Scuba Emporium

In August 2011 I walked in the door at Scuba Emporium. From that day I have been treated as a family member, not a customer. I have done all my training there. The staff are held to the highest standards and it shows. The owners are wonderful people and never stop working (even on scuba trips). Everyone truly cares about you and encourages you to become a better diver, no matter what level you are at. This is the best scuba facility in the Chicago area. Check it out for yourself on the PADI website.

***Read if you are going to do business with this place***. Called them an asked them about the Groupon offer they have before purchasing. I asked what I needed to bring with me after purchasing this Groupon or if there are any other charges. They stated «Nothing. You have to come in». I purchased the «All inclusive» option which states all rental equipment is included. There’s nothing in the fine print that states any other charges. After taking 45 minutes to complete their paperwork they stated that I still owe the $ 242 more on top of the Groupon offer. HUGE SCAM!!! I stated that I had called and read the Groupon very carefully. His response with complete lack of care was «You get what you pay for» and he walked away from me. Needless to say that 104^th is under construction and that it took me over an hour to get there due to construction traffic. Huge waste of time. Luckily Groupon refunded my money back on this place. Total false advertising. Facility is less than average comparing to other places I visited as well.

Very knowledgable about scuba. I got my open water and advanced open water from them.

Most experienced Scuba center in Illinois. Large selection of equipment and they have their own heated pool right there. No reason to go anywhere else.

Priced competitively; FREE pool lesson; Skilled instructor; Excellent selection. I’m going snorkeling in Feb which for many might mean renting equipment (yuck) or picking up a package at a big box. After researching, I’m glad I made the drive to Orland Park to get the right equipment for me, at a great price, and be introduced properly to snorkeling. From learning how not to scare off the fish to extending my time underwater should I want to dive deeper and have to manage the air in my lungs, Doc set me right on how to maximize my experience while snorkeling. Friends shrugged when I told them I was taking a lesson and now I’m explaining the surprising value of the lesson before going on the trip. As recommended by Doc, I’m now combing YouTube for videos on breathing exercises to extend my submerged time. I have extra bouyancy (aka extra fat) and the pool time also gave me a chance to figure out how to efficiently dive lower without using too much oxygen. Without Doc and Scuba Emporium I would be just another overweight tourist in the Caribbean slapping on top of the water, scaring the fish and wondering what I paid for. Tip for women: I purchased rashguard/​swimwear from Coolibar’s website which is so comfortable in the water and protects against the sun rays. Important when you consider how snorkeling sessions are 1.5 hours with sun intensified on the water. I understand this practical, light swimwear is very popular on CA and FL beaches for swimming comfortably with waves (i.e. you’re not nervous about losing a piece of swimwear or the constant pulling down for the sake of modesty. Check it out. They have frequent sales. Now I’m thinking about the next step. Scuba Diving. The End.

This place is great. They have fantastic instructors who made all the classes fun. They have a decent sized pool on premises for all necessary pool work which is quite convenient.
The shop itself is large with a great variety of gear to choose from. The staff can answer all your questions about scuba and the gear.

I LOVE Scuba Emporium, I can’t say enough good things about them. Three of us got Open Water Certified this summer and all three of us have started our Advanced Open Water courses, Kate and I also signed up for the courses to go pro and work twards becoming a divemaster.
The Underwater Pumpkin Carving Oct 16^th was great and I have to practice my underwater carving skills for next year!

I’ve taken my Discover Scuba course at Scuba Emporium and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The owners are very nice and the staff is professional, courteous & funny. Definetly a great place to learn about scuba diving!

I have recently taken some diving classes at scuba emporium and couldn’t be happier with the service I received. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and went out of their way to make us comfortable. I would recommend this dive shop to anyone thinking of getting into diving.

What an amazing place!
I bought my nephew the Groupon for the Intro to Scuba class for his 11^th birthday and he loved it! The instructor was patient and attentive, and he wouldn’t even accept a tip from him at the end of the night. I will definitely be bringing my nephew for more classes, even without the groupon.
Only complaint is that they do short you a little on the time, but even with that they still get the 5 stars.

We had a great time today at Scuba Emporium. I had my 10 year old’s birthday party there and the kids had a blast. When I called them to book it the woman/​girl who I talked to promised more than what they delivered yet it was still a great experience. They offer birthday parties for 10 children, however I would not take 10 children there. They have a great indoor heated pool, they place is clean and they have a ton of dive gear in their retail shop. Children as young as 10 can get certified at this place. Of course they have certification classes for all ages as well as swim lessons for all ages. I would highly recommend it.
The only reason why I didn’t give it 5 stars is because they kicked us out 30 minutes prior to the end of our party. The party was scheduled from 3 to 5. The kids got in the pool by 3:15 (after educational video and educational orientation by the instructor) and were asked to get out at 4:30.

I received my certification here a few years ago and the only bad thing i have to say is I wish I did it sooner. The entire staff here is very very friendly and knowledgeable. Its a bit overwhelming at first but I never felt rushed or pressured to get something right. Even when I messed up one of the drills the instructor took me aside and worked with me until I got it right. They have a full dive shop for anything you might need and an indoor pool on site. They also have a program where you can get certified in 2 weekends (one on site and one at a quarry where you must show you can do your skills in open water). It might be a bit more expensive than some of the other places in the area but I think the service you get is well worth it.