you’ll end up wandering the whole campus like I did the first day. Depending on how comfortable you are in water, you could finish the pool sessions in 3 – 4 times (for the PADI open water course). But the great thing about the volunteer instructors is that they never rush you and would much rather have you come back for more sessions until you are comfortable to proceed with the next dive.
There were plenty of instructors to help out since they are all volunteers. Most of them made a point to get to know every student by name. I got lucky on my last pool session to work one on one with an instructor since there weren’t many students signed up that day.
At the quarry, the timing is pretty laid back. You won’t get an email til the Friday before your quarry dive as to what time you are scheduled for so make sure you keep the entire day open. You most likely won’t start on time so don’t be too worried if you are late. The DMC’s go over each dive thoroughly before everyone gets in the water. I would suggest not waiting til October to do the quarry dives. I procrastinated and ended up managing to squeeze my pool and quarry sessions back to back all the way to the very last day they were doing their quarry dives.
Bob was there on my last quarry dive to thank us for choosing LSC which I thought was a really nice thing to do.

We completed the open water PADI certification. We were ecstatic at the level of competence the DMCs and Captain Bob had in teaching the course. We felt safe, secure, and never felt rushed throughout our learning process.
I had struggled a bit on my second day at the Haigh Quarry, and Hector, DMC, was patient and thorough ensuring my safety was a priority. It was great having that level of personalization. Cheers to LSC! I look forward to diving with your crew more on excursions and volunteer opportunities.

We had a great experience with Learn Scuba Chicago, friendly and patient people. My wife and I got certified before our honeymoon in Turks and Caicos and I’m glad we did, the diving was great. We’re only certified to 40 ft, but we plan on upgrading to the full certification in the near future.

Learn Scuba is an incredibly organized team and a the experience was top notch. Very happy I enrolled in this class via groupon and would certainly point anyone interested in learning how to scuba dive to Bob and his team! Well done

The customer service there is astonishing! The woman working with us went WAY WAY above our expectations to help us. Super grateful. Definitely recommend.

LSC is an amazing organization. I signed up for my PADI open water certification with them through my University and I really enjoyed the experience. Aaron was our groups instructor and he was patient, clear with instructions, and an overall amazing teacher. They also invite people to their scuba trips to make you feel welcome and as part of the group. I highly recommend LSC!

I found a groupon and well kept going. Capt. Bob and his crew of volunteer DMs are wonderful, They are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. I would send anyone to Learn Scuba Chicago. I am thinking of taking the advanced class along with the underwater photography class. Top Notch!!!

I was in a rush to get an Open Water certificate and Learn Scuba Chicago was extremely accommodating without compromising on quality of education. The numerous pool and quarry days that they have available provide flexibility for any schedule. I enjoyed working with the staff and volunteers, and will definitely be going back to dive with them.

The whole team at LSC is awesome! I’ve finished my pool dives at a couple of the Chicago pools, and everybody I’ve worked with has been knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly. Can’t really ask for more — their prices are also competitive, if not less, than lots of other places. If you want to get certified (and you definitely want to do it before your vacation) do it with LSC!

LSC is a completely rewarding experience for anyone that wants to learn scuba diving. The staff is friendly and completely professional, patient and they make it fun for everyone. This should be your first choice if you want to learn how to scuba.
Kevin P.

For someone who hates the bottom of the pool, Learn Scuba Chicago was fantastic at getting me comfortable with being in the deep end of the pool. Capt. Bob and his crew were great. Stephanie was true help, she made feel calm and comfortable as I descended to the bottom of the pool.
I did the Discover Dive and had plenty of time in the pool. While it took some time before I actually put my face in the water, Stephanie was calm and attentive the entire time.
I’ll definitely be back to do a few more discover dives though I’m not sure if the ocean is for me.

I purchased a groupon last year, «*$ 139 for a PADI scuba-​certification course (a $ 285 value)». It was during the time when they were opening the office, so it was a bit of a chaotic mess of boxes and such. No biggie, I understand they were just moving in. I showed up to get a required book. i was told to read it and I would be tested on it. That was it. No direction, no guidance, no study guides, etc. That is a lot of info to just take in and guess what to study. Hopefully they have changed this business practice to something more supportive now, but I don’t know. I didn’t proceed with anything from there, so I can’t comment on their actual training or expertise. If they offered more support from the beginning, it might be worth the $ 145 for the 40 ft cert.
This is another important piece to note. They have a Groupon at the time of this writing for $ 145 NAUI certification. This is some info they don’t include in the promo, but they did email me to explain.
NAUI Certification Groupon:
A 40 ft certification limits you to diving with just a divemaster or instructor to a depth of 40 ft. Coral is at that depth, but most shipwrecks are beyond.
60ft (recommended) cert is $ 425
60ft is the most common certification in the world
*(So if you want the «most common certification in the world», the Groupon is not the route you want to go.)
Additional Note:
They are a non-​profit organization. The entire water staff consists of volunteers. They use the revenue from their able body training and gear sales to fund their charitable efforts with disabled individuals, Vets and kids with less opportunities than most. So, your money is going to a good cause. :D #GoodPeopleAlert

A great experience that opened my eyes to the world of scuba! I went to Curaçao for my honeymoon and competed my open water certification there. However,
my course work and confined dives with Learn Scuba made the open water certification seem like a breeze. Bob and the rest of the team did a great job getting me ready for my certification and my open water dives, which I will never forget. They are all very helpful and knowledgable and I would highly recommend them to anyone.

LSC is a great school to learn scuba whether you are a beginner, like me, or have scuba dived before. My boyfriend and I just finished our pool dives so we can go to Hawaii with a referral and finish our certification.
We did all of our dives at UIC and they were great. I think if you can get to the other pools you have more time but this location fit our schedule best.
The guys were awesome, very patient and fun. I struggled with a few things but they worked with me and offered suggestions and I cannot be more excited to get to Hawaii to finish this thing! I was skeptical at first, since I have never dived but I felt very comfortable with the gear and instructions in no time. I would recommend Captain Bob and his crew if you have any desire to scuba diver, whether to complete the program here or in a destination of your choice.